Former Kettering Town defender Piercewright launches ambitious bid to take over Poppies

The Northants Telegraph can exclusively reveal that not one, but two offers have already been made to current owner George Akhtar, who remains adamant that the club is not for sale.

Piercewright, who since hanging up his boots, has became a successful business owner within the IT industry and is in a genuine position to help the club which, he says gave him 'the best time' whilst playing the game.

He is backed by another club stalwart, Craig Norman, and other local entrepreneurs who currently have, or have had ties with the club.

Akhtar's first two years in charge of the Poppies have been nothing short of dramatic - even Netflix couldn't afford the rights to tell the story!

An incredible FA Cup run, two play-off challenges, shock player and manager exits and a sprinkling of former Premier League magic has kept the Poppies in the headlines and fans wanting more - a fact which Piercewright is quick to acknowledge.

"George has had two crazy seasons at Kettering, I'm sure even he couldn't have dreamed up what was coming when he first took over," said Piercewright.

"He's had a huge part to play in restoring the town's pride in the club and has made fans excited again about watching Kettering Town.

"Someone told me the other day that Kettering had back-to-back (average) attendances of more than a thousand for the first time since 2012, and that's really impressive."

Rumours about a potential new owner began to circulate a matter of seconds after the final whistle sounded at Real Bedford, where the Poppies season ended in a play-off semi-final defeat.

And after two weeks of speculation, Piercewright feels that now is the right time to clarify the situation.

"Myself and Craig Norman went to see George at his agents' office in Watford," he revealed.

"In March, I submitted a generous offer to take on the club, including any potential debts that there may have been.

"We had more talks, and I made a second, increased offer after the playoffs.

"I have two passions - football and business and I feel that the club deserves to be ran as professionally as possible.

"The dream has to be reaching the Football League.

"The dream has to be a stadium that we own and generates its own sustainable revenue."

Piercewright is the chief executive and owner of the Anglotech Group, and is confident the expertise of his collective, along with the funds available, can make these dreams become a reality.

Sites have been identified to build a multi-million pound stadium and 4G training facilities that will benefit the whole town - including potential land at Hanwood Park.

A rejuvenated Kettering Town Academy would be based at the site while women's football would see substantial investment.

"Look, I'm going into this knowing I'm going to lose money!" said Piercewright. "That promotion season ending at Tiverton were my happiest times on the pitch.

"I bought a house in Burton Latimer and my children still live in Kettering. I know it's a cliche but I want to give something back to the town."

"As a collective, we want to see girls and boys playing football the right way and give them a pathway to go to the very top.

"I want to see Kettering back at Wembley in the FA Trophy again.

"Most importantly, I want to give the club the sustainability it hasn't had for so long."

Eyes will now turn to George Akhtar, to see if the most recent offer will be taken, and bookmark a truly memorable period in Kettering Town's history that will be remembered with fondness by fans for years to come.