The Cobblers have strengthened their attacking department with the signing of Burnley forward Chris Long on a season-long loan deal.

The 22-year-old was on the radar of a number of clubs, but has chosen to commit to life in Northampton until next May.

A pacy player with an eye for goal, Long began his career at Everton, coming though the youth ranks at Goodison Park, and making one appearance for the Toffees first team, as a late substitute in a Europa League clash with Krasnoda in December, 2014.

While at Everton, Long enjoyed loan spells at MK Dons and Brentford, with the latter seeing him hit a purple patch as he netted four goals in two starts and nine susbtitute appearances in the Championship.

Deciding his future lay away from Goodison, Long was signed by Burnley, who had just been relegated to the Championship, in the summer of 2015 for a fee reported to be worth £1million.

Long made one start and 10 substitute appearances for the Clarets in their promotion season of 2015/16, without finding the target, and as Sean Dyche’s men returned to the Premier League, the Liverpudlian was sent out on loan to get senior games under his belt.

He spent the first half of last season at Fleetwood, scoring four times in 18 starts and five substitute appearances, before joining Bolton Wanderers in January.

Long made three starts and seven substitute appearances for the Trotters as they sealed promotion to the Championship, scoring once in a 4-1 win over Walsall.

In all, the forward has

Long also picked up two red cards last season, one for Fleetwood and one for Bolton.

The striker has represented England at Under-16, U17, U18, U19 and U20 levels, netting four times in 11 appearances for his country.

Long still has 12 months left on the initial three-year deal he signed at Turf Moor in 2015.

He has undergone a full pre-season at Burnley, and has featured in three of the Clarets’ pre-season friendlies, including a run-out in Tuesday night’s 2-1 win at Preston North End.

That means Long is fit and ready to play in the Cobblers’ final pre-season outing against Newport County on Saturday.

Cobblers boss Justin Edinburgh is delighted to have secured the services of highly-rated Burnley striker Chris Long on a season-long loan.

The 22-year-old put pen to paper on the deal on Friday, and will swap life with the Premier League Clarets spend the next 10 months in claret and white at Sixfields.

Former Everton front man Long spent two loan spells in Sky Bet League One last season, firstly at Fleetwood Town and then at Bolton Wanderers, and Edinburgh believes he has signed a real talent.

“Chris is a very good signing for us,” said the Cobblers boss.

“He is a quality striker and possesses real pace which frightens defenders.

“He is a player who has already performed well at league one level, he knows the league and he knows he has the attributes and the quality to be a big asset to us.

“I know he has been a player who has interested a number of clubs, so we are delighted we have been able to secure his services and we are excited about bringing him in to the squad.”

Long becomes Edinburgh’s 12th signing of a hectic summer, and the Town boss admitted his extensive squad rebuilding job is now almost complete, with just one more player to sign.

“I think all we will be adding now is another goalkeeper which should complete a strong summer of recruitment for us, and we are happy with the balance of the squad,” said the Cobblers manager.

Town complete their pre-season campaign on Saturday when they host league two side Newport County at Sixfields (ko 3pm).

Chris Long’s move from Premier League Burnley to the Cobblers in Sky Bet League One is a tale of two managers.

The striker put pen to paper on a season-long loan deal at Sixfields on Friday, and admitted it was an easy decision to make once he had spoken to both Sean Dyche and Justin Edinburgh.

Both the Burnley and Town bosses talked up life as a Cobbler, and Long didn’t hesitate to make the move, which he wasn’t made aware of until Thursday morning.

“Sean Dyche called me in yesterday, and just said to me that I needed to get my games in,” said the 22-year-old, who began his career at Everton and rose through the ranks from a six-year-old in the academy to the first team squad.

“So I am looking forward to cracking on and playing some football.”

Long met with Edinburgh ahead of committing to signing on at Sixfields, and said: “To be honest, when I spoke to the manager he is more or less the reason why I came here.

“I want to work with him, I think he’s a very good manager, and I just can’t want to get started with him.

