Northampton Town F.C.

Association football club in England

Football clubNorthampton TownFull nameNorthampton Town Football ClubNickname(s)The

CobblersFounded9 March 1897; 126 years ago (1897)GroundSixfields
StadiumCapacity7,798ChairmanKelvin ThomasManagerJon BradyLeagueEFL League Two2021–
22EFL League Two, 4th of 24WebsiteClub website

Home colours

Away colours

Current season
Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in
the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in EFL League Two, the fourth tier
of the English football league system.
Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland League for two seasons, before
joining the Southern League in 1901. They were crowned Southern League champions in
1908–09, allowing them to contest the 1909 FA Charity Shield. Admitted into the
Football League in 1920, they spent the next 38 years in the Third Division South.
Under Dave Bowen, the club achieved three promotions from the Fourth Division to
the First Division within five years. However, Northampton only survived for one
season in the top tier of English football after relegation in 1966. Northampton
then experienced two further relegations in three years to return to the Fourth
Division by 1969 – this set a record in English football of moving from the fourth
tier to the first tier and back in only nine years. After six seasons of stability
in the fourth tier, the club won promotion before returning to the Fourth Division
after another relegation in 1977. Northampton won further promotions to the third
tier in 1987 and 1997. Relegated in 1999, they won immediate promotion after
securing an automatic promotion place the following season. However they were once
more relegated after three seasons of struggle in the third tier, before securing
promotion out of League Two in 2005–06 after two unsuccessful play-off campaigns.
Relegated at the end of their third season in League One, they won the League Two
title in 2015–16, but only lasted two seasons in League One before again being
relegated. In 2020, they gained promotion to League One, but were relegated to
League Two once again after a single season in the third tier.
Northampton are nicknamed the Cobblers, a reference to the town's historical shoe-
making industry, and the team traditionally plays in claret and white kits. The
Cobblers played at the County Ground from 1897 until 1994, when they moved to the
Sixfields in 1994 which has a capacity of 7,798. Northampton's predominant rivals
have been Peterborough United in the Nene derby, however, they also share a smaller
rivalry with Milton Keynes Dons.

History[edit]
For Northampton Town's statistical breakdown season-by-season, see List of
Northampton Town F.C. seasons.
Formation and early history[edit]
The club was founded on 6 March 1897 by a group of local school teachers who,
together with a local solicitor A.J "Pat" Darnell at The Princess Royal Inn,
Wellingborough Road, formed the town's first professional football club. Initially,
their chosen name was Northampton Football Club, but after objections from the
town's rugby club, the club was called Northampton Town Football Club. They joined
the Northants League and spent two seasons there, winning the championship the
second season. They then spent two seasons in the Midland League, before joining
the Southern League in 1901–02. Led by player-manager Herbert Chapman the club were
champions of the Southern League in 1908–09 and played against Newcastle United in
the Charity Shield match, losing 2–0 at The Oval.[1]

Inter-war period[edit]
Chart of table positions of Northampton Town in the Football League.In 1919–20,
the first season after the war, Town conceded a club record 103 goals. Nonetheless,
the club was allowed to join the Football League for the following season, in
Division Three (South). 1922–23 saw the club become a public company and 8,000
shares were released at £1. The season produced a record crowd of 18,123 against
Plymouth on Boxing day and gate receipts for the first time exceeded £1,000. 1923–
24 started with the club raising £5,000 to build a stand with a players' tunnel
underneath and also improved terracing in the Hotel End. The following season saw
the formation of the supporters' club. In 1925 the club's first foreign transfer
took place as William Shaw was signed from Barcelona. A new ground record was set
for the F.A. Cup third-round replay with Sunderland, 21,148 turned up to see the
Cobblers lose 3–0. However, disaster occurred at the County Ground during December
1929, when a fire destroyed three stands, with damage valued at around £5,000. Only
one stand was saved although this was charred.[2] The source of the fire was
thought to be in the away dressing room; the Cobblers had earlier entertained AFC
Bournemouth reserves. By August 1930, the stands were rebuilt.
In 1932–33, the club created history when brothers Fred and Albert Dawes both
scored in an 8–0 win over Newport County. The latter finished the season scoring 32
league goals and even scored four in a 4–0 win over the Netherlands national
football team while the club was on tour. In 1933–34, the F.A. Cup fifth round was
reached for the first time courtesy of a fourth round win away to Huddersfield Town
who, at the time were top of Division One. The Cobblers lost to Preston North End
4–0 at Deepdale, setting a new ground record of 40,180. In the three seasons prior
to the breakout of World War II, the Cobblers finished seventh, ninth and 17th
respectively in Division Three (South). In the final match prior to the war, they
travelled to Dean Court and lost 10–0, the club's record league defeat. During the
war the Cobblers had the record for the first transfer fee received during the
hostilities when Bobby King was sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers for a substantial
four-figure fee.

