Fire chiefs have pledged to hold a full investigation after one of its response vehicles narrowly avoided a head-on collision with a car near the centre of Northampton.

The red unmarked Vauxhall can be seen approaching at speed in the opposite on Dashcam footage seen by the Chronicle and Echo.

The clip, above, clearly shows the car driving the opposite side of a set of bollards and forcing a silver car, travelling in the opposite direction, to swerve at the last second.

The vehicle was responding to an emergency callout along Weedon Road at 6.08pm on Thursday, August 16 and was caught on camera near to the Saints rugby ground.

"An ambulance and a fire engine had already gone up the road a few minutes earlier when this car was driven erratically up the same stretch of road," said the owner of the Dashcam footage.

"They had absolutely no reason to go around the bollard like that as the cars in front of him or her were clearing it and moving over.

"It appears to be someone running on too much adrenaline."

Mick Conlon, the group commander at Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue, promised to launch a full investigation.

He said: "We believe that this video shows one of our vehicles driven in a manner that fails to reach an acceptable standard.

"We are now in the process of a full investigation into this incident.

"I would like to see reassure the public that we will be taking appropriate action."

Charlton Athletic manager Karl Robinson expects the Cobblers to provide his side with their ‘biggest test of the season so far’ when the two teams meet at The Valley on Saturday.

The Addicks have experienced a mixed start to the campaign, beating Bristol Rovers 1-0 on the opening day before going down 2-0 away at Plymouth Argyle last weekend.

But by all accounts they were unfortunate not to get something out of that game at Home Park, and now Robinson is expecting an even tougher test this weekend when the Cobblers head down to London.

“I think they will be our biggest test so far,” he told Charlton’s club website. “People look at Charlton and what has gone on in the summer and since Northampton’s takeover their squad has become very strong too.

“We have to approach the game in the right frame of mind and as we did the Bristol Rovers game. I’ve watched their game against Fleetwood and they should have won it clearly. We rued our missed chances against Plymouth last Saturday and they were exactly the same in their game.

“We know exactly what we are coming up against, they’ll know what they are coming up against and it is about us implementing our style on the game. We want to take the game to them and it is one that we’ll have to be very tactically astute in.”

Northampton will come up against a familiar face on Saturday in the shape of wing wizard Ricky Holmes, who made his home at Sixfields before moving to Charlton last summer.

“I don’t think Ricky is that type of character to get too involved with what people think of him,” Robinson told News Shopper. “He’s a very individual type of person and he’ll certainly be raring to go.

“Ricky just has an on and off button, he doesn’t have a progressive one that slowly gets him there.

“It’s either one hundred per cent or nothing. It doesn’t matter who he’s playing against.

“With some players, playing against your old club, it does have an impact on them, but when you get what you get out of Ricky, I don’t think that really changes.”

Major proposals to knock down the fire-ravaged former Fat Cat bar on Bridge Street and replace it with a £10 million hotel are set to be submitted to the council.

The Old Northampton Group (ONG) has given the Chronicle & Echo an exclusive glimpse of its most ambitious project yet - a bid to turn around one of the town centre’s most prominent eyesores.

Five years after a blaze destroyed the Fat Cat Cafe bar, the company, which owns four other venues across town, now wants to restore the site as the Angel Hotel.

Plans drawn up by the same architects that renovated the town’s Guildhall Stimpson Walton Board, show the three-storey hotel would have 84 beds with the current courtyard area converted into glass-fronted shops.

The company spokesman said it was ONG’s most ambitious project yet.

“We won’t see much change out of £10 million, let’s put it that way,” he said.

But added that the new hotel would require a complete demolition of the former Fat cat site.

“We are going to knock the whole thing down and start again,” he said.

“The fire was five years ago. The foundations there are gone, the building can’t be saved.”

To date, the group has invested £9 million across its four venues in Northampton: The Dept for Meat and Social Affairs, the Old House, Sazerac and the Lighthouse.

It has also recently purchased a former car park next to the Lighthouse in Wellingborough Road, which it plans to turn into a bar and restaurant.

The details of that scheme are being kept under wraps, but the spokesman confirmed the new venue would be “completely different” to its current venues.

