New look back-line for Cobblers...

It looks like a new defence will be in place by the time the Cobblers take on Macclesfield Town to open the 09/10 season as Mark Hughes was sent on his way yesterday. It all seems a little odd that nothing at all was heard from the player on a contract offer and Hughes will lose a few fans at Sixfields for not even answering our offer.

Stuart Gray gave Hughes a chance in the Football League and if reports are true that we had no answer then it's a real kick in the teeth for the Town boss.

Fair play to Gray for moving quickly and lining up Dean Beckwith, another "experienced" head who at 25 still has time to earn a reputation. Other clubs were after him but Gray got his man and the defence will now almost completely revamped next season. Hughes, along with Chris Doig and Jason Crowe are gone whilst Craig Hinton joins Beckwith at the club.

Paul Rodgers makes his return for pre-season and it's likely that he will battle Liam Dolman for a spot in next season's squad, with Bully also back for pre-season only initially.

So all change at Cobblers HQ and it'll be a case of spot the new guy in defence when we make the trip to Brackley in eleven days.

Beckwith in as Hughes departs

Former Hereford United defender Dean Beckwith has become the Cobblers' thrid summer signing and quickly replaces the departing Mark Hughes. Beckwith is still only 25 and came through the ranks at Gillingham before helping Hereford to promotion to the Football League and then to League Two.

A number of clubs were interested in the centre half but Stuart Gray has got his man and finalised a one year deal with the option of a further twelve months on top of that.

Meanwhile, Paul Rodgers will also join the ranks for pre-season training. Rodgers was with the club on loan towards the end of last season, making eleven appearances and Gray will have another look at the right back over the summer.

Hughes leaves Cobblers

Mark Hughes has left the Cobblers after the club ended talks about a new contract. The defender had his contract offer withdrawn after initially extending the time for Hughes to answer what they had put on the table. But after no reply was heard from the player, we have had to let him go and Stuart Gray said,

"We kept Mark's offer open for a while after the June 16th deadline, which we were not obliged to do. We did not hear back and we could not wait indefinitely for a decision and so we have moved on. Mark does not now have a contract offer on the table from ourselves and he has been officially notified of this in writing."

The Cobblers have now signed Dean Beckwith in his place after the defender signed from Hereford. More on the way...

Back to work!

The Cobblers players will be returning to training on Wednesday as their preparation for their pre-season campaign gets under way at Sixfields. Each player has again been given personal training plans to complete over the summer and will report back for fitness training initially.

The first friendly takes place at Brackley on July 11th and the club hopes to have some more new faces coming through the door by then to add to the signings of Steve Guinan and Craig Hinton.

There's still no news on Mark Hughes, who is yet to make a decision on his future.

New date for Grimsby game...

The Cobblers' visit to Grimsby Town has become the first fixture for the 2009/10 season to be changed. Originally scheduled for Saturda, April 3rd, the trip north will now take place on Good Friday, April 2nd with a 7:45pm kick off time.

Ryan Gilligan's goal dramtically comdemned the mariners to the League Two playoffs in 2006 after we had been promoted the week before and the trip will come at a vital time once again towards the end of the 2009/10 campaign.

More fixtures are expected to be changed as the summer goes on.

The countdown to pre-season!

Pre-season training is now just a couple of weeks away as holidays are finished and the rime for the Cobblers' players and staff to relax is over. Stuart Gray will be returning from his holiday to a barrage of issues including the deal to try and sign Mark Hughes on a new contract and strengthening his current squad.

The Cobblers have just about finalised their pre-seasno plans with a mix of local away games and home games against Championship opposition. The build up gets under way on July 11th with a trip to Brackley and the season begins under a month later.

The Cobblers' pre-season fixtures 2009/10...