Rise and fall[edit]

Northampton were promoted three times in the five years 1960 to 1965. Starting the
1960–61 season in the Fourth Division, they reached the First Division in 1965–66,
their only season ever in the top division of English football. They were then
relegated back to the Fourth Division over the next five years, playing in the
bottom tier again in 1969–70. During their top-flight season they earned a double
against Aston Villa and victories at home over clubs including Leeds, Newcastle,
West Ham, and Blackburn, the latter being the only team Northampton would finish
above in the table.
Since their relegation from the Second Division in 1966–67, Northampton have played
every season in either the third or fourth tier of English football.

1970s and 80s[edit]

In 1970, they lost 8–2 to Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round. Six of the
goals conceded were scored by George Best, who received the match ball (signed by
Northampton players) as a reward for his performance.[3] For the first time since
becoming a league side the club had to apply for re-election in 1971, they finished
the most favoured club with 49 votes. In the 1974–75 season, future England
International Phil Neal was sold, after 200 games in all competitions for the
Cobblers, Liverpool bought Neal for a then club record of £65,000, whilst playing
in the same side of another future England International, John Gregory. Finally
during the 1975–76 season, the club finished 2nd in Division Four and were promoted
behind champions Lincoln City. They did this without losing a home game and having
every regular player scored during the season, including the goalkeeper, Alan
Starling, who netted from a penalty in the penultimate home game against Hartlepool
United. In 1976–77, the club were relegated back to Division Four, the season
started with ex-Manchester United assistant manager, Pat Crerand in charge, however
he resigned in the new year. No new manager was appointed, instead a committee was
formed consisting of the chairman, the coach and three senior players. Prior to the
start of the 1979–80 season, George Reilly was sold to Cambridge United for a then
record of £165,000, he had been the club's top scorer for the previous two seasons.
New floodlights were installed in time for the 1980–81 season, but they failed
during the first match against Southend United and the game had to be abandoned.
The club struggled in the bottom half of the Fourth Division for the first half of
the decade, however 16-year-old Aidy Mann became the club's youngest player. In
1984–85, the lowest ever league attendance was recorded at the County Ground where
only 942 people turn up to watch the Cobblers lose 2–0 at home to Chester City;
this was also the only ever league attendance under 1,000. In the same year, The
club managed what seemed like a major coup when they appointed Tony Barton, who had
won the European Cup with Aston Villa two years previously, as manager. Barton's
only season in charge proved severely disappointing however, as the club were never
outside the bottom two, and health problems forced Barton's resignation near the
end of that season. Success was achieved under Barton's replacement, Graham Carr,
who brought in several players from the non-league in addition to a number of
quality league players to finish eighth in his first season in charge. The 1986–87
season saw Northampton win the Fourth Division championship, gaining a club record
total of 99 points and scoring 103 goals, 29 of them to Richard Hill, who was
transferred in the summer to Watford for a club record fee of £265,000. The club
adjusted to life in Division Three quickly and just missed out on a play-off place
despite finishing sixth. Important players such as Trevor Morley and Eddie
McGoldrick were sold and the team fell back down to Division Four in the 1989–90
season.

Early 1990s[edit]
The 1990s began badly, with the club relegated to the Fourth Division at the end of
the 1989–90 season. The following season began well as the club looked on course to
return to the Third Division at the first attempt. They were top of the table in
February, but fell away and finished mid-table. Things then got even worse and the
club went into administration in April 1992, with debts of around £1.6 million. Ten
players were sacked and youth players were drafted in to make up the numbers;
results did not improve. These events sparked the formation of the Northampton Town
Supporters' trust, which has a share holding in the club and a representative on
the board of directors.[4] This was the first such instance of a supporters' trust
taking over a football club.[5]
The club needed to win the final game of the 1992–93 season to avoid being
relegated to the Conference. Over 2,500 made the trip to Shrewsbury Town and saw
the Cobblers win 3–2, despite being 2–0 down at half-time. The 1993–94 season got
worse for the Cobblers as they finished bottom of the Football League for the only
time in the club's history. Relegation was only escaped due to the Conference
champions, Kidderminster Harriers, not meeting the necessary ground criteria. The
club eventually began its move to Sixfields.