The Fat Cat scheme, the spokesman said, could reinvigorate Bridge Street, which has been covered in scaffolding since 2012.

“Bridge Street is an eyesore in the town centre,”said the spokesman.

“We get a lot of negative feedback about it.

“This could be seen as a key project the town,

“The hotel is a step towards to opening Bridge Street up to a daytime economy as well as a nighttime economy.”

The scheme has been two-and-a-half years in the making due to complications around the ownership of the Fat Cat site and the level of research that has gone into the design of the hotel.

Old Northampton Group had considered a hotel close to Delapre Abbey, but a planning agreement wit they Marriott Hotel chain prevents any competition in the area.

Proposals are to restore the Angel Hotel as close as possible to the way it looked in the 18th and 19th centuries with an exposed brick front.

The Old Northampton Group spokesman said the plan is to create a four star venue, which he says is currently lacking in the town centre.

ONG also aims to use local contractors for all of the building work.

The retail units in the courtyard, which could include cafe’s and shops, will effectively back onto the county council’s multi-million pound new offices in Angel Street.

“This has always been about adding value to Northampton,” said the ONG spokesman.

“If this was just about making money, we would have opened somewhere in London or Milton Keynes.

“This is about regenerating an area and getting local people behind this.

“This is our home town.

“It means a lot to us.”

The New Years Day fire at the Fat Cat Cafe Bar came as a huge blow to traders back in 2012.

Not only was a Grade II listed building gutted, but the street was left blighted by scaffolding and an unsightly wooden underpass.

Records show a hotel may have existed on site of the former Fat Cat as early as 1585 . It was rebuilt in 1746 with various additions being made over the years.

But a document compiled by architects Stimpson Walton Bond shows that the fire and water damage from the 2012 blaze was so severe “significant elements” have been recommended for demolition.

The Fat Cat chain had hoped to reopen the site within a year of the devastating fire, which was believed to have been caused by accident during roofing works.

Managing director Matt Saunders said at the time he was expecting to open again “within eight to nine months” as the company was only halfway through a 20-year lease.

But in 2013 any hopes of a swift refurbishment were dashed when Fat Cat went into administration.

At the time Mohammed Ahmin, director of The Royal Bengal restaurant that had been on the street for 40 years, said he was getting “quite concerned” about the lack of a tenant to push the work forward.

Balloon Bar the neighbouring premises, opened again in 2013 however.

Traders have put up with the scaffolding for the past four years and many have cited the ugly metal poles and coverings as a reason for a dip in trade.

Mr Ahmin eventually elected to shut the Royal Bengal in April after stating the “reputation” of Bridge Street had hampered trade.

Hope resurfaced in 2016, when the Old Northampton Group bought the site off its landlords in Ireland.

A spokesman for the company told the Chron that it was working with Heritage England on an exciting new scheme for the former Fat Cat.

The site is believed to have played host to the oldest coaching house in the country.

“We’ve put two or three different proposals forward,” he told the Chron in March 2016.

“At this stage it’s highly unlikely it will be a bar.

“I can say the project we have in mind will be pretty spectacular.”

Plans for the new Angel Hotel are set to be submitted in September, with construction work due to commence in “early 2018”.

​Four unknown offenders on three motorbikes wheeled off another motorbike in Northampton town centre.

The theft happened in Mercers Row between 5pm and 5.30pm yesterday (August 17) when one of the bikes mounted the pavement outside the Nationwide before the passenger wheeled the stolen motorcycle (pictured) off in the direction of Nandos.

One of the males was wearing a green and blue motorbike helmet with a grey hoodie, a second wore grey trousers and had a dark grey and black motorbike helmet.

The third offender was wearing cream trousers, a black hoodie and a white helmet with stripes down the middle. A fourth male was wearing dark grey tracksuit bottoms, a navy blue hoodie and a light blue helmet.

Anyone with information should call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or call Crimestoppers in confidence, on 0800 555111.

Children who skip breakfast may be doing themselves long term harm by not getting enough nutrients, warns new research.

