Northampton Town F.C.
Encyclopedia
Northampton Town Football Club (icon; often simply known as Northampton, or by their nickname The Cobblers, after the local shoemaking industry) are an English professional football club based in Northampton
, Northamptonshire
. They currently play in Football League Two
, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One
on the last day of the 2008–09 season. They 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.
Northampton were formed in 1897
, after meetings between the town’s schoolteachers and local solicitor A.J. Darnell. They play their home games at the 7,653 capacity all-seater Sixfields Stadium
, having moved in 1994 from the County Ground which they shared with the owners, Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
. The club’s main rival is Peterborough United
, a rivalry which has endured since the 1960s, although the two teams are currently separated by two divisions. Other recent rivals include Rushden & Diamonds and Luton Town
. The club's colours have traditionally been claret and white.
and Notts County
. This gave him the desire to start his own club in Northampton
. Mr Darnell and the local schoolteachers came together through their shared aims and, on 6 March 1897, at the Princess Royal Inn on the Wellingborough Road, Northampton Football Club was formed. Following objections from the town’s rugby club the team adopted the name of Northampton Town to avoid trouble. The club gained permission to play home matches at the County Ground, home of Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, provided that no games were scheduled between May and September; this was to remain their home for the next 97 years.
They then joined the Northants League, now known as the United Counties League, in which their first official game was against Earls Barton FC. They spent just two seasons there, during which time they recouped their first transfer fee, £50 from Derby County for Frank Howard, who was club's first professional
player. The Cobblers won the Championship in only their second season. This was followed by a further two seasons in the Midland League, before joining the Southern League
in 1901, which saw the club's heaviest defeat recorded, 11–0 to Southampton
. National headlines were made in October 1902, when they beat Portsmouth
1–0 at Fratton Park
, which was Portsmouth's first ever defeat at the ground, after an incredible 66 matches. In 1907, Northampton employed their first full-time manager, Herbert Chapman
. His appointment was a very good one as, due to the contact had built up, he was able to persuade many ex-professionals to join the club and was responsible for the club paying their first transfer fee, £400 to Stoke City for Welsh International Edwin Lloyd Davies
. Davies still has the record number of International caps
won with 12 and became the oldest player to play for the club, at the age of 42. The transformation was incredible: within two years Northampton were champions of the Southern League and met Newcastle United in the Charity Shield, losing 2–0 at Stamford Bridge
.
In October 1911, the Cobblers signed their first black player, Walter Tull
from Tottenham Hotspur
who incidentally was the league's first black outfield player. During his first season he played as a forward and scored nine goals from just twelve games, including four in a 5–0 win over Bristol Rovers. He went on to play 110 games for the club, mainly as a wing half
, before he died in the second battle of the Somme, where he was also Britain's first black army officer. On 11 July 1999, over eighty years after his death, an 8-foot-high marble memorial was unveiled at Sixfields Stadium
, the centrepiece for the Garden of Rest at Northampton Town Football Club. By the start of the 1912–13 season Herbert Chapman had left Northampton for Leeds City; he then went onto to Huddersfield Town
, winning two league championships and setting them up for a third before joining Arsenal
, where he again won two league championships before his death in 1934.
, 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. 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 all four in a 4–0 win over the Dutch National side 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 7th, 9th 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.
in 1965–66. Northampton had been promoted from the Fourth Division
to the First Division in the space of five seasons but were then relegated back to the Fourth Division by 1969–70. During their top-flight season they earned a double against Aston Villa
and victories at home over such luminaries as Leeds
, Newcastle
, West Ham
, and Blackburn
, the only team they finished above in the table.
, 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. 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
, a future England International was sold, after 200 games in all competitions for the Cobblers, Liverpool
bought Phil 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 clubs 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 section of the Fourth Division for the first half of the decade, however 16 year old Aidy Mann
became the clubs 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 8th 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 adjust to life in Division Three quickly and just miss out on a play-off place despite finishing 6th. 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
.
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 £1,600,000. 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
. This was the first such instance of a supporters' trust taking over a football club.
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 the Conference Champions, Kidderminster Harriers
not meeting the necessary ground criteria. The club eventually began its move to Sixfields.
and a capacity crowd ensued on the 15 October 1994, when Barnet
were the visitors in a 1–1 draw. Martin Aldridge
, who later died in a car accident, was the first player to score at the new stadium. The change of ground did not change the club's fortunes and they finished 17th, despite being buoyed by Ian Atkins
taking over as manager from John Barnwell
half way through the 1994–95
season. After two more seasons, in 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
in front of 46,804 of whom 32,000 were Northampton supporters. John Frain
scored the winning goal from a twice-taken free kick deep into injury time, adding to the club's centenary celebrations. The 1997–98
season also saw a Wembley play-off appearance, this time in the Division Two play-off final, which was lost 1–0 to Grimsby Town
in front of a then record 62,998 crowd. Over 40,000 of the crowd were Northampton supporters, which is still a record for the most supporters taken to Wembley by one team. Northampton were not able to progress from the previous year's success because of long-term injuries to sixteen of their players during the 1998–99
season. The team was relegated to Division Three, despite being not losing 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 Worthington Cup
. 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 90's, 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
and Giovanni Di Stefano 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
. 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, 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. He was replaced by former Southampton
boss Stuart Gray
on 2 January 2007.
Northampton caused an upset in the third round of the 2010–11 Football League Cup
, knocking out at Anfield
. The game was drawn 2–2 after extra time, and the Cobblers beat the team 69 places above them in the league 4–2 on penalties, the winning penalty being scored by Abdul Osman at the 'Kop End'.
Ian Sampson was sacked as manager on 2 March 2011 after a poor run of form saw the Cobblers fail to win in 8 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.
David Cardoza moved quickly and Gary Johnson
was unveiled as the new manager on 4 March 2011. The appointment was greeted by unprecedented approval, so much so that Johnson stated his decision to join the club was partly down to the support for his appointment of a club forum.
Somehow however things have not gone 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. 2011–2012 has been no improvement for the Cobblers and the embaressment was only further heightened after a loss to Luton Town on the 12th November 2011 in the FA Cup 1st Round. Gary Johnson left the club on 14 November 2011 by mutual consent.
