A man who was hospitalised following a head-on car crash in Northamptonshire this weekend has criticised the inaction of some onlookers.

Emergency services were called to Sywell Road at just after 10am and spent almost an hour at the scene.

After being released, the person was taken to hospital. A Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue spokesman said nobody else suffered serious injuries in the crash.

Nico Rosberg gave Brackley-based Mercedes back-to-back pole positions for the first time since their return to Formula One at the start of 2010.

Rosberg pipped reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull and Fernando Alonso in his Ferrari to claim only the second pole of his 132-race career for Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

It is the first time since last year’s race in China the 27-year-old will lead away the field, and the first time this season he has out-qualified team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton set the fourth fastest time, but a five-place penalty for a gearbox change ahead of qualifying at the Bahrain International Circuit means he now fall to ninth.

Hamilton was on pole last week in Shanghai, but even with the penalty has so far struggled this weekend at the desert-based Sakhir track.

Red Bull’s Mark Webber was fifth quickest, but like Hamilton, faces a penalty of three places after colliding with the Toro Rosso of Jean-Eric Vergne last weekend.

It means Felipe Massa will move up to fourth in his Ferrari, with the Force India’s of Paul Di Resta and Adrian Sutil lining up fifth and sixth.

Then comes Webber, who actually only loses two places courtesy of Hamilton, followed by Kimi Raikkonen in his Lotus who moves from ninth to eighth.

Alongside Hamilton on the fifth row will be former team-mate Jenson Button in his McLaren.

In 11th and 12th, after dropping out in Q2 will be Romain Grosjean in his Lotus and McLaren’s Sergio Perez, beaten by team-mates Raikkonen and Button respectively for the fourth straight race.

Toro Rosso’s Daniel Ricciardo, who a week ago in China qualified seventh, will start 13th on Sunday, with team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne 16th.

Sandwiched in between the pair are Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg and the Williams of Valtteri Bottas.

In a remarkable twist at the end of the opening 20-minute Q1 session, Pastor Maldonado dropped out after setting the same time as Williams team-mate Bottas.

Posting a lap of 1:34,125, as the Venezuelan’s time came after that of the Finn, it left Maldonado kicking his heels whilst Bottas took part in Q2.

Maldonado will start 17th ahead of Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez, with the Mexican out-qualified by Hulkenberg for the fourth consecutive race, and failing to make it into Q2 for the third time.

With a five-place grid penalty to serve for the race after running into the back of Sutil in Shanghai, Gutierrez will start at the back of the grid.

Caterham and Marussia naturally share the bottom four places, with Charles Pic a season’s best of 19th since switching from the latter to the former for this season.

Either side of Caterham’s Giedo van der Garde are Marussia duo Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton, with the 21-year-old Briton setting the slowest time in qualifying for the first time this year.

Rosberg admitted to being “a little surprised” at starting from pole, but naturally claiming to be “really, really happy” with “a fantastic result”.

The question is whether Rosberg has the pace to go on and take the chequered flag given Hamilton dropped back to third from pole, and whether the tyres will hold up under the conditions.

“Tomorrow is going to be a tough day given the degradation of the tyres,” added Rosberg.

“I want to really kick start my season given the first three races which have been tough for me so far.

“It’s difficult to say if we have enough to pace to win, but I will try, and I’m really looking forward to starting from first.”

Vettel was far from disappoionted with second, especially after the time of Rosberg.

“Congratulations to Nico because it was a very strong lap,” assessed Vettel.

“When I crossed the line and I saw I was second I didn’t know how much was missing from my lap.

“But then when I was told the gap to Nico it was clear, even with a perfect lap, he was unbeatable.”

Alonso declared himself “very, very happy with third”.

It is the third successive race Alonso will start from third, adding: “Normally we struggle a lot in qualifying, so this has put us in a strong position for the race.”

David Willey has said that he isn’t entirely happy with the way he’s been bowling, despite playing a key role in the three-day thrashing of Essex.