The Sixfields era[edit]

The club moved to new ground, Sixfields Stadium, in October 1994. The change of
ground did not change the club's fortunes and they finished 17th, with Ian Atkins
taking over as manager from John Barnwell halfway through the 1994–95 season.[6]
After two more seasons, in the club's centenary season 1996–97, Atkins lead the
Cobblers to Wembley for the first time in 100 years, where they beat Swansea City
1–0 in the play-off final, John Frain scored the winning goal from a twice-taken
free kick deep into injury time.[7][8][9] The following season Northampton made the
Division Two play-off final, but lost 1–0 to Grimsby Town in front of a then record
62,998 crowd, with the greater than 40,000 Northampton fans also then a record for
the most supporters taken to Wembley by one team.[10] Northampton were not able to
progress from the previous year's success because of long-term injuries to 16 of
their players during the 1998–99 season. The team was relegated to Division Three,
despite being unbeaten in the last nine games of the season. However, there were
some promising results such as a 2–1 aggregate win over West Ham United in the
League Cup.[11] The 1999–2000 season saw the club bounce back to Division Two,
finishing in the third automatic promotion spot. Ian Atkins left the club in
October following a poor start to the season; his assistant, Kevin Wilson and coach
Kevan Broadhurst took joint charge for the rest of the month. Wilson, the former
Chelsea player, was appointed manager at the start of November, going on to win two
manager of the month awards.
The following season started promisingly, with players such as Marco Gabbiadini and
Jamie Forrester pushing the Cobblers towards a play-off place before the club
eventually finished in 18th place due to a large number of injuries in the second
half of the season. Kevin Wilson was sacked in November 2001, to make way for his
assistant Kevan Broadhurst, who steered the Cobblers from relegation to a
remarkable survival with a game to spare after losing only one home game from mid-
January. The next season was the worst since the early 1990s, both financially and
on the pitch. Early on they were forced into a 'Save our Season' campaign to keep
afloat until the end of the year. It was required after the collapse of ITV Digital
and much publicised takeover attempts by John Fashanu[12] and Giovanni Di
Stefano[13] had failed and left the club with huge debts. They were taken over by a
consortium run by Andrew Ellis, who sacked Broadhurst in January 2003, when
Northampton were struggling at the foot of the division. He was briefly replaced by
former England player Terry Fenwick who was sacked after a winless spell of seven
games. This was, at the time, the eighth-shortest managerial reign in English
football history. Martin Wilkinson, the new manager lasted little longer, being
dismissed in October 2003 in favour of former Scotland and Tottenham Hotspur
defender Colin Calderwood.[14] Calderwood led Northampton to the play-offs in his
first season, where they were knocked out in the semi-finals by Mansfield Town
after a penalty shoot-out. In the 2004–05 season, Northampton finished seventh,
again in the play-offs, where they were defeated by Southend United. Following
this, the manager made substantial changes to the squad, bringing in experienced
players such as Ian Taylor and Eoin Jess, and they enjoyed a successful 2005–06
league season. On 29 April, the Cobblers clinched promotion to Football League One,
with a 1–0 win at home to Chester City. On 30 May 2006, Northampton announced that
Calderwood was leaving to join Nottingham Forest as their new manager,[15] and he
was replaced by John Gorman on 5 June. On 20 December, Gorman resigned due to
"personal issues" with the side 18th in the table, with Ian Sampson and Jim Barron
briefly taking care of first team affairs.[16] He was replaced by former
Southampton boss Stuart Gray on 2 January 2007.[17] The Cobblers were relegated
from league one on the final day of the 2008–09 season, after suffering a 3–0
defeat away at Leeds United and other results went against them.
Northampton caused an upset in the third round of the 2010–11 Football League Cup,
knocking out Liverpool at Anfield. The game was drawn 2–2 after extra time, and the
Cobblers beat the team 69 places above them 4–2 on penalties, the winning penalty
being scored by Abdul Osman at the 'Kop End'.[18] Ian Sampson was sacked as manager
on 2 March 2011 after a poor run of form saw the Cobblers fail to win in eight
games and sit in a disappointing 16th position in League 2. Sampson's last game in
charge was a 2–3 defeat against Burton Albion, the manner of this defeat ultimately
costing him his job. Sampson's sacking brought to an end a 17-year association with
Northampton, and his commitment to the club has guaranteed his status as a legend
in fans' hearts.[19]
David Cardoza moved quickly and Gary Johnson was unveiled as the new manager on 4
