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Missing woman in Northampton may be wearing blue fleece and 'no shoes'

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A woman last seen in a blue fleece and may 'not be wearing shoes' has gone missing in Northampton.

Sheila Nash, aged 62, has not been seen since this morning (Friday, March, 1).

Sheila was last seen in the Billing Road area of Northampton, close to Northampton General Hospital.

She was last seen wearing a blue fleece, black trousers, a large dark blue coat and a black woolly hat. She is not thought to be wearing any shoes.

Officers are concerned for her welfare and are urging Sheila, or anyone who may know where she is, to call police on 101.


‘I didn’t come here to warm the bench’

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In an age when media-savvy footballers too often speak in platitudes and cliches, it makes a refreshing change to interview Andy Williams.

The Cobblers striker has found himself out of the team in recent weeks with manager Keith Curle opting for the pace and movement of Sam Hoskins instead.

A slight tweak to the system, going one up top against Tranmere, Lincoln and Crawley, has meant there’s no room to accommodate Williams, and even when Curle returned to a two-man front line at Stevenage on Saturday, it was Marvin Sordell, only back from injury, chosen to partner Hoskins in attack.

But, for Williams, there’s no pretending to be OK with the situation. He’s a footballer and he wants to play. And at the age of 32, he wants to play more than ever.

“It’s not about opportunities being deserved,” he said. “I think any footballer worth his salt would be disappointed not to get on the football pitch because that’s what we get paid to do, especially at 32.

“I didn’t come here to warm the bench. I came here to achieve things for Northampton Town and it’s frustrating to watch it rather than being involved.

“You want to be out there doing what I did on Saturday. Any footballer wants that so of course it’s frustrating not to be on the pitch, wherever I am.”

You have to go back to over a month ago, at Cambridge United on January 19, for Williams’ last start for the Cobblers. In the six games they’ve had since, he’s played a total of just 85 minutes.

“I heard someone say the other day I haven’t scored in 2019 but how many starts have I had? You can read stats however you want,” he added.

“Compared with minutes on the pitch I’ve had I’m quite happy with my goal return.”

Williams again had to make do with a place on the bench for Saturday’s trip to Stevenage, but sent on with 20 minutes to go, he was not about to waste this opportunity to send a message to his manager.

With the teams locked at one apiece as the game ticked into stoppage-time, Williams stood in for Ricky Holmes and played the role of Town’s last-gasp hero at the Lamex Stadium to perfection.

Chasing David Buchanan’s hopeful long ball, his determination out-battled two defenders and his composure deceived goalkeeper Paul Farman, with his lovely deft finish dramatically grabbing all three points for the Cobblers.

Players often talk about putting the team’s interests over personal landmarks, but whilst that’s also the case with Williams, him scoring goals can only be a good thing for the Cobblers.

Now eight for the season and 130 in his career, he makes no secret of his desire to end the campaign as top scorer.

“It’s always in my mind because I’ve achieved it at every club I’ve been at bar one,” he admitted. “I don’t want to finish my time at the Cobblers without ending as top goalscorer for at least one season.

“It’s a long way to go until I achieve that. I’m not even in double figures yet and that’s disappointing for myself personally, but I think I have eight goals in about 17, 18 starts which isn’t the worst return in the world.

“I love every single time I score – it’s the greatest feeling you can get. I cherish every one of those 130 goals and hopefully there’s still a lot more to come.”

Williams’ stoppage-time winner at Stevenage moved the Cobblers 12 points clear of danger and within six of League Two’s top 10.

With a favourable run of fixtures to come, there’s every opportunity for Curle’s men to finish the campaign positively and build momentum towards next season.

“Obviously you want to be positive and look up the table rather than down it but until you’re mathematically safe you don’t want to say anything because you never know in football,” Williams added.

“But the main thing is we’re in a decent spell of form and our aim is to continue that. I think if we manage that, the league will take care of itself and we’ll finish higher up than we are at the moment.”

While for many the jury remains out on Curle, he deserves credit for steering his side away from the choppy waters of relegation and into the calmness of mid-table.