The all-rounder recorded match figures of eight for 110 and weighed in with a quickfire 76 as the southerners were beaten by an innings and nine runs at the County Ground.

It continued a bright start to the campaign for both Willey and his employers who will go into this week’s clash with Gloucestershire in high spirits.

And he wants to see more of the same, saying: “We started well down in Cardiff and were a bit unfortunate with the rain and we played three good days’ cricket here and we have to continue that.

“I haven’t been completely happy with how the ball has been coming out, I’ve sprayed it a bit too much and been a bit expensive, but I’m getting enough in the right place and picking up a few wickets so I’m obviously happy about that.

“I don’t think I bowled as well (against Essex) as I can, but got a few in the right areas and got some reward. I can definitely bowl better and that’s what I’ll be looking to do.”

One feature of the County’s positive beginning has been the new-look four-strong seam attack, one which Willey thinks is effective becuase of the variation offered.

He added: “It’s been superb so far.

“We’ve got Trent (Copeland) who’s bowling a lot of overs for not many runs and Crooky bowling rockets at the other end.

“We all offer something different and it’s effective, especially at this time of year.”

Sale boss Steve Diamond says his side couldn’t handle the psychological battle with Saints.

And he admitted it was tough to keep his players’ heads on the job after they secured survival ahead of their trip to Franklin’s Gardens.

Saints thrashed Sale 47-7 on Saturday evening, running in seven tries in their most emphatic victory of the season.

It was one-way traffic from start to finish, leaving the away side to reflect on a hefty beating.

And Diamond said: “It pretty much mirrors the first half of the season for us. It was a difficult game.

“Last week we performed really well against Gloucester and it was pretty difficult keeping their heads on it coming here.

“That’s what happens when you play a top side. We couldn’t handle their power and we couldn’t handle it psychologically.”

While he laid plenty of blame at the door of his players, Diamond also felt referee Luke Pearce played a part in the Sharks’ humbling defeat.

“We just made basic mistakes,” he said. “We started off really well, keeping the ball, but we’re one of the poorer sides, which is obvious by our league position.

“I’ll probably get a telling off, but we had one of the worst refs as well. We got penalised at every Northampton put-in at the scrum.

“We couldn’t get any base in the game at all. We couldn’t handle them, we couldn’t handle the decisions and we were on the wrong end of a 50-pointer. We’re very disappointed.”

Saturday’s game at Port Vale was the perfect dress rehearsal for the high-pressure environment of the play-offs that awaits the Cobblers.

And on this evidence they are well equipped to deal with the intensity of such a situation when everything is done and dusted - in terms of the regular season - next weekend..

The team is unlikely to play in front of as big and as expectant a crowd as the one that saw them draw 2-2 at Vale Park until the final itself, should they reach Wembley.

They cannot play the heavily-supported Bradford City, a team whose attendance record Vale were looking to surpass on Saturday but ultimately came up short.

Instead it looks like either Cheltenham or Burton Albion, both well backed sides but neither of whom will be able to conjure the kind of noise generated by the 11,000 thirsty fans in Burslem at the weekend.

It would have been easy to crumble in such a situation, especially considering that there was not really a huge amount at stake for Northampton - a position underlined when Cheltenham took a lead against Exeter from which they never looked back.

And the number of younger players in the side would have been forgiven for not producing their best in such a situation - in the event, the opposite was true.

Debutant David Moyo, an eyebrow-raising selection at centre-forward, showed signs of his potential value to the team in the future (and now). He played with courage and commitment, and was still going strong at the end of a full 90-minute shift.

At risk of going overboard, Lewis Hornby is a star in the making.

He has inherited Michael Jacobs’ ‘one of our own’ terrace song but a better comparison would be that of Luke Chambers, an emerging player in a good side with the footballing world at his feet.

They both performed well in this game, as did every member of the side. It was an improvement on the Wycombe outing (which in itself was an improvement) and bodes well for the end-of-season shenanigans.

Experienced and sturdy campaigners like Adebayo Akinfenwa, Clive Platt, Kelvin Langmead and Joe Widdowson were all missing and all will gradually be added to the fray before the first leg of the semi-finals.