The findings show that youngsters who often skip the first meal of the day may not be consuming the daily amounts of key nutrients for growth and development recommended by Government guidelines.

British kids who ate breakfast every day were deemed to have ‘overall superior nutritional profiles’ compared to those who didn’t.

The eaters were found to have higher daily intakes of key nutrients such as folate, important for the development of genetic material, calcium, iron and iodine,

key to the development of thyroid function, than children who skipped breakfast.

The study also showed that only 6.5 per cent of four to 10-year-olds missed breakfast every day, compared with more than a quarter of 11 to 18-year-olds (27 per cent).

The findings also suggested that girls were more likely to miss breakfast than boys while household income was found to be higher in the families of children eating breakfast every day.

The researchers from King’s College London used food diaries collected for the National Diet and Nutrition Survey Rolling programme between 2008 and 2012 from a group of 802 children aged from four to 10 and 884 children aged 11 to 18.

Nutrient intake was assessed using a food composition databank from the Department of Health.

Breakfast was considered as consumption of more than 100 calories between 6am and 9am.

The findings also showed that almost a third of those who skipped breakfast (31.5 per cent) didn’t meet even the lower recommended nutrient intake (LRNI) of iron, compared to only 4.4 per cent of children who ate breakfast.

A fifth of non-breakfast eating kids (19 per cent) didn’t meet LRNI for calcium, compared to 2.9 per cent of those who had breakfast, while 21.5 per cent didn’t meet lower levels for iodine, compared to 3.3 per cent of those who ate breakfast.

None of the children who ate breakfast daily had a folate intake below their LRNI, compared to 7.3 per cent of those who skipped breakfast.

The study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition and conducted with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, also compared breakfast habits and nutrients within individual participants.

The analysis showed that, in children aged four to 10-years-old, on days when breakfast was consumed, children had higher intakes of folate, calcium, vitamin C and iodine compared to their breakfast-skipping days.

Out of these same nutrients, for older children aged 11 to 18 only calcium intakes were higher on breakfast-consuming days.

The researchers attributed the findings to higher levels of parental control over eating habits at a young age.

They said there is also the possibility of mis-reporting in food diaries, particularly in older children who reported their own intakes.

Study senior author Dr Gerda Pot, lecturer in Nutritional Sciences at King’s College London said: “This study provides evidence that breakfast is key for parents to ensure that their children are getting the nutrition they need.”

She added: “Further studies that investigate specific foods and dietary quality would help to identify if the differences are due to the different types of breakfast being eaten by different age groups, as well as provide more insight into the impact of breakfast on dietary quality overall.”

Jeam-Michel Dixte, 43, set off at 4.08am on August 16 accompanied by the Sea Farer II boat and took 14 hours and 22 minutes to cross the English Channel, setting foot in Wissant, France around 6.30pm.

Sea temperature was around the 18C mark throughout the crossing, just above the average of 16C.

His mother Christine said her son was able to complete the swim despite tearing his shoulder cuff.

Jean-Michel, who is married with two children, practised for three years and paid £6,000 of expenses the challenge entails himself, namely the hiring of the boat, an observer, training sessions and a swimming certificate.

Part of his training saw him join a training group in Dover.

Jean-Michel is raising money for the DM Thomas Foundation for Young People, and hopes to collect £5,000 in total.

The foundation are dedicated to helping disabled, sick and disadvantaged children to transform their lives. You can donate here

Cobblers have signed midfielder Matt Grimes on a season-long loan from Premier League side Swansea City, subject to international clearance.

The 22-year-old impressed in 62 appearances for his first club Exeter City, so much so that the Swans paid the Grecians a club record £1.75 million for him in 2015.

During his time at St James' Park, he played for England under 20s and won the player of the year award in his first full season.

Grimes scored five goals for the Grecians, creating a reputation for himself as a threat at free-kicks with his set-play delivery.

He joined Blackburn Rovers on loan in February 2016, playing 13 times in the Championship for the Ewood Park outfit before spending the 2016/17 season on loan at Leeds United.

And Cobblers boss Justin Edinburgh is happy to be able to add Grimes to his squad.

"We are delighted to welcome a player of Matt's pedigree to the club," Edinburgh said.

