Police are appealing for help to trace a missing girl.

Lily Rose Carr, 16, went missing yesterday from her home in Lower Lodge, Pipewell, at about 8pm. She has not been seen since.

Lily is slim and 5ft 7in with shoulder-length, straight brown hair and a tanned complexion.

She was last seen wearing black and grey Nike trainers, turquoise socks, black leggings, a grey cropped top and a black puffa-style gilet.

Officers are appealing for Lily, or anybody who knows of her whereabouts, to contact police on 101.

Witnesses or anyone with information about are asked to call Northamptonshire Police on 101.

Alternatively, they can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Northampton-based Travis Perkins plc, the UK’s largest building materials distributor, has raised over £38,000 for the Northampton and Warwickshire Air Ambulance (WNAA).

The huge sum was raised thanks to the hard work and dedication to fundraising by staff in the firm’s IT department.

Around 500-strong, the Travis Perkins plc IT team raised the funds, which will help service the lifesaving missions carried out by the charity, through a series of challenges and events.

Throughout the year colleagues paddled in a dragon boat race, danced at a summer ball, yomped across mountains in a sponsored National and Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge and baked-up a staggering £4,000 in just 60 minutes when the plc IT department held a Christmas cake sale.

As part of their charitable work, Travis Perkins plc also took part in Air Ambulance Week, which included setting up a clothes bank and organising a bake off.

Neil Pearce, Group CIO at Travis Perkins plc, said: “We’ve raised a significant amount of money, which will help support the incredible work that the WNAA Service do.”

The IT team will continue to support the Northampton and Warwickshire Air Ambulance Service throughout 2017 with activities and events designed to raise even more funds.

Go to www.justgiving.com/company/travisperkinsit

Boss Justin Edinburgh is banking on the Cobblers’ inside knowledge being enough to nullify Charlton Athletic danger man Ricky Holmes at Sixfields on Saturday (ko 3pm).

The former Cobblers winger is in great form for the Addicks, having scored five goals in his past seven games, including a stunning hat-trick in their 4-3 midweek defeat at Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday.

Every Town fan knows exactly what Holmes is capable of having watched him produce a series of matchwinning performances in the claret and white last season, and there is still a clutch of players who were his team-mates as the team stormed to the Sky Bet League Two title.

The likes of Marc Richards, Adam Smith, John-Joe O’Toole, Zander Diamond and, in particular, left-back Dave Buchanan know more than most what Holmes is all about, and Edinburgh will be tapping into that knowledge ahead of Charlton’s visit.

Although the Town boss also made it clear the Addicks are far from a one man team.

“We look at individuals and collectives, we look at Charlton’s strengths and weaknesses, and how we can impose ourselves on them,” said Edinburgh.

“We want to attack their weaknesses, and weaken their strengths, and Ricky is obviously one of them.

“I went to watch them last Tuesday against Oxford, and there is more than one player in Charlton’s team we need to be aware of, but we have good insight on Ricky.

“A lot of the boys here know him well, and know what he is about, so we have a good insight into what his strengths and weaknesses are.”

The Cobblers go into the game still reeling from their 2-1 Sixfields defeat at the hands of Oldham Athletic on Tuesday night.

It was Town’s first defeat at home under Edinburgh, the team having won the previous three Sixfields clashes, and the manager has reiterated how important it is for the team to get their home form quickly back on track.

“I always say that if you are going to have real success, or you are going to be where you want to be, then you have to do well at home, and up until Tuesday night we had been doing so,” said Edinburgh.

“Even on Tuesday we should have got something out of the game. We weren’t at our best, but nobody can say that we deserved to get beaten, I don’t believe that.

“I don’t think for one minute we deserved to win, but nobody can say we weren’t worthy of a point if we had got that at the end of the game.

“Our home form has to be taken care of, starting again on Saturday.”

Charlton Athletic boss Karl Robinson says the Cobblers fans should applaud Ricky Holmes when he makes his Sixfields return on Saturday.

Holmes played a starring role as Town claimed the Sky bet League Two title last season.

He scored 11 goals in 32 appearances, many of them stunning strikes and matchwinners, and was runner-up to John-Joe O’Toole in the supporters’ player of the year vote.