July 11th: Brackley (a)
July 14th: Histon (a)
July 18th: Corby (a)
July 21st: Coventry (h)
July 23rd: Stamford (a)
July 28th: Sheffield Wednesday (h)
July 30th: Long Buckby (a) Maunsell Cup Final

Hughes future still in doubt

Mark Hughes is now the only out of contract Cobblers player yet to decide on his future but he is understood to be still thinking about an offer given to him by Stuart Gray back in May. Hughes' offer is thought to have meant that the defender would take a pay cut should he stay at Sixfields but if we were to be promoted, he would return to his previous salery.

With Gray away this week, the situation is unlikely to be resolved until next week.

Macc up first at Sixfields!

The Cobblers will start their 2009/10 campaign with a home game against Macclesfield Town. The fixtures were released this morning and the Silkmen will visit on the opening day of the season on Saturday, August 8th. The midweek that follows will see us travel to St Mary’s to face Southampton in the Carling Cup before our first away game of the season on August 15th at Chesterfield.

An early Tuesday night trip to Accrington Stanley will be sure to welcome us into League Two whilst we see out August by hosting Bournemouth and travelling to league new boys Burton Albion.

We will face a Boxing Day clash with Dagenham and Redbridge at Sixfields while we start 2010 away at Bournemouth. In what could be a crunch end of season, the final away game comes at Valley Parade and a game at Bradford whilst we’re at home for the final day of the season against Bury.

Please see www.ntfc.co.uk for the full fixture list.

Cups, Contracts and a departing Crowe...

After a quiet couple of weeks, it's all happening at Sixfields in a week that brings contract mysteries to an end and the 2009/10 season beginning to take shape fixtures wise. First came the Carling Cup draw and the dream one for me personally with an away game at Southampton looming. Working right next to the stadium and coming through university in the city has made me want this game for years and when we were relegated it looked like we would miss out again, with Saints dropping to our former home of League One.

The squad now begins to take shape with Crowey on his way out but I was a little surprised at the destination, thought to be Brighton, when it was revealed that he will sign for Leeds. With the choice of players at their disposal it seems a strange decision to go for Crowe who is advancing in years but of course they will get the quality we've come to expect in the last few seasons. Inevitable as it was, it's still disappointing to lose a player of real quality.

Giles Coke has a lot to prove but by signing a new deal at least he's signalled that he wants to be here...now show us what you can do Giles and maybe, just maybe we will see the fruits of your potential rather than the labouring style of the back end of last season. It'll be a battle for places in midfield next season with the likes of Coke, Jackman, Osman, Gilligan and Guttridge battling for spots but that shows the quality we have in there.

Tomorrow sees the most exciting day of the summer, a day of planning road trips, getting days off work for trips to Torquay on a Tuesday night (lets face it, we'll get that!) and trying to figure out where the points will come as the league fixtures are announced.

If anyone had forgotten about football, today is the day we got a nice little reminder of what's to come!

Coke staying on at Town...

Giles Coke has committed his seeable future with the Cobblers as his agent today revealed that he will stay at Sixfields. Coke was out of contract at the end of last season but is expected to sign a new contract when he returns from holiday. Coke has struggled with injuries and form since arriving from Mansfield Town but hopefully League Two will provide a platform for him to regain his belief in himself.

The news comes just hours after Jason Crowe revealed that he will be signing for Leeds United from this summer.

Crowe flying off to Leeds

Jason Crowe will be joining Leeds United on a free transfer after he made a final decision on his future. Crowe had until today to answer the Cobblers' offer but had been rumoured to be moving on anyway with Brighton aparantly leading the chase for his signature.

But he's decided to move to Elland Road instead to join fellow ex-Cobblers Bradley Johnson in the ranks. Crowe made over 200 appearances for the club but has decided to move on following relegation last season.

It’s Saints in Carling Cup for Town!

The Cobblers have been paired with Southampton in the first round of the Carling Cup in the first draw of the new season. The game will be played at St Mary’s on week commencing 10th August 2009, a few days after the start of the league season. It’s a draw I’ve been waiting for with my local team facing my beloved Town having lived in and around Southampton since 2003.

It will also mean a return to St Mary’s for Stuart Gray who briefly managed the Saints in the Premier League. The actual date for the game is yet to be announced but it should be a decent night on the south coast in the first week of the 2009/10 season.

