Children belonging to a traveller encampment in Northampton are alleged to have “verbally and physically abused” a set of runners as they took part in a an organised event at the weekend.

Several people taking part in the Parkrun Northampton event at The Racecourse on Saturday have reported how children belonging to a camp pitched up there targeted youngsters taking part in the run.

Event director for Northampton, Gabby Deere, said: “One child had his cap stolen, another young girl had her ponytail pulled. It was very distressing for all involved.

“In five years we have never had anything like this.”

The traveller group at the Racecourse had already been the subject of several complaints. Last week the group was criticised for driving quad bikes around Lings Park.

As of yesterday, much of the group appeared to have moved onto the borough council-owned Kingsthorpe Recreation Ground.

Det Supt Dennis Murray of Northamptonshire Police said a colleague had been down to the site to meet with the camp following the reports.

“The parents actually agreed that behaviour was unacceptable,” he said.

Ms Deere said the incident will not deter the park run from taking place at The Racecourse, which is regularly attended by 500 or more people.

She added: "Hopefully this was a one-off."

Town centre shoppers have been warned not to get duped by “sleight of hand” games in Northampton town centre after reports of a group has been targeting townsfolk for money.

Northamptonshire Police has been made aware of a series of incidents involving members of the public being asked to take part in a rigged “three cup game” in the town centre.

On Thursday a man was reportedly spotted by the Coventry Building Society in Abington Street asking people to take part in the scam.

The game, which asks people to guess which cup a ball or small item is hidden under is notoriously used by confidence tricksters.

One woman who saw the game being played in Abington Street at around 3.30pm on Thursday (August 24) said: “I have seen them there a couple of times.

“They are getting a crowd of people there.

“It looks as if they are getting people to paying them £5 a ball.

“It’s rigged, you can’t win it.”

A spokeswoman for Northamptonshire Police, said: “We have been made aware that there may be people operating sleight of hand games in the town centre that they are concerned about.

“We would encourage people not to get involved in handing over any money with these sorts of games.

“If you have been a victim of crime report it to us.

“We have been in contact with Trading Standards and the central policing team at to see if they have powers to tackle the issues.”

Seven people will appear in court today charged with the murder of a 17-year-old boy from Northampton.

Liam Hunt was stabbed to death in St George's Street, near the town centre, on February 14 this year.

Aaron Joseph, 20, from London, James Dodd, 18, from Sentinel Road, Northampton, and two other boys who cannot be named due to their age have all pleaded not guilty to his murder at Northampton Crown Court this morning.

Three other boys, who cannot be named due to their age, will appear in court this afternoon.

A six-week trial has been set for February 5 next year

The prosecution alleges the fatal blow was a knife wound to the 17-year-old's neck.

David Ripley fears Adam Rossington and Ben Sanderson will both miss the rest of the season after the pair picked up injuries in Northants' defeat at Nottinghamshire.

Rossington sustained a broken thumb and Sanderson a hamstring problem as injury was added to insult for the County at Trent Bridge.

Ripley's men were beaten by 163 runs by the current Specsavers County Championship Division Two leaders.

And the misery was made worse by the fact Northants left Trent Bridge with minus two points having endured a deduction for a slow over rate.

It was a hugely disappointing four days for the County, whose hopes of promotion have taken a big hit.

“I thought this would be a good benchmark for us because they are the best team in the league and they have an extremely strong batting line-up, so it was a good test but obviously we came up short," Ripley said.

"I think the margin of defeat is the biggest disappointment because we were well beaten.

"I think Riki Wessels (who hit 69 in Nottinghamshire's first innings and 116 in the second) was the big difference, with his two individual contributions. Without that it might have been tighter, but the disappointment is over our first innings batting.

"We challenged our batters to put their hands up and put some runs on the board and they haven’t done that.

“On the injury front, Adam Rossington has a broken thumb but Alex Wakely’s x-ray has come back clear, so hopefully he’ll be okay for the next game (Northants host Sussex from Tuesday).