“It was just the way he spoke, and he spoke highly of me and also the team.

“It just made me feel like I want to play for this manager. He seems like a good manager and I want to crack on with it.”

And the Liverpudlian also revealed the Burnley boss Dyche, who still lives in Northampton and spent two seasons at the Cobblers as he wrapped up his playing career, talked up the move.

“He pulled me in and said Northampton were in for me,” said Long, who spent loan spells at Cobblers’ league one rivals Fleetwood Town and Bolton Wanderers last season, scoring five times in a combined 21 starts and 12 substitute appearances.

“I asked him about it, and he told me he lives in the area and used to play for them.

“He said it’s a good club, and obviously he has connections, so I think that’s why the move went so smoothly.”

Long has undergone a full pre-season with Burnley, and played in three of their friendlies - including Tuesday’s 2-1 win at Preston - so is match-fit and raring to go.

There is a chance he could be involved in Saturday’s pre-season clash with Newport County at Sixfields (ko 3pm), so if he does play what sort of player can the Cobblers supporters expect to see?

“I am a centre forward, a striker,” said Long, who in the past has also played on loan for MK Dons and Brentford.

“I think we are going to play with two up front, so I can feed off one of the big lads and score goals.

“I am fast as well, so hopefully I can smoke some centre backs and score a few!”

The player trained with the Cobblers squad on Friday morning, and was impressed with what he saw, saying: “There are some very good players here to be honest, and I am just looking forward to playing that first game.”

The signing of Long means that Edinburgh has now completed his recruitment as far as outfield players is concerned, with the Burnley man the 12th new arrival of the summer.

The Town boss is still aiming to sign one more player, and he is going to be a goalkeeper to rival current number one David Cornell and youngster James Goff.

No trains will run in or out of London Euston on 26 and 27 August while work is carried out on a major power supply.

The Euston shutdown will affect all services on the West Coast main line, which passes through Northampton, and is expected to make all train services extremely busy.

Passengers from Northampton are being urged not to travel to the capital by train over the bank holiday weekend unless essential.

Those planning to attend cultural or sporting events in the region are encouraged to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys.

Antonia Buckland, high speed rail sponsorship director for Network Rail, said: “The advice to passengers planning travel to or from Euston station this bank holiday is clear: plan your journeys on days other than Saturday and the Sunday and only travel by train on those days if absolutely essential. If you do travel, trains will be busier than usual, journeys will take longer and unless you have reserved one, you won’t be guaranteed a seat.

“Travel between Scotland, the north west, West Midlands and London on the Saturday and Sunday is discouraged and the whole rail industry - Network Rail, HS2 Ltd and train operators - is working together to give passengers plenty of warning and information about the planned disruption.”

Well the musical inspiration for the classic film - and a band which are so much more than that besides and helped to define post-punk music - the Psychedelic Furs are back in the UK, for a singles tour of venues close to home.

This week I spoke with bass player and founding member Tim Butler to quiz him on punk rock - John Hughes, and get in my sneaky request for the band to play my favourite song Forever Now at their Oxford show! It really was was Some Kind of Wonderful....

The Psychedelic Furs got together after the Butler brothers (Tim and Richard) witnessed the raw punk power and energy of The Sex Pistols at the 100 Club.

In the early 1980s they launched the band by teaming up with Steve Lillywhite to create their eponymous debut album - and then Talk Talk Talk - one of the post-punk movement's defining records.

Tim, speaking from his home in Kentucky said: "Richard and I and my other brother went down to see them and were completely blown away by the attitude and their energy and their spirit.

"My brothers said 'do you want to get a band together?' but I said 'I can't play anything' - they said what would you like to play? Originally it was drums, but I was a poor 17-year-old kid so I opted for bass."

"Our sound is like the Sex Pistols crossed with Roxy Music, it's more thought-out. Punk was great because it gave the music business a kick up the bum - John Lydon said when he broke up the Pistols that people were just copying the Pistols and not doing their own thing and we didn't want to be like that."