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, withd 449 games. The record for a goalkeeper is held by Peter Gleasure
, with 412 appearances.
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.
The highest attendance at the County Ground of 24,523 was recorded on 9 March 1965 in a important 'relegation battle' match in the First Division
match against Fulham
. The capacity of the new ground at Sixfields
is now 7,653 so it is unlikely that this record will be broken in the foreseeable future unless redevelopment takes place. The highest attendance at this ground is 7,557 which was recorded against Manchester City
on 3 November 1998.
The club also fields a youth team at Under-18 level.
whilst playing for Northampton Town:
on 14 November 2011.
. The main stand was situated along side 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 Cop, 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 the 23 April 1966. The ground also saw the 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.
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 Dave Bowen
stand, after the manager that took them from the bottom to the top flight of English football.
After successfully attaining a 150-year lease on the ground from the local council, the owners of Northampton Town, David
and Tony Cardoza have announced plans to redevelop the whole ground into a 15,000 all-seater stadium
, starting with adding executive boxes and a further 2,000 seats to the West Stand whilst expanding the club's offices and facilities. The other stands will then be expanded and joined to create a 'bowl' stadium. The home end at Northampton Town's old County Ground
was called The Hotel End, so it is quite apt that the new stadium will also feature its own Hotel End. The new complex will also feature a hotel which will be built behind the Paul Cox Panel & Paint (South) Stand.
These developments have however become tied up with the bureaucracy of the Borough Council and no timescale has yet been announced for the plans to begin. On the 6 August 2009, it was announced that the redevelopment would go ahead but still no time frame has been quoted.
Training ground
Adjacent to the stadium joining onto the back of the East Stand with its own small stand is the training ground but its main purpose is for athletics for the local club Rugby & Northampton. It also holds Northampton schools athletics finals.
News and Statistics
Supporters Trust
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. They currently play in Football League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
on the last day of the 2008–09 season. They 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.
Northampton were formed in 1897
1897 in football (soccer)
The following are the association football events of the year 1897 throughout the world.-National champions:*Argentina: Lomas Athletic Club*Belgium: Racing Club Bruxelles*England: Aston Villa*France: Standard AC Meudon*Ireland: Glentoran...
, after meetings between the town’s schoolteachers and local solicitor A.J. Darnell. They play their home games at the 7,653 capacity all-seater Sixfields Stadium
Sixfields Stadium
Sixfields Stadium is a 7,653-capacity all-seater sports stadium in Northampton, England. It has been the home ground of Northampton Town Football Club following their move from the County Ground in October 1994....
, having moved in 1994 from the County Ground which they shared with the owners, Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
. The club’s main rival is Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
, a rivalry which has endured since the 1960s, although the two teams are currently separated by two divisions. Other recent rivals include Rushden & Diamonds and Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
. The club's colours have traditionally been claret and white.
History
Formation and early success
Northampton Town was founded in 1897 after meetings between the town’s schoolteachers and local solicitor A.J. Darnell. The community then focused on football and, in particular, schoolboy football was strong in the county due in part to the enthusiasm of the local teachers. They were, however, dissatisfied with the current arrangement of arranged friendlies between schools, preferring to teach the boys through practical examples and they felt this could be done by forming a town team. At the same time A.J. Darnell travelled to Leicester with the local Rugby team, where he witnessed an exhibition football match between Leicester FosseLeicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
and Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
. This gave him the desire to start his own club in Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
. Mr Darnell and the local schoolteachers came together through their shared aims and, on 6 March 1897, at the Princess Royal Inn on the Wellingborough Road, Northampton Football Club was formed. Following objections from the town’s rugby club the team adopted the name of Northampton Town to avoid trouble. The club gained permission to play home matches at the County Ground, home of Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, provided that no games were scheduled between May and September; this was to remain their home for the next 97 years.
They then joined the Northants League, now known as the United Counties League, in which their first official game was against Earls Barton FC. They spent just two seasons there, during which time they recouped their first transfer fee, £50 from Derby County for Frank Howard, who was club's first professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
player. The Cobblers won the Championship in only their second season. This was followed by a further two seasons in the Midland League, before joining the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
in 1901, which saw the club's heaviest defeat recorded, 11–0 to Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
. National headlines were made in October 1902, when they beat Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
1–0 at Fratton Park
Fratton Park
Fratton Park is a football stadium in the English city-port of Portsmouth. It has been the home of professional club Portsmouth F.C. since its construction in 1898.-Description:...
, which was Portsmouth's first ever defeat at the ground, after an incredible 66 matches. In 1907, Northampton employed their first full-time manager, Herbert Chapman
Herbert Chapman
Herbert Chapman was an English association football player and manager. Though he had an undistinguished playing career, he went on to become one of the most successful and influential managers in early 20th century English football, before his sudden death in 1934.As a player, Chapman played for...
. His appointment was a very good one as, due to the contact had built up, he was able to persuade many ex-professionals to join the club and was responsible for the club paying their first transfer fee, £400 to Stoke City for Welsh International Edwin Lloyd Davies
Lloyd Davies
Lloyd Davies was a former professional footballer, who played in the Football League for Stoke for whom he made thirty seven appearances. He was born in Cefn Mawr, Wales...
. Davies still has the record number of International caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
won with 12 and became the oldest player to play for the club, at the age of 42. The transformation was incredible: within two years Northampton were champions of the Southern League and met Newcastle United in the Charity Shield, losing 2–0 at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
.
In October 1911, the Cobblers signed their first black player, Walter Tull
Walter Tull
Walter Daniel John Tull was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward for Tottenham Hotspur and Northampton Town...
from Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
who incidentally was the league's first black outfield player. During his first season he played as a forward and scored nine goals from just twelve games, including four in a 5–0 win over Bristol Rovers. He went on to play 110 games for the club, mainly as a wing half
Wing half
In association football, the position of wing half or wing half back) was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries...
, before he died in the second battle of the Somme, where he was also Britain's first black army officer. On 11 July 1999, over eighty years after his death, an 8-foot-high marble memorial was unveiled at Sixfields Stadium
Sixfields Stadium
Sixfields Stadium is a 7,653-capacity all-seater sports stadium in Northampton, England. It has been the home ground of Northampton Town Football Club following their move from the County Ground in October 1994....