"Ben Sanderson’s hamstring injury means he will be out. He’s having a scan tomorrow but you kind of fear the worst, so two of them might be out for the rest of the season.

"We’ll cling to some hope that they might be back but it looks unlikely.”

Northants had managed to bowl Notts out for 213 in the first innings, with Muhammad Azharullah (5-63) and Richard Gleeson (4-38) impressing.

But Notts fought back with the ball, dismissing the County for 141 as only Josh Cobb (46 not out) provided any real resistance.

Wessels' superb 116 from just 88 balls put the home side in total control as they declared on 344 for nine.

And Northants, without Rossington due to his thumb injury, were then dismissed for 253.

The agony was exacerbated by the points deduction for a slow over rate, meaning Northants have now lost a total of five points this season.

And Ripley said: “That’s not good.

"We’ve just spoken about it as a group. We talk about it far too much and we need some actions.

"That’s going to hit us because we are going to lose points from this game and go back with minus points.

"In the past we’ve not been promoted out of this division by just one point, so every point is vital and we’ve just lobbed four or five away.”

The Light Aircraft Association (LAA) Rally will see up to 1,000 light sport aircraft land at Sywell Aerodrome over three days starting this Friday.

At peak time, a world record could even be broken with more than 100 takeoffs in a single hour, making the Northamptonshire landing strip busier than Heathrow.

The oldest aircraft is likely to be the 1915 BristolScout biplane, built from parts of an aircraft originally flown by owner David Bremner’s grandfather, while among the newest is a Rans S6, built by secondary school students from the West Midlands, which made its maiden flight just last month.

LAA chief executive Steve Slater said: “The LAA Rally is Britain’s biggest annual fly-in event, combining a trade show, exhibition area and static aircraft displays.

“It is not an air show, but with typically over 400 aircraft on-site each day, it is a mecca for aircraft enthusiasts from all over Europe, who take the opportunity to get up close to the aircraft in a manner not normally possible at formal air displays.”

The event this year celebrates "youth in aviation", with a special marquee dedicated to young flyers.

Admission to the event is free to LAA members . £12 for non-LAA members. Parking is free.

David Kerslake will take temporary charge of the Cobblers following Justin Edinburgh’s sacking.

Chairman Kelvin Thomas announced Edinburgh’s departure on Thursday afternoon, and says the club does have ‘potential targets’ in mind to take over the hot seat.

But for now, Edinburgh’s assistant Kerlsake will take over first team affairs and be in charge of training ahead of the Cobblers’ next match, will is on September 9 against Doncaster Rovers at Sixfields.

Thomas thanked Edinburgh for his efforts while in charge at Sixfields, and in particular the fact he came in and steered the team away from relegation in the second half of last season.

But the chairman admitted what has been served up by a squad that saw 14 new faces added over the summer, simply isn’t good enough, with four defeats out of four in the league, and the team also out of the EFL Carabao Cup.

Saturday’s 4-1 humbling at the hands of Peterborough United proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Edinburgh.

The Cobblers sit rock bottom of Sky Bet League One, which is not where Thomas, the board, the supporters or majority share-holders 5USport expected to be, and Edinburgh has paid the price for that bad start.

“Justin did a good job for us in difficult circumstances and achieved what was asked of him when he came in last season by retaining our League 1 status, for which we will always be grateful,” said Thomas.

“However results overall haven’t gone as well as any of us would have liked, but Justin is an honest and hard working individual and we wish him well for the future.”

On the immediate future, the Town chairman said: “David Kerslake will take temporary charge of the squad as we begin discussions to find our next manager.

“We do have some potential targets in mind and with a free weekend this weekend it does allow us some time.

“It is important that the focus of the squad is now on the game with Doncaster Rovers at Sixfields on Saturday, September 9.”

The Cobblers were scheduled to travel to Wigan Athletic this Saturday, but the game has been postponed as the Latics have had three players called up for international duty.

