Davis out for two months

Injury number one of the new season and we're still a week away from Macclesfield. Liam Davis has suffered a fractured metatarsal (ah the memories of Rooney's world cup injury!) and will miss the first two months of the new season. Andy Holt stepped in on Tuesday when we were beaten by, er, Wednesday, and he should come into contention to hold onto the left midfield role for the opening League Two exchanges.

A Cobblers "sqaud" will travel to Long Buckby tomorrow night for the ultimate in pre-season trophy finals - The Maunsell Cup! Expect a couple of fringe players to get their opportunities for this one ahead of the final pre-season game at MK Dons on Saturday.

Wednesday win at Sixfields

Sheffield Wednesday struck twice early on to take home a friendly win this evening as the Cobblers were well tested in the last home friendly of the summer. Stuart Gray named a first choice eleven for the game but it was the visitors that struck the early blows with Jermaine Johnson and Francis Jeffers grabbing the goals.

An injury to Liam Davis saw the midfielder stretchered off in a worrying incident while Adebayo Akinfenwa came close to reducing the arrears late in the half. But it was Wednesday who should have had the third goal of the game when Jeffers went down under the challenge of Chris Dunn and won a penalty a few minutes into the second half. Dunn picked himself up though and pulled off a terrific save to keep the score down.


Abdul Osman and Billy McKay went close late on but the Cobblers were beaten and now have just two remaining friendlies to go before the big season opener against Macclesfield Town on August 8th!

Experienced Curtis the latest to sign

As the season gets ever nearer, The Cobblers have today completed off the signing of John Curtis, the experienced right back, on a free transfer. Curtis has spent time at the very top with Manchester United where he began his career and went on to play for Blackburn Rovers, Leicester, Portsmouth and Nottingham Forest before spending time at QPR and Wrexham.

Curtis, 30, was a free agent this summer and after impressing Stuart Gray in the friendlies so far, has earned a one year contract with the club.

With Jason Crowe's departure to Leeds, this seems a sensible move from Gray who needed a bit more knowhow in the back line to accompany the signings of Craig Hinton and Dean Beckwith alongside Paul Rodgers, who can only learn from Curtis. All should feature in tonight's friendly at home to Sheffield Wednesday.

Cobblers see off ten man Stamford

The Cobblers are back on the winning trail, albeit against a Unibond league side, Stamford, who were reduced to ten men before half time. Dan Cotton was sent off for Stamford in the first half and soon afterwards Steve Guinan headed home to give the Cobblers the lead.

Trialist Sebastian Harris sealed the win late on with a neat lob and earned a comfortable win in an easier environment than Tuesday night's home defeat to Championship side Coventry.

Whilst not exactly setting the world alight with this win, we still got it and playing two games in three days can only do good for the fitness levels. John Curtis also put in another decent performance at right back and Stuart Gray will look to sort out his trialists' situations before Tuesday night's home game with Sheffield Wednesday.

Gray names Hinton as captain

Stuart Gray has confirmed that new signing Craig Hinton has been named as the new team captain. The departure of ex-skipper Chris Doig at the end of last season meant that a new captain was needed and Gray has chosen Hinton, a summer signing from Bristol Rovers, as the man to lead the side next season.

Elsewhere, Gray has also handed his squad members their numbers for next season, as below:

1. Chris Dunn
3. Danny Jackman
4. Luke Guttridge
5. Craig Hinton
6. Dean Beckwith
8. Abdul Osman
9. Steve Guinan
10. Adebayo Akinfenwa
11. Andy Holt
12. Ryan Gilligan
13. Paul Walker
14. Liam Davis
15. Alex Dyer
16. Gary Mulligan
17. Billy McKay
18. Joe Benjamin

McKay signs Cobblers deal

After an impressive pre-season trial with the Cobblers, Billy McKay has signed a contract with the Cobblers. The former Leicester City striker signs on an initial one year deal after being released by the Foxes at the end of last season. McKay, 20, came through the ranks with City but was deemed surplus to requirements at the Walker Stadium.

He's been the pick of the trialists without a doubt this summer and has featured in all four friendlies so far, including a stunning overhead kick finding the net in the 2-1 defeat to Coventry on Tuesday night. For someone like this to arrive on a free transfer can only be good news and he seems perfect foil for the likes of Bayo and Steve Guinan.

Welcome to Sixfields Billy, now get us out of League Two! (No pressure...)

Sky Blues take Jackson Grundy Cup

The first 'silverware' of the new season was on show at Sixfields this evening but it was Coventry that took home the Jackson Grundy Cup after a late strike sealed a friendly win for the visitors. Billy McKay, a second half substitute, further staked a claim for a Town contract with an overhead kick that looked to have taken the game to penalties late in the day.