It was not what many expected or hoped for at the start of the season, as Williams admits, but given the mess Curle inherited, it’ll do for now.

“Obviously, it’s not where we wanted to be at the start of the season, certainly for me personally,” conceded the striker.

“But I think the key for us is consistency. We’ve shown in patches throughout the season what we can do.

“We’re on another run now and it’s important to maintain that run and show some consistency in both our results and performances.”

Northampton vets work magic to save TV star's dog with 54 bladder stones

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A Northampton vets had to pull off its own death-defying act by saving the life of a leading magician’s pedigree dog.

Top TV entertainer David Penn was in Las Vegas for a show when he received a transatlantic call from his dog-sitter Michelle Wilson saying she had rushed his beloved Samoyed pet, Blammo, to Spinney Vets’ emergency service.

The surgical team at Spinney, in Kettering Road, found eight-year-old Blammo had suffered a life-threatening, double rupture of the bladder and had developed 54 urinary stones. His life was in danger.

David, from Brixworth, said: "The vets said they'd never seen such damage to a bladder. they said they could operate and try to repair the damage, although the operation was a big risk in itself.

"It was a truly traumatic time. I did not want him to suffer. I just stayed up all night by the phone waiting for news."

X-rays showed urinary stones had effectively caused Blammo's bladder to burst and would have been extremely painful.

Ian Fletcher, clinical director at Spinney Vets said: "When we began surgery, we found two tears in his bladder with all the surrounding tissue very sore and inflamed.

"We found and removed a total of 54 stones before stitching all the holes in his bladder very carefully."

Amazingly, Blammo has made a rapid recovery from the operation and was soon eating and drinking normally.

Iain said: "Blammo is a real fighter and with the help of the rapid intervention of his dog-sitter, he recovered incredibly well."

David said: “There’s no doubt that Michelle at Teddy’s Dog Care in Overstone saved Blammo’s life by taking him to Spinney Vets, so our whole family is indebted to her.”

'How can they do this to a nurse?': on-duty nurse has car stolen from Northampton General Hospital

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A staff nurse at NGH came off shift to find her car keys had been stolen from the staff room - and her car was missing.

Dorcas Fokou was working a night shift on Althorp Ward on Thursday / Friday and left her belongings in the staff room.

Finishing at 8am on Friday, Dorcas felt in her handbag for her keys and realised they, along with her purse, were missing.

On talking to security staff, she learned to her horror that her car - a black Audi A5, registration FL13 BGY - had been driven away at 9.17pm on Thursday.

She said: "I'm not sure whether they had followed me from the car park or something.

"How can they do that to someone just looking after people?.

"I've had a horrible day because it had my baby's [red] car seat in the back and I have no car to get to work. They should have seen it was a family car, for God's sake."

Dorcas's bank cards and driving licence were stolen along with her purse. Her car was parked in the car park off Cliftonville.

Anyone who has information on the thefts can call police on 101. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

County Council to oppose rail interchange projects in letter to Secretary of State

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Northamptonshire County Council is to write to the government expressing its opposition to two rail freight interchange projects planned for the county.

The authority will pen a letter to Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling MP, to outline its ‘deep concerns’ regarding the suitability of the proposed Northampton Gateway and Rail Central sites, and the potential impact they will have on local residents.

The Northampton Gateway project, by Roxhill Developments, proposes a new distribution site adjacent to Junction 15 of the M1with new warehousing and a new rail freight terminal.

The similar Rail Central project, by Ashfield Land and Gazeley GLP, is where the West Coast Main Line meets the Northampton Loop Line between the villages of Blisworth and Milton Malsor.

The motion to write to the government was raised by Councillor Adam Brown, who represents the Bugbrooke ward for the county council.

Speaking at a full council meeting on Thursday (February 28), he told the chamber: “The effects of the proposed schemes would have a ripple effect up the A45 towards Northampton and also southwards towards Towcester and down the A508 towards Milton Keynes.

“This motion is about us standing shoulder to shoulder with residents who, certainly in the villages I represent, are absolutely united in their opposition to this. These are residents who would happily accept expansions to their village which are sustainable developments where credible arguments are put forward. So this is not NIMBYism. These are residents who have worked tirelessly over many months to put forward credible reasons as to why these are the wrong plans for the wrong place.”