Justin Edinburgh has been sacked after just eight months as Cobblers manager.

The 47-year-old was only handed the job in mid-January following the dismissal of Rob Page, and in his first three months in charge he did what he was tasked to to do and guided the club to Sky Bet League One survival.

But the team crawled over the line as they failed to win any of their last eight games of last season, and after a terrible start to the new campaign that sees the Cobblers rock-bottom of the league one table, chairman Kelvin Thomas has decided to act quickly.

Following significant investment from new majority shareholders, the Chinese company 5USport, Edinburgh was given the green light for a hectic summer of recruitment and signed 14 new players.

There was excitement and expectation as the season approached, but the Town lost their opening five matches of the campaign, and were humiliated 4-1 at Sixfields by bitter local rivals Peterborough United on Saturday.

Town have also lost to Shrewsbury Town, Fleetwood Town and Charlton Athletic in the league, as well as Queens Park Rangers in the League Cup, but it was the result and listless perforamnce against Posh that proved to be the final straw for Thomas and the Cobblers board.

Despite angry chants from large sections of the Cobblers support at the weekend calling for Edinburgh to be sacked, he was allowed to stay on the immediate aftermath of that embarrassment.

Edinburgh led the Cobblers as they avoided defeat for the first time this season with a 1-1 Checkatrade Trophy draw with Cambridge United on Tuesday night, but the manager cut a strangely subdued figure as he spent the entire game sat in the dugout, when he normally prowls the edge of his technical area.

After the match, he spoke of regrouping and working hard to get things right in the future, but the former Tottenham Hotspur defender whill now not get the chance.

he has gone, just 32 weeks after joining the club.

In all, Edinburgh took charge of just 26 matches at Sixfields, winning six, drawing six, and losing 14.

With the Cobblers not having tasted victory since way back on March 14, Edinburgh loses his job having failed to win any of his last 14 matches in charge, losing nine of those.

More details and reaction to follow.

The Save Our Queen Eleanor Cross group has welcomed a peleton of charity cyclists, who have supported their cause, to Northampton.

Taking to their saddles, the ninth annual Queen Eleanor Cycle Ride group battled burst tyres, melting roads and blistering temperatures to visit the town.

Raising money for London homeless person’s charity, The Connection at St Martin’s, the group stopped by as they visited the sites of all twelve Eleanor Crosses, cycling the 200 mile distance between them over three days.

The bike tour followed in the footsteps of the medieval cortege of Queen Eleanor who died near Lincoln in 1290.

Her husband King Edward I arranged for his dead wife’s body to be carried to London with crosses bearing statues of the Queen - the Queen Eleanor Crosses - to be erected at places where the procession stopped overnight, before her burial in Westminster Abbey.

The cyclists who have actively supported the campaign to restore Northampton’s cross, were met by the Save Our Queen Eleanor Cross group.

So far the bike ride has raised £4,887 for The Connection.

Charles Woodd, Chair of the Friends of The Connection, said: “The Connection provides vital services to help homeless and vulnerable people get back into society.”

The ride will return to the county next year.

To take part 2018’s 10th anniversary cycle ride register at www.queeneleanorcycleride.org.uk or donate at www.mydonate.bt.com riders

Have you ever gone out and bought something only to realise you've got it at home?

Well, that could be considered the case for Saints ahead of the new season, which starts with a mouthwatering fixture against Saracens at Twickenham on Saturday.

After a sluggish start to last season, the team was crying out for extra attacking impetus.

Moves were made for South Africa scrum-half Cobus Reinach, Blues fly-half Piers Francis and Australia back Rob Horne.

Saints fans salivated over the prospect of those Super Rugby players adding spark to a backline that seemed to be totally lacking in inspiration.

But then a sea change occurred.

Alan Dickens moved from the role of defence coach to attack coach, stepping up after the departure of Alex King in October.

And a few months down the line, Saints were playing the kind of rugby their fans expect.

They were direct, slick and keen to move the ball through the hands, shifting sides around at will.

