BIG INTERVIEW: New Kettering Town boss Hollyhead is excited to be getting down to work at a 'proper football club'

But when you look back at the original job advert posted by the club, the clues were always there that Hollyhead was the target.

'The successful candidate will already have managed at Step Three or higher and will have analytical skills to match their other proven managerial skills' read the advert.

But after a short interview process which seemingly didn’t attract the right fit, although it did throw up some great names within the rumour mill including Jermain Defoe (no really), Kettering knocked at Banbury United's door to make an approach for their guy.

"George and Fabien approached Banbury on the Bank Holiday, which was the end of the application process,” revealed Hollyhead.

“And at that point, I was a little bit taken aback - I'd just finished preparing the pre-season friendlies for Banbury.

"I was pleasantly surprised. I think when anyone approaches someone in sport or business, there's a real warm feeling about it - a mark of respect for the job that you've been doing."

And you have to acknowledge the varied career that the 53-year-old has had to date.

Performance roles at the Football Association and Warwickshire County Cricket Club, which he describes as a ‘distant memory’, all leading up towards four years as assistant manager at Malmo in Sweden, gaining Champions League experience as well as other managerial roles in Scandinavia.

Similar to owner George Akhtar, who took over the reins of the club 13 months ago, Dudley-born Hollyhead has always had an appreciation of the Poppies from way back.

“First time I heard about Kettering Town was as a very young boy, visiting the Hawthorns with my father," he revealed.

“Ron Atkinson appeared on the sideline, and I just remember my dad saying he's been at Cambridge and Kettering before that.

"As we know the long-term memory never goes first, and it's been in the forefront of my mind ever since - it's one of those clubs I've always been intrigued to learn about."

Within a minute of being in Hollyhead’s company, you soon realise just how different he is to his predecessor Richard Lavery.

Every sentence is considered, almost composed. There's no throw away one-liners or over the top outbursts for effect, although he joked that his wife would disagree with the assessment of ‘the quiet one’.

"Look, my job as a leader is to try and maximise the performance of the team,” said Hollyhead. “I don't think my wife would agree I'm always like this!

"I am obviously quite considered in what I say - I think communication is very important for the players. very important for the fans."

And it's this thoughtful philosophy that Kettering fans can expect in the coming months, with the new manager keen to utilise approaches used outside the game of football.

"What’s interesting now, is that within football clubs and high-performance environments there is far more acceptance and need to understand views from different sports and their demands,” he says.

“We know players don’t improve when they’re in their comfort zone - the improvement takes place when you're just outside of it.

“A leader very much identifies and looks at as many ways as possible to empower the people that he's accountable for.

"That’s no different to some coaches, managers higher up in football. You look at leaders in business - at the end of the day, yes we have footballers but it's the person behind the football that we need to identify.”

Hollyhead however was quick to reassure that it’s not all about data sets and multi-faceted analysis covering every blade of grass. He is an operator of people and that ultimately boils down to the power of gut feeling.

“100 per cent that it is the most important thing,” said the Poppies boss. “With the advent of sport science, technology, data tracking, there’s a danger that you move away from the most important thing, and that's gut feel.

"I was made aware of the importance of gut feel at a very early age by some really experienced coaches - the eyes are the most important tools.”

One person who fans can look towards for encouragement is recent signing George Forsyth, who has already claimed that the 24/25 campaign under Hollyhead was one of his most enjoyable and that the methods of the new Kettering manager are ‘top notch’.

And Hollyhead did not deny that the captain’s arm band may be given to the first player he brought to the club.

“I don’t need to sit here and explain what Foz brings to a group," he said. “He was incredibly important to what we developed last year (at Banbury), and as a coach you look at the quality of the person.

"Between 3 and 5 o’clock on a Saturday, that’s what people judge. But his input at 5 o’clock on a Saturday until 3pm the following Saturday is incredibly important.

“Ever since the last game, I know that the chairman was very keen to understand why he left. It was evident with the fans how respected he was as a person and I know he's got unfinished business here.”

In the aftermath of the final regular game of the season, a 2-2 draw between Kettering and Banbury, Hollyhead identified the immediate hours after the final whistle, in the clubhouse, something he is really looking forward to since becoming manager of the Poppies.

“I think it's incredibly important - it was evident to us in the last game of the season the passion around the club," said Hollyhead.

"It was the first time I had been here with a team, and it’s clear to me that this is a proper football club.

"We really are all in this together, players, coaches, fans, that’s what makes a club. I'm incredibly excited and you'll see me talking a bit louder than I have been today!”