Lee Harper takes over as manager at Kettering

November 16, 2009—

Lee Harper has been appointed manager of Kettering Town Football Club until the end of the season following the departure of Mark Cooper to Peterborough Utd.

The appointment of goalkeeper Harper to takeover the reigns at Kettering will surely have come as somewhat of a surprise for the majority of Poppies supporters, however the chairman explained his choice; "We have known for quite some time that Lee Harper would be a future manager of Kettering Town and although the opportunity has arisen earlier than expected, I am absolutely convinced that Lee is the outstanding choice to continue the incredible progress we made over the last two years with Mark Cooper."

With the departure of Nicky Eaden to join Cooper at the Posh, Harper became the most likely candidate if it was to be an appointment made from inside the club. It also makes good sense from the chairman's point of view to allow for some continuity and not having to rush into making such a big decision straight off the bat to bring in someone from 'outside'.

As a very experienced goalkeeper, Harper is certainly well respected by the Kettering Town players and supporters and he now has until the end of the season to make his case for extending his appointment into next season and beyond. His first match in charge will be the Hillier Senior Cup match on Tuesday night against Rushden & Diamonds which has been switched to Rockingham Rd due to a floodlight issue at Nene Park.