"Punk helped bands like us happen - we could say stuff with minimal music- but we were also big fans of things like the Velvet Underground and Roxy Music - and we gave it the energy and power of punk. Punk made it possible in a way that prog really hadn't - people sitting at home thinking 'I don't know how to play anything by Carlos Santana' now felt like it was ok to pick up an instrument."

A surprising and lucky break came for the Furs a few years later - when screenwriter John Hughes based classic teen movie Pretty In Pink on the band's hit of the same name. The song instantly charted again when the movie was released in 1986 - which proved to be both a blessing and a curse for a band with DIY sensibilities.

Tim said: "It was a pleasant surprise when John Hughes approached us about it - Molly Ringwald had liked the original song and asked him to write a movie around the song - the storyline ended up having nothing to do with the original song, but it was a really nice thing.

"Sadly though - a lot of the hardcore early fans stopped liking us and said we had 'sold out'."

Psychedelic Furs are currently touring in the US where a whole legion of new fans are now coming out to see them play - perhaps inspired by Eighties nostalgia, or name-checks from the likes of The Killers who have cited them as an influence.

Early 2000s nu-metal stars Korn even covered Psychedelic Furs' hit Love My Way - bringing their music to a whole new audience entirely - and a different generation of listeners.

Speaking about the upcoming tour - which takes in large and small venues including the 02 Academy in Oxford on September 10, Tim said: "It's been a while since we have played in England and we are running up to releasing a new album so we felt that we'd do a tour with was 'the best of the Furs' to re-introduce people to us.

"At the moment it's all of the singles, and then some of the more popular album tracks like President Gas - but who knows, we are a very fickle band."

"Since we got back together in 2000 we get some of the original fans and they will bring their kids down, and sometimes those kids will have kids too. People aged from 16 to 60 come to see us."

"For fans that have never seen us before - despite some of the biggest hits like Love My Way and The Ghost In You - we are not a namby pamby band - we put on a good rock show."

To find out more about the Psychedelic Furs tour - and to get tickets for a show near you go to http://www.thepsychedelicfurs.com/

Friday, September 01 - Glasgow O2 Academy
Saturday, September 02 - Leeds O2 Academy
Sunday, September 03 - Manchester O2 Ritz
Tuesday, September 05 - Birmingham O2 Institute
Wednesday, September 06 - Bristol O2 Academy
Thursday, September 07 - Brighton Concorde 2 SOLD OUT
Saturday, September 09 - London O2 Forum Kentish Town
Sunday, September 10 - Oxford O2 Academy
Monday, September 11 - Norwich UEA

Shoppers are taking their first look around the new £140 million retail and leisure development today (Friday).

Shops including M&S, Primark, H&M, Joules and White Stuff are among the first stores to open at Rushden Lakes.

A kitchen fitter from Yelvertoft praised the manufacturers of his watch for saving his wrist from being severed by a saw.

Dan Fellows, who is engaged and living with his fiancé in the Northamptonshire village, narrowly avoided slicing straight through his wrist whilst on a job installing a new kitchen.

While cutting a piece of skirting board – something he does daily – the 27-year-old noticed black splinters of debris shooting out from the chop saw he was using.

He stopped immediately, only to find a gaping hole in the face of his Scruffs watch, just centimeters from his wrist.

Once the shock of his close call had worn off, Dan was amazed to discover that the watch was still in working order, despite severe cosmetic damage to the face.

“When I started to see the black bits flying up from the saw I had no idea what was happening,” he said.

“If I hadn’t been wearing the watch the saw would have gone clean through my wrist.

“It’s scary to think that a momentary lapse in concentration could’ve been a pretty bad accident.

“I follow Scruffs on social media so after this happened I thought I’d get in touch and let them know about my close call.

“I’ve had the watch for about two years now so I was gutted when I hacked through it – luckily Scruffs have sorted me out with a new one, along with a jacket and some boots. Happy days!”

