The early-morning punch up in The Drapery was described to Northampton Crown Court today (February 16) by the deceased 17-year-old's girlfriend, speaking as a witness.

She described how Liam and James Dodd, 19, from Camp Hill, Northampton, squared up to each other - for no reason other than them both wanting to "have a fight" that night - before "having swingers". Dodd threw the first punch.

The fight was described by prosecutor John Lloyd-Jones as the "catalyst shortly thereafter for the murder of Liam Hunt".

Dodd now stands trial along with six other young men for the stabbing that killed Liam on February 14 last year.

The court heard how on the night of February 12, 2017, Liam had just been in a fight with another man on the Drapery, which his girlfriend and friends had tried to break up".

The 18-year-old girl told the jury: "We were walking on the Drapery towards McDonald's. Liam's adrenaline was pumping. He was saying 'I want to fight tonight'".

But that night, James Dodd was also on the Drapery, reportedly shouting at a girl in a bus stop and saying he also wanted to fight.

The witness said: "I heard James say, 'anyone who wants it can have it'.

"Liam must have heard James. He shouted 'oh yeah, you want a fight then, yeah? Come on then.'

"Liam and James were very close to each other. James threw the first punch. And that was it. They were having swingers."

The fight was reportedly broken up when one of Liam's friends rugby-tackled the brawling pair and knocked them to the ground. James then "scrambled up quickly and ran".

The trial continues.

CCTV shows men who police believe might be able to help with an assault investigation in Northampton.

The assault happened in College Street, at about 3pm, on Monday, December 4.

The men, or anyone who recognises them, are asked to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Scunthorpe United assistant manager Neil McDonald says the Iron are ready to snuff out the threat of striker Kevin van Veen if he makes a quick return to Glanford Park on Saturday afternoon.

The Dutchman switched to Sixfields only last month when he signed for the Cobblers for an undisclosed fee, and now a matter of weeks later, he could be taking on his former team-mates at his old stomping ground when Town take on the Iron in Sky Bet League One (ko 3pm).

The 26-year-old is a doubt for the game due to a dead leg he suffered in his full Town debut at AFC Wimbledon last Saturday, but if he does make it, McDonald insists his old Scunthorpe pals will be well prepared to ensure van Veen, who spent three-and-a-half years at the Iron, does minimal damage.

“They have a certain player who is coming back who is going to try and haunt us,” said McDonald, who was doing pre-match media duties instead of manager Graham Alexander.

“We dealt with that well recently when Fleetwood’s centre forward (Paddy Madden) didn’t score against us on his first game against us, and hopefully Northampton’s centre forward won’t score either.

“We know of Kev’s qualities and we know his strengths.

“Certainly the back four and the midfield in front know all about what Kevin can do, and we’ll do all we can to make sure he has a tough game.”

Prior to his departure for Sixfields, van Veen was the Iron’s main source of goals, netting six in his final 11 games for the club, but Scunthorpe have found little touble finding the net since his departure.

They have netted six times in their past three games, with former Cobblers striker Ivan Toney and prolific midfielder Josh Morris both netting twice, while the much-travelled Lee Novak has also hit the target.

“I think our attacking play has been excellent,” said McDonald. “We try and figure what our opponents’ weaknesses are and exploit what we have – we certainly have done that well.

“We are creating chances and scoring good goals, if we can carry and doing that whilst being clinical then we will certainly win a lot more games than not.”

The Cobblers travel to Lincolnshire off the back of a deeply disappointing 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Gillingham on Tuesday night, but they are unbeaten on the road in 2018.

They have won at Bradford City and AFC Wimbledon and also drawn 1-1 at Blackburn Rovers since the turn of the year, and McDonald is anticipating a testing afternoon for a Scunthorpe side without a win in their past three home games.

They have lost to Rotherham and Gillingham and drawn with Doncaster Rovers since a New Year’s Day win over Bury, but their record against the Cobblers at home is excellent, with Town never having won at Glanford Park.

Indeed, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s team lost 1-0 there earlier this season in an FA Cup replay following a 0-0 draw at Sixfields, while Scunthorpe were also 3-0 victors in the league match at Sixfields.

Those results, says McDonald, will give the Iron confidence going into Saturday’s game, the fourth meeting between the teams this season.

“Northampton are up and down in their performances really,” said McDonald. “Since Jimmy has taken over they went through a great period and then they struggled to pick up points.

“But we know they’re a good, well-organised team with some fantastic individual quality players.

“We can certainly take confidence from our last three games against them as we know we can break them down and score goals.

“We will be well prepared for them and the task ahead this Saturday.

“We’re looking forward to putting our practice on the training ground on to a match day and hoping to get the three points.”

Matt Adcock reviews Black Panther (12A), starring Chadwick Boseman and Lupita Nyong’o

Here we go then with another Marvel superhero-em-up which follows on from Captain America: Civil War, and it’s a rip-roaring challenge to those who think they might be getting a bit bored with these comic book movies.

