Northampton Town

Founded in 1897, Northampton Town are the only professional football club from the county of Northamptonshire and have been an ever-present in the English Football League since joining in 1920. The Real EFL will guide you through the history of 'The Cobblers', highlighting their key achievements whilst also looking at the club's current form, squad and backroom staff.

Northampton Town Updates

Northampton Town are currently competing in League One and are in their second straight season in the division after winning automatic promotion in 2023. The club are in a relegation battle, seeing a change in manager with Jon Brady being sacked and former West Ham United player and coach Kevin Nolan arriving to replace him.

Last season was their first since winning promotion and they achieved a respectable 14th place finish, 16 points clear of Cheltenham Town in the first of the four relegation spots in the division and were the same number of points away from Barnsley in the last play-off place. It was star player Sam Hoskins who led the team in goals whilst Mitchell Pinnock and Marc Leonard chipped in with plenty of assists.

Northampton Town Transfer News and Rumours

In the January transfer window of 2025, moves in and out of Sixfields are likely to happen as the club battles for survival in League One. They had been in for striker Micky Mellon for a loan move from Championship side Burnley but it looks like they have missed out with Chesterfield set to take the youngster on loan. With Callum Morton out for the season after an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury, Town will look to sign a new striker or two in the window.

Northampton Signings

Northampton made their fair share of signings across the summer transfer window and will add to that total across the winter transfer window.

Player	Age	Nationality	Left	Fee	Contract Duration
Cameron McGeehan	29	Northern Irish	Colchester United EFL League Two	Free Transfer	2 years
Tom Eaves	32	English	Rotherham United EFL League One	Free Transfer	2 years
James Wilson	28	English	Port Vale EFL League Two	Free Transfer	1 year
Nik Tzanev	27	New Zealand	AFC Wimbledon EFL League Two	Free Transfer	1 year
Jack Baldwin	31	English	Ross County Scottish Premiership	Unknown	2 years
Liam Shaw	23	English	Fleetwood Town EFL League Two	Unknown	3 years
Liam McCarron	23	Scottish	Stoke City EFL Championship	Unknown	2 years
Tyler Roberts	25	Welsh	Birmingham City EFL League One	Loan Deal	End of Season
Luke Mbete	20	English	Manchester City English Premier League	Loan Deal	End of Season
Matt Dibley-Dias	20	New Zealand	Fulham English Premier League	Loan Deal	End of Season
Samy Chouchane	20	Tunisian	Brighton & Hove Albion English Premier League	Loan Deal	End of Season
Callum Morton	24	English	Salford City EFL League Two	Loan Deal	End of Season
Tariqe Fosu	28	Ghanaian	Free Agent	Free Transfer	1 year
Nesta Guinness-Walker	25	English	Free Agent	Free Transfer	2 years
Timothy Eyoma	24	English	Free Agent	Free Transfer	1 year
Martyn Waghorn	34	English	Free Agent	Free Transfer	Short-term (expired)

Northampton Town Key Matches Of The Season

Northampton Town will need to get some results on the board against fellow relegation threatened sides to keep themselves afloat this season. With the competition at the bottom of the table, Last season Jon Brady achieved a solid midtable finish and now under Kevin Nolan that will be the aim to secure a third straight season in League One.

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You can view all of their results and fixtures alongside any other English Football League club's on The Real EFL website.

Northampton Town Key Achievements

Northampton Town have just three honours to their name, winning the 1962/63 Third Division, and are two time winners of the fourth tier, achieving victories in 1986/87 and 2015/16. They have been runners up in the second division in 1964/65, and were runners up in the Community Shield in 1909/10.

Northampton Current Squad

This team has a very large squad, which has become very bloated across the season due to a lengthy injury list, both in attack and defence causing the club to sign multiple free agents past the summer transfer window.

Attackers

They have eight senior attackers in their squad. The highest profile of The Cobblers attackers is Sam Hoskins, who was their talisman throughout their League Two promotion season and was their top scorer with 15 goals last season. They added Tom Eaves to their lineup over the summer, whilst retaining fellow key forward Mitchell Pinnock. With injuries mounting, the club briefly signed former Derby County striker Martyn Waghorn, but he has since left the club.

Midfielders

There are 10 senior midfielders currently at Northampton Town. This season has seen loanees take centre-stage, with Fulham's Matt Dibley-Dias and Samy Chouchane of Brighton get regular minutes. Cameron McGeehan has also been commonplace for the club. Jack Sowerby has had a lengthy injury layoff and William Hondermarck gives Kevin Nolan a more defensive option.