So who do you want?

It's the Carling Cup draw tomorrow and the basis that it's a North and South draw and seeded in the first round means that we're limited to 18 possible opponents. Amongst those are The Posh with a trip to London Road a possibility along with a possible meeting with Southampton, something that living and working locally would be a game I've been waiting for for years, so long as it's at St Mary's!

We could also get MK Dons or a number of Championship sides including Ipswich, Crystal Palace, Reading and Watford amongst others. So who will it be? We'll find out tomorrow at 9:30am with the league fixtures out a day later!

Here's our possible opponents in the Carling Cup First Round...

Bristol City
Bristol Rovers
Cardiff City
Charlton Athletic
Colchester United
Crystal Palace
Ipswich Town
Millwall
Milton Keynes Dons
Norwich City
Peterborough United
Plymouth Argyle
Queens Park Rangers
Reading
Southampton
Southend United
Swansea City
Watford

Sammo's reserves in Eastern Division

Ian Sampson's Cobbers reserve team will take on the like of Peterborough United, Norwich City and Watford next season after they wer placed in the Totesport Combination Eastern Division for the 2009/10 campaign. The club used the reserve team to blood Chris Dunn at the start of last season with the goalkeeper stepping up to the first team when Mark Bunn was sold to Blackburn Rovers.

The full line up for the Eastern Division is as follows:

Colchester United, Ipswich Town, Luton Town, Northampton Town, Norwich City, Peterborough United, Southend United, Stevenage Borough, Watford, Wycombe Wanderers

Seven Up!

The Football League have announced that from next season we will join the Premier League in alloing seven substitutes rather than five in league games. Only three will be allowed to join the action of course but expect more youngsters getting a chance on the bench in the coming seasons.

Got to be good news for the squad members that don't usually get that chance and also with more options available to Stuart Gray to change a game with few restrictions. The rules will come in for the start of the coming season with the fixtures for 09/10 set to come out this Wednesday.

2008/09...The Good, The Bad and The Ugly...

So it’s goodbye to League One as the various websites, news channels and newspapers begin to update their leagues with the 2009/10 teams. Unfortunately for that means we’re waiting to finally see the name of Northampton Town drop to League Two level once again but now is the time to look back on the final of three seasons above the basement.

We’ve seen former footballing giants fall at Sixfields, trips to locations far away as Carlisle and as nearby as Peterborough, flirted with the playoffs briefly, brought through some good youngsters and loaned out the entire Championship reserve team database.

So let’s look back on last season one more time and look back on the good, the bad and the ugly from 2008/09 in League One…

Match of the Season: Scunthorpe United 4-4 Northampton Town

Match of the year has to go to the Scunny away game when, at 4-1 down, the Cobblers came back to claim a remarkable 4-4 draw as Danny Jackman’s late corner flew straight in. Has we not hit the bar in stoppage time this would have gone down as the greatest ever fight back for a Cobblers side for sure!

Worst Match of the Season: Yeovil Town 1-0 Northampton Town

Plenty of options for this award…the JPT defeat to Brighton, the 1-0 home defeat to Oldham in November and the 0-0 draw with Bristol Rovers in the final game of 2008 but the Yeovil defeat wins it for me for the sheer desperation of the defeat and the manner in which we went for the draw and inevitably lost late on.

NTFC Player of the Year: Danny Jackman

Had to be Jacko again for Player of the Year this season…one of the only players in Claret that showed a willingness to fight for the cause. Jackman won many votes for the official award by stating that he’ll still be a Cobbler next season whatever league we ended up in. Will be much needed in League Two.

Best Signing: Luke Guttridge

When he was fit, Guttridge was a rock in midfield after joining last summer. Distribution and quality was of the highest standard from the former Cambridge man and another that should flourish in League Two..

Worst Signing: Leon Constantine
We waited and waited and waited for Leon to come good all season but two goals for the entire campaign says it all. It wouldn’t have been so bad if he put the effort in but that wasn’t there either and the striker was packed off after just a year, most likely to score a hat-trick against us for another League Two side next season.

