Kettering Town reach "agreement" on Nene Park move

Imraan Ladak took over as the Poppies' chairman in 2005

Kettering Town have finalised a "heads of agreement" with the landlord of Nene Park to use the ground next season.

The arrangement is not binding, but the club have instructed solicitors to start drawing up a lease to play at Rushden & Diamonds' home.

Town have written to the Football Conference requesting that up to five league matches a season can remain at their current Rockingham Road home.

They will also keep youth games there until the lease ends in 2013.

Landlord Keith Cousins repossessed the ground two weeks ago.

The Diamonds are fighting a winding-up petition, with a hearing adjourned until Monday, 4 July and are appealing against the Conference's decision to expel them from the league.

Kettering chairman Imraan Ladak has said the majority of their fans have backed the move to the home of their rivals.

He told BBC Radio Northampton earlier in June: "I don't know whether we can agree a sustainable deal at Nene Park.

"But - overwhelmingly - we've got the mandate from the supporters to go.

"We're negotiating with Nene Park because we have to.

"The door remains open for our current landlord to get in touch and say he can give us a long-term lease at a sustainable level, and our supporters might change their mind at that."

On the subject of a possible name change as a result of a move, Ladak said he was not looking to switch from Kettering Town FC.

We're not there yet and there is still a chance we will stay at Rockingham Road Imraan Ladak

"I said that what we want is to have [attendances] above a certain level to be sustainable there. The supporters are more comfortable if it stays as Kettering Town FC so that's what we'll do - I don't want to change the name.

"We would have to go in with a conservative budget because we don't know what the numbers [of supporters attending matches] would be.

"We're not there yet and there is still a chance we will stay at Rockingham Road.

"But we've got the approval from the fans that if things stay the same there, and we find a sustainable solution at Nene Park, our supporters have said 'we'll support you in big numbers.'"