The plot sees Black Panther / King T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) returning to his homeland Wakanda to be their new leader after his father’s assassination. Things are a little tense though as there are some who would challenge his right to rule and question his stance on the country’s advanced technology and weaponry.

What follows is a dazzling cinematic romp packed with action, humour and strong messaging about racism, injustice and the hunger for revenge. Much has been made of the fact that most of the cast is black but the truth is that the film is so strong it never feels forced.

When the outcast mercenary Erik Killmonger (Michael B Jordan) challenges T’Challa’s throne with a view to take use Wakanda’s technological might to liberate and arm racially oppressed African Americans around the globe – it takes the film into areas of questioning not just revolutionary rhetoric and the responsibilities of leadership.

T’Challa can sure kick ass in a fight but he is a well-rounded character who behind the mask is a sensitive guy wanting to do what’s right not just for his people but for the wider world too.

Director Ryan Coogler gives the film a real beating heart, doesn’t allow the strong racial elements to overwhelm the plotting and manages to inject vital new lifeblood into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This is a film that empowers its female characters – to the point that they often take centre stage and outshine the men. T’Challa’s sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) is the Wakandan tech scientist who designs Black Panther’s awesome weaponry and gadgets. Angela Bassett brings maternal wisdom as T’Challa’s mother Ramonda and Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) is every bit a match for the Black Panther as a strong-willed agent and potential love interest.

Black Panther is a triumph, a great addition to the ongoing cinematic antics of the Avengers and an all-round crowd pleaser – a new King has been crowned.

He attended the launch at the Errol Flynn Filmhouse ahead of the show when it visits the Royal & Derngate in Northampton from Tuesday to Saturday April 24 to 28.

Sting was joined by cast members former Coronation Street star Richard Fleeshman, Emmerdale's Charlie Hardwick and The Upper Hand's Joe McGann for the show in which they performed five songs from the show as well as answered questions from the audience.

The Last Ship, which was initially inspired by Sting’s 1991 album The Soul Cages and his own childhood experiences, tells the story of a community amid the demise of the shipbuilding industry in Tyne and Wear, with the closure of the Swan Hunter shipyard.

This personal, political and passionate new musical from multiple Grammy Award winner Sting, is an epic account of a family, a community and a great act of defiance. The Last Ship features an original score with music and lyrics by Sting as well as a few of his best-loved songs; Island of Souls, All This Time and When We Dance.

When a sailor named Gideon Fletcher returns home after seventeen years at sea, tensions between past and future flare in both his family and his town. The local shipyard, around which the community has always revolved, is closing and no-one knows what will come next, only that a half-built ship towers over the terraces. With the engine fired and pistons in motion, picket lines are drawn as foreman Jackie White and his wife Peggy fight to hold their community together in the face of the gathering storm.

Sting said: "My earliest memory is of these gigantic industrial structures which blocked out the sun. I left the town and didn't want to work in the shipyard, I wanted to be a musician and was lucky enough to be successful.

"But at some point, I wanted to go home and pay a debt to the community that formed me and made me who I am."

And Sting was keen to maintain that the musical has a theme which will resonate with many communities.

He said: "It has a serious theme which is the closure of an industry but there is a love story, a lot of joy and laughter.

"But it's an emotional play. I've seen the play a lot in the audience and have been sat next to grown men crying.

"It's a common theme that I think will mean a lot in towns and cities regardless of whether you had a ship building industry or not as places had coal mines and factories. Those places gave people a sense of their identity, a sense of themselves. When you take that away from the community, it creates all kinds of issues."

This is the first time that the show has come to the UK having previously has a stint performing in Broadway and Chicago in 2014. But it has been fine tuned for the UK tour.

Sting said: "For me, a play is never finished. You are always working on it, almost all of the time. Even in rehearsals, I'm tinkering with it each day. I think the play is a lot more politicial tha it was on Broadway because I think it needs to be in England. We need to be much closer to the social and political history.

"It was quite a complex play on Broadway and I think this will be a lot more simple. I'm very happy with how it is going and we have got a wonderful cast including the actors, dancers and singers. It will be an emotional, entertaining evening."

And for Sting, it will be a case of his career coming full circle as he started his professional music career in the same theatre in Newcastle which will be the opening night of the tour."

He also confessed that it was the first time he had been in Northampton.

"I just walked around the theatre, it's an extraordinary building and one which I think people should be very proud of," Sting said. "It has got a gigantic stage which will suit this play really well because the dimensions of a ship yard are enormous. This is one of the few theatres that can accommodate the kind of dimensions that we need and I am very excited the show is coming here."

For a career which has been packed full of illustrious achievements and several hit songs, Sting says The Last Ship is among his proudest achievements.

Sting said: "This is my legacy if I am allowed to have one as it is the most personal subject."