Loan of the Season: Frank Fielding

For length of time spent here (Kyle Walker would have come close if he’d have stayed longer) and general consistency I had to go for Fielding here…amongst the hoards of loans that passed through Sixfields this season, Fielding was on top form most weeks between the sticks.

Moan of the Season, sponsored by Jeema: Giles Coke

After the season ended well in 07/08, Coke was set to be one of the shining lights of this campaign. But when the going got tough, Coke got lost and wasn’t up for the rough and tumble of a relegation battle. He’s been offered a new deal but was lucky to get that and if he signs will have work to do to get back in the Town fans’ good books.

Best away ground visited: London Road

A surprise winner perhaps with Elland Road still on our League One map but every trip to the Posh is electric and with the Championship now looming for Darren Ferguson’s men, our 1-0 defeat could be the last time we stand in the incredibly atmospheric Moys Terrace. Not the best of grounds by any means but in terms of noise made and atmosphere it’s unbeatable for Cobblers games.

Most annoying opposition player: Andy Robinson

I don’t know why but I still want to slap Robinson every time I see him.

Best opposition player: Jermaine Beckford

The standing ovation at Sixfields by home fans after Beckford had struck four in the 5-2 cup defeat says it all about a player that will surely go on to bigger things next season.

Defining moment of 2008/09: Yeovil Town 1-0 Northampton Town

Another unwanted “award” for this game as the moment it all went wrong and the Cobblers fell into the bottom four following a desperate performance at Huish Park.


So what will 2009/10 bring? Maybe this time next year we’ll be giving hero status to a new young starlet picked up on a free, maybe the only moan of the year will be that we weren’t promoted sooner and maybe pigs might actually start growing those wings and take to the air.

With the bookies’ odds on our side, so to speak, it’s inevitable that we won’t start well as usual. Stuart Gray will be given time but probably won’t see out October should we make our usual stuttering start to the season. The fixtures come out in just over a week, the day when we can start plotting our route around League Two and attempt to predict where the moments of magic will come from in 09/10.

Doigy off to Oz!

Chris Doig has signed for Australian side Central Coast Mariners after his release from the Cobblers at the end of last season. Doig, whose contract was not renewed this summer, joins up with fellow former Town defender Pedj Bojic, who also left for Oz after leaving Sixfields.

Another former Cobbler has found a new home with Greg Taylor joining neighbours Kettering Town.

Season in Review 2008/09...May...

So with one final game to go, the Cobblers were still in control of their own destiny. A single point at Leeds on the last day of the season would guarantee safety with Brighton and Carlisle awaiting any slip up. Brighton played host to Stockport County whilst Carlisle faced Millwall at Brunton Park as the Cobblers headed to Elland Road.

The news wasn’t good from the very start as Carlisle scored after just seven minutes. Nerves in the away end jangled as the news came through and we tried to urge our players for one final effort against one of the toughest sides in the league. Leeds were in no mood to be charitable though and took the lead on the stroke of half time as Luciano Becchio headed home a left wing cross...we were in big trouble. With Brighton drawing, enough for them to leapfrog us, and Carlisle winning against Millwall it was looking bleak.

The second half in our game was a mere formality and after Jermaine Beckford’s goal on the hour mark all ears were out for the other games. Carlisle had already scored a second and were nearly out of sight so it was down to Brighton and when a cheer went up with twenty to play, we thought Stockport had scored. Alas, no, it was Brighton that had taken the lead and with the Seagulls needing just a draw it was all over. A third goal for Leeds through Robert Snodgrass in stoppage time hammered the message home that we were down and well and truly out of League One.

From mid-table in December to relegated in May, the story of our season will be one of the more agonising in years to come. Here’s hoping that next season’s Season in Review will be a lot more positive and words of celebration come from all over the town. What we felt at Elland Road will take a long, long time to get over but what better way than bouncing back at the first attempt?! We know we never do things easily so here’s to more Cobblers drama in 2009/10...