But it was City who took home the trophy after Sean Jeffers struck the winner with just three minutes to play. Leon Best had earlier given the Sky Blues the lead with a powerful strike from distance before McKay's goal.

So a tough work out for the Cobblers this evening and a second straight defeat but at least we put up a decent fight against the Championship side who looked strong in taking home their latest in a string of wins this summer. The Cobblers now turn their attention to the trip to Stamford on Thursday afternoon.

Coke in controversial Motherwell move

Giles Coke has stunned staff at Sixfields by signing with Scottish Premier League side Motherwell despite previously agreeing terms with the Cobblers. Coke was on holiday when the deadline for contract offers passed but his agent confirmed via e-mail that he would sign on his return to England.

But the player has now done a complete u-turn by signing with Motherwell instead, turning his back on the Cobblers. The club believes that Coke's agent was trying to work out a move away from Sixfields for his player during pre-season training which Coke was a part of.

I certainly don't wish him well...he was shocking at the end of last season and I wouldn't have minded a jot if he'd have left on a free. But agreeing to sign and then turning around and signing somewhere else stinks and I hope he rots in the reserves.

A true waste of a promising talent and his big headedness has shone through, not just at the end of last season when he didn't care one bit while supposedly in a dog fight and now we all know he was always looking for that move away.

If he shows anything like the form of March-May this year he'll be shifted out to Peterhead in no time. So long Giles...

Back to Sixfields for City test

Tomorrow night sees the first home friendly as the Cobblers meet Coventry City at Sixfields and we'll be looking for a step up in standard as the Championship side comes to town. After a defeat to Corby on Saturday, Ian Sampson stated poor defending as the reason for the early pre-season wobble and the problems certainly need sorting soon.

You can't read too much into results at this stage of course but worries will begin to start in the Town fans' minds should we lose heavily tomorrow evening. City have beaten Nuneaton and Hinckley in their initial preparation and will see this as the next step up challenge wise.

Just under three weeks to go now and the pre-season is really beginning to kick in and expect decisions on trialists very soon.

Cobblers beaten by Corby!

Let the first grumbles of the season begin. It didn't take long for the worries to start in this pre-season campaign and following a couple of passable results, the Cobblers were beaten by Corby Town in game three of the 2009/10 build up. True, there were trialists and youngsters involved but with more than a few first team regulars on show this really should have been a game under the wins column, friendly or not.

The fact that ex Cobblers such as Lawrie Dudfield, Tommy Jaszczun and Jason Lee were in the Corby side made it that bit worse and Lee was the one to open the scoring just eleven minutes in. Chris Willmott's hopes of a contract can't have been helped by the own goal that made it 2-0 but he could be considered unlucky with Dudfield's shot deflecting off Paul Walker and onto Willmott before going in.

The one ray of hope from the game was, once again, Billy McKay, who scored the Cobblers' consolation late on and Stuart Gray is planning to sit down with more trialists from this game along with McKay and Willmott this week, plus former Manchester Unted defender John Curtus who also featured, to discuss their futures.

Whether results matter at this stage is up for debate of course but it's still slightly worrying that we've been beaten for the first time this pre-season. Improvements now certainly needed before Coventry City's visit on Tuesday night in the first home friendly at Sixfields.

Histon peg back Town in latest friendly

Conference side Histon came from a goal behind to draw with the Cobblers in tonight's friendly, Stuart Gray's side playing for the second time in a few days following Saturday's win at Brackley. Trialists, Chris Willmott, Billy McKay and Oscar Lubwama once again took to the field and Gray will make a decision on those players this week.

In what so easily could have been an FA Cup tie last season after the Cobblers lost out to Histon's eventual opponents Leeds in Round One, Town started brightly and McKay shot wide in our best early chance. After Paul Rodgers had hobbled off injured, we had the lead before half time as Gary Mulligan opened his account with a penalty after Luke Guttridge had been fouled.

But the home side would come away with a point with a well taken strike by Josh Simpson levelling the scores mid-way through the second half. More changes were made after the break by Gray, who saw Guttridge have the final effort of the game tipped wide by the Histon keeper late on.

So another good workout and the pre-season schedule now begins to pick up pace with a third away game, this time at Corby Town, on Saturday afternoon.

Trialists bid to impress as an old face returns

As trialists begin to flood in, desperately seeking a place in the Cobblers squad for next season, we get the usual hits, misses and maybes being reported from the first friendly of the summer at Brackley on Saturday afternoon. There was the usual game of spot the newbie at St James Park and it was two of the new faces that caught the attention of the clutch of Town fans in attendance.

Billy McKay was the first to get involved with a number of good runs and chances, forcing the Cobblers’ first three efforts on goal and generally causing problems throughout his appearance. Left sided player Gavin McCallum also impressed, staking his claim to Stuart Gray who may well be looking for one or two more free purchases this summer.