Players such as scrum-half Nic Groom and flying full-back Ahsee Tuala came to the fore, with Nafi Tuitavake and Harry Mallinder, who impressed at 10, also starting to excel.

And though the results didn't always come, Saints were agonisingly close, pushing the likes of Bath, Leicester, Wasps and Saracens all the way.

Those teams needed last-gasp points to see off Jim Mallinder's men, who, with a little more composure in the closing stages, could well have sneaked into the top four.

Saints have continued their attacking improvement during pre-season, putting 11 tries past the Dragons and nine past Ulster.

And while you can't read much into pre-season results, you can read something into performances and the style of play.

Saints do not want to revert to blood, sweat and tears rugby this season.

They want to add to the confidence they gained from three successive wins at the conclusion of the previous campaign, which catapulted them into the Champions Cup.

And what the new players will give is not only extra ideas, but added depth.

All in all, you can guarantee this season certainly won't be a boring one.

But there is no doubt Saints have to address the defensive issues that blighted their chances of making the top four last time round.

Between February and April they conceded 30 or more points in five of eight matches.

They discovered that with attacking adventure comes defensive danger.

And they will need to strike a better balance this time round.

But if they can do that, they can not only be the Great Entertainers, but they can also find the consistency they have been so desperate for during the past two seasons.

Let's get it right - finishes of fifth and seventh since they topped the table in 2015 have not gone down well with players, coaches or fans.

Saints expect more and if they can make a statement in the early stages of the campaign, they will set themselves up nicely for the season.

But that is a big if.

Because games against Saracens, Leicester and Bath in the opening three weeks of the campaign are as tough as they come.

And Saints will need to be at their best from the off.

There is no doubt that the pack has been weakened by the departure of Louis Picamoles, who was the supporters' and players' player of the year last time round.

Other men will have to step up to cover, with a new international player not arriving until January.

But Mitch Eadie, a summer signing from Bristol, has shown promise during pre-season and Teimana Harrison always excels when he is given a run at No.8.

It is all about putting faith in players, especially the youngsters, with high hopes for the likes of Lewis Ludlam, David Ribbans, Tom Stephenson, Harry Mallinder and, in particular, Tom Collins, this season.

Collins has looked razor-sharp during pre-season and he loves a try.

If given the chance, Saints' young guns can fire this time round.

And the added freedom that the team was given towards the end of last season can only aid their development.

Saints are not being tipped by many to contend for the title this season.

But with England captain Dylan Hartley, who knows a bit about leading teams to trophies, in charge and a group of hungry players at their disposal, you never know.

Saints have not met their high standards in recent times, but if they can get off to a flying start, there is no reason why they shouldn't this season.

Strap yourselves in because it looks like it's going to be quite a ride.

Open-air prayers will be held in Northampton on Friday (August 31) to mark the end of the Islamic holy month of fasting.

Muslims around the world will celebrate Eid tomorrow following the end Ramadan and celebrations are set to take place on the Racecourse with over 2000 people expected to attend.

People will be arriving from 8am to celebrate Eid-Al-Adha with prayers to start from 8.30pm.

A variety of licensed halal food will be available from 10am, followed by a fun fair at 10.30am and organisers are now urging people wanting to pray to bring their own prayer mat.

The parking entrance is at St George Avenue.

A select group of sixth-form pupils has spent the summer working on a series of research projects at the University of Northampton.

Four pupils from Northampton and Kettering undertook projects involving robotics, coding and urban orchards after each were awarded a Nuffield Research Placement – a scheme which offers sixth formers the chance to work on university research projects.

David Obreja, from Northampton School for Boys, researched the number of fruit-bearing plants and trees in areas of Northampton, and mapped them on a computer.

He said: “We need more fruit-bearing plants and trees in the town to provide food for wildlife, encourage biodiversity and improve the aesthetics of urban areas.

I hope my research might encourage residents to plant more species, which would also have a social benefit as people may take it up as a hobby. Growing their own produce will also increase their food security.