"He is only a young man but has a good amount of experience and after impressing at Exeter he has played in the Premier League and the Championship.

"His arrival increases the competition for a midfield spot and as well as being a central midfielder he can also play in the number 10 role and he possesses a quality left foot.

"He is an excellent addition to the squad and we are excited about having him with us for the season ahead."

A Northamptonshire resident has accepted a £150 fixed penalty fine after dumping two black bags of general waste into a supermarket recycling bin.

On Thursday, May 15 an environmental enforcement officer from South Northamptonshire Council (SNC) witnessed the man placing the black bags into a wheelie bin, designated for recycling, at Waitrose in Towcester.

The enforcement officer recovered the bags and upon inspection found it contained clothing, vehicle keys, addressed paperwork and other general waste.

The man voluntarily attended an interview at the SNC offices where he admitted the offence and accepted a fixed penalty notice.

Cllr Dermot Bambridge, SNC’s portfolio holder for environmental services said: “Fixed penalty notices for fly tipping are £250, but this gentleman benefitted from an early payment discount.

“We can’t, and wouldn’t want to have enforcement officers on every corner, so people need to be aware if they are caught red-handed we will not be overlooking an offence such as this.”

Details of household tips and ways to manage household waste, can be found on the SNC website, alternatively call 01327 322344 to discuss any problems you might have.

Northampton's mayor is hoping publicans will help raise money for his chosen charity by buying kegs of his new beer.

Mayor's Mash is a 4.2 per cent golden Northampton ale brewed by Phipps NBC and endorsed by Northants CAMRA, which is available for pre-order now.

And the man on its label Councillor Gareth Eales, has pledged to donate all profits from casks sold to his chosen charity for the year, Alfie Bear's Journey .

He said: "We are now taking orders and the beer will be on sale in the near future.

"So, if you own, run or work in a pub and want to take part and sell Mayor's Mash, please get in touch. Or if you're a regular in a pub and you want your local to take part and serve up Mayor's Mash, please encourage your local to contact us. "

For more details, or to order casks of Mayor's Mash, email mayor@northampton.gov.uk or call (Northampton) 837804.

"Let's try and get this beer in as many pubs as we can and raise as much money for Alfie Bear's Journey," Councillor Eales added.

Alfie Bear's Journey raises funds for paediatric brain tumour research, to help children affected by a DIPG tumour. For more information on Alfie Bears Journey, head to the charity website here.

They may have lost all three games so far this season but there is no shortage of confidence in the Cobblers camp, at least judging by the upbeat outlook of Aaron Pierre.

Whilst it’s fair to say the former Wycombe man would have hoped for better things from his first three games as a Cobbler, there is no doubt in his mind that things will come good.

Pierre has been an ever-present in the team so far, playing as the left centre-back of a three-man defence alongside Ash Taylor and one of Leon Barnett or Regan Poole.

And it’s that defence which has provided manager Justin Edinburgh with the biggest positive to come out of their opening week, but the same cannot be said at the other end of the pitch where their struggles have been all too apparent.

Three games, three defeats and no goals would drain the confidence and self-belief of lesser teams, but Pierre is certain that better times are just around the corner.

He said: “There’s a lot of new guys here, including myself, so it takes a bit of time to gel but I don’t see any need to worry whatsoever because individually we’re all good players, it’s just a matter of time before we go on a good run.

“I don’t believe there’s any reason to panic. I’m a defender and I have plenty of faith in my midfield and strikers, as well as my defence, so I don’t think there’s any issue.

“The goals will come, the clean sheets will come and everyone will be happy. Just give us a little bit of time to gel as a team and we’ll go on a good run I believe.”

The 24-year-old defender became Town’s 11th of 13 summer signings last month and though Edinburgh’s 3-5-2 system requires a bit of getting used to, he’s settling in well.

“It’s a new formation for me personally,” he said. “I was only 19 or 20 when I last played it so it’s something to get used to but it’s an ‘in’ formation and it’s good for us to get forward with numbers.

“Whatever the gaffer wants you just have to do what he says and perform as best as you can, regardless of the situation.

