Let's talk about the Kettering Town FA cup game 2nd round

[NickDRFC]

They've got some very good forwards who are probably a bit past it though.

Yep. Nile Ranger and Gary Hooper.

Marvin Sordell is on their books as well.

[selby]

I think Nile Ranger was sent off in the last few minutes for arguing with the ref last Saturday and could miss the game the same as McGrath.

[ncRover]

I think Nile Ranger was sent off in the last few minutes for arguing with the ref last Saturday and could miss the game the same as McGrath.

I thought we'd got lucky there but it turns out he didn't get sent off, he scored the winner

[Monkcaster_Rover]

I’m not having Nile Ranger. Rubbish. I remember watching him against us when he played for Southend and Joe Wright didn’t give him a kick. Be meat and drink for our boys on Sunday.

[selby]

I hope your right MR

[Donnywolf]

I reckon they are at level 7 in the Pyramid but are at the top of their particular Division so might be 68 / 69 places below us

How many position were Frickley below us when they outed us in FA T .... less places presumably ?


Also who are the "lowest" opposition we have been knocked out by if we win on Sunday

[Draytonian III]

Was Frickley in the FA Cup or the FA Trophy ?

[Donnywolf]

https://youtu.be/NQIFjP_s_gg?feature=shared

This is the FA Trophy one and never seen this before

Some familiar faces in Park Hotel

[Donnywolf]

Was Frickley in the FA Cup or the FA Trophy ?

FA Trophy , I have been told and in fact Jezza introduced it as that . It was bloody dismal though

[Usher wide.]

https://youtu.be/NQIFjP_s_gg?feature=shared

This is the FA Cup one and never seen this before

Some familiar faces in Park Hotel

Ruined my week seeing Clarkson’s face wolf. You could have put a public warning notice up first!

Wish the smug bas**rd had been born in Barnsley.

[Butchers Red]

https://youtu.be/NQIFjP_s_gg?feature=shared

This is the FA Cup one and never seen this before

Some familiar faces in Park Hotel

That is the funniest thing Ive seen in years

[TonySoprano]

https://youtu.be/NQIFjP_s_gg?feature=shared

This is the FA Cup one and never seen this before

Some familiar faces in Park Hotel

That is the funniest thing Ive seen in years

Yeah, it's brilliant 

[Dutch Uncle]

I reckon they are at level 7 in the Pyramid but are at the top of their particular Division so might be 68 / 69 places below us

How many position were Frickley below us when they outed us ?


Also who are the "lowest" opposition we have been knocked out by if not Frickley ?

A good question re Frickley DW

Of course that was in the FA Trophy for non-league sides, not the FA Cup, and we didn’t lose to anyone else below Conference level in any competition during our Conference seasons (am not including the regional Sheffield Cups).
As a league club we have lost 6 matches to a non-league club in the FA Cup:

1904-05 Mexborough
1927-28 Carlisle
1965-66 Wigan
2003-04 Scarborough
2004-05 Exeter
2022-23 Kings Lynn

In two if those seasons we were actually Champions of our League (1965-66 and 2003-04)

We have also lost to 2 Conference clubs in the FA Cup during our Conference seasons (Rushden & D and Southport), and to two Conference sides in the AMC (generic name for Bristol Street Motors thingy) – Cambridge and Hereford (on penalties)

Mexborough would seem the ‘smallest’ of those clubs but there wasn’t a pyramid as such so difficult to say.

Technically there is one other challenger for lowest or ’smallest’ club though – Fryston Colliery who progressed in the FA Cup at our expense in 1923-24.

Not sure of the exact details (maybe The Red Baron or Bristol Red Rover can correct me) but we were due to embark on a non-league season and through a drop out we were invited back into the Football League at a very late stage, I think the season might have already started and we had a fixture backlog. We were drawn against Fryston Colliery on a very early preliminary FA Cup round. We felt that as a league club we should be exempt as far as the other league clubs were, but the FA said we were non-league when the cup started. Due to the fixture backlog we withdrew from the fixture and gave Fryston a walkover.

So we have something very rare in common with our new found galactico friends of Manchester United - we have both withdrawn from an FA Cup tie. 
 