March 2011.[20] However, things didn't go well under Gary Johnson: the club slid
further down the table in League 2 and only just avoided relegation at the end of
the 2010–11 season. The beginning of the 2011–12 season saw no improvement for the
Cobblers and Gary Johnson left the club on 14 November 2011 by mutual consent.[21]
In November 2011, Northampton appointed ex-Watford manager Aidy Boothroyd as their
new manager.[22] After drafting in players such as Ben Harding, Luke Guttridge and
Clarke Carlisle, Boothroyd managed to keep Northampton in the league and in the
summer set about transforming the club into a club with promotion ambitions. On 18
May 2013, Northampton reached the League Two play-off final, losing 3–0 to Bradford
City at Wembley Stadium.[23]
After a poor start to the 2013–14 League Two season, Northampton found themselves
at the foot of the table, and as of 21 December, they had only won four games.
Boothroyd was subsequently sacked.[24] From the start of the 2013–14 season,
Northampton shared their Sixfields Stadium with Coventry City with the West
Midlands club going through a protracted dispute with the owners of their previous
home, the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. On 27 January 2014, David Cardoza appointed
former Oxford United manager Chris Wilder as the new manager of the club on a three
and half-year deal.[25]
In October 2015, HM Revenue and Customs issued the club with a winding-up petition
over unpaid taxes.[26] (See Sixfields Stadium) In February 2016, Northampton Town
broke their club record of eight successive wins by beating Wycombe Wanderers 1–0,
extending the winning run to nine.[27] The 2015–16 season was successful and
resulted in promotion to League One on 9 April.[28] A draw at Exeter combined with
Oxford United's defeat at home to Luton Town meant that they clinched the League
Two championship a week later on 16 April.
The Cobblers went on to play their first season in the third tier of English
football since 2009. In the 2016–17 season, after a 5–0 defeat to Bristol Rovers,
Rob Page was sacked and replaced with Justin Edinburgh.[29] Northampton finished
16th, meaning that they would continue to play third tier football. They made it to
the Third Round of the EFL Cup, where they lost to Manchester United.[30] On 26
June 2017 a 60% stake in Northampton Town was purchased by Chinese company 5uSport.
The company indicated that they would invest in both the playing budget and stadium
development. Although the investment was technically a takeover, Kelvin Thomas
remained chairman and the two parties have acted in partnership since.
On 4 September 2017, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was appointed as manager on a three-
year deal, replacing Justin Edinburgh who had been sacked after four losses from
the start of the season.[31] His first game was against Doncaster Rovers five days
later, a home tie which ended in a 1–0 victory for Northampton Town.[32] He was
sacked on 2 April 2018 after Northampton Town went 9 games without a win and was
replaced by Keith Curle.[33] He had his contract extended in July 2020 for a
further two years.[34]
On 29 June 2020, the club were promoted to League One after beating Exeter City 4–0
in the play-off final, despite a delay in the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic
in the United Kingdom.[35] This was Northampton's fourth EFL play-off final and it
ended in victory, 23 seasons after their only other Wembley win for promotion.[36]
They made it to Wembley after a second leg comeback against Cheltenham Town, after
the first leg at Sixfields Stadium they had trailed 2–0 and faced an uphill battle
to progress to the play off final. However, in the second leg, Cobblers performed
the turnaround by winning 3–0 away from home.[37] However, Northampton were
relegated back to League Two in their first season after finishing 22nd in the
2020–21 season.[38]
In the 2021–22 season Northampton finished 4th, narrowly missing out on automatic
promotion on the final day to Bristol Rovers.[39] Although Northampton started the
final day in the automatic positions and managed to win their away match to Barrow
3–1, Bristol Rovers managed to beat Scunthorpe United 7–0. This meant Rovers would
gain the final automatic promotion place based on goals scored across the season.
In the play-off semi-finals, the Cobblers were subsequently defeated by Mansfield
Town 3–1 on aggregate.[40]

Club crest and colours[edit]

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers[edit]
Northampton's has been manufactured by Hummel since 2020. Previous manufacturers
have included Bukta (1975–82), Adidas (1982–83), Umbro (1983–86), Spall (1986–88),
MG (1988–89), Scoreline (1989–91), Beaver Sports (1991–92), Ribero (1992–93), Swift
(1993–94), Lotto (1995–97), Pro Star (1997–2000), Sport House (2000–03), Xara
(2003–05), Salming (2005–06), Vandanel (2006–09), Errea (2009–16), Nike (2016–20)
and Hummel (2020–).