, the centrepiece for the Garden of Rest at Northampton Town Football Club. By the start of the 1912–13 season Herbert Chapman had left Northampton for Leeds City; he then went onto to Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
, winning two league championships and setting them up for a third before joining Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, where he again won two league championships before his death in 1934.
Inter-war period
In 1919–201919-20 in English football
The 1919–1920 season was the 45th season of competitive football in England, and the first following the end of World War I.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition...
, 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
1922-23 in English football
The 1922–23 season was the 48th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Liverpool retained the First Division title, but halfway through the season their manager David Ashworth left the club to take over at Oldham Athletic, who ended the season relegated.-Honours:Notes = Number in...
saw the club become a public company
Public limited company
A public limited company is a limited liability company that sells shares to the public in United Kingdom company law, in the Republic of Ireland and Commonwealth jurisdictions....
and 8,000 shares were released at £1. The season produced a record crowd of 18,123 against Plymouth
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
on Boxing day and gate receipts for the first time exceeded £1,000. 1923–24
1923-24 in English football
The 1923–24 season was the 49th season of competitive football in England.-Events:*On 11 November 1923, Aston Villa centre-half Tommy Ball was shot dead by his neighbour, thus becoming the only Football League player to have been murdered.-Honours:...
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. 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
1932-33 in English football
The 1932–33 season was the 58th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
, the club created history when brothers Fred and Albert Dawes
Albert Dawes
Albert George Dawes was an English professional footballer who played most notable for Northampton Town and Crystal Palace as a Forward. He also played one first-class cricket game for Northamptonshire County Cricket Club against Derbyshire.-External links:**...
both scored in an 8–0 win over Newport County. The latter finished the season scoring 32 league goals and even scored all four in a 4–0 win over the Dutch National side while the club was on tour. In 1933–34
1933-34 in English football
The 1933–34 season was the 59th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
, the F.A. Cup Fifth round was reached for the first time courtesy of a Fourth round win away to Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
who, at the time were top of Division One. The Cobblers lost to Preston North End 4–0 at Deepdale
Deepdale
Deepdale is a stadium in the Deepdale area of Preston, England, the home of Preston North End F.C. and, up to 2010, England's National Football Museum. Preston North End are one of the founder members of the Football League.- History :...
, setting a new ground record of 40,180. In the three seasons prior to the breakout of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Cobblers finished 7th, 9th 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
They played their only season of their existence in the top division of English football when they reached the First DivisionFootball League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
in 1965–66. Northampton had been promoted from the Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
to the First Division in the space of five seasons but were then relegated back to the Fourth Division by 1969–70. During their top-flight season they earned a double against Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
and victories at home over such luminaries as Leeds
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
, Newcastle
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, West Ham
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, and Blackburn
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
, the only team they finished above in the table.
1970s and 80s
In 19701970 in football (soccer)
The following are the football events of the year 1970 throughout the world.-Events:*Copa Libertadores 1970: Won by Estudiantes de La Plata after defeating Peñarol on an aggregate score of 1-0....
, they lost 8–2 to Manchester United in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
fifth round. Six of the goals conceded were scored by George Best
George Best
George Best was a professional footballer from Northern Ireland, who played for Manchester United and the Northern Ireland national team. He was a winger whose game combined pace, acceleration, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to beat defenders...
, who received the match ball (signed by Northampton players) as a reward for his performance. 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
1974-75 in English football
The 1974–75 season was the 95th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Dave Mackay guided Derby County to their second league title in four years having overcome strong competition from Liverpool, Ipswich Town, Everton, Stoke City, Manchester City, Sheffield United and...
, a future England International was sold, after 200 games in all competitions for the Cobblers, Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
bought Phil Neal
Phil Neal
Philip George "Phil" Neal is a former footballer who was, at one time, the most successful player in English football history. He played for Liverpool 650 times over an eleven year period and is the only player to have appeared in the first five of their European Cup finals, winning four of them...
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
1975-76 in English football
The 1975–76 season was the 96th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool won their first major trophy under Bob Paisley by narrowly winning the league title after heated competition from Queens Park Rangers. They also lifted the UEFA Cup for the second time in their...
, the club finished 2nd in Division Four and were promoted behind Champions Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
. They did this without losing a home game and having every regular player scored during the season, including the goalkeeper, Alan Starling
Alan Starling
Alan William Starling is a professional footballer, who played as a goalkeeper for Luton Town, Torquay United, Northampton Town & Huddersfield Town....
, who netted from a penalty in the penultimate home game against Hartlepool United. In 1976–77
1976-77 in English football
The 1976–77 season was the 97th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League revamped the tie-breaking criteria for teams level of points, replacing the traditional goal average tie-breaker with one based on goal difference to try to encourage more scoring...
, the club were relegated back to Division Four, the season started with ex-Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
Assistant Manager, Pat Crerand
Pat Crerand
Patrick Timothy "Paddy" Crerand is a Scottish-born former footballer of Irish descent. After six years at Celtic he moved to Manchester United where he was a member of teams that won the English League title twice, the FA Cup and European Cup...
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
George Reilly
George Reilly was a Scottish footballer. He played for Corby Town, Northampton Town, Cambridge United, Watford, Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion. Reilly scored the winning goal for Watford against Plymouth Argyle in the 1984 FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park and played in the 1984 FA Cup...
was sold to Cambridge United
Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
for a then record of £165,000, he had been the clubs top scorer for the previous two seasons.
New floodlights
Floodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
were installed in time for the 1980–81 season
1980-81 in English football
The 1980–81 season was the 101st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League introduced a three points for a win system in place of the two points for a win system which had operated since the league's formation in 1889...
, but they failed during the first match against Southend United
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
and the game had to be abandoned. The club struggled in the bottom section of the Fourth Division for the first half of the decade, however 16 year old Aidy Mann
Aidy Mann
Adrian Mann was an English footballer who played for Northampton Town amongst other league and non-league clubs. He was an attacking midfield player who had a decent scoring record.-Career:...
became the clubs youngest player. In 1984–85
1984-85 in English football
The 1984–85 season was the 105th season of competitive football in England.-Bradford City disaster:56 spectators died and more than 200 were injured when a fire ripped through the Main Stand at Valley Parade during Bradford City's Third Division fixture with Lincoln City on 11 May...