“The research might also inspire housing developers to consider the mix of planting on their new developments, by including more fruit-bearing plants, rather than planting that is purely architectural.”

Fellow pupil, Nathaniel Roberts, spent his time making a junkbot - a robot made from waste items, such as a drinks can.

He then coded the junkbot to make it move and used his experiences to produce an instruction manual for junkbot beginners.

Nathaniel said: “The project has taught me how to set aims and complete them, and given me an insight into how to write a manual.”

A murder investigation was launched after the 17-year-old boy was killed in an incident in St George's Street on February 14.

Aaron Joseph, 20, from London, James Dodd, 18, from Sentinel Road, Northampton, and five other boys who cannot be named due to their age have all pleaded not guilty to his murder at Northampton Crown Court today (August 31).

A six-week trial has been set for February 5 next year

The prosecution alleges the fatal blow was a knife wound to the 17-year-old's neck.

Northampton-based hiphop crew, Origin, are feeling on top of the world after returning from Glasgow with the top international dance prize.

The girls, aged 13-18, competed in the over-18’s Novice category and saw off some tough opposition before being crowned World Street Dance champions.

They qualified for the showdown in Scotland by winning the regional finals, held in Coventry in April.

During their first round in Glasgow they had to achieve a top four score out of 17 other crews from around the world.

Choreographed by Jamie Mitchell, they received the highest points so automatically reached the final.

They were up against 12 other crews but again dominated to become world champions.

Pictured are (from left) back row: Olivia Inns, Jess Brown, Sophie Brennan, Olivia Wright, Georgina Stones, Megan Lawler, Kiara Porter, Richanna Williams and Jamie Mitchell.

In the front row are : Shannon Quinn, Jaime-Leigh Goodenough and Sophie Graham.

Students who are still unsure of their options going into the new academic year have been urged to book a session at Northampton College where they can receive potentially ‘life changing’ advice and guidance.

The sessions are being held throughout September and October at the college’s sites in Booth Lane and Lower Mounts in Northampton and in Badby Road West, Daventry.

Principal Pat Brennan-Barrett said: “If you are still unsure about what to do this year then booking a place on one of our advice and guidance sessions could be the answer. There are still plenty of places left on exciting courses starting this September that could change your life.

“You’ll receive great one-to-one advice and see first-hand what we can offer. Don’t worry if you didn’t achieve a grade C in maths and English – you can still join a college course and continue to study these subjects.”

For more information on the advice and guidance sessions available at Northampton College, visit http://www.northamptoncollege.ac.uk/advice-and-guidance

The Cobblers have added a third senior goalkeeper to their squad with the signing of Queens Park Rangers shot-stopper Matt Ingram on a season-long loan.

Ingram joins David Cornell and Luke Coddington in the Sixfields ranks, with Coddington only having joined from Huddersfield Town a fortnight ago.

Town, who on Thursday announced the sacking of manager Justin Edinburgh, have gone through with the deal to take the former Wycombe Wanderers goalkeeper.

Ingram stands at 6ft 3in, and played against the Cobblers in the Carabao Cup first round tie at Loftus Road earlier this month.

The 23-year-old began his career at home town club Wycombe and made 140 appearances for the Chairboys, including several against the Cobblers.

His impressive form for Gareth Ainsworth’s men led to him being linked to a number of clubs from a higher level, and he moved to Loftus Road in January, 2016 for an undisclosed fee.

He has made 10 appearances for the Rs to date, but hasn’t played a league game since May, 2016, with starts since then being restricted to cup competitions.

Ingram has played twice for the Loftus Road club this season, keeping a clean sheet against the Cobblers and then in the 4-1 second round defeat to west London rivals Brentford on August 22.

Football is a ruthless business. And there are few people who now know that more than Justin Edinburgh.

On Thursday, the 47-year-old lost his job as manager of Northampton Town FC, just eight months after taking the helm at Sixfields.