The club's shirts are sponsored by the University of Northampton, since 2013, and
PTS Academy, since 2016. Previous sponsors have included Chronicle & Echo (1985–86
and 1994–95), TNT (1986–88), Costain Homes (1988–91), Van Aid (1991–92), Carpet
Supacentre (1992–94), Lotto (1995–97), EBS Mobile Phones (1997–98), Nationwide
(1998–2003), Jackson Grundy (2007–13), Red Hot Buffet (2011–12), Gala Casinos
(2012–13), and Opus Energy (2015–18)
Stadiums[edit]
County Ground[edit]
Northampton Town played at the County Ground from 1897 to 1994
Main article: County Cricket Ground, Northampton
Northampton moved to the county ground in 1897,[41] sharing it with
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club from 1905. The main stand was situated
alongside Abington Avenue and was a covered stand with seating to the rear and
terracing to the front. The stand survived until 1985, but following the Bradford
City stadium fire, it was deemed unsafe and demolished, leaving only the terracing.
This was then replaced by a small temporary stand nicknamed the ' Meccano Stand '
by fans. The other two stands were at the ends with the Spion Kop, which only
reached the goalposts, usually used for away supporters and the Hotel End for the
home supporters. In 1965–66, the only time that Northampton Town were in the top
flight of English football, the county ground saw its highest attendance 24,523
against Fulham on 23 April 1966. The ground also saw Northampton's lowest ever
attendance in the Football League, a crowd of 942 for the 1984–85 match against
Chester City. The last game to be played at the ground was a 1–0 defeat by
Mansfield Town on Tuesday, 12 October 1994.

Sixfields Stadium
Sixfields Stadium[edit]
Main article: Sixfields Stadium
The club moved to Sixfields Stadium in 1994.[42] It is a modern all-seater stadium
with a capacity of 7,653 and award-winning disabled facilities. The stadium plan is
simple with the west stand seating 4,000, opposite the smaller 1,000-capacity east
stand known as the Alwyn Hargrave stand after the Ex-Borough Councillor who helped
the stadium become reality. At either end are identical stands that are the same
height as the east stand, the south stand usually for away supporters. (Against
Chester City on 29 April 2006, the stand was split and supporters segregated to
allow the maximum number of home supporters to witness the club's promotion to
League One.) The north Stand is known as the Sheinman Opticians Stand, due to a
naming rights partnership with local Opticians, Sheinman Opticians.
The stadium was renamed the PTS Academy Stadium in June 2018 after the club agreed
a naming rights partnership with local training provider PTS Training Academy.
[43] The name of the stadium reverted to Sixfields Stadium in July 2021, following
the liquidation of PTS Training Academy.

Training ground
Since July 2016, Northampton have trained at Moulton College in Moulton,
Northampton. Before this, they trained at the former athletics track, located at
the back of the East Stand at Sixfields Stadium.

Supporters and rivalries[edit]

The club's biggest traditional rivals are Peterborough United, a rivalry which has
endured since the 1960s. Other significant rivalries include Oxford United, Milton
Keynes Dons, Coventry City, Cambridge United and Rushden & Diamonds.[44]

Honours and achievements[edit]

Further information: List of Northampton Town F.C. records and statistics
Football League Second Division (2nd tier)
Runners-up: 1964–65
Football League Third Division / Third Division South (3rd tier)
Champions: 1962–63,
Runners-up: 1927–28, 1949–50
Football League Fourth Division / League Two (4th tier)
Champions: 1986–87, 2015–16
Runners-up: 1975–76, 2005–06
3rd place promotion: 1960–61, 1999–2000[A]
Play-off winners: 1997, 2020
Southern Football League
Champions: 1908–09
Runners-up: 1910–11
FA Charity Shield
Runners-up: 1909
Notes

A. ^ On its formation for the 1992–93 season, the Premier League became the top
tier of English football; the First, Second and Third Divisions then became the
second, third and fourth tiers, respectively.