Defenders

Much of Northampton Town's injury woes this season have come in defence, being forced into the free agent market throughout the season. Patrick Brough broke his leg, with other players having lengthy absences such as Tyler Magloire and Jordan Willis. Nesta Guinness-Walker was one of those free agents, as was Timothy Eyoma.

Goalkeepers

Northampton Town have three senior goalkeepers. The first choice option is Lee Burge, who was also the number one for much of last season. Behind him is Nik Tzanev, who joined the club over the summer from AFC Wimbledon. The third choice is youngster James Dadge, who is yet to play a senior game for The Cobblers.

Northampton Town Managing and Coaching Staff

Kevin Nolan

Kevin Nolan is the manager of Northampton Town, being appointed in December 2024. This is his first role in management for six years after managing Notts County. Between leaving The Magpies and now, he worked as a coach for West Ham United under David Moyes, winning the UEFA Conference League during his time at the club he was a legend for.

Ian Sampson

Ian Sampson is a club legend at Northampton Town and is currently the Academy Manager and a First-Team Coach at the club. He has worked at the club since 2019 and has briefly served as caretaker manager on two occasions, most recently in December between the departure of Jon Brady and the arrival of Kevin Nolan. He was also manager of The Cobblers during a previous spell at the club between 2009 and 2011.

Marc Richards

Former Port Vale and Swindon Town striker Marc Richards is a first-team coach at Northampton Town. He played for The Cobblers across two spells and upon retiring in 2018 joined the staff at the club, becoming a first-team coach two years later.

Northampton Town Former Managers and Key Coaches

Northampton have had 48 permanent managers across it's history, with many achieving impressive feats. Dave Bowen is probably the most iconic, being the figurehead behind the club's ascension from the fourth tier to the first within five years, managing the club across three different spells. They were managed by Ron Flowers in the late 1960s, with the former England World Cup winner being a player/manager.

Graham Carr was originally a Northampton player but later in his career spent five years as manager, and currently serves as an associate director at the club. In recent years, Town have also appointed their first non-British manager in Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Dean Austin served as a caretaker following the Dutchman's departure. Keith Curle was the next appointed manager, spending three years at the club with the club on the brink of relegation in League One.

Jon Brady guided the club back up from League Two and secured safety in their first season back in League One, but ultimately left the club in December 2024, and was replaced by Kevin Nolan.

Northampton Legends

Northampton Town have their fair share of club icons and legends, with one of the most fondly remembered names being Tommy Fowler. Here is a list of the club's legends and their impact.

Tommy Fowler

He is the club's record appearance holder. Between 1945 and 1961, the left-back played 585 competitive matches for The Cobblers before moving to Aldershot Town.

Jack English

The club's all-time goalscorer is Jack English, who found the net 130 times for the club. His father, also named Jack, managed the team in the 1930s.

Thomas Thorpe

Thomas Thorpe played as a goalkeeper for Northampton either side of World War 1, and also represented Northamptonshire in Cricket.

Robert Hughes

Robert Hughes started his professional career at Northampton Town during their time in the Southern League, leaving the club in 1915 before playing professionally with Hull City and Rochdale.

Fred Clipstone

Fred Clipstone played for Northampton prior to World War 1 and later played for Leeds City during wartime friendlies.

Ian Sampson

Ian Sampson is a modern-day Cobblers icon, being their second-highest appearance holder and a current staff member at Sixfields.

Northampton Town Team Metrics and Performance

Northampton Town's 2023/24 season was their first back in League One after winning automatic promotion the previous season. Under Australian Jon Brady, they achieved a 14th place finish, well clear of any relegation worries but also distant from the play-off places. They finished with a -9 goal difference, scoring 57 goals and conceding 66. Sam Hoskins was their top scorer with 15 goals, whilst Mitchell Pinnock got the most assists with 7.

This season has not gone as well, with Northampton Town in a relegation battle. As of the middle of January, Northampton are clear of the bottom four in League One by six points and have played more games than every team below them.

Northampton Town Pitch And Amenities

Northampton Town's home ground is Sixfields, where they have called home since 1994. Prior to that, the club played at the County Ground, which they shared with Northamptonshire County Cricket Club. It is an all-seater stadium, with a capacity of 7,653, with a majority of that based in the West Stand. The area of Sixfields was also home to the club's training ground, but The Cobblers have since moved to Moulton College.

