Inside Nile Ranger and Kettering Town’s non-League redemption story

“Let’s not mix our words here: Kettering Town is global – we have fans all around the world,” declares George Akhtar. “Anybody who has any kind of affiliation with Kettering Town… it’s like religion to them. They live, breathe and sleep this club.”

Akhtar’s words are punchy, bold and, given Kettering occupy English football’s seventh tier, dripping in ownership bias. But they are also, much like his ambitions for the club he bought in the summer, genuine and heartfelt.

After beating third-placed AFC Telford 3-1 on Tuesday, Akhtar’s side sit top of the Southern Premier League Central and are the division’s leading scorers. But as impressive as their league form is, that is not what has the Poppies attracting attention from further afield. No, that has come via two streams.

First, there are Kettering’s FA Cup exploits. Currently the competition’s all-time leading scorers, they have the welcome distraction of a televised FA Cup second-round tie at home against League Two high-fliers Doncaster Rovers to look forward to in early December. That tie was set up thanks to an extra-time victory at local rivals Northampton Town in the previous round.

And then there is Kettering’s star-studded forward line.

Not content with the acquisition of Jonny Edwards, a scoring cheat code at step four of the football pyramid, manager Richard Lavery and Akhtar have assembled a strike trio with hundreds of Premier League and Championship appearances between them.

First came the controversial Nile Ranger. Once a teenage star-in-waiting at Newcastle, Ranger swiftly became better known for his off-field missteps than his on-field performances. Twice jailed, for armed robbery and banking fraud respectively, Ranger is 33 now, has a young son and sees this as a final chance to show just how good he might have been.

‘But who are we to judge? We’ve all got a past’

“I got a text message saying ‘Nile Ranger?’,” Akhtar explains to Telegraph Sport. “And I was like, ‘What about him?’ The reply was ‘Would you be interested?’ and I said, ‘If you’re serious, why not?’ He came around to my house and I liked everything that I heard.

“He’s got his past, which I think we all know about. But who are we to judge? We’ve all got a past. We’re trying to help him get into a situation where he can mentor young players or even young offenders. We get a lot of requests asking if he will be an ambassador, which I think would be exceptional for him. He’s said previously that he’s paved the way for a lot of players… coaches will say, ‘Hey, do you want to end up like Nile Ranger? No? Fix up and buckle up then!’”

Ranger has been prolific since arriving in September and scored the extra-time winner at Northampton. Last week he signed a contract extension that will keep him with the Poppies until at least the end of the season.

Also featuring recently was former England Under-21 striker Marvin Sordell. He originally retired back in 2019 to preserve his mental well-being, and his work as a creative producer means he is frequently unavailable. At times, though, Kettering have felt able to leave Sordell out of match-day squads. And as if that was not enough firepower, former Celtic, Norwich City and Sheffield Wednesday forward Gary Hooper has recently joined.

Akhtar – whose real name is Nadim but goes by George because of his Manchester United supporting father’s love of George Best – has been able to bring in such talent because of his vast footballing connections.

Akhtar played semi-professionally and has spent over two decades coaching in Hertfordshire. He runs his own academy, works with players on a one-to-one basis and has spent time with clubs including Luton Town and Watford.

He saw ownership as a natural next step and purchased Kettering from previous incumbent Ritchie Jeune following several months of negotiations and extensive due diligence. Akhtar attended half-a-dozen match days, with his family and friends taken along at various points. “We’d been on a trip to Bradford and on the way back I said, ‘Right, we’re all stopping at Kettering Town’. I just wanted their blessing.” His sister Nadiya has joined him on the board, while close friend Fabian Forde, a former professional at Watford, is the club’s football director.

‘It’s a sleeping giant. I’m here to try to wake it up’

In Kettering, Akhtar saw a historic club in need of a little TLC. Back in 1976, Kettering were the first British team to have a sponsor’s name printed on their shirts. However, the threat of a four-figure fine from the Football Association soon forced the removal of the Kettering Tyres logo. A young Ron Atkinson began his managerial career at Rockingham Road, the club’s former home, in the early 1970s, while Paul Gascoigne endured a 39-day spell in the dugout back in 2005-06.

These days, Kettering play at Latimer Park, three miles outside the town, and Akhtar wants to bring sustainable success while placing the club at the community’s heart. He plans to install a state-of-the-art artificial pitch and is looking at options including a soft-play area and an events marquee. Those would supplement the existing classrooms and gymnasium.

“The grand plan is that match days become a bonus,” he says. “The club will then generate X amount of money in the week, with match days adding to that. Currently we’re solely reliant on match days and I want to flip that.”

Kettering’s early-season form has seen gates swell to a four-figure average and promotion come April would put them a year ahead of Akhtar’s original plan. He wants to be playing in non-League’s top tier again within five seasons. “It’s a huge National League club. It’s a sleeping giant. I’m here to try to wake it up.”