Tickets for The Last Ship can be booked by calling the box office on 01604 624811 or visit www.royalandderngate.co.uk

The incident was originally reported by the Northants Street Angels at about 10pm on Sunday (February 11) after the volunteer group found a young woman doused in water in Abington Street before they exchanged her wet bedding for dry items.

The Northants Street Angels also set up a fundraising page and have raised over £1,200 for the woman to stay in a hotel.

But in a recent update on their Facebook page, published hours ago, the volunteer group have now said her allegations were not all true and "due to maybe desperation after an unfortunate catalogue of circumstances."

The post reads: "After speaking with other agencies and services, and with other members of the homeless community, the decision has been made to remove the original post.

"We reported the allegation as it was told to us by the victim. But it would seem that the allegation wasn’t quite true and that due to maybe desperation after an unfortunate catalogue of circumstances, was a cry for help. We always endeavour to help anyone and everyone that asks us and have reached out to the lady to let her know that the offer of help is still there if she wants it, without judgement.

"We have had many reports from our homeless community over the last two years of assaults, tents being set fire to, belongings being taken, the list is endless, and we treat all allegations in the same way and have replenished many items that have been stolen, damaged or destroyed.

"We never imagined that the original post would have gone as viral as it did, but understand that it would affect people as emotionally just as it did us that evening. Watts furniture has done nothing wrong and as far as we can gather there was no bucket of water involved.....going forward we would still like to help the lady, and anyone else that needs it.

"Obviously, the original fund was set up to help get this lady off the street...but until we can speak with her we don’t know what she would like to do. We will keep you posted with information as we get it and we will try to get back to everyone that has messaged.

"We totally understand if anyone would want their donation back. We have it sitting in PayPal for the time being. If you would like it back then please get in touch with your email/PayPal name and we will return. Thanks for your patience and understanding. Let’s get the word out and correct the information that is public xx."

Police were called to road crash in Northampton this afternoon.

The accident, involving three cars, happened in Wellingborough Road, near to the junction with Stimpson Avenue at about 12.40pm.

A police spokeswoman said: "There's nothing to suggest any serious injuries were caused."

The vehicles were this afternoon waiting to be towed away and were causing a minor obstruction in the road.

A rare piece of aviation history is going up for auction in Northamptonshire next week.

One of the original Concorde noses dating back to the 1970s is to be sold for a figure in the region of £40,000 to £60,000.

It is thought to be the only unused nose cone from the few that were originally made for the Concorde fleet by BAC Aerospatial.

Auctioneer Jonathan Humbert said: "We appreciate this is not an inexpensive item but I’d be hard-pressed to think of a more exclusive and iconic item to sell than a famous nose cone from the worlds fasted commercial plane - and with the provenance it comes with - any buyer can be assured of acquiring a most exclusive piece of modern design with an incredible social history connection.

Standing 11ft high, the cone is an example of forward-thinking 1960s design that enabled the aircraft to achieve supersonic flight and a place in the hearts and minds of a world where flight times of three-and-a-half hours were possible between Paris and New York.

The Aeronautica auction takes place from 11am on Thursday, February 22 at Humbert & Ellis Auctioneers near Silverstone.

Aaron Cohen, 32, of Witham Way, Kings Heath, "yanked" on the door to the dock at Northampton Magistrate's Court in November last year after hearing he would be taken into custody on a separate charge.

He found the door was unlocked. Then, in an "opportunistic" escape, he ran out the courtroom, down the stairs and out the building, all the while evading the court officers trying to catch him.

A police manhunt was launched shortly after - only for Cohen to turn himself in at the same court four days later.

He was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court today for escaping police custody.

His Honour Judge Rupert Mayo said: "You're clearly sorry for what happened and that is best indicated by the fact you handed yourself in."

Cohen was sentenced to six weeks custody.

Stone Cottage and Farm Cottage in Towcester, owned by William Blake House Northants, provide support for people with complex learning disabilities.

In a recent report, inspectors found the staff were caring and compassionate and people were being provided with safe, responsive, caring, effective and well-led care.

Andrea Sutcliffe chief inspector of Adult Social Care said: “The quality of care, which our inspectors found here was exceptional and I am very pleased that we can celebrate the service’s achievements.

“An outstanding service is the result of a tremendous amount of hard work and commitment. I would like to thank and congratulate everyone involved.”

Under CQC’s programme of inspections, all adult social care services are being given a rating according to whether they are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

Both Stone Cottage and Farm Cottage are rated Outstanding overall - they are both rated as Outstanding based on their services being well-led and responsive, and rated Good for whether their services are safe, effective and caring.

Rob Assall-Marsden, CQC’s Head of Inspection for Adult Social Care in the central region said: “Our inspection team were extremely impressed by the level of care and support offered to people at both Farm Cottage and Stone Cottage, which we found gave them an enhanced sense of the quality of life and well-being.

“We found both homes provided person-centred care that respected the unique qualities of each person. People and their relatives were very involved in decisions regarding their care and support needs and the support people received were flexible and responsive to their needs and preferences.