Holmes hasn’t set foot on the Sixfields pitch since the title party following the 2-0 win over Luton Town on April 30 last year, and will be aiming to play a starring role for Charlton this weekend.

He is sure to get a good reception from the Cobblers supporters, and Robinson believes that should be the case.

“Any time a manager or player gets success at a football club, you have to be applauded when you go back, because you were part of a journey,” said the former Milton Keynes Dons boss.

“That club was going into administration. They weren’t getting paid and they went on a very long unbeaten run.

“Ricky was part of that, of where they are today. That is to be applauded.”

Holmes is in tip-top form as he heads to Sixfields, having scored a brilliant hat-trick in Charlton’s 4-3 defeat at Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday night.

He is fully fit and firing after missing two months of the season with a broken toe, and Robinson is delighted with his player’s form, branding him a ‘tremendous individual’.

“If you take away the goals on Tuesday, he was the hardest-working player on the pitch,” said Robinson, who took charge of Charlton in late November following Russell Slade’s departure.

“His stats prove it, in terms of the distance he covered. You only score goals because you work hard. He is a tremendous individual.”

Charlton are set to be backed by 1,000-plus travelling fans this weekend. but their number may be lessened slightly as up to 300 of the club’s supporters will instead be in Belgium, to protest against club owner Roland Duchatelet.

The protest will take place on Saturday in Duchatelet’s home town of Sint-Truiden, and has been jointly organised by CARD (Coalition Against Roland Duchatelet).

“We think in terms of numbers we have 250 going, but that really is a guess because there will be people travelling independently,” said Voice of the Valley fanzine editor Rick Everitt, who is a member of CARD.

“Charlton will be taking a four-figure number to Northampton and there will be quite a few there who are disaffected with the regime.

“There will be plenty in the stands who will be supporting the protest and are supporters of CARD.”

A pot of £100,000 has been made available to groups and goods causes in Northamptonshire by the police and crime commissioner.

Stephen Mold revealed the details of the new fund, which aims to support groups helping to make the county a safer place, at a joint launch with Northamptonshire Community Foundation.

Speaking at the launch at the Errol Flynn Filmhouse, Mr Mold said: "The founder of the modern police service, Sir Robert Peel, said ‘the police are the public and the public are the police’.

"These words echo my thoughts and help to explain exactly why we have partnered with NCF to distribute these grants on our behalf - we want members of the community to help lead what is a joined-up effort in making Northamptonshire safer and protecting people from harm.

“I look forward to seeing how this money is distributed to worthy causes to help meet our objectives within the police and crime plan and I am pleased that an independent, respected organisation will be helping to deliver these on our behalf," he added.

Chief executive of the foundation, Victoria Miles, said she was delighted to be working with crime commissioner.

"Our partnership will help support community groups and projects who know their neighbourhoods well and are best placed to work with their own communities to help make Northamptonshire a safer place to live, work and play," she said.

During 2015/16, more than £1 million was distributed in grants to groups and projects across Northamptonshire. Through donations and grants awarded the Foundation has enabled local groups and charities to support 121,466 people across the county.

We asked for our readers on Facebook to get in touch with their photos from World Book Day, and the response was fantastic.

Here are some of the photos that have come in over the day.

A group of Northampton estate agents are preparing run a rainbow gauntlet all in the name of charity.

Colleagues Megan Johns, James Pacey, Kate Preece and Ryan Green from Harrison Murray Estate Agency will take part in the Color Run 2017 for The Helping Harry Trust.

Harry Charlesworth from Newnham near Daventry, suffers from cerebral palsy and a number of other complex conditions after experiencing strokes during birth.

The quartet will be covered in vibrant paint powder as they run 5k through a series of ‘Color Zones’ to help with 21-month-old’s ongoing health and care needs.

A mad hatter's tea is being held to help find families for Northampton's homeless rabbits and cats.

RSPCA Northamptonshire is holding a re-homing event at their branch at Mill Cottage, in Creaton Road, Brixworth, from 12pm - 4pm on March 4 (Saturday).

Potential adopters can enjoy tea and homemade cake while viewing the cats and rabbits in the branch's care.

The charity takes in hundreds of cats every year but has also seen an increase in the number of rabbits coming into its care. It currently has more rabbits in care than ever before.