A disastrous start to the season, not only in terms of results but also in terms of performance, meant his time at Sixfields was up, and he was shown the door.

A miserable fate that befell him just nine months after he also was sacked from his previous job at Gillingham.

No, this has not been a good year for the former Tottenham Hotspur defender.

Every football manager knows that getting the sack is an occupational hazard, indeed losing your job is, er, part of the job, but they just don’t expect it to be happen twice in a timeframe shorter than the length of a Football League season.

Whether he deserved to lose his job at Gillingham at the very start of 2017, I have no idea, but, in all honesty, although I feel sympathy for Edinburgh on a personal level, he probably can’t have too many complaints about no longer being employed at Sixfields.

Yes, it is early in the season, with just four league games played in Sky Bet League One, and yes, the team is still gelling with 14 players being brought in over the summer.

Yes, he has has suffered with injuries to key players, in particular John-Joe O’Toole, but the problems with Edinburgh’s management at Northampton, certainly as far as the board of directors and supporters are concerned, go deeper than just results.

Among other things, the performances this season have been insipid and listless and his insistence on playing three at the back hasn’t worked.

He also managed to lose the little matter of the club’s big local derby against Peterborough United at Sixfields 4-1 - not ideal when he had already lost a large chunk of the club’s supporters a few months ago.

But first, let’s be positive and thank Edinburgh for what he did do for the Cobblers, and that was maintain the club’s status in the third tier of English football.

Under his predecessor Rob Page, the Cobblers were spiralling towards relegation, with the title-winning season under Chris Wilder a distant memory, just a few months after it had happened.

Edinburgh was brought in to keep the club up, and he did it, with an impressive flurry of six wins in 10 games ultimately doing the trick.

it was a case of job done, even though ultimately the team crawled over the line on the final day, picking up just four points out of the final 24 on offer, with the football in the final six weeks of the season pretty terrible.

The Cobblers haven’t won a game since beating Port Vale 2-1 on March 14

From a personal point of view, Edinburgh is an approachable and likeable man and is very good with the media, and there was no doubting his passion and desire to succeed at the Cobblers.

He is a hard worker, and was confident going into the summer, as he knew he had a big few months ahead of him, with virtually a blank canvas to work with.

He was given a free hand to rebuild the squad and bring in exactly the players he wanted to, to play the style of football he wanted to.

The news that Chinese company 5USport were investing serious money midway through the close season only strengthened Edinburgh’s position as he went about his recruitment, and it all looked to be going exactly to plan as the players rolled in.

The likes of Ashton Taylor, Matt Crooks, Aaron Pierre, Sam Foley, Daniel Powell, Matt Grimes, Billy Waters, Chris Long and others were signed, with all of them, certainly in the majority of people’s opinion, upgrades on the players that had been allowed to leave the club at the end of the previous season.

Pre-season was fairly encouraging, the players bonded on a training camp in Spain, and there was genuine excitement and enthusiasm ahead of the campaign.

The talk in the build up to the start of the season was of added pace, added creativity, added quality, there was talk of the squad being full of options and flexibility, with intense competition keeping everyone sharp, and with the Cobblers being able to mix things up at will.

Then the season began, and things started to unravel.

Prior to a ball being kicked, Edinburgh had insisted he wanted to play three at the back, with wing-backs providing the attacking width, and that is how the team lined up for the opener at Shrewsbury.

It didn’t work.

The Cobblers struggled to string two passes together, struggled to create chances, but they still should have claimed what would have been a hard-earned point at the New Meadow, only for the home side to snatch a last-gasp winner.

It was a depressing opening day, but it was just one game. Nothing to worry about.

A narrow League Cup defeat at a much-changed Queens Park Rangers saw an improved performance, but an expected 1-0 defeat, before Fleetwood came to town for the first league one match of the season at Sixfields.

Edinburgh again went with the wing-backs, and it was a better showing than the previous week at Shrewsbury, but the match still ended in a 1-0 defeat, with Town again struggling to create chances.

