Cobblers have 'full respect' for Kettering - Brady

Jon Brady has been Northampton Town boss since May 2021

Northampton Town will show the same respect to non-league neighbours Kettering Town as they do any League One opponents, boss Jon Brady has promised.

The two clubs will meet in the FA Cup first round at Sixfields on Saturday in a game to be televised live on BBC TV [17:30 GMT].

Brady is a former Kettering player and helped them win promotion from National League North in 2008.

"We've done all our prep on them and when you are top of the league [as they are] you are obviously doing something right, no matter what league it is," he told BBC Radio Northampton.

"They've got players of note, one or two that have played at the very top [level] and it will be a tough challenge.

"When I managed in [non-league] step three, you might have struggled to get a video of us and you'd have to get someone to go and see them live, but now everyone's games are videoed and we take the pre-game prep like we would any League One opposition and fully respect them."

Northampton have lost in the first round in the last four seasons and Brady is eager for his team to break that run, despite the disappointment of losing 2-1 at Lincoln City in League One on Tuesday.

"There's a lot of interest for everyone in the county. It would be fantastic for the club to have a great run but that's certainly not a given against the opposition we face," he said.

"They'll want a run as well and, like always, we've got to be at our very best to make sure we can try to get into the next round."

The two clubs have met twice previously in the FA Cup, with Northampton winning 3-0 at home in 1961 and 1-0 at Kettering in 1989.

But following years of struggles, Kettering are on an upturn again, a point clear at the top of Southern League Premier Central Division.

"I had real fond times there, we won a league and did very well at the time when Mark Cooper was manager," Brady said.

"Kettering have had many ups and downs and we'll probably see a lot of familiar faces at the weekend that have been a foundation in keeping the club going.

"In our county, there's a lot of people that really invest in the local community and the local clubs."

One of the 'players of note' in Kettering's squad is former Celtic and Norwich City striker Gary Hooper, who recently arrived at Latimer Park and scored his first goal in a 2-0 league win over Stourbridge.

He has scored goals in the Premier League, Scottish Premiership and Champions League but at 36 admitted: "I don't think my body can do full-time [football] any more."

Hooper joined Kettering after about eight months out of the game following a spell with Barnet, which ended in December 2023.

"I had a nice little break but came in to train with Kettering and enjoyed it," he told BBC Radio Northampton.

"Me and the gaffer [Richard Lavery] and [football director] Fabian [Forde] had a good chat, they said 'see how you get on with the travelling'. I've done non-league before with Grays Athletic but that was a long time ago."

He continued: "Coming off the bench the other day, I was trying to settle the game and it was a great ball from Powelly [Aaron Powell] in to me, took on the defender and finished. I think everyone is enjoying me being here.

"We're playing good football, winning games, six unbeaten, we're in the FA Cup and there's only one way it's going. The club are doing everything right and it shows out on the pitch."

Should Kettering pulls off an upset win at Northampton, it will be the first time the Poppies have reached round two since 2010 when they forced a replay against Leeds United before losing the second game 5-1.