A Northampton schoolgirl has won a national writing competition with a story which the judge said stood out from the thousands of other entries.

The story by Simran Sandhu, 7, from Upton Meadows Primary School, was chosen by children’s author Jo Empson.

Jo said: “I’ve really enjoyed reading the children’s stories alongside some beautiful artwork.

“For me, Simran’s story ‘The Rekam-ruoloc’ really stood out as a thoughtful and truly beautiful story, unique and full of colour and imagination.”

Simran won signed copies of books, including those by Michael Rosen and Allan Ahlberg, and £200 worth of books for Upton Meadow’s school library.

A derelict outbuilding in a Northampton optometrists’ car park has been transformed into an outdoor gallery displaying ‘urban art’.

The former garage at Tompkins, Knight & Son (TK&S) Optometrists in Kingsley Road, was destroyed following a fire last year but has now been given a new lease of life.

Graffiti artist Phil Harding teamed up with staff to turn the building into a gallery space displaying eye-themed urban art, using spray cans and old roof tiles.

Mr Harding, who sprays under the alias ‘I’m Bob’ and has his work featured in Beer Guerilla and Island Vape in the town’s Wellingborough Road, said the project could evolve into a community art space.

He said: “It’s fantastic to see an old building put to such good use and being utilised in such a fresh and innovative way.

“The TK&S staff have been brilliant and we’ll be putting their work on display.

“Hopefully patients will see it and enjoy it as they arrive at the practice and they could potentially have the chance to get involved themselves and have their own designs on the walls.”

A wooden hoarding provided the ‘canvas’ for 36-year-old Mr Harding’s design, while staff members used former slate roof tiles to form their own designs.

These will be hung on the outside walls of the garage.

Brian Tompkins, owner of TK&S Optometrists, said: “It’s certainly a talking point and we’d love our patients to indulge their creative side.”

Simmonds stood accused of passing on confidential information about a criminal investigation into Wellingborough MP Peter Bone and his wife Jeanette between November 2013 and May 2014.

But a jury at Southwark Crown Court failed to reach a verdict following 12 hours of deliberation on July 20.

It emerged tonight that Mr Simmonds will not face a retrial as it was "not in the public interest", a Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said.

This means the case is now closed with a not-guilty verdict for Mr Simmonds.

Mr Simmonds was elected as police and crime commissioner for Northamptonshire in 2012, but chose not to stand for re-election in 2016.

Derbyshire and Northants were frustrated by heavy rain which prevented any play in the NatWest T20 Blast North Group match at Derby on Friday night.

Umpires Alex Wharf and Stephen Gale called the game off 25 minutes before the scheduled 7pm start following a brief inspection.

The rain arrived at the 3aaa County Ground by late afternoon and with pools of surface water forming around the covers the decision to abandon the game was a formality.

It was not the first time the weather has ruined a T20 game between the two teams; last season’s fixture at Chesterfield was called off without a ball bowled and this latest washout is the fourth in Derbyshire v Northants matches.

The no result leaves the North Group wide open with Northants moving up to 10 points from eight games while Derbyshire are one point behind having played the same number of matches.

Derbyshire Falcons will be hoping for better weather on Sunday when they take on local rivals Leicestershire Foxes at Derby in a game starting at 2.30pm while Steelbacks are next in action on Tuesday evening against Birmingham Bears at Northampton.

One game did go ahead in the north section, with Leicestershire taking on Durham Jets in a seven-overs-a-side contest at Grace Road,

In a thrilling clash, Durham claimed a six-wicket win with one ball to spare.

The Foxes powered to 88 for two, with Luke Ronchi crashing 63 not out from just 21 balls, but Durham were up to the task and replied with 90 for four from 6.5 overs, Paul Coughlin seeing them home with 38 not out from 18 balls.

It is Durham’s first T20 win of the season and is good news for the Steelbacks who remain second in the north group table.

The Steelbacks are second, one point behind leaders Yorkshire Vikings, and point clear of three teams on nine points, who are Lancashire Lightning, Derbyshire Falcons and Birmingham Bears.