Adoptions Manager, Emma Markham, said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming lots of people this weekend to our event who are looking to add a new cat or rabbit to their family. Not only that but they can enjoy a cuppa and a slice of cake at the same time. What could be better?

"Fingers crossed we can find homes for lots of cats and rabbits this weekend so they can have the best second chance in life with a new family.”

Potential adopters are asked to ensure any existing cats or rabbits in their household must be neutered.

For more information on this event, or to enquire about adopting any animal from the RSPCA Northamptonshire Branch, email adoptions@rspca-northamptonshire.org.uk.

Jim Mallinder insists there are still chances for players to win fresh deals at Saints.

Eleven men re-signed last Friday, but there are still several first-team players whose contracts expire this summer.

The likes of James Wilson and Howard Packman are among the men who, as it stands, would be leaving this summer.

But Mallinder insists his squad for the next campaign is yet to be set in stone and says players could still get new deals if they impress.

“Our squad has not been finalised at all and there are quite a few players and positions that we’re still looking at,” said Mallinder, who handed Ben Nutley a deal towards the end of last season.

“It’s certainly not too late for some of these players to earn a contract for next season.”

Saints have already recruited four players for next season, with Australia centre Rob Horne and South Africa scrum-half Cobus Reinach among the players signing on at Franklin’s Gardens.

Back row forward Mitch Eadie and prop Jamal Ford-Robinson will arrive from Bristol, who they impressed for in the win against Bath last Sunday.

And Mallinder said: “We were pleased with those two. I did watch the Bristol-Bath game as well and we’re happy that they’re coming in.

“We are strengthening and it’s good that the club are supporting us so we’ve got extra resources to put into the playing side.

“I have said it before that particularly our backline needed strengthening and we’ve already added a couple of key international players, and we’ll be looking to add to that as well.”

Nintendo will launch its brand new console the Switch tomorrow (March 3) to much fanfare.

For those who haven’t already seen, the Switch is a “hybrid” console, allowing different modes of play with the main unit shaped like a tablet computer which can be used portably as-is, or connected to a television display through a detachable docking station.

In addition the intriguing machine can also be used in a tabletop form with its kickstand and is marketed primarily as a home console rather than a portable.

Concerns have been raised over the console’s tiny 32GB internal memory for those who prefer to download their games. But the machine does take SD memory cards and unlike rivals PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Switch games are cartridges which will not need to be installed.

Launch titles:

Titles expected to be released at launch are pick up and play party game 1,2 Switch, Fast RMX (like F Zero and Wipeout), popular puzzle game World of Goo, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Bomberman R, puzzler Snipperclips: Cut it out Together!, Skylanders, Shovel Trove, Little Inferno, Human Resource Machine, I Am Setsuna and Just Dance 2017.

The Switch could make big waves in the gaming scene and here’s eight things you must know about it.

8) There are three ways to play: you can play it on your TV when the console is docked. You can play it in tabletop mode with the attached kickstand or as a portable device. You can put your own memory cards in and they will not be region locked.

7) Battery life: perhaps one of the biggest disappointments as Nintendo announced it would last between 2-6 hours depending on the game. Batteries are not removable so any problems and they will need to be manufacturer replaced.

6) The controllers: Released initially in three colours, grey, blue and red and feature gyro-motion and ‘HD rumble’ which Nintendo claims to be ‘surround sound for touch’.

5) Games: Launch titles include a new Zelda game which looks stunning, a Mario Kart 8 port with a true battle mode, 1-2 Switch, which uses the motion controllers and a few others while a new Mario game is also on the horizon.

4) Online: this will be free initially as a trial but then a paid for subscription thereafter. You can obviously play other people as well as download games and there will be a monthly free download of an old SNES or NES game - which you only get to play for the month and it will disappear.

3) Game hardware: the games are cartridges and are slightly bigger than the PS Vita or Nintendo 3DS and the game box resembles the long, narrow PSP game box. Games will cost around £45.

2) Accessories: Pro controller, charging grips, docks, steering wheels and extra joy cons are a must for the serious Switch gamer but will set you back a fair few pounds as they don’t come cheap.