, 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
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
, 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
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
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
Graham Carr
William Graham Carr is an English former professional footballer and football club manager. He is currently Head Scout at Newcastle United.-Club career:...
, who brought in several players from the non-league in addition to a number of quality league players to finish 8th in his first season in charge. The 1986–87 season
1986-87 in English football
The 1986–87 season was the 107th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The First Division championship went to Everton in their final season under the management of Howard Kendall before his departure to Athletic Bilbao. His side overcame a spate of injuries to fight off...
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
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
for a club record fee of £265,000. The club adjust to life in Division Three quickly and just miss out on a play-off place despite finishing 6th. Important players such as Trevor Morley
Trevor Morley
Trevor Morley is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker.-Playing career:Morley played for Northampton Town, having previously seen non-league football with Corby Town and Nuneaton Borough...
and Eddie McGoldrick
Eddie McGoldrick
Edward John Paul "Eddie" McGoldrick is a former Irish footballer whose clubs included most notably Northampton Town, Crystal Palace, Arsenal and Manchester City...
were sold and the team fell back down to Division Four in the 1989–90 season
1989-90 in English football
-European competitions:English clubs were still banned from competing in European competitions following the Heysel Stadium disaster.- First Division :...
.
Worrying times
The 1990s began badly, with the club relegated to the Fourth Division at the end of the 1989–901989-90 in English football
-European competitions:English clubs were still banned from competing in European competitions following the Heysel Stadium disaster.- First Division :...
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
Administration (British football)
Sports clubs in the United Kingdom, most often in football, sometimes choose to enter administration when they are unable to pay off outstanding debts. Under the Insolvency Act 1986 a business will face a winding up order bringing them to court and if it is shown that a business cannot pay debts as...
in April 1992, with debts of around £1,600,000. 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
Supporters' trust
In British sports, a supporters' trust is a formal, democratic and not-for-profit organisation of fans who attempt to strengthen the influence of supporters over the running of the club they support...
, which has a share holding in the club and a representative on the Board of Directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
. This was the first such instance of a supporters' trust taking over a football club.
The club needed to win the final game of the 1992–93
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
season to avoid being relegated to the Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
. Over 2,500 made the trip to Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
and saw the Cobblers win 3–2, despite being 2–0 down at half-time. The 1993–94
1993-94 in English football
The 1993-1994 season was the 114th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:From the start of this season, the FA Premier League would be sponsored by Carling Breweries - an association which would last for eight years...
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 the Conference Champions, Kidderminster Harriers
Kidderminster Harriers F.C.
Kidderminster Harriers F.C. are an English football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire formed in 1886 They currently play in the Conference National and have played at Aggborough Stadium since they were formed...
not meeting the necessary ground criteria. The club eventually began its move to Sixfields.
The Sixfields era
A new era was upon Northampton Town when they moved to Sixfields StadiumSixfields Stadium
Sixfields Stadium is a 7,653-capacity all-seater sports stadium in Northampton, England. It has been the home ground of Northampton Town Football Club following their move from the County Ground in October 1994....
and a capacity crowd ensued on the 15 October 1994, when Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
were the visitors in a 1–1 draw. Martin Aldridge
Martin Aldridge
Martin James Aldridge was an English professional footballer.-Playing career:Northampton-born Aldridge joined Coventry City as a schoolboy, but was released in 1990. As a sixteen year old, he then played for Ford Sports Daventry , and joined Braunston Rangers on a Sunday to play with his brother...
, who later died in a car accident, was the first player to score at the new stadium. The change of ground did not change the club's fortunes and they finished 17th, despite being buoyed by Ian Atkins
Ian Atkins
Ian Leslie Atkins is a former English professional footballer who became a manager later in his career, and now works as a coach with Sunderland. During a 20-year playing career he had eight clubs, including two spells with Sunderland and Birmingham City and playing more than 200 games with his...
taking over as manager from John Barnwell
John Barnwell
John Barnwell is an English former football player and manager. He was until recently the chief executive of the League Managers Association....
half way through the 1994–95
1994-95 in English football
-Premiership:Blackburn Rovers ended their 81-year wait for the league title thanks to the strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton which scored a total of more than 50 league goals. Manchester United would have made it three league titles in a row if they had been able to turn a 1-1 draw...
season. After two more seasons, in 1996–97
1996-97 in English football
The 1996–1997 season was the 117th season of competitive football in England.Arrival into the league and exit out of the league returns in the fourth tier for the first time after its 3 season absence with only 1 relegation spot.- Premier League :...
, Atkins lead the Cobblers to Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
for the first time in 100 years, where they beat Swansea City 1–0 in the play-off final
1997 Football League Third Division play-off Final
The 1997 Football League Third Division play-off final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium on 24 May 1997, to determine the fourth and final team to gain promotion from the Third Division to the Second Division of The Football League in the 1996–97 season...
in front of 46,804 of whom 32,000 were Northampton supporters. John Frain
John Frain
John William Frain is a former English professional footballer who played for Birmingham City and Northampton Town. He played in all four divisions of the Football League, making nearly 500 league appearances for his two clubs....
scored the winning goal from a twice-taken free kick deep into injury time, adding to the club's centenary celebrations. The 1997–98
1997-98 in English football
The 1997-1998 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.-Premier League:Arsenal overhauled Manchester United's lead during the final weeks of the season to win the Premiership title...
season also saw a Wembley play-off appearance, this time in the Division Two play-off final, which was lost 1–0 to Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
in front of a then record 62,998 crowd. Over 40,000 of the crowd were Northampton supporters, which is still a record for the most supporters taken to Wembley by one team. Northampton were not able to progress from the previous year's success because of long-term injuries to sixteen of their players during the 1998–99
1998-99 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker...
season. The team was relegated to Division Three, despite being not losing 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 Worthington Cup
Worthington cup
Worthington Cup may refer to:* The Football League Cup, an English professional football trophy, known by this name when sponsored by the Worthington brand of beer between 1998 and 2003.* The Worthington Trophy, a Canadian military award....
