Cobblers v Poppies for a place in Round 2, David Easson's FA Cup 1st Round Betting Preview heads down the M1 to one of the rarest derbies in English football.
17 miles and 3 divisions apart, Kettering and Northampton is a friendly derby. They’ve only played each other twice so it’s hardly Glasgow is it?
The Poppies fans were delighted to get the draw and the short trip to Sixfields should make for a fantastic atmosphere, but can they pull off the upset and knock out the Cobblers?
Well Northampton have had a terrible record in the FA Cup recently, going out in the first round in the last four seasons. They were four unbeaten in League Two until Tuesday’s defeat by Lincoln but they won’t be relishing this kind of tie. They’ve only won 4 of 13 games this season.
Kettering are flying high in the seventh tier aiming for promotion. Plying their trade in the Southern League Premier Division following their relegation from National League North in 2023, Kettering Town are one of the lowest-ranked sides left in this season's FA Cup. They’ve already played 4 rounds just to get to the first-round proper.
They consider themselves a cup team and they’re more than worthy of a goal.
They’ve won 3 on the spin and have some pedigree in the team, including former Newcastle forward Nile Ranger who has 4 league goals.
So who wins it? Well Northampton should have enough but with the league not exactly going to plan maybe they’ll take a risk here against their local rivals, who will certainly give this a go.
The Cobblers win and both teams to score. Take that at 2/1.
Nile Ranger and former Celtic striker Gary Hooper are both 4/1 to score a Kettering goal but I think I’ll take the Poppies to take the lead at 100/30.
Northampton to come from behind and win is 15/2