1) Tech and spec: The Switch will retail for £279.99 in the UK and for that you get the main Switch console, a dock, a pair of Joy-Con controllers (one left and one right), a Joy-Con grip (to connect the controllers together), wrist straps, and an HDMI cable and AC adapter. The Switch runs a Custom Nvidia Tegra CPU, Nvidia GPU and boast a 6.2in LCD touchscreen.

Giles Blake of Upton Grange walks his dog around Sixfields reservoir up to three times a week and felt he needed to call on the Chron for the second time as he fears for the safety of other dogs.

Mr Blake understands that some of the rubbish has been dumped on Upton Mill Lane for up to five months.

He said I reported this to you before, and have since also raised a report with Northampton Borough Council but nothing has changed down Upton Mill Lane.

"If anything it's got worse. It's disgraceful that this is on the very edge of a country park where families and dog walkers go all the time.

"There are all sorts of things down there including dirty nappies, carpet underlay and a whole lot of rubbish strewn in the hedge.

"Dogs are running up and down there, who knows what's in there."

A spokesperson for Northampton Borough Council said: “We are aware of the persistent fly-tipping issues in this area and our neighbourhood wardens aim to monitor it regularly so that we can take action as quickly as possible.

“We investigate every report of fly-tipping that we receive and thank the public for alerting us to new incidents as they occur.”

It was also proven she was responsible for confidential patient paperwork being found in a flytipping site.

Miss Safia Noor did not attend her conduct and competence committee hearing, where the Nursing and Midwifery Council proved five charges against her.

These amounted to trying to dispense drugs for her own use, dishonestly trying to conceal her actions and causing a confidential patient data breach.

While working at Northampton General Hospital, Miss Noor, on a number of occasions between December 2013 and October 2014, took confidential patient documents home.

An investigation was launched when "patient identifiable information [was] found at a fly-tipping site near the home address of a staff nurse," the committee heard.

Miss Noor, in a disciplinary hearing in May 2015, said: "I used to take the handover [notes] home. I forgot when I was rushing. I put the handovers next to my bed. Because of the stress, I never think of the handover. My mum came in and cleaned up and put them in the bag. I put the rubbish outside my house."

Then, while this incident was being investigated, Miss Noor tried to dispense a morphine-type drug for her own use in November 2014.

A student nurse challenged Miss Noor when she approached a drugs trolley and drew 5ml of the drug Oramorph into a syringe.

Miss Noor told the student nurse not to tell another nurse on shift at the time. When this second student nurse heard this and asked what was happening, Miss Noor claimed she wanted to use the drug to relieve period pain.

The committee panel heard that Miss Noor denied this allegation and claimed it was a joke.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council proved all charges against Miss Noor. She was struck-off the nursing register and given an interim suspension order of 18 months.

The hearing report reads: "Without the engagement of Miss Noor in the Nursing and Midwifery Council process and the lack of insight, remorse and remediation, the panel has determined that in the circumstances of this case, the only sanction which is sufficient to meet the public interest is one of striking off."

One witness, the directorate manager of medicine at Northampton General Hospital at the time of the incidents, said in evidence: “I got the strong impression that the registrant intended to be a good nurse and she did not set out to do anything wrong or incorrect.

"It was a shame that, in relation to the data breach, she did not acknowledge her wrongdoing from the beginning. The lack of acknowledgement showed a lack of professionalism.”

Steve Mitchell of Thornfield, Great Billing, raised concerns over the gaping holes on his street for 12 months.

He was jubilant when workers pulled up and began to carry out repairs... until he saw the finished job.

Mr Mitchell said: "After 12 months of complaining about pothole repairs at the end of Thornfield, works have finally been made, but what an absolute joke.

"The shoddy nature of the repairs means that the ‘repair’ will barely last a few months before the road is just as bad again. It’s outrageous that at a time of cuts and the need to get value for money that the council are wasting money paying contractors for such poor-value repairs.

"The holes are not filled properly and have gaps around the edges, which mean that the material used to fill the hole will not stick to the existing road surface and will break out as cars run over it. It’s not level and in places, some holes haven’t been completely filled while others have been ignored completely."

But Northamptonshire County Council has said that the pothole repairs are temporary measures taken to keep the road safe until permanent repairs can be completed.

A spokesman said: “Whilst we do not generally do temporary repairs of this nature, it is sometimes inevitable at this time of year when weather conditions cause a higher number of defects within the roads.”