. 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
Kevan Broadhurst
Kevan Broadhurst is an English former professional footballer, coach and football manager.Broadhurst was born in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire...
took joint charge for the rest of the month. Wilson, the former Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
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
Marco Gabbiadini
Marco Gabbiadini is an English former footballer whose career lasted 18 years from 1985 to 2003. He totalled nearly £3 million in transfer fees and played for 12 different clubs, scoring a total of 226 league goals.-York City:...
and Jamie Forrester
Jamie Forrester
Jamie Mark Forrester is a former English professional footballer who played as a Striker between 1991 and 2010 in France, the Netherlands and his native England...
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
2001 in football (soccer)
The following are the association football events of the year 2001 throughout the world.-Events:*UEFA Champions League: Bayern Munich won 5–4 on penalties in the final against Valencia after a 1–1 draw at the end of the match...
, to make way for his assistant Kevan Broadhurst
Kevan Broadhurst
Kevan Broadhurst is an English former professional footballer, coach and football manager.Broadhurst was born in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire...
, 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 90's, 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
ITV Digital
ITV Digital was a British digital terrestrial television broadcaster, which launched a pay-TV service on the world's first digital terrestrial television network as ONdigital in 1998 and briefly re-branded as ITV Digital in July 2001, before the service ceased in May 2002. Its main shareholders...
and much publicised takeover attempts by John Fashanu
John Fashanu
John "Fash" Fashanu is a British television presenter and ex-footballer of Nigerian and Guyanese descent. In his former career, he was a centre-forward, who scored 134 league goals in a career lasting 17 years...
and Giovanni Di Stefano had failed and left the club with huge debts. They were taken over by a consortium run by Andrew Ellis
Andrew Ellis (businessman)
Andrew Ellis is a London-based entrepreneur specializing in property development and estate agency.-Football:In 2001, Ellis, was linked with a £9m takeover of Queens Park Rangers FC. The plans for the bid were rumoured to involve selling Loftus Road, and moving to a site at Heathrow...
who sacked Broadhurst in January 2003, when Northampton were struggling at the foot of the division. He was briefly replaced by former England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
player Terry Fenwick
Terry Fenwick
Terence William 'Terry' Fenwick is an English football coach and former player. He is the current head coach for San Juan Jabloteh of the TT Pro League in Trinidad and Tobago.- Player :...
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
Martin Wilkinson
Martin Wilkinson is an English football manager.He has managed the following clubs:*Peterborough United: 29 June 1982–1 February 1983*Carlisle United: 25 June 1999–10 May 2000*Northampton Town: 24 February 2003–29 September 2003- References :...
, the new manager lasted little longer, being dismissed in October 2003 in favour of former Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
and Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
defender Colin Calderwood
Colin Calderwood
Colin Calderwood is a Scottish football player and coach. In November 2011 he was appointed as Chris Hughton's assistant manager at Birmingham City....
. Calderwood led Northampton to the play-offs in his first season, where they were knocked out in the semi-finals by Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
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
Southend United F.C.
Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
. Following this, the manager made substantial changes to the squad, bringing in experienced players such as Ian Taylor
Ian Taylor (footballer)
Ian Kenneth Taylor is an English former footballer, best known for his time at Aston Villa. A midfielder, he had a fifteen year career in the Football League and Premier League, making 478 league appearances....
and Eoin Jess
Eoin Jess
Eoin Jess is a former Scottish football player. He was capped 18 times by Scotland, scoring two goals.His career started at Aberdeen, helping the Dons to finish second in the Scottish Premier League in the 1993–94 season...
, and they enjoyed a successful 2005–06 league season. On 29 April, the Cobblers clinched promotion to Football League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
, with a 1–0 win at home to Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
. On 30 May 2006, Northampton announced that Calderwood was leaving to join Nottingham Forest as their new manager, and he was replaced by John Gorman
John Gorman (footballer)
John Gorman is a Scottish former football player and coach. He is currently Assistant Manager at MK Dons in the English League One....
on 5 June. On 20 December, Gorman resigned due to "personal issues" with the side 18th in the table, with Ian Sampson
Ian Sampson
Ian Sampson is an English former footballer and manager. He played as a defender for Goole Town, Sunderland, Northampton Town and Tottenham Hotspur...
and Jim Barron
Jim Barron
Jim Barron is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played over 400 games in the Football League for a number of clubs over a twenty year career.-Career:...
briefly taking care of first team affairs. He was replaced by former Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
boss Stuart Gray
Stuart Gray (footballer born 1960)
Stuart Gray is an English former footballer and manager, who is the former manager of Football League Two side Northampton Town. On 30th December 2010 he was appointed the caretaker manager of Burnley following the sacking of Brian Laws, reverting to his role as first team coach when Eddie Howe...
on 2 January 2007.
Northampton caused an upset in the third round of the 2010–11 Football League Cup
2010–11 Football League Cup
The 2010–11 Football League Cup, known as the Carling Cup due to the competition's sponsorship by lager brand Carling, was the 51st season of the Football League Cup, a knock-out competition for England's top 92 football clubs....
, knocking out at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
. The game was drawn 2–2 after extra time, and the Cobblers beat the team 69 places above them in the league 4–2 on penalties, the winning penalty being scored by Abdul Osman at the 'Kop End'.
Ian Sampson was sacked as manager on 2 March 2011 after a poor run of form saw the Cobblers fail to win in 8 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.
David Cardoza moved quickly and Gary Johnson
Gary Johnson (footballer)
Gary Johnson is an English football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Npower League Two's Northampton Town....
was unveiled as the new manager on 4 March 2011. The appointment was greeted by unprecedented approval, so much so that Johnson stated his decision to join the club was partly down to the support for his appointment of a club forum.
Somehow however things have not gone 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. 2011–2012 has been no improvement for the Cobblers and the embaressment was only further heightened after a loss to Luton Town on the 12th November 2011 in the FA Cup 1st Round. Gary Johnson left the club on 14 November 2011 by mutual consent.