A neighbourhood plan has been created to bring an end to the "gloomy, threatening and anti-social feel" of Northampton's Racecourse park.

Northampton Borough Councillors for the Semilong and Trinity areas have produced the plan ahead of the "huge expansion" of school places and housing in the area and hope to make it a "friendlier place to walk or cycle to school in".

It comes ahead of the scheduled completion of the 450-place Northampton International Academy, in Mill Road, in 2018, and a plan to build up to 200 dwellings on the site of the University of Northampton Avenue Campus, in St Geroges's Avenue, after it moves its faculties to a new site in Cotton End.

Ward councillor for Trinity Jane Birch said: "The air quality on Barrack Road is dreadful. We could see 4,500 students of all ages in our area within 10 years. We want to encourage families to cycle and walk to school. But the area can't support that at the moment and families are more likely to drive.

"The Barrack Road end of the Racecourse is gloomy, threatening and beset with anti-social behaviour. There's just a feel to it. With the neighbourhood plan, we can look at making it a friendlier place to support the school run and our pupils.

"The air quality in Barrack Road is dreadful and there will be a huge expansion of schools and dwellings around it soon. The neighbourhood plan has been created to support this area's future."

Neighbourhood plans were introduced in 2014 by the Government to give residents more of a say over their local area.

The plan could be used to plant up the Barrack Road end of the Racecourse with flowers, raise the canopy of the trees to let light in and install more street lighting.

Councillor Birch said: "We want to support Semilong, the Racecourse and the future residents on the site of St George's Avenue campus in the next 15 years."

A consultation period on the neighbourhood plan ended on July 25. The plan can be seen on the Northampton Borough Council website.

The long-awaited Northern Orbital Road is approaching the end of its consultation period on August 4. The plans to complete the town's ring road by linking the A428 Harlestone Road with the A5199 Welford Road have been stagnant since the 1980s, but wheels are finally turning to make it a reality.

In theory, the completed ring road, along with the £32million North-West Relief Road, will relieve North Northampton from traffic at key spots, such as Kingsthorpe, by diverting traffic around the town and not through it.

But, with just days until the consultation deadline, some of the town's outlying villages are raising their voices to say that, as it is, the road will not only damage their communities but pave the way for even worse congestion in the future.

"Most people completely understand why we need it," says Charlotte Mackaness, a mum-of-three from Boughton. She has set up a Facebook group for her community to discuss the Orbital Road and its impact on their lives. "But it hasn't been thought through. Drawing lines on a map is not a plan. There hasn't been enough thought for the homes in its path.

"I've seen so many cases for how it could hurt livelihoods in areas like Boughton. One proposed route will run over a resident's farmhouse, or through a back garden. It will especially damage the horse riding community by taking away bridal paths and destroying paddocks."

But Charlotte also believes the road's real purpose is not to relieve traffic in Northampton. It is to open all the countryside along its route for building houses. So many houses, in fact, that the net results will be even more congestion for Northampton.

When the consultation was opened in June, county council cabinet member for strategic infrastructure councillor Andrew Gonzalez De Savage said: “With the county and Northampton in particular continuing to grow rapidly it is important to get the infrastructure in place.

"These two routes [the Orbital Road and North-West Relief Road] are enormously important not just for Northampton but for the county as a whole as they will help unlock housing and economic growth."

Charlotte said: "It's the same fears that the residents near the Hampton Green development are having. Most households have two cars. The road will open the town up to thousands of more houses, and thousands of more cars.

"Boughton is a proper village and I want it to stay that way. I don't want to see hundreds of identikit houses sprout up all around us. Northamptonshire is a beautiful part of the world and I want my children to be proud of where they come from. We need the developers to know this before they destroy it."

The county council say the Orbital road and the North West Relief Road will be developed idependantly, but were consulted on together as they "fulfil similar goals".

The consultation closes on August 4. An online survey to give feedback on the proposals can be completed on the Northamptonshire County Council website.