Sections of the support were now getting restless, they wanted the manager to abandon his three at the back preference, but he stuck by his insistence that it would work, and that the squad was the ‘right mould’ for the system.

Edinburgh, who at the back end of the previous season had played an equally unpopular diamond system, wasn’t for changing.

He went with three at the back again for the trip to Charlton, only to return with his tail between his legs as a certain Ricky Holmes showed the Cobblers fans just what they have lost as he inspired the south Londoners to a 4-1 win.

Social media was now awash with criticism of Edinburgh and his formation and tactics, and with the Peterborough derby on the horizon, the manager admitted he might be open to changing the system for the visit of the Posh.

But he also admitted he can be ‘stubborn’ as a manager - and he was stubborn as Grant McCann’s men came to town.

He again stuck with three at the back, and antagonised the fans even more by again pairing Marc Richards and Alex Revell in attack, a partnership that has consistently failed to fire.

He perhaps had an excuse at Charlton the week before as Long had injured himself in the warm-up at the Valley, but there was no excuse for the Posh encounter.

It meant the fans were far from onside before a ball had even been kicked, and once Peterborough went ahead, the fans turned, and quickly.

It was a horrible afternoon, similar to ones I have experienced in the final days of the likes of Gary Johnson and Aidy Boothroyd, and although I’m not sure there is ever a case for supporters calling for their own manager to be sacked while a match is being played, that is what happened.

They were voicing their displeasure at a woeful start to the campaign, with zero points and just two goals scored, and with Kelvin Thomas taking plenty of stick in the directors’ box, I would imagine Edinburgh’s fate was sealed , even though his misery was prolonged for four more days.

From the outside, a manager getting sacked just four days into the league campaign looks ridiculous, and it does seem unfair to not allow a manager the time to get a team functioning as a unit after so much change and recruitment.

And after the club have backed their man with so many new signings.

But anybody who has watched the Cobblers this season might feel a little differently about it.

As I said earlier, this was about more than results, it was about the vibe and the negative mood around Sixfields, something which has been prevalent since the back end of last season.

On Radio Northampton on Thursday night, former Cobbler Gregor Robertson, who watched the team on a number of occasions at the back end of last campaign said he couldn’t remember seeing the team play well.

And he added: “I don’t remember ever enjoying watching them play.”

Sadly, that has been a feature of Cobblers performances under Edinburgh, they were rarely entertaining, never allowed off the leash.

Even with all the supposed options at his disposal, Edinburgh was pretty steady in selection, and very steady in formation.

The flexibility and unpredictability, the flair and excitement that had been promised wasn’t there, it was still all too predictable.

And the supporters didn’t like it one bit.

Losing four league games in a row is one thing, losing four games in a row while barely laying a glove on the opposition is another, especially when a quality squad with as much strength in depth has been put together.

The summer investment of 5USport immediately raised expectations, and it quickly became clear that a good start was needed to justify the spending.

The fixture list wasn’t kind to Edinburgh as a tough start was laid on, but the reality is that league one this season is going to be one hell of a slog, one hell of a challenge.

Edinburgh will insist and believe he would have got it right, and he may well have done given time, but the signs on the pitch in the few games played this season suggested the opposite.

Add that to the lacklustre way the team ended last season, the lack of excitement, the lack of goals and attacking football, and you have a recipe for an unhappy football club.

And that is exactly what the Cobblers has become.

Just 15 months after the incredible high of the celebrations of that league two title success under Wilder, the Cobblers find themselves bottom of league one, playing joyless football, with no points from four matches, and an increasingly disgruntled fanbase.

That, ultimately, is why Edinburgh has lost his job, because Thomas and the Cobblers board felt they couldn’t risk things getting worse.

They felt they needed to act, to create a spark that sets the club alight again and gets it heading back in the right direction.

Unfortunately for Edinburgh, to do that they can’t get rid of 26 players, but they can get rid of one manager, and we all know, the buck always stops with the boss.