A game against Barnet will take place between now and then and against such opposition motivation is unlikely to be hard to come by.

The team will also need to use it to build some more momentum for the three games that lay in wait once the season has formally finished.

They are getting better on the pitch with every passing game; they look more likely to create chances and score goals in open play, as evidenced by Roy O’Donovan’s excellent goal at the end of some neat midfield interplay.

At Port Vale on Saturday they also proved they have the mental strength to cope with the pressure of big games.

That hasn’t always been the case this season, and doubts had crept in during recent fixtures at Bradford City and Cheltenham Town.

Hope, though, was renewed at Vale Park. The season is set for an exciting finish.

Jeff’s ratings

LEE NICHOLLS

Clean handling throughout and had no chance with either goal - the first from a cross that bounced in no man’s land ...7

BEN TOZER

A very sensible and disciplined performance and really had his hands full with Dodds and the overlapping Jones ...7

CLARKE CARLISLE

Really got stuck into his task, played on the edges and with physicality and took his goal like a seasoned professional ...8

LEE COLLINS

So unlucky to concede the late own goal but that was more or less the only thing he did wrong in another excellent display ...8

JOHN JOHNSON

Had his work cut out with Myrie-Williams, who is possibly the best winger in the division, but passed the test with flying colours ...7

CHRIS HACKETT

Showed signs of the old magic and his individual battle with the talented Jones was one of the game’s key plot lines ...7

BEN HARDING

Seems so much more comfortable and confident with the extra man in midfield and got to lots of loose balls first ...7

LEWIS HORNBY

Was not fazed by the occasion at all and actually seemed to rise to it; cool and calm in possession and provided the pass for O’Donovan’s goal ...8

LUKE GUTTRIDGE

Enjoyed a blood-and-thunder midfield battle with fellow schemer Griffith in which no quarter was asked or given ...8

ROY O’DONOVAN

The wide role limited his ability to influence the game in sustained periods but the goal was a first-rate striker that gladdened the heart ...7

DAVID MOYO

Was given no real chances to use his fabled pace but can still be hugely pleased with the contribution he made to the game ...7

Substitutes not used: Snedker, Akinfenwa, Cameron, Dias, Wilson, Robinson

Port Vale boss Micky Adams believes the Cobblers’ play-off opponents will be in for ‘a hell of a’ couple of matches next month.

Town secured their place in the npower League Two play-offs with a 2-2 draw at Vale Park that saw Adams’ side promoted.

The visitors led twice - through Clarke Carlisle’s early goal and a sweet Roy O’Donovan strike - only to see the home side equalise twice and deny them a memorable victory.

Luke Guttridge hit the bar too in a game that was very nearly won by a Northampton side who have the second worst away record in the division but made light of such statistics to turn in one of their best performances of the season.

“To be honest I thought we were average today,” said an emotional Adams.

“I thought picking a man of the match would have been difficult today because I thought the occasion and the emotion of it all got to them a bit, and that is understandable – they are only human.

“Northampton played really well and I have got to give them credit.

“Whoever faces Northampton in the play-offs is in for one hell of a two games, because they are a strong unit.

“But we have had a little bit of luck at the end and I think we deserve it and as I have said, onwards and upwards, we can look forward to next season now.”

The pitch invasion that took place at the end of the game will have given the Cobblers players inspiration for the play-off campaign and represents something of a catharsis for Adams, who only had three players under contractual wraps a week before the season started.

“We were kept informed all along of what was happening elsewhere and we are not mathematically certain of promotion yet, but we are going to enjoy it tonight, that’s for sure,” he said.

“If you had seen me half an hour ago I was blubbering like a good ‘un, but I am genuinely delighted for everybody connected with the football club.”

A Northampton contestant on BBC One’s The Voice has told how a record company rejection sent him on a downward spiral.

Karl Michael, from Standens Barn, is living in a bedsit despite a short time ago being within touching distance of the big time and signed with a record label.