Club records[edit]
Northampton Town hold the record for the shortest time taken to be promoted from
the bottom tier to the top tier and relegated back down to the bottom again, in the
space of nine years.
Tommy Fowler holds the record for Northampton Town appearances, having played 552
first-team matches between 1946 and 1961. Centre half and former captain Ian
Sampson comes second, with 449 games. The record for a goalkeeper is held by Peter
Gleasure, with 412 appearances.[45]
Jack English is the club's top goalscorer with 143 goals in competitive matches
between 1947 and 1959, having surpassed Teddy Bowen's total of 120. Bowen's record
had stood since September 1931, when he overtook the total of 110 goals set by
striker William Lockett in 1930.[46]
The highest attendance at the County Ground of 24,523 was on 23 April 1966 in an
important relegation battle in the First Division against Fulham. It is unlikely
that this record will be broken unless redevelopment takes place at Sixfields. The
record attendance at Sixfields is 7,798, for an EFL Cup match against Manchester
United on 21 September 2016.[47]

Players[edit]
Current squad[edit]
As of 31 January 2023[48]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players
may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.

Pos.

Nation

Player

GK

 ENG

Lee Burge

DF

 ENG

Tyler Magloire

DF

 ENG

Aaron McGowan (vice-captain)

MF

 ENG

Jack Sowerby
5

DF

 ENG

Jon Guthrie (captain)

DF

 ENG

Sam Sherring

MF

 ENG

Sam Hoskins

MF

 ENG

Ben Fox

FW

 SCO

Louis Appéré

10

FW

 ENG

Danny Hylton

11

MF
 ENG

Mitch Pinnock

12

MF

 SCO

Marc Leonard (on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion)

14

DF

 ENG

Ali Koiki

15

MF

 IRL

Will Hondermarck

16

MF

 ENG

D'Margio Wright-Phillips (on loan from Stoke City)

17

MF

 ENG

Shaun McWilliams

No.

Pos.
Nation

Player

19

FW

 SCO

Kieron Bowie (on loan from Fulham)

20

DF

 ENG

Harvey Lintott

21

FW

 BEL

Josh Eppiah (on loan from Leicester City)

22

DF

 ENG

Akin Odimayo

23

GK

 ENG

Jonny Maxted

24

DF

 ENG

Ryan Haynes
25

DF

 ENG

Josh Tomlinson

26

DF

 ENG

Paul Osew

27

MF

 ENG

Peter Abimbola

28

MF

 ENG

Miguel Ngwa

29

FW

 AUS

Tete Yengi (on loan from Ipswich Town)

30

FW

 ENG

Jack Connor

34

MF
 ENG

Liam Cross

35

DF

 ENG

Max Dyche

40

GK

 WAL

Tom King

List of academy players with squad numbers

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players
may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.

Pos.

Nation

Player

31

MF

 ENG

Dylan Hill

32

MF

 ENG
Kai O'Keeffe

33

MF

 ENG

Brad Smith-Howes

36

GK

 ENG

James Dadge

37

MF

 ENG

Ayo Lekuti

38

MF

 ENG

Ruben Wyatt

PFA Team of the Year[edit]

The following have been included in the PFA Team of the Year whilst playing for
Northampton Town:

1974–75 Paul Stratford[citation needed]

1980–81 Steve Phillips[49]
1986–87 Keith McPherson, Richard Hill, Trevor Morley[50]
1999–2000 Ian Hendon[51]
2005–06 Ian Taylor, Josh Low[52]
2015–16 Adam Smith, John-Joe O'Toole, Ricky Holmes[53]
2019–20 Charlie Goode, Nicky Adams[54]
2021–22 Liam Roberts, Jon Guthrie, Fraser Horsfall[55]

Cult heroes[edit]
The following were chosen by fans as the favourite club heroes in the BBC Sports
Cult Heroes poll in 2006:[56]

Andy Woodman
John Frain
 Dave Bowen
Club management[edit]
As of 29 June 2021[57]
Staff positions[edit]
Manager: Jon Brady
Assistant manager: Colin Calderwood
First team coach: Marc Richards
Goalkeeping coach: James Alger
Head of Performance Mindset: Steve Sallis
Fitness coach: Ashlee Adebayo
S & C coach: Joe Power
Head of academy: Ian Sampson
U18 coach: Shane Goddard
Head of recruitment: Colin Calderwood
Kit manager: Adam Moreton
Board of directors and ownership[edit]
See also: List of English football club owners
Executive chairman: Kelvin Thomas
President: Bob Church
Director: David Bower
Non-executive director: Mike Wailing
Managerial history[edit]
Main article: List of Northampton Town F.C. managers
Below is a list of all permanent managers of Northampton Town since its foundation
in 1897.