One surprise inclusion was former Cobblers defender Chris Willmott who took his place in the starting line-up as another trialist. Already there have been concerns spread across the message board universe with Willmott released by non-league Oxford at the end of last season and a not too distant memory of a shaky Town career at the back of everyone’s minds. It seems to me a step back to take a gamble on Willmott again, particularly with ambitions as they are.

Can Willmott really be the answer to a back-up defender or should we remain calm and take time in selecting the right man? I certainly think there’s others out there with a better shout than Willmott at helping us to promotion and beyond to the hopeful heights of League One again. Keep looking Stuart!

Guinan nets as Cobblers win opening friendly

Steve Guinan scored on his first appearance for the club yesterday as the Cobblers ran out 1-0 winners in the opening friendly of pre-season at Brackley Town. Guinan struck on the hour mark to seal the win but more importantly than the result, most of the squad got a run out along with one or two trialists.

Fellow new signings Craig Hinton, Dean Beckwith and Gary Mulligan made their debuts in the friendly with a clutch of trialists including ex-Cobbler Chris Willmott vying for places in next season’s squad. One other trialist, Billy McKay looked lively early on and forced all three of our early chances in the opening twenty minutes. The home side’s best chance came when they rattled the bar through Tom Winters just before the break.

The expected changes came at half-time and Guinan, one of those to come off the bench, found the net on the hour, finishing well after being found by McKay. Winters went close for the home side after that with Paul Walker denying him well in the Cobblers goal. Gary Mulligan went close to making it 2-0 but the one goal was enough to at least claim a win in the first friendly of the 09/10 campaign.

So we’re up and running and the excitement builds from here after a relatively lively pre-season game to kick things off. Next up is a visit to Conference side Histon on Tuesday night.

Brackley...where it all begins again...

It’s the official start of pre-season tomorrow afternoon as the Cobblers take to the field at Brackley for the first of their friendly games. New signings Steve Guinan, Craig Hinton, Deran Beckwith and Gary Mulligan are likely to make their first appearances with the entire squad getting at least 45 minutes of action.

There’s around four weeks until the big kick off and this is where it all begins…the long slog back from the desperation at Elland Road starts in a small Northamptonshire town. It’s going to be a long and rocky ride but here’s to the start of 09/10!

Mulligan's a Cobbler

Gary Mulligan is the latest to join the Cobblers' ranks for next season as the striker joins following his release from Gllingham at the end of last season. Mulligan, 24, was a former Irish Under 21 international, starting his career at Wolves.

After just one appearance at Molineux, he moved to Sheffield United before going out on loan to Port Vale and the Gills. A permanant move to The Priestfield followed but Mulligan wasn't a part of boss Mark Stimson's plans and moved on at the end of last season.

Not a prolific striker by any means but Stuart Gray descibes him as having a good work rate and "something different" to what we have already in Bayo and Guinan. One more striker is likely to come in before the start of the season but the squad continues to grow.

Hughesy back in League One

Mark Hughes has today made his return to League One as he signs for Walsall following his release from the Cobblers. Hughes failed to respond to a contract offer from Stuart Gray despite an extension being added on to the original contract deadline of June 16th.

Anthony Gerrard's departure from The Bescot Staium earlier this month to Cardiff meant that there was a hole in the Saddlers' defence and Chris Hutchings has swopped in to snap up Hughes and bring him back to the division from which he was relegated from last season.

Back to the Franchise

The Cobblers have arranged another pre-season friendly, this time at MK Dons a week before the season begins. The trip to Stadium:Mk will take place on Saturday, August 1st with a 3pm kick off. Last season saw Town go down 1-0 at the home of the franchise but this time around we visit in just a "friendly" environment instead.

Admission prices will be £6 for adults, £3 concessions and £1 for under 16s.

Anya makes shock Sevilla switch!

Former Cobblers forward Ikechi Anya has signed for Spanish giants Sevilla in a shock move after Stuart Gray;s failed attempts to lure him back to Sixfields over the summer. Anya was on loan with the Cobblers for the last few months of the season and made an impact despite being a part of the side that were relegated from League One.

But after returning to the Glenn Hoddle Academy, also based in Spain, Anya jumped at the chance to join Sevilla and rather than running out at Rochdale, Barnet and Accrington next season, he will be playing in La Liga!

Tough choice? I think not! All the best Ketch!

Cup double on the horizon?

The Cobblers could be on the verge of making a cup double this summer as the game against Coventry has been amended to be named the "Jackson Grundy Cup". Aparantly to "add spice" to proceedings (we could have just got Tony Ansell to whip up a curry), the game on July 21st will now be the first of two cup games during the friendly season.

A youth/reserve team is expected to take to Long Buckby nine days later to compete for the Maunsell Cup...so will that trophy cabinet be bulging at the seams before the season even begins or will we lose the Jackson Gruny Cup and never see it again?!