He said: “Some people think that having a record deal means you’ve made it. It doesn’t.

“About six months ago I was in a studio making an album and literally three days later the record company decided to pull out.

“I went from recording in a studio in New York to cleaning windows in Earls Court.

“In a matter of six months I lost everything.”

Karl has had two recording contracts in the past and has sung vocals on a Bruno Mars track,

But lately he has been making ends meet by cleaning windows during the day and working in a bar at night to pay his rent.

He said: “It’s like climbing a mountain and as you’re about to reach the top you fall.

“I feel like I’ve taken about five steps back in my life.

“I should be living with a girlfriend in a house not living in a bedsit. It’s not where I want to be.”

On Saturday night he told The Voice judges - Danny O’Donoghue, Jessie J. will.i.am and Sir Tom Jones - “I can’t seem to catch a break.”

But his fortunes may now be on an upward trajectory after he wowed the superstars with his version of ‘No More I Love Yous’ by Annie Lennox.

All four signalled their approval in the ‘blind’ audition, where listen with their backs to the stage, by turning their chairs to face him.

They all then tried to persuade Karl to join their team for the later stages of the competition, with the 27-year-old eventually picking Danny, partly because of their shared Irish heritage.

Telling Danny on last night’s show “I won’t let you down,” he described his shock at the judge’s reactions, but has now stated his determination to win the contest.

He said: “I still feel I’m in a dream. I was thinking ‘hang on a minute, actually all four have turned around’.”

He added: “Things happen for a reason. I’m going to grab this opportunity with both hands and I’m going to own it.”

And Danny, had high praise for his new protégé.

He said: “That was the biggest one of the day; everyone was going all in on that one.

“One person comes along in the series who you really see a lot of yourself in.

“It might be something to do with all the troubles and the pain that we’ve had in the past but that kid’s special, very special.”

Earlier in the show Karl had told viewers: “Everything is at stake for me. I’ve got nothing, all I’ve got is my voice. I’ve got to prove to myself and my family that I can do this.

“It’s my last shot. I don’t want to fail, I want to win.”

James Wilson admits he revelled in being the centre of attention in Saints’ superb win against Sale last Saturday.

The Kiwi came off the bench during the second half to score two tries in the 47-7 demolition of the Sharks at Franklin’s Gardens.

It was the first time Wilson, who replaced Tom May at 13, has been given a run out in a competitive Saints game at centre.

And he loved every minute of it, showcasing his intelligence and skill in a hugely impressive performance.

“I’ve been training a bit at centre and I played there a little bit for the Wanderers recently as well so I like it there,” Wilson said.

“I’m training well there and I’m pretty happy.

“I like that position. It’s something I’ve played over the past few seasons.

“Obviously I haven’t played there too much here yet, with Fodes (Ben Foden) being injured at the start of the season and me coming in at full-back, but it’s a bit of utility and I don’t mind that.”

Wilson did make an appearance at centre during the pre-season game at Edinburgh last summer and made a huge impact in the position.

He set up a try for Ken Pisi in the 54-3 triumph at Murrayfield and looked set to make the position his own this season.

He has gone on to get opportunities at full-back and on the wing, but Wilson admits he likes the centre role due to the amount of work he is able to get through.

“I played about 25 minutes in that one (at Edinburgh),” he recalled.

“I enjoy it because it’s a bit busier but I’m happy to play anywhere.”

Chris Hackett does not believe it would be worthwhile resting players for the final Cobblers game of the season to protect them for the play-offs.

Several members of the first-team squad sat out the game at Port Vale, with Kelvin Langmead (knee), Clive Platt (calf) and Joe Widdowson (knee) all left behind.

Adebayo Akinfenwa, who is struggling with a back problem, was an unused substitute, while Ishmel Demontagnac has also missed the past three games with a hamstring strain.

All five are likely to be fit for the final match of the season, against Barnet at Sixfields on Saturday, but there have been suggestions some of them will not play to keep them fresh for the play-offs.