“I got welcomed in very easily and there are some great lads here. I felt normal as soon as soon as I stepped in the door and I’m ready to go.”

When you are a team struggling for goals, the last thing you need is to squander three glaring chances in the space of 10 seconds.

Unfortunately, that was the case for Pierre and the Cobblers on Saturday when Fleetwood’s Alex Cairns denied him twice and then Billy Waters with three miraculous saves, which even won praise from Manchester United’s David De Gea on Twitter.

“It kind of haunts me even today! I’ve been watching it over and over again and it’s a great save – you don’t get many saves back-to-back-back like that,” admitted Pierre.

“I should have scored but it was a massive improvement from the Shrewsbury game in terms of going forward and creating chances.”

At least the Valley holds fond memories for Pierre, who added: “I played there as a youngster but not as a senior player and I haven’t lost there so hopefully it’s where everything changes for us and we go on a winning run.”

Graeme White has signed a contract extension at Northants, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2019 season.

The left-arm spinner has become a key figure for the Steelbacks, particularly in the Royal London One-Day Cup and the NatWest T20 Blast.

Last year, he registered career best List A figures of six for 37 in the 50-over victory against Lancashire, the sixth-best return by a Steelbacks bowler in List A cricket.

He subsequently earned a place in the North v South series through the PCA’s Most Valuable Player rankings.

White also played an important role in last season's T20 triumph, with his hat-trick against the Birmingham Bears one of the highlights of the campaign.

The 30-year-old has recently been missing with a shoulder injury, but he has done enough to earn a new two-year deal.

“Graeme continues to improve," said Northants head coach David Ripley.

"He is a real modern-day cricketer who can bowl, bat and field and we are delighted he continues to see his future here."

Dylan Hartley is set to make his first pre-season appearance of 2017 after the Saints skipper was named on the bench for Saturday's clash with Glasgow Warriors in Stirling (kick-off 2pm).

Hartley captained England to a 2-0 series win in Argentina in June and will now look to inspire his club in the forthcoming season.

Campese Ma'afu and Ahsee Tuala are also set to wear the green, black and gold for the first time during this year's friendly campaign as they start against Glasgow.

Ben Foden skipper Saints from full-back, with Tuala lining up at outside centre.

Jamal Ford-Robinson, who started at loosehead in the 71-21 win against the Dragons at Franklin's Gardens last Saturday, will switch to tighthead this weekend.

Tom Wood (suspended) and Stephen Myler (knee) are among the men still missing for Saints.

But Teimana Harrison is fit enough to take his place among the replacements after being forced off with a knock last weekend.

Jim Mallinder's men have won both pre-season matches so far, with the comfortable victory against the Dragons followed by Thursday night's 32-21 success against Nottingham.

Glasgow Warriors: Hughes; Santo, Kelly, Johnson, Nairn; Hastings, Horne; Bhatti, Malcolm, Rae; Peterson, Cummings; Fagerson, Smith, Ashe (c).

Replacements: Allan, Stewart, Nicol, Alainu'uese, McDonald, Stokes, Burr, Fusaro, Wynne, Shiel, McDowell, Jones, Beattie.

Saints: Foden (c); Elliott, Tuala, Burrell, Collins; Francis, Groom; Ma'afu, Clare, Ford-Robinson; Ribbans, Craig; Gibson, Ludlam, Eadie.

Replacements: Hartley, Waller, Brookes, Hill, Paterson, Marshall, Day, Nutley, Harrison, Mitchell, Grayson, Hutchinson, Stephenson, Estelles, Furbank, Mallinder.

Matt Adcock reviews The Hitman's Bodyguard (15), starring Ryan Reynolds and Salma Hayek

Generic buddy action comedies don't often come with such a strong cast – and The Hitman’s Bodyguard brings some likeable heroes with Ryan Reynolds (who is the titular bodyguard) and Samuel L Jackson (as the hitman).

Alas that is all Patrick Hughes has going for him as despite the fun foul-mouthed banter of the two leads, The Hitman’s Bodyguard is just not a great film in any way.