Cobblers now joint favourites!

After the kiss of death news that we were third favourites for the League Two title last week, we've now been installed as JOINT FAVOURITES for the crown following the signings of Craig Hinton and Steve Guinan, moving us above Bradford with the bookies at 8/1 to claim glory.

The signings have certainly shown that we will be one of the more attractive sides to go to for possible signings that might be dropping into League Two next season and good signs of ambition so far this summer after that dreadful afternoon at Leeds a month ago.

Meanwhile, two weeks to go now until the fixtures are released...bring it on!

Season in Review 2008/09...April...

The Cobblers headed into April with a nervy end of the season ahead. At the turn of the year, Stuart Gray was looking at another safe season in League One looking very likely but a downturn in fortunes left us battling against the drop in a dramatic April.

The first game of the month was scheduled to take place at Sixfields against Scunthorpe but with The Iron making it through to the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Final at Wembley we didn’t play for ten days following the dismal defeat at Yeovil. It was destination Bristol on good Friday and once again the Cobblers fell to a single goal defeat at the Memorial Ground against Bristol Rovers. After a poor game, Jo Kuffour’s goal was the difference and we remained in the bottom four over the Easter weekend.

Southend were the visitors on Easter Monday and they came away from Sixfields with all three points. Jean-Francois Christophe gave the Shrimpers a 38th minute lead before Adebayo Akinfenwa struck back five minutes after half-time. But a quick-fire double from Theo Robinson and former Cobblers loan man Lee Barnard put the visitors three goals to the good and loanee Aleksander Prijovic’s goal ten minutes from time wasn’t enough for Town.

The following week saw a trip to Leyton Orient bring us real hope again. At half-time, Jason Crowe’s own goal along with results elsewhere seemed to be hammering a massive nail in the relegation coffin. But a stirring response in the second half saw Bayo, Prijovic and another loanee, Ikechi Anya all find the net and turn the game dramatically and earn a massive away win.

More was to follow the Tuesday after that with the rearranged game with Scunthorpe United providing another thriller. Crowe scored in the right end to give the Cobblers the lead but Liam Trotter levelled the scores on the stroke of half-time. A penalty from Grant McCann had Scunny in front but Anya scored for the second time in a week to bring it back to 2-2. Matt Sparrow hit a third for his side as the game went from one end to the other with the fate of the Cobblers hanging in the balance. With fifteen minutes to go, Mark Hughes rose to head home a corner and we had salvaged a point, meaning the destiny was back in our hands.

Victory against Hereford the following Saturday, handed to us by goals from Andy Holt and Crowe once again led to a tense final home game of the season against “neighbours” MK Dons. With the Cobblers needing a point to guarantee safety based on a good goal difference, it was a nervy affair but it was settled by Aaron Wilbraham’s first half goal and all that was left was a final day of the season trip to Elland Road as three sides fought it out for League One survival...

Another one through the door as Hinton signs

Signing number two of the summer crept in on Friday afternoon as Craig Hinton joined following release from our old Gas Head friends Bristol Rovers. In a similar style to the signing of experienced Steve Guinan last week, Hinton is another old head that knows all about getting out of League Two, the main aim of course for next season.

Hinton won promotion through the playoffs with Rovers in 2007 and his leadership skills could be vital, especially with Chris Doig not being offered a contract at the end of last season.

Albion in for out of contract Crowe

Brighton and Hove Albion have reportedly offered a contract to Jason Crowe. Crowe, who is one of the three remaining out of contract players still deciding on an offer from the Cobblers, is ‘unlikely’ to sign a new deal with the club and Brighton have moved to offer him new terms.

The defender, one of our better players in recent years, has attracted interest from the likes of Nottingham Forest and Plymouth Argyle in the past but the offer from Brighton is said to be the only one concrete so far this summer.

Crowe has until June 16th to respond to the Cobblers’ offer but is free to discuss terms elsewhere and he could well be tempted by League One football once again.