Hackett is unsure such a policy would be effective, and said: “I think you can get injured whenever. You can get injured in training so it’s a hard one to call.

“You can be doing the lightest of drills and pick up an injury, so I don’t know. The manager has been in this situation before and he’ll know what to do best.

“Some players like to be in a rhythm and playing every week and some players like a rest so it really depends on individuals.

“A lot of the boys are nursing knocks because it’s at that stage of the season so he (Boothroyd) will be having a lot of conversations with the physio and taking it from there.”

The Cobblers will finish this season with the worst away record in npower League Two and will need to find some form on the road when the play-offs take place.

Hackett believes improvements have been made recently, and says their performance at Port Vale - where only a late own goal prevented a victory - has boosted their confidence.

“We’re quietly confident,” said Hackett.

“We were very pleased with our second-half performance in the Cheltenham game and we didn’t do too badly at Bradford.

“We’ve had quite a few games and we’re starting to build something in terms of that.

“Our away form hasn’t been as good as we’d like it to be but we’ve had some good performances.

“At Port Vale I thought we were a bit unlucky not to win the game and so we need to keep building on that.”

Northamptonshire Twenty20 target Shaun Marsh is set to be included in Australia’s squad for this summer’s Ashes series.

The West Australian was offered a deal to become the County’s second overseas player for the group stage of Friends Life t20 but turned it down after being advised by Cricket Australia to rest instead of venturing overseas.

But the 29-year-old, who made a century on his Test debut in Sri Lanka, could now be named in the 16-man tour party which will be revealed in Sydney tommorow (Wednesday).

Michael Clarke’s side, who are due to face Northants in a two-day fixture on August 16-17, begin their quest to reclaim the urn on July 10 at Trent Bridge.

A 21-year-old Cobblers’ fan has been charged on suspicion of possessing a firework or flare and throwing it onto the pitch after the first goal at Northampton’s draw against Port Vale on Saturday.

The man from Northampton was arrested by Staffordshire at the game and is due to appear before magistrates’ in Stoke-on-Trent on Thursday, May 9.

Pc Nick Price, Northamptonshire Police’s football liaison officer, was on duty at the game.

He said: “I have asked supporters who may have any phone footage of this incident, or other incidents, to send them in to me via my Twitter account, @NorpolFootball, so we can help build a case against those who cause trouble at football matches.

“I have also received several messages from Northampton supporters unhappy at the way they were treated by Staffordshire Police officers.

“Again, if this is the case then please contact me or contact Staffordshire Police directly at www.staffordshire.police.uk/contact_us/complaint.”

Dozens of jobs are at risk at Coca Cola’s Northampton-based distribution plant as part of a UK-wide redundancy drive.

About 35 jobs are under threat at Coca Cola Enterprises in Gowerton Road, Brackmills, part of an overall cull of 300 jobs the soft drink giant across its sites in England and Scotland.

Union leaders have described the move, which will affect drivers and warehouse workers in Northampton as a “devastating blow”.

Unite said sites impacted by the decision also include Bristol, East Kilbride, north London, Sidcup and Wakefield.

National officer Jennie Formby said: “This news will be a devastating blow for our members and their families, especially in the current economic climate of austerity, welfare cuts and now rising unemployment.

“It is too early to make a detailed analysis of the announcement. However, our immediate priority must be to get full details of the reasoning behind this decision and to examine what alternatives there could be for our members.

“Cola Coca Enterprises is a highly profitable and successful global company and we will be doing everything in our power to protect jobs.”

A company spokesman said: “Following a strategic review, we are proposing to end our direct delivery service in Great Britain.

“This service is primarily used by foodservice outlets and we have identified the need for a more efficient way of distributing our products to these customers.

“We have now started a full consultation on these proposals with our employee representative bodies and the Unite trade union. If these changes were implemented they could result in the loss of approximately 288 roles from a total workforce in Great Britain of 4,400.

“We do not make these proposals lightly and we will, of course, be looking to minimise redundancies as far as possible and will offer support to help colleagues through this process.”