Despite the county’s five-year NHS savings plans costing £720,000 to produce,  health bosses have refused the Chron’s attempts to see predicted staff numbers because it would “impact on the mental health” of employees.

A fortnight ago the Chronicle & Echo revealed private consultancy firm Mckinsey's were given £500,000 to draw up Northamptonshire's Sustainability and Transformation Plan - or STP for short.

Various other consultants were given £220,000 between them, though the 72-page STP gives slim detail about how the service will transform.

The document sets out the vision for the county's health services over the next five years and outlines how the various county bodies will meet a £230 million savings target.

A Freedom of information request posed by the Chron in January asked NHS Nene to reveal its predictions on the number of clinicians it will need to meet growing demand for patients.

But the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has refused our request.

In its response, the organisation that commissions health in the county, said: “It is NHS Nene CCG’s opinion that to disclose the information sought regarding staffing could detrimentally impact upon the [mental]health of those individuals involved as it would disclose inaccurate and incomplete information.”

It goes on to say that “at this time” the CCG is “unable to take a view” on the impact for staff.

It adds: “The CCG is currently working on the delivery plans that will enable is undertake workforce planning at a sufficient level of granularity [detail].”

But the refusal will no doubt anger who feel the county’s five-year health plans are vague and incomprehensible.

One question the Chron posed to the program director for the STP, James Murray, was why the plans refer to detail contained within a set of appendices that are not publicly available.

He said it was because they were “very long and detailed” and may not make sense to the average reader.

But when pressed about the vagueness of the £10,000-per-page plans - he said: “It is something we do take on board - as part of that there is a consultation phase and, with that, an engagement plan, we need to make sure things are as understandable as possible to the wider population.”

"At the moment. we have a high-level strategic document that sets the direction of travel, what we now have to do is work around the detail.”

A man died in a tragic accident after overtaking in a hidden dip, an inquest has ruled.

Timothy Fardon, 51, died after crashing on the B645 Kimbolton Road near Hargrave at 2.20pm on September 30 last year.

An inquest in Kettering yesterday heard how Mr Fardon was travelling between Kimbolton and Chelveston in a Citroen van at the time of the collision.

He was behind a DAF truck, travelling east, when he began to overtake about 550m west of Church Road in Hargrave in a hidden dip, contravening a solid white line.

It was then that he careered into the path of Mark Jayner, who was driving a grey Vauxhall Insignia.

Mr Fardon, of Woodland Avenue in Overstone, died of chest injuries.

Mr Jayner’s car went into the ditch and he suffered a pelvis fracture, back fractures and nerve damage to the leg.

The crash left him in hospital for two weeks and the inquest heard how it has affected him.

A statement read out said: “I remember thinking it was going to hurt.

“I do not have any memory of the impact.

“The next thing I remember is the smell of burning.

“I tried to get out but could not reach the passenger door.

“The accident has has a massive impact on my family.”

Mr Fardon was not under the influence of alcohol and forensic collision investigator PC Cliff Wilkins said there was nothing either vehicle could do to avoid the crash.

He said: “It’s quite clear that each vehicle was obscured from each other.

“It was simply not possible that either driver could have reacted to this collision.”

PC Wilkins added that Mr Fardon was not wearing a seatbelt, which would have exacerbated his injuries, but said this may have been for medical reasons.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, senior coroner for Northamptonshire Anne Pember said: “I feel it appropriate to say that there was absolutely nothing that Mr Jayner could have done to avoid this collision.”

Jim Mallinder has hailed Lee Dickson for the ‘absolutely tremendous’ contribution the departing scrum-half has made to Saints.

Dickson’s contract at Franklin’s Gardens ends this summer, meaning his nine-year stay at Saints will come to an end.

The 31-year-old has made 248 appearances for the club since joining from Newcastle Falcons in the summer of 2008.

He has also racked up 18 England caps and was made Saints captain at the beginning of last season before Tom Wood took over at the start of this campaign.

And Mallinder has nothing but praise for a player who has helped Saints to win the Aviva Premiership, Anglo-Welsh Cup and two Challenge Cups during his time at the Gardens.

“It’s sad (that he’s leaving) because Lee Dickson has been absolutely tremendous for us here at the club,” Mallinder said.

