Kettering get early Cup and Trophy starts

Kettering Town will enter into the FA Cup at the 2nd Qualifying Round stage this coming season (Saturday 2nd October 2004) along with their 43 fellow Conference North and South clubs, with the Conference National teams coming in at the 4th Qualifying Round stage. This season's FA Cup, which is the 124th, drew a record entry of 660 clubs.

Kettering will also start early in the FA Trophy, coming in at the 1st Round stage scheduled to be on Saturday 6th November 2004, with the Conference National teams (and holders Hednesford Town) not joining in until the 3rd Round stage in mid-January 2005. The 36th FA Trophy drew 220 entries for the 2004-05 season.

Poppies sign goalkeeeper

Kettering Town manager Kevin Wilson has signed goalkeeper Steve Corry to replace Mark Bunn, who returned to Northampton Town at the end of last season.

The 22 year-old keeper was recently at 2nd Division outfit Oldham Athletic, joining them at the start of this year after a 3-year stint in the Army. Corry opted for playing regularly at Rockingham Road next season, despite the Latics wanting him to remain at Boundary Park.

Conference League Cup restored

The Conference is set to restore it's League Cup competition starting this coming season after the formation of the two new Conference Divisions brought calls from the 44 member clubs for a cup competition.

The last final of the League Cup competition, formerly known as the Bob Lord Trophy, was contested in 2000-01 when Chester beat Kingstonian. The Conference chairman John Moules stated, "We have got potential sponsors so it would be wrong not to pursue it."

The top-placed Conference clubs will enter the newly-restored League Cup competition after the initial stages.

Ashton Utd take final North spot

Following the AGM of the Conference, Ashton Utd were the 'lucky' club allotted the vacant berth in the Conference North and replace Northwich Victoria who were reprieved from relegation from the Conference National due to Telford Utd's recent demise.

Sponsorship of the three Conference divisions will be undertaken by the Nationwide Building Society following the Football League's switch to Coca Cola as their new main sponsors.

I'm sure the kit manager at the Poppies will also be mighty relieved that the squad numbering used by the Conference National will not be enforced in the Conference North and South this coming season.

Wilson adds to Poppies squad

Kettering Town manager Kevin Wilson went back to Bedford in an effort to boost his squad for the coming new season in Conference North and returned with two new signings, Liam Folds and Neil Lazarus.

The 22 year-old Folds played in defence for the Eagles last season after joining them from Aston Villa where he started as a youth player. Lazarus was signed by Wilson while he was manager at the New Eyrie after being released by Mansfield and normally plays as a winger.

Poppies midfielder Wayne Diuk put pen to paper and re-signed to remain at Rockingham Road for the new season and now Wilson can focus his attention on bringing in a goalkeeper, with yet another Eagles player, Ian Brown, as a named target.

Northwich await FA approval for re-instatement

Northwich Victoria have been told by Conference chief executive John Moules that they will be re-instated to the Conference National as soon as the FA gives their stamp of approval.

The Vics were informed by Moules they would replace Telford Utd shortly after the Shropshire club's announcement they were going into voluntary liquidation. There is no news yet of who will be replacing Northwich in the newly formed Conference North.

Within a short period of Telford Utd's announcement, the supporters trust made their own announcement that they had formed a new club under the banner AFC Telford. The FA hinted that the new club might not have to drop too far down the pyramid, following the trust's early expectations of the newly formed club possibly having to join the Shropshire Saturday League.

Announcements of AFC Telford's new status and the outcome of who will replace Northwich in Conference North should be resolved following the Conference AGM on June 5th 2004.

Telford out, Northwich back in?

The Football Conference saga continues as Telford Utd have announced they will drop out of the top level of non-league football after they were unable to resolve their financial crisis in time to committ to next season.

The announcement that the Bucks Head club is going into liquidation should now pave the way for a re-instatement of the third club that was initially relegated, Northwich Victoria, who finished bottom of the table at the end of last season.

Farnborough Town escaped the drop due to no club coming up from the Northern Premier League, Leigh RMI recently gained their reprieve at the expense of demoted Margate. If Northwich are confirmed as having been reinstated then they will have to be replaced in the Conference North.

Telford Utd will meanwhile try to reform and attempt to come back into non-league football before the start of the new season. However it's not yet known at what level they are likely to re-enter the non-league pyramid at this early stage of the proceedings.

Former Poppies keeper takes over Leeds hot-seat

Leeds Utd announced today that their new manager would be former Poppies goalkeeper Kevin Blackwell. Blackwell made 29 appearances between the posts for Kettering while on-loan from Notts County during the 1990-91 season.

Blackwell, who took over as head coach at Elland Road a year ago, has signed a two-year contract with Leeds Utd, relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season.