So we have Michael Bryce (Reynolds), a once AAA rated security provider to the rich and powerful. His career gets nuked when he loses a high-profile client and is consigned to looking after coked out lawyers such as Seifert (a fun but brief cameo from Richard E Grant).

Meanwhile evil President of Belarus, Vladislav Dukhovich (Gary Oldman) is busy committing genocide and killing off all witnesses who might testify against him. Except that is for ultra hitman Darius Kincaid (Jackson), who has dirt on Dukhovich and thus needs to be protected en-route to give evidence at The Hague, from Manchester in the UK.

Cue some mildly entertaining but ‘seen it all before’ assassination attempts, car chases and lots of banter. One of the problems is the low rent setting for the first major action scene. The streets of Coventry are just really hard to make look cool even when you have a small army of tooled up mercs trying to kill Kincaid. It looks for all the world like one of them might pop in a Tesco Express and grab a sandwich mid battle.

As the predictable plot ticks along, there are love interests on hand in the form of Bryce’s ex-lover Amelia (the excellent Elodie Yung), a CIA agent who blackmails him into protecting Kincaid in the first place. Speaking of whom, Kincaid’s wife Sonia (Salma Hayek) is locked up and is being used to persuade him to testify in order for her to be released.

There is one funny flashback of how Mr and Mrs Kincaid met but otherwise it's a case of lazy swearing rather than actually funny lines. Couple this with action which wouldn’t look out of place in a bargain bin DVD and this is massive missed opportunity.

The Hitman’s Bodyguard is averagely entertaining. It’s not rubbish but it could and with the cast it has, should, have been so much better.

Matt Grimes believes his season-long loan at Cobblers will prove to be 'the perfect move' for him.

And the midfielder is bidding to get among the goals during his stay at Sixfields.

Grimes has joined Town for the rest of the season from Premier League side Swansea City.

The 22-year-old could make his first appearance in Saturday's Sky Bet League One game at Charlton Athletic.

And Grimes is hoping his time at Cobblers can help him kick on.

"All footballers want to play at the top level, you want to be as successful as possible," Grimes said.

"It's a relatively short career so you've got to make use of your time wisely.

"Northampton, for me at the moment, is the perfect move to get myself back playing and match-sharp.

"It will take me a few games to get going, but I'm fully confident that once I'm there I can contribute very well to this side."

Grimes made 62 appearances for his first club, Exeter City, before Swansea came calling, snapping up the midfielder for a club record £1.75 million in 2015.

He joined Blackburn Rovers on loan in February 2016, playing 13 times in the Championship for the Ewood Park outfit, before spending the 2016/17 season on loan at Leeds United.

So what can the Cobblers fans expect from the new recruit?

"I spoke to the gaffer and he sees me fitting in a number of positions," Grimes said.

"I like to play on the left side of centre midfield, I'm a box-to-box player and like to grab a few goals if I can.

"I like to get on the ball and play out from the back.

"I'm very much a possession kind of player so hopefully I can fit in well."

Cobblers boss Justin Edinburgh has been a busy man in the transfer market this summer, bringing in 14 new players.

And Grimes was impressed during his initial dealings with Edinburgh.

"He's a very approachable manager, a manager I'm really looking forward to working with," Grimes said.

"I spoke to him yesterday morning, a five-minute phone call, and he talked me through the formation, how he likes to play, how he sees me fitting into the team.

"It was a positive conversation and one that made me really look forward to working with him and the team here."

Fixture: Charlton Athletic v Northampton Town, Sky Bet League One

Date/time: Saturday, August 19, 3pm kick-off

Venue: The Valley

Forecast: 21C, sunny spells

Outs and doubts: Charlton: Lee Novak (suspended), Harry Lennon (groin), Lewis Page (hamstring), Mark Marshall (knee), Andrew Crofts (suspended). Cobblers: John-Joe O’Toole (groin), Daniel Powell (hamstring), Sam Foley (ankle), Sam Hoskins (knee)

Betting: Charlton 4/5, draw 13/5, Northampton 100/30

Likely line-ups: Charlton (4-2-3-1): Amos; Solly, Bauer, Pearce, Da Silva; Forster-Caskey, Kashi; Holmes, Clarke, Fosu; Magennis. Northampton (3-4-1-2): Cornell; Barnett, A Taylor, Pierre; Phillips, Crooks, Kasim, Buchanan; Waters; Long, Revell

