New boss Liam McDonald insists 'anything is possible' at Kettering Town
New boss Liam McDonald believes 'anything is possible' for Kettering Town this season.
The 40-year-old was unveiled as the manager at Latimer Park on Sunday, taking over from Simon Hollyhead, who had resigned nine days earlier after just 14 matches in charge.
It has been a disappointing few weeks for the Poppies, who suffered a fifth Pitching-In Southern League Premier Central defeat of the season on Saturday when they were beaten 1-0 at home by Needham Market to slip to 10th in the table.
After a strong start to the season, Kettering have won just two out of their past nine league matches, but McDonald will be encouraged that he is taking over a team sitting just one point outside the play-offs, and six behind leaders Spalding United, which means there is still an awful lot to play for this sseason.
And owner George Akhtar and director of football Fabian Forde have turned to former Stourbridge and Rushall Olympic boss McDonald to get the listing ship heading upright and heading in the right direction again.
A former Poppies player, McDonald knows all about the club's size and potential, and he told ketteringtownfc.com: “I am really excited to be the new manager of Kettering Town. It’s a massive club with so much history.
"I’ve had numerous conversations with George and Fabian, and I feel this is the right place to be.
"I’ve been here as a player, so I know what this club means to the supporters and how important Kettering Town is to the town.
"At the start of the season, the club set out clear goals and ambitions, those haven’t changed.
"We know what we want to achieve and now it’s about working hard, sticking together and believing in what we’re doing.
"If we do that, anything’s possible.”
Akhtar believes he has appointed a manager capable of taking the Poppies 'up through the leagues'.
“Speaking to Liam at length gave me the confidence that he really believed in this project and getting this club up through the leagues," said the Kettering owner.
"Speaking to the committee and as many fans as I possibly could, I believe this is the next best chapter in the club history.”
McDonald will have two training sessions with his squad this week, ahead of his first game in charge on Saturday, with the Poppies hosting St Ives Town at Latimer Park (ko 3pm).