“People were encouraged and supported to regularly engage with events outside of the service. People using the service and families were actively encouraged to give their views and raise any concerns or complaints.

“Feedback was valued and responses to matters raised were dealt with in an open, transparent and honest way. At both homes, inspectors noted that healthy eating using some homegrown organic produce was integral to promoting people's good health and overall well-being. All of this meant people received a high standard of care, which is why it has been rated Outstanding.”

Northamptonshire's subsidised bus network has shrunk by nearly 500,000 miles in the past four years - and is set to get worse under county council cuts.

In 2016, buses supported by the Government travelled over 40 per cent less than they did in 2013, leaving the residents of villages and rural areas stranded from shops, hospitals and doctors appointments.

Over 30 bus routes in the county are subsidised by the county council - but all of them face an even further reduction in funding under the upcoming budget for next year.

In contrast, the county's commercial bus network only shrunk by 140,000 miles in the same time - a drop of only 1.5 per cent.

Alan Jones, a member of BusUsersUK for Northampton, from Duston, said: "If the money is going to be cut then somebody is going to lose their service.

"Rural areas are the hardest hit. What if you are in Cogenhoe or Pattishall? What if you need to go to the doctors or the hospital, or need to do food shopping? Or even see a friend for a coffee in the town centre? You are left stranded."

The county council is bound by law to identify "socially necessary" bus routes run by commercial companies and help fund them to stay running. They can face legal action if this is not upheld.

The local authority proposed to cut all £1.3million of funding from the buses in a draft budget published last year.

But they have since reversed on this following an overwhelmingly-negative response from the public. This pointed out how cutting buses would just encourage more people to use cars and cause more traffic, while leaving many people socially-isolated.

The buses instead now face a cut of £558,000, with only the on-demand "to-your-door" CallConnect and CountyConnect minibuses being spared.

Alan said: "I don't think it will be enough. It only covers certain areas. For example, it doesn't cover Cogenhoe. It's a sticking plaster at best.

"I don't know if the buses can be saved. I think Northampton Borough Council could try running some of them."

The decline in subsidised journeys in Northamptonshire is in line with a national trend.

Saints produced a stirring second-half fightback as they secured a 25-17 Aviva Premiership success against struggling London Irish at Franklin's Gardens.

After an error-strewn first-half display, the black, green and gold headed in at half-time 14-3 down.

Alex Lewington pounced twice, taking advantage of Saints' sluggishness to put his team in control.

But Irish were stunned early in the second half as George North, Rob Horne and Mike Haywood all scored within 10 minutes of the restart.

Piers Francis landed a timely drop goal to banish any lingering fears of a London Irish win, and ex-Saint Greig Tonks missed a late penalty to ensure the away side left with nothing.

Saints had gone into the game on the back of a disappointing 32-9 defeat at Bath and they were stunned early on as some poor passing gifted London Irish an opening try.

Luther Burrell wasn't able to gather the ball in time and Saracens-bound wing Lewington pounced, kicking the ball ahead and diving on it to score.

Tonks landed the conversion with aplomb and London Irish then did some superb defensive work, shutting down a lengthy spell of Saints pressure and winning a penalty.

Still the home side came, desperately probing for an opening, with a nice line from Campese Ma'afu causing Irish problems.

But the men in blue were standing tall, scrambling well and they got a let-off when Francis saw his penalty attempt rebound off the post to safety.

And Saints were soon punished further as Irish grabbed another opportunistic score.

A kick ahead caught North napping and Lewington beat him to the ball, diving on it to claim the try.

Tonks converted and it was 14-0 to Irish with 25 minutes of the match gone.

Francis made amends for his earlier penalty miss to narrow the deficit with an effort from the tee, but Irish were not deterred and they continued to grow in confidence.

A sign of their belief came just before the break as the kicked a penalty to the corner, pushing for their third try.

But Christian Day pouched the lineout and ensured the gap would remain at 11 points at the break.

Saints were clearly given a stern talking to at half-time as they came out flying, scoring inside the first minute of the second period.

Burrell sent North over in the corner, with both men making amends for their earlier errors.

Francis converted to cut the deficit to just four points and Saints were soon ahead as Burrell picked up another assist, sending Horne over in the corner.

Francis needed treatment before taking the conversion, and he was to send it just wide of the posts.

But he got another bite at the cherry soon after, landing a conversion after try-hungry hooker Haywood had scored from a lineout drive that Irish never threatened to stop.

Irish then sent on a whole new front row and Scott Steele at scrum-half, and Tonks landed a penalty to give them a foothold in the game once again.

But Francis cancelled that effort out with a clever drop goal eight minutes from time.

Tonks missed the chance to pick up a losing bonus point for his team as the fly-half fluffed a penalty attempt.

And Saints saw out the final minute to secure the comeback success.