Club Crest
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| 1963–1967 | 1978–1982 | 1992–2006, 2010– | 2006–2010 |
Shirt sponsors and manufacturers
| Year | Kit Manufacturer | Main Shirt Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1975–82 | Bukta Bukta - History :Edward Buck and Sons founded the company in 1879, mainly producing shorts for soldiers fighting in the Boer Wars. In 1884 football team Nottingham Forest were pictured wearing kit produced by Bukta.... |
none |
| 1982–83 | Adidas Adidas Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport... |
|
| 1983–85 | Umbro Umbro Umbro is an English sportswear and football equipment supplier based in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, England. The company is now part of Nike. Umbro designs, sources, and markets sport-related apparel, footwear, and equipment... |
|
| 1985–86 | Chronicle & Echo Northampton Chronicle & Echo The Northampton Chronicle & Echo is a local newspaper serving Northampton, England, and the surrounding towns and villages, with editions from Monday to Saturday... |
|
| 1986–88 | Spall | TNT TNT N.V. TNT N.V., more commonly known as TNT, is an international express and mail delivery services company with headquarters in Hoofddorp, Netherlands. In the Netherlands, TNT operates the national postal service under the name TNT Post. The group also offers postal services in eight other European... |
| 1988–89 | MG | Costain Homes |
| 1989–91 | Scoreline | |
| 1991–92 | Beaver Sports | Van Aid |
| 1992–93 | Ribero | Carpet Supacentre |
| 1993–94 | Swift | |
| 1994–95 | Chronicle & Echo Northampton Chronicle & Echo The Northampton Chronicle & Echo is a local newspaper serving Northampton, England, and the surrounding towns and villages, with editions from Monday to Saturday... |
|
| 1995–97 | Lotto Lotto Sport Italia Lotto Sport Italia is an Italian sports apparel manufacturer. Its products are now distributed in more than 60 countries.-History:Lotto was established in 1973 by the Caberlotto family in Montebelluna, northern Italy, the world centre of footwear manufacturing. In June 1973, Lotto made its debut... |
Lotto Lotto Sport Italia Lotto Sport Italia is an Italian sports apparel manufacturer. Its products are now distributed in more than 60 countries.-History:Lotto was established in 1973 by the Caberlotto family in Montebelluna, northern Italy, the world centre of footwear manufacturing. In June 1973, Lotto made its debut... |
| 1997–98 | Pro Star | EBS Mobile Phones |
| 1998-00 | Nationwide Nationwide Building Society Nationwide Building Society is a British building society, and is the largest in the world. It has its headquarters in Swindon, England, and maintains significant administration centres in Bournemouth and Northampton... |
|
| 2000–03 | Sport House | |
| 2003–05 | Xara | |
| 2005–06 | Salming | |
| 2006–07 | Vandanel Vandanel Sports Limited Vandanel Sports Limited are a British-based sports apparel company.Vandanel was a family business that was formed in 1984, with Graham Burke who headed the company with his son Neil... |
|
| 2007–09 | Jackson Grundy | |
| 2009– | Errea Erreà Erreà is a sportswear trademark founded in 1988, in Torrile... |
Records and statistics
Tommy FowlerTommy Fowler
Thomas "Tommy" Fowler was an English footballer who played 17 seasons for Northampton Town as a left-winger, and is the club's all-time appearance record holder, having played 521 league games for the club, and 585 first-team games in all competitions.A native of Prescot, Lancashire, Fowler began...
holds the record for Northampton Town appearances, having played 552 first-team matches between 1946 and 1961. Centre half and former captain Ian Sampson
Ian Sampson
Ian Sampson is an English former footballer and manager. He played as a defender for Goole Town, Sunderland, Northampton Town and Tottenham Hotspur...
comes second, withd 449 games. The record for a goalkeeper is held by Peter Gleasure
Peter Gleasure
Peter Gleasure is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper in the Football League for Millwall, Northampton Town and Gillingham....
, with 412 appearances.
Jack English
Jack English (footballer)
Jack English was a professional footballer who played football for Northampton Town and Gravesend and Northfleet as a forward.His dad was also called Jack English and managed Northampton between 1931 and 1935....
is the club's top goalscorer with 143 goals in competitive matches between 1947 and 1959, having surpassed Teddy Bowen
Teddy Bowen
Samuel Edward Bowen also known as Teddy was a football player in the early years of professional football in England, who played about 200 games for Aston Villa.-References:...
'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.
The highest attendance at the County Ground of 24,523 was recorded on 9 March 1965 in a important 'relegation battle' match in the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
match against Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
. The capacity of the new ground at Sixfields
Sixfields Stadium
Sixfields Stadium is a 7,653-capacity all-seater sports stadium in Northampton, England. It has been the home ground of Northampton Town Football Club following their move from the County Ground in October 1994....
is now 7,653 so it is unlikely that this record will be broken in the foreseeable future unless redevelopment takes place. The highest attendance at this ground is 7,557 which was recorded against Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
on 3 November 1998.
Current squad
- As of 23 November 2011
The club also fields a youth team at Under-18 level.
Out on loan
Player of the Year (1975–2011)
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PFA Team of the Year
The following have been included in the PFA Team of the YearPFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year is an annual award given to a set of 44 footballers in the top four tiers of English football; the Premier League, the Championship, League One and League Two, whom are seen to be deserving of being named in a "Team of the Year".The award...
whilst playing for Northampton Town:
- 2000
Ian HendonIan HendonIan Michael Hendon is an English professional former footballer, and development coach at West Ham United.-Career:...
(Division Three) - 2006 Ian TaylorIan Taylor (footballer)Ian Kenneth Taylor is an English former footballer, best known for his time at Aston Villa. A midfielder, he had a fifteen year career in the Football League and Premier League, making 478 league appearances....
(League Two) - 2006 Josh LowJosh LowJoshua David Low is a professional footballer who has represented the Wales national under-21 football team...
(League Two)
Cult Heroes
The following were chosen by fans as the favorite club heroes in the BBC Sports Cult Heroes poll in 2006.- 1) Andy WoodmanAndy WoodmanAndrew John "Andy" Woodman is an English football coach and former player. He is currently goalkeeping coach at Newcastle United...
- 2) John FrainJohn FrainJohn William Frain is a former English professional footballer who played for Birmingham City and Northampton Town. He played in all four divisions of the Football League, making nearly 500 league appearances for his two clubs....