Northampton Town Fan Base and Support

Northampton Town have a fairly small but loyal fanbase compared to many sides in League One, and are the only Football League club in Northamptonshire. They have averaged around 6,300 attendance this season at Sixfields, which is 500 spectators down from the previous season.

Northampton Town Rivalries and Notable Matches

Northampton Town's rivals are Peterborough United, with the pair contesting the Nene Derby, named after the river which runs between the two towns. They have contested over 100 matches, with United winning 48 times to Town's 32.

Other rivals for Northampton are other Midlands football sides, including Oxford United, Coventry City, Milton Keynes Dons and Cambridge United. Rushden and Diamonds were a rival for many years but has largely ended with the dissolution of The Diamonds in 2011 and the phoenix club yet to make a return to the EFL.

Northampton Town Facts

Northampton Town History

Northampton Town were founded in 1897, when a group of local school teachers looked to form a professional football side named Northampton Football Club. After pushback from the local Rugby Union side, the founders were forced to add Town into the name. They spent their early years in the local leagues before joining Southern League, which they won in 1909, giving them a place in the Charity Shield, which they lost to Football League champions Newcastle United.

They joined the Football League in 1920, being admitted into the Third Division South, where they would stay until 1958. They were relegated into the newly-formed Fourth Divison. Under former Wales captain Dave Bowen, the club began a remarkable rise up the divisions, reaching the First Division within five years. They would only spend a solitary season in the top flight, and quickly plummeted back down into the Fourth Division, making history as the quickest journey from bottom to top and back to the bottom for any Football League side, doing so in a nine-year spell.

Since then they have been a third and fourth tier side, spending the majority of which in the fourth tier, but have semi-regularly won promotions from the 1970s onwards. Since 2000 alone, they have won promotion into League One five times, doing so as Champions in 2015/16.

Northampton Town Social Media

Northampton Town are active on all social media platforms, giving fans ample opportunities to catch up on the latest news from around the club. Following the club will enable supporters to get the latest transfer and squad news as soon as it arrives.

Website: https://www.ntfc.co.uk/

X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ntfc

Northampton Town Outlook and Forecast

Northampton Town are looking to stay in League One this season and will be in the mix of the relegation battle. They have already had a change in manager this season with the departure of Jon Brady, who won them promotion from League Two. Kevin Nolan has since been appointed as the new manager. Currently they are clear of the bottom four clubs, but have played more games than those teams around them.

Frequently Asked Questions About Northampton Town Football Club

How much would it cost to buy Northampton Town Football Club?

Northampton Town was last purchased in 2015 by former Oxford United chairman Kelvin Thomas for just £1. The club were in financial troubles prior to Thomas taking over, and the club are now on much more stable ground in terms of money. The local council agreed to free the club of outstanding loan payments. A deal to buy the club would cost multi-million pounds to complete considering the club's status as a League One side.

Has Northampton Town ever been to the Premier League?

Northampton Town have never played in the Premier League since the League's formation in 1992. They have spent just one season in the First Division in their history, during the 1965/66 season. They were relegated that season and also were relegated from the second tier the following season.

Who owns Northampton Town Football Club?

Northampton Town are currently owned by Kelvin Thomas, who owned the club since 2015. Thomas was a former chairman of Oxford United and bought the club for just £1 alongside an agreement to wipe the club's outstanding tax bills.

How many games did Walter Tull Play for Northampton Town?

Walter Tull played 111 times for Northampton Town since joining the club from Tottenham Hotspur. Tull was of Afro-Caribbean descent and served in the British Army during World War One. He was signed by Rangers in 1917 but was killed in action during the war in France in 1918.

Is Northampton Town a big club?

Northampton Town are the only Football League club in Northamptonshire, and have been so since the dissolution of the original Rushden and Diamonds football club in 2011. They have not won any major honours in their history, but are one time champions of the third tier and two time champions of the fourth tier.

Where to watch Northampton Town FC?

Northampton Town can be viewed both in person and on television. The most common way to watch their matches is in person, with tickets for both home and away games available through the club itself. On television, Northampton Town can often be seen on Sky Sports, with their Sky Sports + service showing many of their League games, alongside every one of their EFL Cup and EFL Trophy games. Town were also on free-to-air television this season during their FA Cup match against local rivals Kettering Town.