Saints: Tuala; North, Horne, Burrell, Foden; Francis, Groom (Reinach 67); Ma'afu (van Wyk 65), Haywood, Brookes (Ford-Robinson 22); Ratuniyarawa, Day (c) (Ribbans 53); Gibson, Brüssow (Wood 65), Harrison.

London Irish: Marshall; Cokanasiga (Tikoirotuma 72), Fowlie, McLean, Lewington; Tonks, van Zyl (Steele 50); Franks (Elrington 50), Paice (Porecki 50), Hoskins (Du Plessis 50); van der Merwe (c), Paulo (de Chaves 65); Botha, Northcote-Green (Gilsenan 74), Treviranus.

Referee: Ian Tempest

Attendance: 13,108

Chris Long, on 13 minutes, and John-Joe O'Toole, on the hour-mark, saw Northampton twice go in front at the home of fifth-placed Scunthorpe but the hosts replied on both occasions to earn a point from what was an enjoyable and entertaining encounter.

The first-half was a battle of contrasting approaches as Scunthorpe dominated the ball without doing much with it as Town sat deep and defended well, bar on 31 minutes when Funso Ojo was allowed to roam forward and shoot into the bottom corner.

But that only came after Long's close-range header, his ninth goal of the season, had given Northampton the lead and they were back in front when O'Toole crashed a thunderbolt of a header into the top corner shortly after the restart.

Murray Wallace scrambled home a second leveller for Scunthorpe 13 minutes from time, however and they bombarded the visitors late on in search of a dramatic winner but no goal was forthcoming as Town continued to defend well to see out an important point, something they were worthy of.

Events elsewhere saw defeats for MK Dons and Fleetwood, which sees Cobblers jump a place to 19th although only two points separate 17th from 21st in a tight Sky Bet League One table.

As expected, midfielder Matt Crooks came back into the team and started against his former club, replacing Sam Foley, in one of two changes from Tuesday's defeat against Gillingham with Gboly Ariyibi handed his first start for the club since signing on loan last month.

There was also a rare place on the bench for fellow January signing Jack Bridges but another of Hasselbaink's new faces, Kevin van Veen, was absent against his old club, ruled out with a dead leg, while for Scunthorpe, ex-Town man Ivan Toney started up front.

Scunthorpe had all of the early possession but they struggled to turn some decent spells of passing into chances before falling behind 13 minutes in.

The first real opportunity of the game resulted in the opening goal when Crooks headed Matt Grimes' deep free-kick back across goal and a Scunthorpe defender nodded towards his own net, leaving Long the simple task of directing home from virtually under the crossbar.

Undeterred, Scunthorpe resumed their patient passing game, happy to bide their time before picking a way through the visiting defence - and they almost got it on 24 minutes when Duane Holmes' excellent cross was headed over by an unmarked Ryan Yates.

Town had defended their lead well but they let themselves down just after the half-hour mark and if the first goal was a soft one to concede from United's viewpoint, this was no better. Having won the ball back in their own half, the home side found Ojo who, from 60 yards out, motored forward and with Town backing off and backing off, he had the freedom of Glanford Park to keep running at the visiting defence before placing into the bottom corner from 20 yards.

Opportunities remained sparse in a sluggish and relatively even opening 45 minutes with shots from range the most likely source of a third goal, Conor Townsend for Scunthorpe and Ariyibi for the Cobblers both firing wide of the far post from the edge of the box - the latter doing so after displaying quick feet to skip past two defenders and cut inside.

It remained level and all to play for at half-time before the start of the second-half followed much of the first; Scunthorpe having most of the ball but only able to muster harmless long-range efforts from Toney and Holmes.

Slowly but surely, however, the Cobblers gained more control and grew in confidence and, just short of the hour-mark, they had their lead again. It was a familiar face who got the goal and in familiar fashion too, O'Toole attacking Grimes' corner superbly to power an unstoppable header into the top corner.

Half chances remained the order of the day for Scunthorpe who saw Yates and Rory McArdle both clear the crossbar as Northampton's lead seemed comfortable as the game headed towards the final 15 minutes.

But set-pieces had caused trouble at both ends of the pitch all game and it was another one that drew United level for a second time. Town goalkeeper Richard O'Donnell attempted to come for a free-kick but failed to deal get the desired contact on his punch, which went high and backwards and with no one guarding the goal, Wallace rose over a mass of bodies on the goal-line to head in.

Suddenly the momentum was all with the home team who sought a winner as the clock ticked over to 80 minutes and Josh Morris' fine free-kick almost put them ahead for the first time but O'Donnell redeemed himself, diving at full length to tip over the crossbar.

There were a few other anxious moments fur the Cobblers but O'Donnell wasn't test again and, if anything, it was the visitors who threatened a winner in five added minutes as they caught United on the break, however Grimes' 97th minute free-kick, which sailed over, was to be the final act.