Two organised crime gang members who carried out a six-month spree of terrifying raids at supermarkets across Northamptonshire, Norfolk and Suffolk have been jailed for more than 11 years.

Shaun Martin and Daniel Bage targeted eight Co-op and Tesco stores in the county in the “meticulously planned” raids, between April and September last year, as well as three Co-op stores in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Norwich Crown Court heard how the pair brandished weapons and threatened shop staff during the robberies.

The pair were caught after a lengthy police investigation spanning three counties, and had gone to “great lengths” to avoid capture, officers said.

Martin, aged 35, of Darwin Walk, Duston, was jailed for four-and-a-half years and Bage, aged 29, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to seven years. They had both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robberies.

The eight offences in Northamptonshire were as follows:

Co-op, Pond Farm Close, Duston - Thursday, April 24

Co-op, Wootton Hope Drive, Wootton Fields, Northampton - Thursday, May 15

Co-op, Richmond Road, Towcester - Friday, June 1

Tesco, Kent Road, Duston - Thursday, June 12

Tesco Express, Wimborne Place, Daventry - Friday, June 22

Co-op, Lake Avenue, Kettering - Friday, June 29

Co-op, Hunters Way, Brixworth - Tuesday, July 17

Co-op, St Leonard’s Road, Far Cotton, Northampton - Friday, August 17

The pair also raided Co-op stores in Sheringham, Norfolk, on Wednesday, August 8; Clenchwarton, Norfolk on Wednesday, August 22 and Laxfield, Suffolk on Wednesday, September 5.

Detective Inspector David Giles, from Suffolk Police said: “This is the culmination of a lengthy police investigation over nine months across three counties and I am pleased with the sentences handed down by the judge at court.

“The robberies had been meticulously planned and executed at stores, often in remote locations. Bage and Martin formed part of an organised crime group who had clearly researched their crimes and went to great lengths to carry out the robberies and secure their escape.

“For shop staff to be confronted by people threatening them while brandishing weapons must have been terrifying for them. The fact they are now behind bars will hopefully be of some comfort to them.

“The investigation that has concluded today has come about through excellent cross-border working between forces, the tenacity of a Suffolk officer who followed a suspect’s vehicle which failed to stop, and good old-fashioned policing.

“Today should serve as a warning to those people who are thinking of committing such crimes that wherever you choose to hide, we will never stop looking for you.”

At the same court last month, Anna Spina, aged 41, of Newport Pagnell Road, Northampton, was sentenced to nine months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to do 200 hours community service, after pleading guilty to assisting an offender in connection with the Laxfield robbery.

A motorist was headbutted and then subjected to racist abuse following a road rage incident in Northampton town centre.

Police today appealed for witnesses to the racist assault in St Michael’s Road, last Saturday, between 7.10pm and 7.30pm, when a 26-year-old man was driving along Upper Mounts, before turning into St Michael’s Road.

A small blue car was driving alongside him, to his right, when it suddenly cut in front and took the left turning into Overstone Road.

The victim pulled over to check his car, at which point a man approached the victim and began shouting racist abuse at him.

He then headbutted the victim, while continuing to shout racist abuse. Police said two members of the public then intervened and the offender returned to the blue car in which he was a passenger, before driving off down Overstone Road.

He was today described as white, aged about 50 and 5ft 7in with greying, blonde short hair and grey/blue coloured eyes. He had a stocky build and was wearing a dark blue cardigan, light blue patched shirt, blue denim jeans and dark coloured shoes.

The woman driving the blue car, which was possibly a Ford Fiesta, was white, aged 45-55, with short blonde hair and she had glasses hanging around her neck. She was wearing a green/brown cardigan.

Police want to speak to anyone who may have witnessed this incident, specifically the two members of the public who intervened.

Anyone with information can call Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Northamptonshire’s County Championship schedule takes them to Bristol this week for their third of a four-game block.

It’s been a case of so far, so good for the County with a solid draw in Cardiff followed by an innings thumping of Essex, two performances that have seen them move to the top of the embryonic Division Two table.