1897–1907: Arthur Jones

1907–1912: Herbert Chapman
1912–1913: Walter Bull
1913–1919: Fred Lessons
1920–1925: Bob Hewison
1925–1930: Jack Tresadern
1931–1935: Jack English
1935–1937: Syd Puddefoot
1937–1939: Warney Cresswell
1939–1949: Tom Smith
1949–1954: Bob Dennison
1954–1959: Dave Smith
1959–1967: Dave Bowen
1967–1968: Tony Marchi
1968–1969: Ron Flowers
1969–1972: Dave Bowen

1972–1973: Billy Baxter

1973–1976: Bill Dodgin Jnr
1976–1977: Pat Crerand
1977–1978: John Petts
1978–1979: Mike Keen
1979–1980: Clive Walker
1980–1982: Bill Dodgin Jnr
1982–1984: Clive Walker
1984–1985: Tony Barton
1985–1990: Graham Carr
1990–1992: Theo Foley
1992–1993: Phil Chard
1993–1995: John Barnwell
1995–1999: Ian Atkins
1999–2001: Kevin Wilson
2001–2003: Kevan Broadhurst

2003: Terry Fenwick

2003: Martin Wilkinson
2003–2006: Colin Calderwood
2006: John Gorman
2007–2009: Stuart Gray
2009–2011: Ian Sampson
2011: Gary Johnson
2011–2013: Aidy Boothroyd
2014–2016: Chris Wilder
2016–2017: Rob Page
2017: Justin Edinburgh
2017–2018: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
2018: Dean Austin
2018–2021: Keith Curle
2021– Jon Brady

References[edit]
Notes

^ Club History Northampton Town FC

^ "County Ground, Northampton – History". Old Football Grounds. Archived from the
original on 25 November 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2009.

^ May, John (24 January 2004) Cobblers stroll down memory lane BBC Sport. Retrieved
2011-01-11.

^ The Origins of Northampton Town Supporters' Trust Archived 5 July 2008 at the
Wayback Machine NTFC Trust. 2006-01-20. Retrieved 2009-12-29.

^ Conn, David (21 April 2010). "FC United homage to history as they prepare for
future at Newton Heath". The Guardian. London.

^ Hodgson, Guy (30 September 1994) Northampton sack Barnwell The Independent.
Retrieved 2009-12-28.

^ 1997 League Two play off final Soccerbase. Retrieved 2009-12-28.

^ Fox, Norman Northampton sing a joyous refrain The Independent. Retrieved 2009-12-
30.

^ Curtis, Adrian (24 May 1997) Northampton Town v Swansea City Archived 9 July 2008
at the Wayback Machine Soccernet. Retrieved 2009-12-30.

^ 1998 League One play off final Soccerbase. Retrieved 2009-12-28.

^ Bernstein, Joe (22 September 1998) Hammer horror for Old Lady The Guardian.
Retrieved 2009-12-30.

^ Conn, David (28 December 2001) Northampton brought back to reality The
Independent. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
^ Conn, David (22 May 2002) Arkan's lawyer has ambitions to take over Northampton
The Independent. Retrieved 2010-01-21.

^ Calderwood joins Cobblers BBC Sport. 2003-10-09. Retrieved 2010-01-21.

^ Calderwood named new Forest boss BBC Sport. 2006-05-30. Retrieved 2010-01-21.

^ Gorman exits as Northampton boss BBC Sport. 2006-12-20. Retrieved 2010-01-21.

^ Northampton name Gray as Manager BBC Sport. 2007-01-02. Retrieved 2010-01-21.

^ "Reds crash out to League Two side". ESPN Soccernet. 22 September 2010. Retrieved
8 December 2010.

^ "Northampton Town sack manager Ian Sampson". BBC Sport. 2 March 2011. Retrieved 6
March 2021.

^ "Northampton appoint Gary Johnson as manager after Ian Sampson sacking". The
Guardian. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2021.