Man in the middle: Kevin Johnson

Last time out: Plymouth 2 Charlton 0; Northampton 0 Fleetwood 1

Most recent meeting: Saturday, March 4, 2017 - Northampton 2 (Smith, O’Toole) Charlton 1 (Botaka)

Record v Charlton: P31 W9 D13 L9

Opposition view: “I think they will be our biggest test so far,” Karl Robinson told Charlton’s club website this week. “People look at Charlton and what has gone on in the summer but since Northampton’s takeover their squad has become very strong too, and we have to approach the game in the right frame of mind.”

Cobblers connection: Two former Sixfields favourites are among the obvious candidates to fit the bill here, and in fact both might have been lining up against the Cobblers this weekend had fate worked out differently. Wing wizard Ricky Holmes will be, of course, but former Charlton right-back and Northampton manager Chris Wilder was on the verge of taking over at The Valley last summer when Sheffield United swooped in at the last minute.

James Heneghan’s preview: The football season is often referred to as a marathon rather than a sprint, and that’s just as well for the Cobblers who remain stuck in the starting blocks following a faltering first week of the campaign.

No goals, no points and certainly no wins, it’s difficult to envisage how things could have gone any worse but one good result can often make all the difference – all the more so at this early stage – and if they manage to come away from Charlton Athletic with a positive outcome this weekend, it might just be the tonic they to kick-start their campaign.

For sure, there are easier places to go than The Valley when you are a side still striving for your first goal, let alone point or even victory, of the season, but it can work one of two ways.

If Northampton manage to play well and beat Karl Robinson’s men, picked by many to contend for promotion this term, it’ll give them a much-needed shot in the arm and could well spark their stuttering season into life.

Conversely, a defeat would do the opposite and only add to the mounting questions that are stacking up all too quickly given that we are still in mid-August.

So whilst it’s still very early days, the significance of this game should not be underestimated.

It will be a difficult challenge for Town because this Chartlon team looks much stronger and more united than the one which finished 13th and 13 points adrift of the play-offs last season, especially given that they still boast the irrepressible Ricky Holmes among their ranks after fending off interest from several clubs over the summer including Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United.

They have started the current campaign with one win and one defeat, though by all accounts they played better than their 2-0 loss at Plymouth last time out suggests.

For the Cobblers, new goalkeeper Luke Coddington could come straight into the squad and battle David Cornell for the number one spot, while Leon Barnett is likely to replace Regan Poole as the right centre-back of a three-man defence, despite the latter’s impressive debut against Fleetwood.

The selection conundrums come mainly in midfield and up front where Justin Edinburgh hasn’t quite stumbled upon the right combination, perhaps partly due to the absence of key midfield duo Sam Foley and John-Joe O’Toole.

If the Cobblers boss is to persist with 3-5-2, it might be worth playing an extra midfielder because so far they have been overrun in that area of the pitch regardless of who’s played, whether it’s been Matt Crooks, Yaser Kasim, Shaun McWilliams or Matt Crooks

No goals among the six fit strikers will also be an early worry for Edinburgh who has varied his options without success so far. Chris Long and Billy Waters have been the pick and it would be interesting to see how they perform if selected as a front two.

Northampton’s goal drought currently stands at 520 minutes – Gillingham are the only other Football League team yet to get to score this season – but though their array of strikers, who combined for 56 goals last term, have been unable to convert the few chances created, they will surely need better service if the goals are going to flow.

At least defensively the Cobblers have looked solid and resilient, and that will need to continue this weekend if they are to finally get off the mark.

Prediction: Charlton Athletic 1 Northampton Town 1

Four finalists have been chosen to compete at a Northamptonshire bake-off challenge at Northampton College.

The Independent Café / Tea Room of the Year’ in this year’s Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards saw many culinary successes from around the county.

The competition, which is now in its ninth year, is aimed at celebrating all that is great about local produce and drink, recognising excellence within the county’s dining venues and rewarding those who work hard within the culinary sector.