“Lee has been a fantastic player.

“He came here and we knew him when he was playing England Under 20s. He came along and played alongside Ben Foden in that sort of era.

“He’s been a tremendous player and has contributed on and off the field.

“He’s been a massive part of our success in winning trophies and being a good team.

“I know from talking to him that he wants to finish the season well with us and I’m looking forward to his contribution.

And Mallinder added: “Things change all the time, and that’s players and coaches.

“Nobody lasts for ever and you do move on.

“I wish Lee all the best in his remaining career.”

Saints chose not to keep Dickson, with the club having this week added South Africa scrum-half Cobus Reinach to their ranks for next season.

Reinach will compete with countryman Nic Groom, Tom Kessell, who penned a new deal last week, and England Under 20s ace Alex Mitchell.

And Mallinder is delighted to have captured the 27-year-old from Super Rugby side the Sharks.

“He’s a real quality player,” Mallinder said. “Half-back is a real key position, at nine and 10.

“We’ve got some quality players in that position, but he’s tough, he’s physical, very, very quick and I think he’ll do well in the Premiership.”

At this week’s Saints media day, it was apt that two former Sale Sharks men turned up to answer questions.

Top of the list was the typical inquisition about just why Jim Mallinder’s men have found it so tough up at the AJ Bell Stadium in recent times.

They have not won at the ground in the Premiership since November, 2012, when a blanket of fog covered the ground and players struggled to see each other.

Saints handed the conditions best, walking away with a satisfying 27-16 success.

But since then, an Amlin Challenge Cup victory aside, Salford has been an unhappy hunting ground for Saints.

They lost 19-6 there in 2014, with their returning Six Nations stars failing to fire and being dubbed ‘knackered’ by Sale boss Steve Diamond.

Saints then lost there again in January, 2015, struggling to get any sort of foothold in a game that they lost 20-7.

And then in November of that year, Saints were again defeated, in a slightly closer game, that the Sharks won 20-13.

It has been something of a tale of woe, but just why does ex-Sale player and head coach Mallinder, who was joined on media duty by former Sale lock Michael Paterson, feel Saints have found it so tough up north in recent times?

“The Sale team always play with spirit and they always talk about making home a real fortress,” Mallinder said.

“I’ve known since I was there that you want to make it tough for these teams who are coming up north.

“Playing on a Friday night is never easy and particularly as it’s an 8.15pm kick-off, which is quite unusual.

“The conditions can quite often be wet and windy, but we’re used to that and we’ve got to adapt to it.

“I don’t think you can ever underestimate Sale.

“You look at their record over the past few years and it’s not just us who don’t win often enough up there - it’s the majority of teams.

“They do seem to play better, they’ve got a very, very good home record and it’s a lot more favourable than their away record.”

It certainly is, and Sale showed just how strong they can be on home soil when they beat table-topping Wasps 34-28 a couple of weeks ago.

With other sides missing more international players to Six Nations duty than they are, the Sharks have found their prey.

And Mallinder said: “In this period of international matches when we’ve got lots of players missing it’s going to be a very difficult ask.

“They’ve not had a brilliant season but they’re still desperate for points and wins, as we are, to move up the table.

“They’re a very difficult team to beat at home, as we’ve found over the past few years.

“We’ve gone up there and been beaten so it’s going to be tough, but we’re looking forward to it.”

Saints’ Six Nations fixtures have not been kind.

They battled Bath away before travelling to a Newcastle side shorn of few players.

Saints lost both of those matches, though they did have a favourable fixture against Worcester Warriors, which they won 24-14 at Franklin’s Gardens last weekend.

“You never quite know whether you want to play teams who lose a lot of players or not,” Mallinder said.

“What you certainly want is home games because that makes it easier.

“We’ve got three out of our four games in this period away from home. It does make it tough and puts you under a bit more pressure.”

Justin Edinburgh says the Cobblers’ defensive problems are a ‘collective’ issue, and that the whole team has to ‘be more determined’ to keep the ball out of the net.

In the past 10 games in Sky bet League One, Town have conceded an unacceptable 23 goals, conceding five on two occasions, and in Edinburgh’s eight games at the helm they have let in 16.