Scunthorpe: Gilks, Townsend, Wallace, Ojo, Suttonm (McGeehan 73), McArdle (c), Yates (Adelakun 81), Morris, Novak, Holmes, Toney (Hopper 60)

Subs not used: Watson, Bishop, Goode, Burgess

Cobblers: O'Donnell, Moloney, Taylor, Turnbull, Bunney, Ariyibi (Hoskins 85), Crooks, Grimes, Powell (Foley 90), O'Toole (Barnett 81), Long

Subs not used: Cornell, Barnett, McWilliams, Bridge, Mathis

Referee: Andrew Madley

Attendance: 4,157

Police are appealing for the public’s help to find a missing 15-year-old boy who may be in Wellingborough.

Blu King was last seen yesterday (Friday, February 16) in Sussex and it is believed he is now in Northamptonshire, in the Wellingborough area.

Blu is 5ft 9in, with a medium build and short black hair.

He was last seen wearing a grey hooded jumper, black jeans and Nike trainers, which are white and silver with a red tick.

Officers are concerned for his welfare and anyone who may have seen him or who knows of his whereabouts is asked not to approach him but to contact Northamptonshire Police on 999 immediately.

Instead, the interim head coach felt a consistent approach was key for his men as they turned the tables on Irish to claim a 25-17 victory at Franklin's Gardens.

Saints scored three times in the first 10 minutes of the second half as they overcame a 14-3 half-time deficit to earn a crucial Aviva Premiership success.

George North, Rob Horne and Mike Haywood were all on the mark, but Saints could not claim the bonus point as Irish ensured the margin of defeat would not be too heavy.

Asked what was said during the interval, Dickens said: "Very little.

"We focused on the process and it was no different at half-time to the start of the game.

"We wanted to put things right, the players spoke as well and we were clinical in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

"We've watched a lot of games London Irish have played and they put Leicester under pressure at Welford Road and were unlucky against Sale last week.

"They've improved since we played them in September."

Alex Lewington scored two opportunistic tries for Irish as Saints were caught sleeping during the first period.

"We should have come away with more points in the first half," Dickens said.

"Games aren't always won in the first half - 50, 60 minutes teams fall off.

"We came out and scored three quick tries in the second half and we're disappointed we didn't get that bonus point."

Town's 2-1 loss on Tuesday left them hovering just one place and two points above the Sky Bet League One relegation zone but Hasselbaink got the response he wanted when they went to Glanford Park to take on fifth-placed Scunthorpe on Saturday.

Chris Long nodded in from just inches out to put the Cobblers into a 13th minute lead before John-Joe O'Toole's bullet header restored their advantage on the hour-mark after Funso Ojo had brought United level late in the first-half.

Murray Wallace equalised for a second time late on, scrambling in from close-range, but Northampton weathered a late Scunthorpe barrage to pick up an important point and jump a place to 19th.

"I would have been a happy with a point before the game," said Hasselbaink. "Of course we wanted more, especially me, so in that aspect I'm very greedy and I think we could have done better with the goals against, but I'm sure they would say the same about our goals.

"This is a difficult place to come and I think they are a lot further along than us. When their manager came in, they were struggling but he's had time to work and to get his way and you could see they are a very good side.

"At times, we coped with them really well and at other times we were under pressure but we soaked that pressure up and I'm delighted with a point and hopefully that point will be very important at the end of the season."

Scunthorpe went into the game on a run of just one win in seven games but the fact they remain comfortably inside the play-offs is a reflection of their quality.

"When you come here, they push you back and push your wide players back as well and it's very difficult to get yourself out of that situation," added Hasselbaink.

"They put a lot of crosses into the box but I must say that I was very happy, especially compared to Tuesday, with the commitment and how the players conducted themselves and how they showed fighting spirit and that pulled us through."

For any outsider who would like a brief snapshot of what it’s been like to follow the fluctuating fortunes of the Cobblers in this unpredictable season, these past eight days would be a good place to start.

From an excellent win at AFC Wimbledon to a dismal home defeat to Gillingham and now a creditable and deserved draw at fifth-placed, if out of form, Scunthorpe United, Northampton have showcased every possible side to them in the space of a week.

The good news is that their bad performances have, seemingly, become the outliers. They’re less frequent and more sporadic than earlier in the season – only two of their past nine displays were universally considered not up to scratch – and if that remains the case until May, Town should have enough in the tank to stay up. They’re also scoring more goals, netting at least once in seven of their last eight games.

On the flip side, the less good news is that when they’re bad, they’re exceptionally bad. Tuesday’s defeat to Gillingham was an extreme version of the loss to Rochdale. However, that said, if they keep producing positive reactions to those setbacks, as they did on Saturday, it’ll be enough to survive.

This point at Glanford Park, coupled with the gritty nature of Town’s display, goes down as one gained rather than two lost. Chris Long could not miss from inches out on 13 minutes and John-Joe O’Toole crashed home a bullet header on the hour-mark as the Cobblers twice had the lead and twice lost it.