Councillor Brown’s motion read: “This Council does not seek to question the validity of Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges per se, but expresses deep concern regarding the suitability of the sites in question and the potential impact of the proposals on local residents.

“The local road network is already far too congested to accommodate these schemes and cannot be improved sufficiently to mitigate their impact. Northamptonshire is already home to a successful and expanding SRFI, namely DIRFT near Daventry, calling into question the ability of the proposed sites to fulfil a strategic need.

“Over 1,150 acres of agricultural land would be lost as a result of the two proposals and local villages would be seriously affected by air, noise and light pollution that cannot be adequately mitigated against.”

Councillor Adil Saygov, seconding the motion, said he been involved with local campaign groups Stop Roxhill and Stop Rail Central ‘from the start’.

The campaign groups are arguing that the projects contradict planning policy, will have a ‘huge environmental impact’ and lead to a ‘traffic overload’.

Councillor Sadygov added: “I’m very conscious that developments of this size need to have benefits for local residents . Hundreds of people will be affected if they are given the green light to go ahead. The infrastructure is already barely coping.”

The Northampton Gateway application will be approved or rejected by the Government's Planning Inspectorate (PINS) rather than the local authority, as it is deemed a ‘nationally significant’ infrastructure project.

It is anticipated that public consultation and exhibitions on the Rail Central proposals could take place in the next three months.

MATCHDAY LIVE: Crewe Alexandra v Northampton Town - all the latest from Gresty Road

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Cobblers can extend their unbeaten run to five games if they avoid defeat to Crewe Alexandra at Gresty Road this afternoon.

We'll have all the build-up, in-game updates and post-match reaction as it happens on this page. Hit F5 or refresh for the latest news from Cheshire.

Earls Barton mum-of-two spared jail for 'using car as a weapon' in Towcester McDonald's drive-thru

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A mother who injured a van driver by twice driving into him with her Mercedes at a McDonald's drive-thru in Towcester has avoided jail.

On March 27 last year, 34-year-old Georgina Ayoub, from Earls Barton, reversed into a van shortly after clipping a kerb at the fast-food chain's Brackley Road branch.

The van driver asked McDonald's staff to call the police because he believed Ayoub was drunk and thought she might drive off without leaving her details.

"Your response was to get into your vehicle and drive into him with your vehicle," said Judge Marcus Tregilgas-Davey.

"That impact knocked him to the floor. You then shouted 'move or I will run you over'.

"What you then did was unforgivable. For a second time, you drove through him with your motor vehicle, again causing him to fall to the floor.

"A member of the public was so concerned he ran over to your vehicle and removed the key.

"You had little choice but to remain at the scene.

"You were aggressive, you were rude and it's a matter of sheer good fortune that man didn't receive life-changing injuries."

Mitigating for Ayoub, Alesdair King said his client had two children and was going through a relationship break-up at the time of the incident, which led to her to "use alcohol as a crutch".

"She accepts her behaviour was entirely unacceptable," said Mr King.

"She has shown remorse and wants to pass on her apologies to the victim."

Mr King said Ayoub was now sober and has moved in with her mother, who has helped with childcare.

"You used this car as a weapon twice," said Judge Tregilgas-Davey.

"I thought long and hard about this sentence and I have decided for the sake of your two children to be merciful, but you have come close to prison."

Ayoub was given an eight-month sentence suspended for two years and ordered to do 250 hours of community service.

She was disqualified from driving for two years and will pay £500 compensation to her victim.

Judge Tregilgas-Davey added: "You have a certain arrogance. If you are rude to staff during your community service, don't turn up on time or don't do your work properly you will be back in this courtroom."

Ayoub also faced separate charges for failing to provide a blood sample and for failing to surrender.

Fury over ‘unnecessary’ historic Naseby Battlefield signs prompts review

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Highways England have promised to review a decision to scrap brown signs pointing out one of the country’s most important battlefields.