- 3)
Dave BowenDave BowenDavid Lloyd "Dave" Bowen was a Welsh football player and manager, who captained his country to their only ever World Cup finals, in 1958.-Playing career:...
Board of directors and ownership
- Chairman of Club: David CardozaDavid CardozaDavid Cardoza is the Chairman and a Director of Northampton Town Football Club. He has instigated ambitious plans to expand Sixfields Stadium, which will enable the capacity to double. He is the successor to Andrew Ellis and Ken Good as Chairman. He has learnt the ropes from his father Tony...
- President of Northampton Town: Bob Church
- DirectorsBoard of directorsA board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
: Tony Cardoza, Barry Hancock and Tony Clarke - Non-Executive DirectorBoard of directorsA board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
: Barrie Egan
Current management team
- Manager: Aidy Boothroyd
- Coach: Andy HoltAndy Holt (footballer)Andrew "Andy" Holt is an English professional footballer who currently plays as a defender for Northampton Town.-Oldham Athletic:...
- Goalkeeping coach: Tim FlowersTim FlowersTimothy David "Tim" Flowers is an English former football goalkeeper and the former manager of Conference North team Stafford Rangers.-Club career:...
- Fitness coach: Glen Schmidt
- Head of youth: Sean ParrishSean ParrishSean Parrish is a Welsh footballer who played as a central midfielder.Parrish began his career at Shrewsbury Town but played only a handful of games before joining non-league club Telford United...
- Head of Centre of Excellence: Trevor Gould
- Academy staff: Eddie McGoldrickEddie McGoldrickEdward John Paul "Eddie" McGoldrick is a former Irish footballer whose clubs included most notably Northampton Town, Crystal Palace, Arsenal and Manchester City...
- Head physiotherapist: Stuart Barker
- Assistant physiotherapist: Julie Frost
- Kit manager: Pat Weston
Managerial history
Below is a list of all permanent managers of Northampton Town since its foundation in 1897. The club's current manager, Aidy Boothroyd was appointed on 30 November 2011 following the sacking of Gary JohnsonGary Johnson (footballer)
Gary Johnson is an English football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Npower League Two's Northampton Town....
on 14 November 2011.
|
Ron Flowers Ron Flowers Ronald "Ron" Flowers is an English former professional footballer, most known for his time at Wolverhampton Wanderers. He was a member of England's victorious 1966 World Cup squad. He is the elder brother of John Flowers.-Career:... Dave BowenDave Bowen David Lloyd "Dave" Bowen was a Welsh football player and manager, who captained his country to their only ever World Cup finals, in 1958.-Playing career:...  Billy BaxterBilly Baxter (footballer) William Alexander "Billy" Baxter was a Scottish professional footballer.A native of Edinburgh, Baxter joined Ipswich Town from Scottish amateur side Broxburn Athletic in 1960, and was a regular in the Ipswich team than won the old Division 2 Championship in 1960-61 and Division 1 Championship in... Bill Dodgin JnrBill Dodgin, Jr. William "Bill" Dodgin was an English former football player and manager.Dodgin was born in Wardley, County Durham, the son of footballer Bill Dodgin, Sr. He began his career as an amateur, before signing for Southampton, whom his father managed. When Dodgin Sr... Pat CrerandPat Crerand Patrick Timothy "Paddy" Crerand is a Scottish-born former footballer of Irish descent. After six years at Celtic he moved to Manchester United where he was a member of teams that won the English League title twice, the FA Cup and European Cup... Bill Dodgin JnrBill Dodgin, Jr. William "Bill" Dodgin was an English former football player and manager.Dodgin was born in Wardley, County Durham, the son of footballer Bill Dodgin, Sr. He began his career as an amateur, before signing for Southampton, whom his father managed. When Dodgin Sr... John PettsJohn Petts (footballer) John Petts is an English former professional football player and manager.-Career:Petts, who played as a wing half, joined Arsenal in 1954, and made 32 appearances for them in the Football League... Mike KeenMike Keen Michael Thomas "Mike" Keen was an English former footballer who played during the 1960s and 1970s. He was the father of former West Ham United and Stoke City player Kevin Keen.... Clive WalkerClive Walker (footballer born 1945) David Clive Allan Walker is an English-born former professional association footballer who played as a full back in the 1960s and 1970s.... Bill Dodgin JnrBill Dodgin, Jr. William "Bill" Dodgin was an English former football player and manager.Dodgin was born in Wardley, County Durham, the son of footballer Bill Dodgin, Sr. He began his career as an amateur, before signing for Southampton, whom his father managed. When Dodgin Sr... Clive WalkerClive Walker (footballer born 1945) David Clive Allan Walker is an English-born former professional association footballer who played as a full back in the 1960s and 1970s.... Tony Barton Graham CarrGraham Carr William Graham Carr is an English former professional footballer and football club manager. He is currently Head Scout at Newcastle United.-Club career:... Theo Foley Theo Foley is an Irish former footballer and football manager.-Playing career:During his footballing career, he played as a defender for Home Farm F.C., before moving to England to pursue a career beginning with Burnley F.C., then moving to Exeter City F.C., Northampton Town F.C., then Charlton... |
Phil Chard Phil Chard Phil Chard is an English former footballer who is a former manager of Northampton Town.-Career:Chard played just under 400 games in his career including over 250 games for Northampton Town over two spells at the East Midlands club. He later went on to manage 'The Cobblers'-External links:... John BarnwellJohn Barnwell John Barnwell is an English former football player and manager. He was until recently the chief executive of the League Managers Association.... Ian AtkinsIan Atkins Ian Leslie Atkins is a former English professional footballer who became a manager later in his career, and now works as a coach with Sunderland. During a 20-year playing career he had eight clubs, including two spells with Sunderland and Birmingham City and playing more than 200 games with his... Kevin Wilson Kevan BroadhurstKevan Broadhurst Kevan Broadhurst is an English former professional footballer, coach and football manager.Broadhurst was born in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire... Terry FenwickTerry Fenwick Terence William 'Terry' Fenwick is an English football coach and former player. He is the current head coach for San Juan Jabloteh of the TT Pro League in Trinidad and Tobago.- Player :... Martin WilkinsonMartin Wilkinson Martin Wilkinson is an English football manager.He has managed the following clubs:*Peterborough United: 29 June 1982–1 February 1983*Carlisle United: 25 June 1999–10 May 2000*Northampton Town: 24 February 2003–29 September 2003- References :... Colin CalderwoodColin Calderwood Colin Calderwood is a Scottish football player and coach. In November 2011 he was appointed as Chris Hughton's assistant manager at Birmingham City.... John GormanJohn Gorman (footballer) John Gorman is a Scottish former football player and coach. He is currently Assistant Manager at MK Dons in the English League One.... Stuart Gray Ian SampsonIan Sampson Ian Sampson is an English former footballer and manager. He played as a defender for Goole Town, Sunderland, Northampton Town and Tottenham Hotspur... Gary JohnsonGary Johnson (footballer) Gary Johnson is an English football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Npower League Two's Northampton Town.... Aidy Boothroyd |
Honours
- Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
- Runners-up: 1964–65
- Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
- Champions: 1962–63
- Third Division SouthFootball League Third Division SouthThe Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
- Runners-up: 1927–28, 1949–50The Football League 1949-50-Overview:The 1949–1950 season was the 51st completed season of The Football League.-Final league tables:The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at website and in Rothmans Book of Football League Records 1888–89 to 1978–79, with home and away statistics...
