Kettering Town Football Club has announced the immediate departure of manager Liam McDonald, disrupting the club’s preparations for the upcoming season. The announcement came shortly after the team secured a 1-0 victory over Bedford Town in their final pre-season friendly on Saturday at Latimer Park. The winning goal was scored in the 75th minute.
Following the match, the club issued a brief statement confirming that it had accepted McDonald’s request to step down as first team manager, offering no further details or reasons behind the decision. In the same statement, Kettering Town expressed gratitude for McDonald’s commitment, hard work, and dedication during his tenure.
With the managerial vacancy now open, assistant coaches Nick Green and David Bridgewater will assume responsibility for first team affairs going forward. The club urged supporters to continue backing the interim management team, players, and overall organization as they approach what they described as an important and exciting season.
Kettering Town is set to begin its 2026-27 campaign with a home fixture against Alvechurch this Saturday. The pre-season match against Bedford Town was largely uneventful, highlighted only by Bedford goalkeeper Laurie Walker’s save of a penalty taken by Kettering’s Eddie Panter in the 33rd minute.