But while it would be easy to go with the flow and assume that thwe good form will continue in the south-west, captain Stepehn Peters falls into the school that demands a wiping of the slate prior to the next game.

He said: “We’re a good side but not to good that we don’t have to work hard.

“Practice on Monday was all about doing the same kind of things that we’ve been doing through the winter and in the first few weeks of the season.

“I’m delighted with how we’ve started but we’re not good enough to not put in the effort all of the time.

“There will be no complacency while I’m in charge and I expect another thoroughly professional effort down in Bristol.”

The County Ground usually dishes up a surface that leads to a positive result one way or the other, especially this early in the season, but Peters thinks that the hosts might be a bit more wary of the visitors’ strengths.

He added: “It’s been quite dry over the last week or so so perhaps it won’t be as green as it sometimes is down there.

“If they’ve looked at how well our seamers have done in the two games then it could well be a decent cricket ptich and one where we’ll have to work for our rewards.”

Gloucestershire shared the spoils in a high-scoring draw at Chelmsford in their opening game against Essex and Peters will name the same side.

“Our seamers have had quite a high workload but the extra day off did them some good and everyone has pulled up alright,” he said.

“There will come a point where we’ll have to use our squad but at the moment we’ll stick with the lads who have done well.”

Northants: Peters, Coetzer, Sales, Wakely, Newton, Hall, Murphy, Willey, Middlebrook, Copeland, Crook.

Reports of anti-social behaviour have fallen slightly in Northampton town centre during the past 12 months, according to police figures published today.

An 11 per cent decrease was recorded in the year to March 31, 2013, with the number of incidents falling from 14,935 to 13,257.

However, police have been quick to point to continuing problems in the town, including “inconsiderate” cycling in Weston Favell, litter and fly-tipping in Southfields and nuisance issues in Duston.

Meanwhile, street drinking and begging remains a current focus for the Northampton Central Safer Community Team operating in the town centre itself.

Sergeant Matt Phillips, of Northampton Central SCT, said: “We will continue to have a visible presence in the centre of Northampton so that we can address any issues with begging or street drinking.

“We are aware that we have a key part to play if we want to make the town centre a place that residents and visitors want to come to do their shopping or enjoy themselves.

“I am pleased that the number of incidents has come down but we must continue working hard with our partners and other agencies in Northampton to keep it that way.”

Anyone concerned about anti-social behaviour in the Northampton area can police on 101 or Northampton Borough Council on 0300 330 7000.

Cobblers defender and PFA chairman Clarke Carlisle believes removing Liverpool striker Luis Suarez from the shortlist for the player-of-the-year award would ‘send out a terrible message’.

The Liverpool striker is one of the favourites to win the award this season, after scoring 30 goals for the Reds.

Suarez has been heavily criticised for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during the 2-2 draw between the two sides at Anfield last Sunday, but while there have been calls for the 26-year-old to be withdrawn from the list of nominees, Carlisle says the player will be judged on footballing ability alone.

When asked by talkSPORT whether Suarez’s name should be removed, he said: “No, it’s not possible.

“The player-of-the-year award is voted on footballing merit alone. This isn’t club man of the year or most well behaved player. It’s voted for by the players on football ability.

“A couple of years ago Ched Evans was in the team of the year, he was subsequently sent to prison for rape and we made the decision to let the award stand because the vote was taken well before he got into the trouble and it was on footballing ability alone.

“If we were to change that now because Luis Suarez has bitten someone then that would be a terrible message to send out.

“We’ve made that distinction, it’s about footballing ability alone, it’s voted for by his peers and that’s going to remain.”

Popstar and former Eastender Martin Kemp has opened a new brain injury service in Northampton.

The Spandau Ballet bassist was today at The Cotswolds facility for men recovering from brain injuries, which is in Cotswold Avenue, Duston.

Mr Kemp, who himself survived two brain tumours, spoke to staff about his experience and about the need for such units.

He said: “The two years that I had the tumours was the scariest time of my life and I know you need people to talk to who are not part of your family and people to care like people here do.

