Paul Gascoigne: How Kettering’s city manager’s job lasted 39 days

Big names were nothing new to Rockingham Road. Ron Atkinson cut his managerial teeth with Kettering in the early 1970s before moving on to clubs including West Bromwich, Manchester United, Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa.

He was followed as a key player by Wolves and Northern Ireland striker Derek Duggan, whose side became the first team in British football to wear a sponsor’s name on their shirts.

A decade later, Kettering had a squad that included former England centre-back Dave Watson and midfielder Steve Daly, whose £1.4m move from Wolves to Manchester City in 1979 was a then English transfer record.

However, nothing could match the frenzied interest after Gascoigne was discovered just days before his appointment – to replace Kevin Wilson – was announced.

“There were rumors of a consortium taking over the club for a few weeks and then a home game with Gazza and Jimmy on the ‘Five Bellies’ programme. [Gardner] “And Imran Ladakh were also present in the main stand,” recalls season ticket holder Ian Holliday, who first watched the Kettering match in 1968.

“Shortly after, a press conference was held at the ground and the takeover was confirmed. I was at work that day and was excited by the prospect of Paul Gascoigne being the new manager, although I had reservations about how long he would last.”

Gascoigne was not the only English player mentioned in connection with the Poppy side at the time.

“We heard rumors that a guy called Imran Ladakh had come and all these top players – not Ferdinand, Steve McManaman, Darren Anderton,” former player Brett Solkhon said on a recent edition of BBC Radio Northampton.

“I remember, when I was growing up, watching Gazza in the FA Cup final [Tottenham v Nottingham Forest] When he was injured – and my first World Cup was in Italia 90, how great was Gazza at that time?

“I got a phone call saying: ‘Hi Brett, it’s Paul Davies here, I’ve got the new manager on the phone’ – and then Gazza came in. It was a surreal moment.”