The main frustration for Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink will not necessarily be the fact his team surrendered the advantage on two occasions, rather the manner of United’s equalisers. Having restricted the home side to so few clear chances, Town backed off and Funso Ojo was given the freedom of Glanford Park to cancel out Long’s early opener before a poorly-defended free-kick saw Murray Wallace head in from virtually the same spot Long had done earlier on.

The final result came with a tinge of frustration but a point at Scunthorpe represents a positive outcome in any season, let alone this one and in the context of this week when Town were so off-colour in defeat to Gillingham just four days earlier.

Though the Cobblers are now scoring more goals, adding a further two here, they still remain worryingly one-dimensional in attack, often relying on Long or O’Toole to combine in both creating and scoring goals. Aside from those strikes at Glanford Park, both of which came from set-pieces, Town were devoid of creativity and spark in the final third.

Gboly Ariyibi produced flashes and could be a source of goals if used properly while Daniel Powell has showcased his threat already this season but it’s getting players like those two in advanced, dangerous positions that must be the priority if the Cobblers are to create more and score more. On Saturday, they spent too much time defending.

The week’s three results have also continued Northampton’s curious recent trend of improved away form – now unbeaten in four – and a worsening home record – three wins in nine. In one respect, though, those statistics should not be particularly surprising.

The major difference between home and away games is the approach. Northampton, when they set their collective mind to it, have shown us they are more than capable of being well-organised, hard to break down and therefore hard to beat, attributes which are conducive to playing away from home. When you allay that to a greater goal output, as well as a threat from set-pieces, they are a dangerous team on the road. The fact they’ve gone to promotion-chasing trio Blackburn Rovers, Bradford City and Scunthorpe United, all in the past month, and haven’t lost any of them, winning one and drawing two, is testament to that.

Their most recent game was a perfect illustration of how the Cobblers are tough to play against for home teams. Yes, Scunthorpe had a stranglehold of possession and applied far more pressure but they were regularly blunted by the visitors, even their two goals were hardly of an orthodox manner (a breakaway and a poorly-defended set-piece), and while Town didn’t create much, they occasionally threatened on the break and scored from two set-pieces.

Conversely, when the onus is on Northampton to force the issue and take the game to the other team, essentially any time they play a team in mid-table or lower at Sixfields, problems begin to arise. Striking the right balance between carrying an attacking threat and remaining tight at the other end has been an issue all season and whether or not Hasselbaink can find the right formula might ultimately be the difference between survival and relegation.

With a huge home game against badly out-of-form Oxford United next, time is running out.

How they rated...

Richard O’Donnell - Was having a solid game up until United’s second equaliser. Seemed to mistime or misjudge his punch, and with his goal unguarded, Wallace headed in. Successfully wasted time though, so much so he was booked, and pulled off a fine flying save late on to keep out Morris and preserve a point. Was seldom troubled other than that... 7

Brendan Moloney - Had a very steady game at right-back. Restricted the flow of traffic coming in from United’s left and tried to get forward, though not always successfully. Helped stave off the late pressure... 7

Ash Taylor - Skipper was back to his commanding self here after a rare off-night. Always competes well and is strong in the air, but his ability to read and cut out crosses was key to keeping his goalkeeper quiet and restricting the amount of clear chances Town coughed up... 7

Jordan Turnbull - Handled Toney well. The ex-Town man was lively and caused problems with his movement but he was kept in check by the Cobblers centre-back, who edged their one-on-one battle which in turn helped nullify the home side’s main threat... 7

Joe Bunney - Holmes proved a tricky customer but he kept him at arm’s-length for the majority, bar the odd burst into the box. Hardly ventured forward as Scunthorpe pinned both full-backs back... 6

Matt Grimes - Busy and industrious in midfield, though vacated his position for Ojo’s barnstorming run forward. His 97th minute free-kick nearly won it... 6

Matt Crooks - His bustling runs from one half to the other were again a regular occurrence, albeit less so than at Wimbledon. Got about the pitch well and popped up all over the place, also broke up play and was often the man to lead Town’s attacks... 7 CHRON STAR MAN

Daniel Powell - Was the nearest man to Ojo and had to close him down instead of retreating, ultimately allowing the United player a free run before equalising. Did more defending than attacking, negating his strengths and meaning he was only ever n the edges of the game.. 6

Gboly Ariyibi - Displayed quick feet and neat skills and was the main threat from open play for most of the game, though didn’t get as much of the ball as he’d have liked. Should remain in the team... 7

John-Joe O’Toole - His typical feisty self back in a more advanced role where he battled with several home defenders throughout. Clever play won the free-kick which led to Long’s opener and his bullet header restored the lead, his fifth goal in eight games... 7

Chris Long - Right place, right time to net his ninth of the season. Was a willing runner which, combined with Scunthorpe’s persistence of passing it out from the back, almost paid off and led to chances... 7

Substitutions

Leon Barnett - 6

Sam Hoskins - 6

Sam Foley - 6

Pizza and pasta restaurant Prezzo has launched two exciting black pizza options made with a charcoal dough base.