[roversdude]

https://youtu.be/NQIFjP_s_gg?feature=shared

This is the FA Cup one and never seen this before

Some familiar faces in Park Hotel

Tbh I’m surprised he got out of there in one piece

[Pintolager]

I remember us beating Brandon United in a replay in the late 80's who played in the northern league I think it was back then. DU or others will correct me but if we had lost to them that could have been our worst cup defeat I reckon

[Donnywolf]

I would be tempted to opt for Mexborough in 1904/5 but as DU points out it's not as easy to judge as it is these days with the Pyramid

Let's hope Kettering don't provide anything other than a path to a "plum" away draw in R3

[Michael Shaw]

A long time since I laughed so much about Rovers. A brilliant video. So funny. Thanks

[Draytonian III]

I remember us beating Brandon United in a replay in the late 80's who played in the northern league I think it was back then. DU or others will correct me but if we had lost to them that could have been our worst cup defeat I reckon

The replay was also played at Belle Vue because their ground wasn’t up to standard, Paul Dobson scored for us before he was transferred. Others might be able to shed more light on it but didn’t he leave before he scored/played more because we would’ve to pay more money out due a clause in his transfer to us

[scawsby steve]

I reckon they are at level 7 in the Pyramid but are at the top of their particular Division so might be 68 / 69 places below us

How many position were Frickley below us when they outed us in FA T .... less places presumably ?


Also who are the "lowest" opposition we have been knocked out by if we win on Sunday

It might need DU to help us out, Wolfie, but I believe there were very few places between ourselves and Frickley at the time. We were bottom of the Conference, and I'm pretty sure there was no Conference North at that time, so the next tier down was the Northern Premier League, which I reckon Frickley would have been fairly well placed in.

[ForsolongaRover]

I reckon they are at level 7 in the Pyramid but are at the top of their particular Division so might be 68 / 69 places below us

How many position were Frickley below us when they outed us ?


Also who are the "lowest" opposition we have been knocked out by if not Frickley ?

A good question re Frickley DW

Of course that was in the FA Trophy for non-league sides, not the FA Cup, and we didn’t lose to anyone else below Conference level in any competition during our Conference seasons (am not including the regional Sheffield Cups).
As a league club we have lost 6 matches to a non-league club in the FA Cup:

1904-05 Mexborough
1927-28 Carlisle
1965-66 Wigan
2003-04 Scarborough
2004-05 Exeter
2022-23 Kings Lynn

In two if those seasons we were actually Champions of our League (1965-66 and 2003-04)

We have also lost to 2 Conference clubs in the FA Cup during our Conference seasons (Rushden & D and Southport), and to two Conference sides in the AMC (generic name for Bristol Street Motors thingy) – Cambridge and Hereford (on penalties)

Mexborough would seem the ‘smallest’ of those clubs but there wasn’t a pyramid as such so difficult to say.

Technically there is one other challenger for lowest or ’smallest’ club though – Fryston Colliery who progressed in the FA Cup at our expense in 1923-24.

Not sure of the exact details (maybe The Red Baron or Bristol Red Rover can correct me) but we were due to embark on a non-league season and through a drop out we were invited back into the Football League at a very late stage, I think the season might have already started and we had a fixture backlog. We were drawn against Fryston Colliery on a very early preliminary FA Cup round. We felt that as a league club we should be exempt as far as the other league clubs were, but the FA said we were non-league when the cup started. Due to the fixture backlog we withdrew from the fixture and gave Fryston a walkover.

So we have something very rare in common with our new found galactico friends of Manchester United - we have both withdrawn from an FA Cup tie. 
 

Firstly, I saw a lot of Niall Ranger who was a class centre forward at our level based on watching him play at Southend, but he got on the wrong side of the law - and not just once and it didn’t help his football career. He’s now over 30, but I wouldn’t ignore him.

The balance in the comments above is pretty good, but I go with those who favour our playing our normal game. Perhaps our overall record against non league opposition is irrelevant, but it does support the common-sense angle that statistically Kettering are less likely to win than Rovers. The Kings Lynn defeat was memorable and deserved, but we were performing dismally at the time, they were top of the 6th tier and very much in form; and probably a good deal better than Kettering are.

However, the fact is if that Kettering were to beat us, they would need to repeat a performance similar to the one they managed against 18th in L1 in which their goal underwent a barrage of shots which they somehow kept out. Of course they were playing away too which adds to their achievement, but they went into that match with nothing to lose.