The Safer Roads Team (SRT) hosted the engagement event at Abington Park to highlight holiday safety messages, including road safety near parks during the summer holiday period.

Sara Postlethwaite, of the safer roads team, said: “It was a very positive event and we enjoyed meeting members of Northamptonshire’s diverse community. The children were definitely drawn to the fire engine and police car, which gave us the chance to talk to them and their families to share all sorts of safety messages, not just road safety.

“Working together in this way shows we’re all working towards the same goals of keeping people safe and helping reducing collisions and injuries on Northamptonshire’s roads.”

As part of the event a vehicle checkpoint was set up in Abington Park Crescent to monitor traffic speeds, as well as watch for any illegal mobile phone use by drivers and seatbelt offences. Checks were also carried out on vehicles’ tyres, MOT and insurance details.

Ms Postlethwaite said: “The key thing about this kind of exercise is the engagement opportunity it gives us to talk to drivers about making better, safer choices on the roads.”

Top road safety tips for drivers from Northamptonshire Police

- Don’t use your mobile phone while driving. This offence now carries a six-point penalty and £200 fine, so put your phone on silent, and keep it out of sight and out of reach when behind the wheel

- Reduce in-car distractions and stay focussed on the road. Consider turning music down, avoid using hands-free phone kits, and remind passengers to play their part

- Never drive under the influence of drink or drugs. Book taxis to take you home after a night out, and don’t drive the next day until you’re sure you’re alcohol free

- Abide by the speed limit. Streetlights mean 30mph unless otherwise signed

- Ensure you and all passengers always wear seatbelts, and wear them as they are designed to be used. Children must use the correct child restraint until they are 12 years old or 135cm tall, whichever they reach first

- Drive according to the conditions. Bad weather affects visibility, road surface conditions and vehicle handling, so slow down to give yourself more time to react

- Make monthly checks on your tyres (air pressure, condition and tread depth)

A Northampton fertility clinic has been hit with a £25,000 bill after a form-filling blunder left a woman with no parental rights over a newborn baby.

The woman was delighted when her same-sex partner gave birth to their child after treatment at Care Fertility Northampton but, due to a mix-up with consent forms at the clinic, she ended up with no parental rights over the child, the High Court heard.

Although the couple are no longer together, her former partner supported her and had described what happened at the clinic as a "terrible error".

Speaking of the trauma she suffered on receiving the news, she told the court: "My whole world was turned upside down.

"I was completely unable to deal with it. I felt that I was an inferior person in my child's life so far as the outside world was concerned.

"I felt that the confidence that I had been given in the change in the law to allow same-sex couples to have children and be considered legal parents had been snatched away from me.

"I simply felt that I was no more than a step-parent to my child, rather than an actual parent."

A UK family judge, Sir James Munby, presided over the case and officially recognised her as the child's legal parent.

Though the couple were neither married, nor in a civil partnership, there was "compelling evidence" that, when they went to the clinic, they intended that both of them would be legal parents to any child born, he said.

Sir James added that the clinic had offered the woman "an unreserved apology" for what went wrong, but she said that even a court declaration of her rights as a parent would not "take away the hurt and distress" she felt.

When she read the clinic's statement the woman said she had felt "sick to her stomach."

The clinic agreed to pay the woman's legal costs, which Sir James fixed at £25,000.

The Cobblers concluded their pre-season campaign with a 2-1 against Newport County at Sixfields.

New signing Chris Long was on the scoresheet with a fine solo goal, as Justin Edinburgh enjoyed a win against his old side thanks to Leon Barnett heading home a late winner.

It rounded off a positive few weeks of preparation ahead of the league opener against Shrewsbury Town next Saturday.

And while this was far from a vintage performance, the result will no doubt provide a boost knowing that Town can still pick up wins while not at their best.

In his last chance to look at his side in action before the league campaign begins, Edinburgh again opted for his preferred 3-5-2 formation.