- Runners-up: 1927–28, 1949–50
- Fourth DivisionFootball League Fourth DivisionThe Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
- Champions: 1986–87
- Runners-up: 1975–76
- Promoted: 1960–61, 1999–2000
- Play-Off Winners: 1996–97
- League TwoFootball League TwoFootball League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
- Runners-up: 2005–06
- Southern Football LeagueSouthern Football LeagueThe Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
- Champions: 1908–091908-09 in English footballThe 1908–09 season was the 38th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Tottenham Hotspur played their first ever season in the Football League, gaining promotion to the First Division in the process...
- Runners-up: 1910–111910-11 in English footballThe 1910–11 season was the 40th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Huddersfield Town entered the Football League for the first time. Grimsby Town were the team who made way for them...
- Champions: 1908–09
- FA Charity ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
- Runners-up: 1909
County Ground
Northampton moved to the county ground in 1897, sharing it with Northamptonshire County Cricket ClubNorthamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
. The main stand was situated along side Abington Avenue and was a covered stand with seating to the rear and terracing
Terrace (stadium)
A terrace or terracing in sporting terms refers to the traditional standing area of a sports stadium, particularly in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
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 Cop, which only reached the goalposts, usually used for away supporters and the Hotel End for the home supporters. In 1965–66
1965-66 in English football
The 1965–66 season was the 86th season of competitive football in England.-Diary of the season:7 October 1965: An experiment to broadcast a live game to another ground takes place...
, 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
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
on the 23 April 1966. The ground also saw the lowest ever attendance in the Football League, a crowd of 942 for the 1984–85
1984-85 in English football
The 1984–85 season was the 105th season of competitive football in England.-Bradford City disaster:56 spectators died and more than 200 were injured when a fire ripped through the Main Stand at Valley Parade during Bradford City's Third Division fixture with Lincoln City on 11 May...
match against Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
. The last game to be played at the ground was a 1–0 defeat by Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
on Tuesday, 12 October 1994.
Sixfields
The club moved to Sixfields Stadium in 1994. It is a modern all-seater stadiumAll-seater stadium
An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most soccer and American football stadiums in the United States and Canada are all-seaters, as are most baseball...
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
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
who helped the stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
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
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
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
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
.) The north Stand is known as the Dave Bowen
Dave Bowen
David Lloyd "Dave" Bowen was a Welsh football player and manager, who captained his country to their only ever World Cup finals, in 1958.-Playing career:...
stand, after the manager that took them from the bottom to the top flight of English football.
After successfully attaining a 150-year lease on the ground from the local council, the owners of Northampton Town, David
David Cardoza
David Cardoza is the Chairman and a Director of Northampton Town Football Club. He has instigated ambitious plans to expand Sixfields Stadium, which will enable the capacity to double. He is the successor to Andrew Ellis and Ken Good as Chairman. He has learnt the ropes from his father Tony...
and Tony Cardoza have announced plans to redevelop the whole ground into a 15,000 all-seater stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
, starting with adding executive boxes and a further 2,000 seats to the West Stand whilst expanding the club's offices and facilities. The other stands will then be expanded and joined to create a 'bowl' stadium. The home end at Northampton Town's old County Ground
County Cricket Ground, Northampton
The County Ground, is a cricket venue on Wantage Road in the Abington area of Northampton, UK. It is home to Northamptonshire County Cricket Club....
was called The Hotel End, so it is quite apt that the new stadium will also feature its own Hotel End. The new complex will also feature a hotel which will be built behind the Paul Cox Panel & Paint (South) Stand.
These developments have however become tied up with the bureaucracy of the Borough Council and no timescale has yet been announced for the plans to begin. On the 6 August 2009, it was announced that the redevelopment would go ahead but still no time frame has been quoted.
Training ground
Adjacent to the stadium joining onto the back of the East Stand with its own small stand is the training ground but its main purpose is for athletics for the local club Rugby & Northampton. It also holds Northampton schools athletics finals.
External links
Official- Northampton Town F.C. – Official Website
- NTFC Trust – Supporters Ltd.
News and Statistics
- BBC Radio Northampton – Interviews and Match Reports from BBC Radio NorthamptonBBC Radio NorthamptonBBC Radio Northampton is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Northamptonshire. It broadcasts from its studios in Broadcasting House, Northampton on 104.2 and 103.6 FM. The station also has two studios in Daventry and Corby...
Sport - Football Ground Guide – Information on Sixfields StadiumSixfields StadiumSixfields Stadium is a 7,653-capacity all-seater sports stadium in Northampton, England. It has been the home ground of Northampton Town Football Club following their move from the County Ground in October 1994....
- Soccerbase – Managerial History
- Historical Kits – Graphical Kit History
- Every match result and League table since they joined the Football League
Supporters Trust
- Fresh Players, New Tactics: Lessons from Northampton Town Supporters Trust published by The Football Governance Research Centre