The new black pizzas, which were launched earlier this week, promise a taste sensation as they celebrate the UK’s love of pizza whilst tapping into the growing international trend of charcoal-infused foods.

The exclusive black pizzas, priced at £10.95, come in two new and exclusive variants: Etna pizza – with a garlic chilli and tomato base, topped with calabrese sausage, pepperoni, roquito chilli pearls, rocket and mozzarella; and Monte Bianco – with a béchamel sauce base, topped with fresh mozzarella, truffle infused oil and rocket.

The dough is made with activated charcoal and is totally safe to eat.

Marie Neocleous, Prezzo brand manager says: “The launch of the black pizza is a really bold move for Prezzo. The trend of black and charcoal food is huge internationally and we want to bring this dramatic option to the UK and our customers, first.

“Our chefs have created two delicious recipes to bring out the very best flavours from the charcoal dough with our delicious toppings.

“Many of our regulars embrace our new menu options and enjoy trying new offerings but we also see the black pizza resonating with younger foodies, who are looking for innovative and inspirational food trends.

“Eating out and eating good food has become a multi-sensory experience as the trend for taking pictures and sharing them on social media has become the norm.

“Consumers now want an experience that encapsulates taste, sight and texture - which is exactly what we are offering with the new black pizza.

“We can’t wait to start serving these in our restaurants”.

Prezzo’s new range of black pizzas will be available at all of its restaurants nationwide.

Having spent decades away from British sitcoms, veteran comedy performer John Cleese is returning to television for a starring role in new retirement comedy, Hold the Sunset.

Cleese’s last major work on a British sitcom was back in 1979, when he wrote and starred in the second series of Fawlty Towers.

He’s mellowed out in the 40 years since then, and it’s the softer, ‘sunset years’ of life that Hold the Sunset is based around.

The set-up is simple. Seventy-somethings Edith (Alison Steadman) and her neighbour Phil (Cleese) live a simple life. She’s been a widow for some years, but her children drop round regularly, and daily visits from old boyfriend Phil make each day a pleasant one. P

hil has ambitions of marrying Edith, whisking her away and emigrating to sunnier climes together; but she’s been turning down his offers for months.

She eventually agrees to a rekindling of their romance, but shortly after saying “yes” to Phil, there’s a knock at the door.

It’s her 50-year old son Roger (Jason Watkins), with an announcement that he’s left his wife and kids, as well as his stable job at the bank. He’s here for a soft reboot on his life, and to find his lost happiness – for Phil and Edith, plans are put on hold.

The show – which will air on Sunday evenings – features a central cast with an average age of 67. And it’s a far cry from the kind of highly-strung, madcap physical comedy you’ll remember from Cleese’s iconic Basil Fawlty character.

But if there’s one actor capable of delivering mocking lines towards people he despises through gritted teeth, it’s John Cleese.

The series – which will run for six half-hour episodes – has worryingly been described by Radio Times as starting “terribly”.

But stick with it perhaps: “once it gets going, there’s a good premise”.

With Oscar-nominated writer Charles McKeown penning the scripts – he co-wrote the screenplays for fellow Python Terry Gilliam’s films Brazil and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus – this sleepy-sounding twilight comedy could be a surprise hit.

Though whether it will be as abstract and surreal as those films, remains to be seen.

Hold the Sunset begins on BBC1 tonight (Sunday, February 18), at 7.30pm

When Nintendo releases a console question marks are always raised over it’s long-term validity.

But any such fears that it’s latest console, the Switch, is merely a gimmicky money making exercise have been well and truly put to bed by a big announcement from the gaming giant this month.

The Switch has been so successful that Nintendo has announced plans to back the console for many years to come... way beyond the normal life cycle of a home console.

And that will be music to the ears of the staggering 14.86 million people that shelled out for the portable console in less than a year since it’s release.

Speaking to Japanese publication Nikkei, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima said that the company wants to support the Switch for longer than the typical console generation.

Kimishima hopes that the Switch will continue to be sold beyond the next five-six years.

And that means the potential for more quality releases and even follow-ups to the likes of Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and ARMS beyond 2023.

It was recently revealed that Super Mario Odyssey - which garnered 10/10 ratings from most of the respected gaming media - sold a massive 9 million units worldwide and counting.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is on 7.33 million sales, followed by Zelda: Breath of the Wild with 6.7million units and Splatoon 2 at nearly 5 million.

It hasn’t always been this way for Nintendo, indeed many doubted the company would ever return to the console market again following it’s Wii U blues.

But it has obliterated the total lifetime U sales of 13.5 million units in just nine months.

Such a bold statement from Nintendo will also persuade game developers to give extra consideration and time to building Switch-specific games to make the most of it’s unique selling points.

And who knows what a future VR release from Nintendo could do to gaming, I mean just imagine playing Zelda or Mario VR... a spine tingling prospect! Watch this space.