George Smith was given a chance to stake his claim at left wing-back, while Regan Poole was given a starting berth in the back three against his old side - with Ash Taylor given a rest after playing plenty of minutes already this pre-season.

New loan signing Long began on a bench filled with attacking options, with young striker Joe Iaciofano also back in the squad.

The Cobblers were looking more familiar with their new-look formation which saw Matt Taylor, named skipper for the match, acting as the holding midfielder with Yaser Kasim and Matt Crooks given licence for a more advanced role.

The first 45 minutes were limited to just a few chances, but Edinburgh will have been pleased with how solid his side looked defensively, even if they were creating relatively few chances.

Smith, who looks like giving David Buchanan some serious competition, did well to get a cross in from the left and find Revell lurking in the area, but the striker couldn’t quite control the ball and County managed to clear.

Revell was winning his fair share of headers up front with the lively Billy Waters picking most of them up, but the good link-up play didn’t translate to efforts on Joe Day’s goal.

The visitor’s main threat was Frank Nouble, a big unit who caused constant problems for the Town back three and who had a good tussle with Barnett.

Nouble had Newport’s first chance when he headed just past the post from a tantalising cross by Robbie Willmott, and he volleyed over again a few minutes later after some penalty-area pinball.

The Cobblers’ best chance of the half came when Kasim capitalised on an error and centred the ball for Waters, who managed to find space but sky his shot.

While Town had looked solid, if not spectacular, in the first-half, the second half was a different affair.

With a raft of half-time changes made, the hosts started sloppily, with Cornell having to be alert to deny Newport from a corner.

The visitors then introduced Jamar Reynolds, and he proved to be a thorn in the side for the rest of the game.

Other than a stinging free-kick from Matt Taylor that was well palmed away by Joe Day, it was all County in the second half, with Reynolds having two excellent chances to open the scoring.

He soon tucked one away though to deservedly give County the lead 20 minutes from the end, with the striker twisting the Cobblers defence inside out in the area and drilling it under Cornell.

With disgruntled fans commenting on what had been a poor second half up until that point, the groans took roughly 60 seconds to turn to cheers when Long equalised almost immediately with a fine goal.

With no pass on into the area, the on-loan Burnley youngster dwelled on the ball and drew about five County players out to the edge of the box before curling in a stunner that slammed in off the post.

If this was a sign of what Long can do just a few hours after signing for the side, it could be exciting to watch him play when he’s had time to bed in.

Town settled back into the game after Long’s strike, although Newport still had chances to retake the lead when Tom Owen-Evans blasted over the bar from the edge of the area.

But if pre-season is about preparation for a long campaign, then performances are secondary to results.

And a thundering header from Barnett five minutes from the end after Taylor’s corner gave the Cobblers the lead, and secured a positive result to end pre-season on.

Cobblers: Cornell, Barnett, Poole, Pierre (A. Taylor, 62), Powell (Phillips, 66), Smith (Buchanan, 45), Crooks (Bowditch, 45), Kasim, M. Taylor, Waters (Long, 45), Revell (Richards, 62)

Subs not used: Goff, Lobjoit, Iaciofano

Newport County: Day, Pipe, Butler, Demetriou, O’Brien, Bennett, Dolan, Labadie, Rigg, Nouble, Willmott

Substitutes: Bittner, Williams, Turley, Barnum-Bobb, Owen-Evans, Reynolds, Trialist

Referee: Darren England

Attendance: 1,346

Newport County fans: 80

Cobblers boss Justin Edinburgh says his side will be ready for league action - after signing off pre-season with a 2-1 win against Newport County.

The Town gaffer saw his new-look side fend off a strong challenge from his former employers, and while it was far from a convincing performance, the result is one that pleased Edinburgh.

Speaking after the Sixfields win, the manager said: “We’ve won the game but respect that we could do better, but I thought the effort and application was good today.

“The application and attitude of the players this pre-season has been first class. I feel the fitness levels are where we want them to be.

“There’s a lot of new players to integrate into the squad so it’s not always going to be fluid, but in August and September when there’s lots of games that will all fall into place.