The past three games have seen the Cobblers concede seven times in the 2-2 draw at Southend, 3-0 loss at Fleetwood and Tuesday night’s 2-1 reverse at the hands of Oldham Athletic, with the majority of the goals avoidable.

The only clean sheet the team has managed in 2017 came in the 3-0 win over a hapless Coventry City side, but Edinburgh isn’t going to start pointing the fingers at individuals, instead making it clear it is something every member of the team is responsible for.

The Town boss was extremely disappointed with how his team conceded the three goals at Fleetwood, and particularly Oldham’s stoppage time winner through Lee Erwin in midweek, and suggested his players need to be braver.

“It is a collective,” said the Cobblers boss. “If you look at the second goal against Oldham on Tuesday, there are little segments that all lead to it. It’s not a defensive issue, it’s not the midfield.

“It comes from a kick that I think can be a better distributed kick, I think we can challenge for the ball better, I think we can do better on the seconds.

“Could we have been a bit more cute and made a foul on the halfway line?

“I think if you dissect it, when goals are being conceded, everybody says ‘is it the goalkeeper?’, ‘is it the defence?’, ‘is it the strikers’?.

“But it is a collective, and we need to be better collectively.

“On Tuesday we have got good bodies around the shot, and somebody has go to take the ball in a place where maybe it might hurt. I mean, is it really going to hurt? It’s only a ball, it’s only going to sting you.

“That is my focal point, in the build up to that second goal we have more than enough numbers to stop the ball going in, but we aren’t doing enough to make sure it hits us, rather than our net.

“So we have to be a bit more determined to stop those goals going in.”

Edinburgh made one change to his defence on Tuesday with Gaby Zakuani replacing Zander Diamond, but to many observers the problem lies with the players in front of the defence rather than the back four unit.

The Town boss has tinkered with his midfield formation virtually every game to try and find the right blend, but he admits his hands are tied as to what he can do.

Matt Taylor and John-Joe O’Toole have been mainstays, with the likes of Hiram Boateng, Gregg Wylde, Jak McCourt, Keshi Anderson and Harry Beautyman in and out of the frame.

Edinburgh accepts he is still striving for the midfield formula that offers the right balance between defence and attack, but believes whoever he selects is good enough to do the job.

“I would like to have a little bit more option to change it, but I haven’t,” admitted the Cobblers boss.

“I am not going to sit here and moan about that, I have a team that I put out there that I feel is capable of winning a football match that’s for sure.”

A drunken man who threatened to stab a 13-year-old boy "in the cheek" in a park behind a Northamptonshire school has been handed an eight-month prison sentence.

"Chaotic" Lewis Spiteri was seen drinking three bottles of vodka while loitering in the recreation ground behind Finedon Church of England Junior School on October 9, 2016.

But after first engaging in what was described as light-hearted "banter" with a 19-year-old man and a 13-year-old boy who were also at the park, his demeanour turned "nasty" and "spiteful", Northampton Crown Court heard yesterday.

He disappeared for around 20 minutes before returning with what witnesses described as a "six-to-eight inch knife. He then began accusing the two youths of taking his "mum's mobile phone."

Prosecutor Caroline Bray, said 28-year-old Spiteri attacked the 13-year-old boy, giving him a dead arm. He then scratched the 19-year-old in the face and, returning to the boy, threatened the teenager with a knife saying he was going to "stab him in the cheek."

Sentencing Spiteri, of Dagenham, Essex, to eight months in prison, judge Rupert Mayo, said: "There is clearly an element of immaturity about you. There is clearly something about you that makes you behave in such a frightening way."

Defending for him, Ashley Hendron, said the 28-year-old builder was having difficulty with alcohol at the time.

He added: "He is quite chaotic in terms of his organisation. He also struggles with reading and writing."

Spiteri, who in committing the crime, breached a previous order imposed on him for an offence of battery, will spend half his sentence in prison and the other half on licence.

A member of the public had his jaw broken when he intervened in an incident in Corby.

The incident happened between 3.30am and 5am on Sunday, February 26, when an altercation took place outside the Kwik Fit building in Lloyds Road.

As a result, one man was knocked unconscious.

A member of the public intervened and he had his jaw broken by the same offender, who is described as black and in his late 20s, about 6ft and muscular.

Anyone with information can contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.