There is still the chance that Edinburgh’s time at the club could be looked back on with some fondness, because it is he who has assembled this squad, and it is a squad in much better shape now than it was when he took it over in January.

With the transfer window shut until January, chairman Thomas’s job is to now bring in a manager who can get the best out of what most people believe is a talented group of players.

Which, sadly for Edinburgh, was something he was unable to do.

The incident happened in Bordeaux Close, Duston, at about 2pm on Friday, August 18, Northamptonshire Police today revealed.

A spokesperson for the force said: "The offender was black, aged 20 to 30, of medium build and between 5ft 9in to 6ft.

"He wore a black balaclava, green or black hooded jacket and was carrying a green kitchen knife."

Witnesses or anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Northamptonshire Sport are encouraging people of all ages and fitness levels to put on their trainers and take steps to get walking and jogging.

Jog Northants has 12 new beginners jogging groups starting countywide this month.

The Northamptonshire Sport programme aims to help people to start jogging, as well as improver groups for people who can already run 5km or three miles.

All the groups start gently with a mixture of walking and jogging and offer support to those who want a little help to get started whilst also providing a social aspect and support network of like-minded people.

Fraser Lodge, Jog Northants co-ordinator, said: “These groups cater for all fitness levels and abilities from the complete beginner and those returning to running. “Those running with like-minded people can benefit from the camaraderie and social element of the groups, this is key as it helps to retain and motivate members.”

New groups include New2Running meeting at the Obelisk Centre in Kingsthorpe, Mondays 6pm; Running Mate in Foxfield Country Park, Grange Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6.30pm; Beginners and Improvers in Abington Park on Wednesdays at 6.30pm; Beginners and Improvers at Parklands Community Centre on Mondays at 6pm; Joggers at Bellinge Community House on Mondays at 6.30pm.

For more information, see www.northamptonshiresport.org/jog-northants

Collectors are being invited to display their goods at a special one-day exhibition at a newly refurbished Northampton museum.

The third annual Collectors' Day will be held on Saturday, November 4 from noon to 4pm at Abington Park Museum and organisers are on the lookout for more hidden gems to add to the exhibition.

Last year’s event saw 11 collectors exhibit their treasures, ranging from Bassett Lowke trains to historic bottles, local railway memorabilia and a collection of books and ephemera relating to the artist John Constable.

Councillor Anna King, Northampton Borough Council cabinet member for community engagement and safety, said: “Collectors' Day is a day for all the family to celebrate collecting and for the collectors to share their enthusiasms. Collections of all types will be considered and we do hope that even more people will take part this year."

Collections already confirmed to be on display at this year’s event include the history of gardening artefacts from Northamptonshire Natural History Society and the return of the ever popular Bassett Lowke trains, which will be set up on a full track for everyone to enjoy in action.

It is free to display a collection at the exhibition and collectors are urged to sign up before the deadline of Friday, September 29.

Anyone interested in taking part should call 01604 838111 or email museums@northampton.gov.uk

A Northampton-born runner has once again beaten more than 600 competitors to clinch first place in a gruelling mountain 100-mile ultra marathon.

Ian Sharman, won the ‘Race Across the Sky’ in Colorado for the fourth time in five years.

He had previously won the race in 2016, 2015 and 2013.

More than 600 runners from across the USA and 35 countries competed in the race over 100 miles, through the Rocky Mountains, over terrain with elevations ranging from 9,200 to 12,600 feet.

Ian, who now lives in Bend, Oregon, finished the course in a time of 17 hours 34 minutes and 51 seconds, waving a union flag as he crossed the line in Leadville.

The former Northamptonian, who works as an ultra endurance athletic coach, said: “Of all the times I’ve raced in Leadville, this race was definitely the hardest for me and winning this year means more to me than my other wins because I had to overcome more.

He added: “Leadville is a classic race and it’s great racing there. I’ll definitely be back at some point to go for five wins.”