^ "Gary Johnson leaves as Northampton Town boss". BBC Football. 14 November 2011.
Retrieved 14 November 2011.

^ "Aidy Boothroyd named Northampton Town boss". BBC Sport. 30 November 2011.
Retrieved 6 March 2021.

^ "Bradford City 3–0 Northampton Town". BBC Sport. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 6 March
2021.

^ "Aidy Boothroyd: Northampton Town sack manager". BBC Sport. 21 December 2013.
Retrieved 6 March 2021.

^ "Chris Wilder appointed new manager". ntfc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2014.

^ "Northampton Town issued with winding-up petition by HMRC". BBC Sport. 15 October
2015. Retrieved 16 October 2015.

^ "Club records". ntfc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 March 2016.

^ Willsher, Gareth. "Northampton Town have been promoted to Sky Bet League 1".
ntfc.co.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2016.

^ "JUSTIN EDINBURGH APPOINTED THE NEW NORTHAMPTON TOWN MANAGER". Northampton Town
FC Official Site. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2021.

^ "Northampton Town 1–3 Manchester United". BBC Sport. 21 September 2016. Retrieved
6 March 2021.

^ "Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink: Northampton Town appoint new manager to succeed Justin
Edinburgh". BBC Sport. 4 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.

^ "Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink gets Northampton tenure off to a winning start". ESPN
FC. Press Association Sport. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2017.

^ "Keith Curle: Northampton Town appoint former Carlisle United manager". BBC
Sport. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2021.

^ "Keith Curle: Northampton Town manager signs new two-year contract". BBC Sport. 6
July 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
^ Brent Pilnick (29 June 2020). "League Two play-off final: Exeter City 0–4
Northampton Town". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 June 2021.

^ Brent Pilnick (29 June 2020). "League Two play-off final: Exeter City 0–4
Northampton Town". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 June 2021.

^ Tom Garry (22 June 2020). "Cheltenham Town 0–3 Northampton Town (agg 2–3):
Cobblers seal comeback win to reach Wembley". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 June 2021.

^ "Northampton Town 0–3 Blackpool: Cobblers relegated back to League Two". BBC
Sport. 1 May 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.

^ "Barrow 1–3 Northampton Town". BBC. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.

^ Scott, Ged (18 May 2022). "Northampton 0–1 Mansfield Town". BBC. Retrieved 22
June 2022.

^ "County Ground, Northampton". Old Football Grounds. Archived from the original on
25 November 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2009.

^ Sixfields Stadium Archived 24 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Football Ground
Guide. Retrieved 2009-10-05.

^ "COBBLERS AGREE STADIUM RIGHTS NAMING PARTNERSHIP". ntfc.co.uk.

^ Swan, Rob (27 August 2019). "The top five rivals of English football's top 92
clubs revealed". Givemesport. Retrieved 11 February 2021.

^ Most appearances in a career Archived 1 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine.

ntfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-01-19.

^ Most goals in a career Archived 1 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine.

ntfc.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-01-19.

^ "Northampton Town 1–3 Manchester United". BBC Sport.

^ "Northampton Town F.C. Player Profiles". Northampton Town F.C. Retrieved 24

February 2020.

^ Lynch. The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes. p. 143.

^ Lynch. The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes. p. 146.

^ "Keane claims award double". BBC News. 30 April 2000. Retrieved 11 March 2023.

^ "Gerrard named player of the year". BBC Sport. 23 April 2006. Retrieved 11 March
2023.

^ "Leicester and Tottenham dominate PFA Premier League team of the year". The
Guardian. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2022.

^ Jamie Jackson (8 September 2020). "Kevin De Bruyne and Beth England win PFA
player of the year awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 September 2022.

^ "Mohamed Salah and Sam Kerr win PFA player of year awards". BBC Sport. 9 June
2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.

^ Northampton's Cult Heroes BBC Sport. 2005-04-30. Retrieved 2009-09-21.

^ Who's who at Sixfields ntfc.co.uk. 2015-09-28. Retrieved 2015-09-30.

Bibliography

Beesley, Mark (December 2005). Northampton Town: A season in the Sun 1965–66.
Northampton: Desert Island Books. ISBN 1-905328-01-X.
John Watson, David Walden (October 2000). Northampton Town Football Club.
Northampton: Tempus. ISBN 0-7524-1671-5.

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