Deborah said: “It’s obvious that the news about these awards has spread and the venues participating are just upping their game, year on year.

“Not only did they create some amazing cakes and scones, but they did it all with such calmness which was great to watch. I was really very impressed."

It was scored by a panel of judges which included former cookery school director Mary Laing, Fabien Levet, who was proudly representing Pidy UK, and Deborah Manger, a contestant in the 2013 series of the ‘Great British Bake Off’.

There were four finalists chosen to compete at the bake-off at Northampton College.

Forget Me Not Café, Moulton, Workbridge Coffee Shop, Northampton, The Apothocoffee Shop, Earls Barton and The Bread & Butter Factory, Northampton.

The four finalists now have to wait until Wednesday, November 15 to discover their fate when the winners and runners-up in all of the categories will be announced at the Awards Dinner taking place at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate.

A new season of wedding fairs is about to get underway, organised by Silverlinings.

The series of 11 fairs starts on September 3 at Knuston Lodge Farm and finishes on November 19 at Northampton Guildhall. The autumn series includes some brand new venues and some of their biggest ever fairs.

Building on their previous success, the fairs will be attended by a specially selected number of local wedding suppliers including photographers, cake decorators, and car hire companies.

This season, the stunning Lyveden New Bield is hosting a wedding fair for the first time. Now a National Trust property, it was left unfinished in 1605 when its original owner Sir Thomas Tresham died and today hosts marquee weddings in the gardens. The fair at Lyveden New Bield is on October 1.

Emma Tuckley from Silverlinings said: “We’re excited for our new season of wedding fairs, which includes some great new venues.

"We hope all those couples who got engaged over the summer will come along and find inspiration for their own wedding.”

One of the largest fairs of the season will be held at Northants County Cricket Club on October 15, where over 40 wedding suppliers will be exhibiting. Couples will be able to explore the venue and see what there is to offer.

Claire Clarke from Northants County Cricket Club said: “Autumn wedding fairs are always an exciting showcase of the next year’s predicted trends and we’re excited to see the variety of local suppliers that are sure to have been lined up for couples looking for inspiration for their big day."

Very slow traffic and an average speed of 5mph has been reported on the A45 Nene Valley Way and London Road.

Another traffic collision has also partially blocked the A5080 St Andrew's Road both ways at the junction with Saint Andrew's Road.

Slow traffic has also been reported on the M1 near Kislingbury with an average speed of 10mph.

It comes as heavy rain has hit Northampton for the afternoon drive home.

More to follow.

A traveller encampment consisting of more than 30 caravans has been given orders to leave a playing field in the east of Northampton.

The caravans arrived at Northampton Borough Council owned Lings Park, off Lings Way, and stopped by the football pitches there on Thursday.

A Northamptonshire County Council spokesman said on behalf of the Countywide Traveller Unit: “We are aware of a group of around 30 vehicles that arrived yesterday and we have visited the site with Northamptonshire Police.

“Police have served a section 61 notice to vacate the site by this afternoon.”

A man and a woman are in police custody after six robberies in less than six hours in Wellingborough.

The first incident took place in Knox Road at about 7.20pm yesterday evening (Thursday), when the victim was approached by a man and woman who got out of a black car.

The man pushed her to the ground and stole her bag.

In Stanwell Way at about 7.50pm, just 30 minutes later, a man got out of a dark-coloured car and attempted to grab the victim’s handbag, pulling her to the floor as he did so.

Passers-by came to help and the offender made off empty-handed.

Five minutes later at about 7.55pm in Westfield Road, a man got out of a black car, approached the victim and stole her rucksack.

About an hour later, at 8.50pm, in Gillitts Road, the driver of a dark-coloured car approached a woman with her two children, grabbed her and made an unsuccessful attempt to steal her handbag.

Two further incidents happened in Cannon Street, one at about 12.25am today (Friday, 18 August) and the other a few minutes later.

The victims were threatened by a man and had property stolen.

Officers are appealing for witnesses and anyone with any information about any of the incidents is asked to call Northamptonshire Police on 101.

Alternatively, the can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.