“All in all it’s been a steady pre-season.”

A fine goal from new loan signing Chris Long levelled the game for the Cobblers after County took a second half lead, and Leon Barnett headed home a late winner.

Edinburgh was delighted to see his newest recruit hit the ground running, and now can’t wait to see his squad in action when their League One campaigns kicks off at Shrewsbury next Saturday.

And he hopes to have three other players challenging to win a place in his squad.

Edinburgh said: “Chris Long joined the group yesterday, and to get 45 minutes and a goal like that will do his confidence no harm whatsoever.

“We’re looking at increasing John-Joe O’Toole’s training time and getting him back into the fray, the same with Brendan Moloney. And Shaun McWilliams isn’t too far away either.

“We all look and anticipate the start of the season, and that’s where it matters. And we feel we are ready for Shrewsbury on Saturday.

“It’s nice to have selection headaches, it’s something you want as a manger, and we’re looking forward to the week ahead planning and making sure that we’re ready.”

It is around this time of year that the video gaming scene - like the football season - really starts kicking back into gear.

July and August tend to be pretty quiet for obvious reasons with people holidaying and the like... but there is one release which has gamers old and new skool talking.

As I have touched on a number of times in this column in recent months, 2017 has been the year of the classic comeback with retro game, systems, re-releases and remasters taking centre stage.

And August is no different with Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 set to launch in the first week of the new month.

But it is the “new” 2D Sonic game which has caught the eye.

Sonic Mania is due out on August 15th and continues the old skool theme this year but with the added bonus of being a new entry into the franchise.

The retro title was meant to be released in the spring but was delayed until August.

Mania is a new 2D Sonic title in the vein of his classic adventures but features both original stages as well as remixed versions of older Sonic levels like the Green Hill and Flying Battery Zones.

Sonic Mania is releasing digitally for Switch, PS4, Xbox One and PC and is available for preorder.

It is a precursor to a new 3D Sonic title called Sonic Forces which is also coming to the same platforms later this year.

Sonic Mania was named one of the best games shown at E3 2017 by The Guardian, Ars Technica, Twinfinite, and Saucy Gamer, with Ars Technica’s Sam Machkovech naming it his “game of the show”.

It comes with a big billing and plenty of nostalgia too and was described as “the one carrying hype for all of the right reasons” when Mania and Forces were discussed by experts.

It was also nominated as best platformer but lost out - understandably - to the Switch’s as yet undated stellar title, Super Mario Odyssey.

The Cobblers wrapped up their pre-season friendly campaign with a 2-1 win over Sky Bet League Two side Newport County on Saturday - but they left it late.

The south Wales side were leading through a strike from Lemar Reynolds in the 68th-minute.

New signing Chris Long made an instant impact after coming off the bench as he scored an excellent equaliser two minutes later, before Leon Barnett scored the winner seven minutes from time.

It means the Cobbelrs will go into the new league one season on Saturday having lost just one of theior six pre-season fixtures, at the hands of AFC Rushden & Diamonds.

There was also a draw in the Maunsell Cup Final against Kettering Town, with the Cobblers losing the resultant penalty shootout, and wins over Newport, Derby County, Frome Town, Birmingham City Under-23s and Sileby Rangers.

Photographer Kirsty Edmonds was at Sixfields on Saturday to capture the action from the win over Newport.

A 17-year-old boy was robbed in Northampton by two muggers who restrained him as they searched his pockets, police say.

The incident took place sometime between 9.15am and 9.45pm on July 29 in Station Road, Cogenhoe.

The victim was walking from the direction of Little Billing when he was hit to the face and pushed to the ground by two attackers, sustaining a split lip.

One of the robbers restrained him while the other searched his pockets and demanded his phone.

They took a pair of Toshiba earphones and a can of Red Bull before he managed to escape towards Cogenhoe.

One of the muggers is a described as black, 17-25 years old, with a medium build, around 5ft 10in tall and with a local accent.

Anyone who has information should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.