This time, there will be some pressure on them because beating a L1 side away may suggest to some that they should deal with one from L2 at home and of course they will be aware that 99.9% of the public will be hoping, many even expecting, that they’ll win. Notwithstanding this, most of the viewers will not realise that they play 3 tiers below their opponents who, at 4th in L2, are probably better than the 17th place in L1 occupied by Northampton. What we also have going for us is that we are unbeaten away since September.

I say all this simply for the sake of balance and I reckon we’ll win. If we don’t, I expect we will all have to put on our tin hats!

[Ldr]

I remember us beating Brandon United in a replay in the late 80's who played in the northern league I think it was back then. DU or others will correct me but if we had lost to them that could have been our worst cup defeat I reckon

The replay was also played at Belle Vue because their ground wasn’t up to standard, Paul Dobson scored for us before he was transferred. Others might be able to shed more light on it but didn’t he leave before he scored/played more because we would’ve to pay more money out due a clause in his transfer to us

I thought he threw his teddies out the pram after being dropped to the bench

[Reg of the Rovers]

https://youtu.be/NQIFjP_s_gg?feature=shared

This is the FA Cup one and never seen this before

Some familiar faces in Park Hotel

That is the funniest thing Ive seen in years

Yeah, it's brilliant 

"Doncaster: It's not a bag of shite" should be our new club motto.

[Metalmicky]

I think Nile Ranger was sent off in the last few minutes for arguing with the ref last Saturday and could miss the game the same as McGrath.

I think the guy that your thinking about was the midfielder Devon Kelly-Evans...

[ForsolongaRover]

“Kettering Town holds the record for the most goals in FA Cup history with 922. The Southern League Premier Division side leads Tottenham Hotspur by 11 goals.”

I suppose that if you think about it, most well established non-league clubs take part in it and the lower you start, the more games you’ll play IF you make progress. So if you’ve been around for years and years - since 1872 in Kettering’ case -  it makes sense. Spurs were a Southern League club for quite a long time, so they must have quite a history in qualifying rounds as well.

[selby]

 All we need is a win, it doesn't matter how.

[Ryaldinhio]

Hoping Westbrook is fit enough to get a start. Just think he’s the type to unlock the midfield conundrum

Westbrooke is a real conundrum. If you look at his career and how many league games he has started, he appears to be getting less resilient and less essential as his career has progressed. At 28 he would probably hoped to have more consistently started games, being at his physical peak now.

2024/25 - 2
2023/24 - 17
2022/23 - 6
2021/22 - 0
2020/21 - 33
2019/20 - 22
2018/19 - 3

Should of been let go along with Close in the summer rather than extending their deals.

I could be wrong but I think their deals were extended before the summer? Also it was noted last Jan we had a money offer for close and turned it down?

Neither suit what GM wants to do, I can only assume they were trying to create a value in an assett rather than let then go for nothing.

There is a lot of deals done in football that aren't about a player being in the first 11.

[Chris Black come back]

Close and Westbrooke both have real quality but their resilience isn’t great and also they don’t get through the yards that McCann typically likes from his midfield. Good for him to have some variety in options but even with our bigger budget these days, that’s a lot of cash being paid out to either the treatment table or bench.

[pib]

I think Westbrooke has performed well when he’s played this season, but Close has been poor. Maybe he just can’t do it physically after all the injuries, or maybe he can only be selected for certain games - high possession ones where he has time on the ball to pick passes and doesn’t have to do so much of the physical stuff.

[ncRover]

Close and Westbrooke both have real quality but their resilience isn’t great and also they don’t get through the yards that McCann typically likes from his midfield. Good for him to have some variety in options but even with our bigger budget these days, that’s a lot of cash being paid out to either the treatment table or bench.

Westbrooke does get about the pitch?

I know they’re similar in some respects but I think a lot of people lazily put all of Close’s weaknesses on to Zain.

[ForsolongaRover]

Close and Westbrooke both have real quality but their resilience isn’t great and also they don’t get through the yards that McCann typically likes from his midfield. Good for him to have some variety in options but even with our bigger budget these days, that’s a lot of cash being paid out to either the treatment table or bench.

Clifton probably embodies what he expects of a midfielder and he scores goals too - 2 in the Rotherham friendly.