“To tell you the truth there was nothing like that back in 1995, which is why this place is so important.”

The OakLeaf Group opened the specialist residential home to complement the other brain injury services they run in Northamptonshire.

Clients will be men who have reached a plateau in their rehabilitation and will not benefit any more from Oakleaf’s education and therapies.

Up to 29 will live in the completely refurbished former care home looked after by 80 staff in modern surroundings

Dom Waldouck says it’s great to see Luther Burrell showing everyone what he can do at Saints.

Centre Waldouck is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury he sustained during a training session last month.

His absence has given Burrell, who started the season with a bang before fading, another chance to impose himself on the Northampton team.

And the ex-Sale powerhouse has certainly done that, scoring three tries in the past two games to secure his spot in the first team.

“Luther’s playing very well,” said Waldouck, who is set to be out for around four months.

“I’ve always said he’s a great player and he’s showed that in the games against London Welsh and Sale.

“It’s a good challenge for him to go and do well at Harlequins on the last day of the season.

“And then there’s Tom May as well, who’s been doing well. There’s a lot of competition in the squad.”

While Waldouck is clearly delighted to see his team-mates make the Premiership play-off semi-finals, he does admit he’s finding life on the sidelines tough.

And the former Wasps player says he is trying to rebuild himself mentally and physically as he bids to get over his latest setback.

“It was very serious,” he said. “I’ve just been icing and keeping my leg up so I’ve done very little really.

“I had a week down in London at my mum’s house and then come back here for some treatment work at the club.

“It’s a lot of mental rebuilding, particularly because of how it happened.

“You build yourself up and get yourself going again.”

On how the incident happened, Waldouck explained: “My foot just gave way and someone landed on me.

“I did the splits and I was in a bad position. I just heard two pops and that was it.”

Although it was said with a note of caution, Aidy Boothroyd believes he may have finally ‘cracked’ the Cobblers’ miserable away form.

Town wrapped up their road campaign for 2012/13 with a good 2-2 draw at Port Vale that would have been a victory but for Lee Collins’ 85th-minute own goal.

It means Northampton finish the regular season with the second worst away record in npower League Two, behind Saturday afternoon’s opponents Barnet.

Torquay United have an identical record of four wins, eight draws and 11 losses but have a superior goal difference of -5, to the Cobblers’ -16.

The draw at Vale Park and the 0-0 stalemate at Wycombe Wanderers in the previous game were both improvements on the back-to-back losses at Cheltenham and Bradford.

And Boothroyd has been happy with the way the five-man midfield - which includes recalled duo Luke Guttridge and Lewis Hornby - has functioned in the past week.

“I know I shouldn’t really say it but I think we’ve cracked it,” said Boothroyd, whose team play a two-legged play-off after they conclude their season against Barnet at Sixfields on Saturday.

“We’ve found a way of playing that not only suits us but helps us win.

“We can take that into the play-off games that we’ve got.

“There’s only one thing we want to do in the play-offs, and that’s to win them.

“We know we can beat anyone on our day.

“If we’re not right, we can get done by anybody as well but I’m really looking forward to the two games.”

That concept of being able to lose to anyone team in the division was ruthlessly exposed by Barnet when the teams met at Underhill in October.

Town were well beaten that night, going down 4-0 to a struggling side and to the visible fury of their manager Boothroyd.

It was a bad evening and one that is likely to provide plenty of motivation for the weekend side, but Boothroyd says a victory against the Bees - who need a win to definitely maintain their Football League status - would be primarily about generating momentum for the play-offs.

“We want to win it,” he said. “We’ve got to think about ourselves and the momentum that we’re building at the moment.

“Would the team that played at Port Vale have gone out at the start of the season? I wouldn’t have thought so.

“But it’s a squad that is together, that is growing and betting better every week.

“We had a little wobble but we should have got more out of those games during that period, certainly the one at Cheltenham.

“But we’ve kept going and we got a magnificent result at Port Vale.”