Historic Naseby, on the border between Kettering and Daventry districts, is the location of the key 1645 English civil war battle that saw Cromwell’s Parliamentarians effectively destroy Royalist forces.

The shattering defeat led to the King’s army being eliminated. Within a year the war was over and Parliament’s permanent role in the government of the country was cemented. Naseby is also accepted by many to be the birthplace of the British army.

The Naseby Battlefield Project, made up of local residents, historians and civic dignitaries, has spent years improving the site and fundraising to build a visitor centre there to mark its importance.

But members were alarmed on Thursday when they received a letter from Highways England saying that the government-run company planned to remove the ‘unnecessary’ Naseby 1645 brown tourist signs flanking major roads by the site including the A14. Their letter went on to say that they hoped the group would understand and they apologised for any inconvenience.

Campaigners, who had fought for years to ensure that Naseby was recognised for its important role in British democracy, said that the decision was ridiculous.

One of those campaigners is the chair of the Northampton Battlefields Society, historian and author Mike Ingram, who runs tours around the site. He said: “The letter didn’t say too much.

”We think that because the A14 has been upgraded recently it may have pushed it up into a different level which means that there’s a need to have less distractions at the roadside.

”I could almost understand this if the signs weren’t already there - but they are. It would actually cost them money to take them down!

”We have gone back to them to ask them what’s going on.

”It’s one of the most important battlefields in England.”

After posting about the issue on social media, the group received huge support from local people and vowed to fight Highways England’s decision. They said they would be contacting MPs and the battlefield patron Earl Spencer to enlist their help.

Mike added: “We are working so hard to promote Northamptonshire and the heritage of the county, and then you get this.

”The key thing we are trying to do is increase visitor numbers and removing the signs is not going to help with that.”

Last night (Friday, March 1), after being contacted by the Northants Telegraph, Highways England agreed that they would undertake a review.

Their statement said: “We want people to get to tourist and leisure destinations safely and by the best route, but we also have to ensure we don’t clutter our network with signs, that we prioritise sites with the greatest traffic management or safety needs, and that we minimise any impact on the environment.

“So we regularly review brown tourist signs on our network, and, if circumstances have changed, we may need to remove the signs when we have other planned work in the area.

“In relation to Naseby we will review our decision because we do appreciate the significance of the site.”


Memorial in Northampton for 22-year-old rough sleeper Kristian set to be attended by more than 100 people

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A memorial service is to be held for a 22-year-old who was familiar to thousands who saw him sleeping rough in Northampton.

Kristian Olstein died on February 18 at Northampton General Hospital but had spent much of the last three years living on the streets.

He stood out for many visitors to the town centre - where he would often sit during the day, outside DW Sports or near All Saints Church - both because of his young age and his guitar playing.

Stan Robertson, a street chaplain, will hold a memorial at All Saints next month and is raising money towards Kristian's funeral costs.

He said: "People might remember him for a few things. He was young and he had his guitar and he used to sleep on a giant teddy. He used it as a pillow until it got taken away with some of his things.

"The teddy tells you a bit about him. It just shows how young he was, really."

Although a start time is to be confirmed, the memorial service will be held at the town's civic church on Saturday, March 30.

"Kristian used to like All Saints Church and like the building.

"I've had people contact me from Kettering, from West Sussex, from Ireland.

"There's quite a lot of devastated people. It's really hit people right across the community.

"Seeing him go that young or suddenly hearing about it is shocking.

"If everyone comes who have said they will, there will be 100 plus people."

A friend has Kristian's guitar and Stan plans to make the instrument the focal point of the service.

"People would see him there with his guitar. He loved to play music. He had dreams of making it big in the industry."

Stan got to know Kristian after he began his work with homeless people in November 2017, talking with him in the town centre, St James, and the Mount Pleasant area off Kettering Road.

He told Stan he was afraid to ask the authorities for help or take advantage of the SWEP scheme because he became convinced he would be deported.

Kristian told him he had come to the UK from Lithuania aged 19, found a girlfriend and was living a steady life, but some time in the subsequent three years became homeless.

"In that time he's become an addict on our streets. That's what gets you more than anything else - how can that happen?.

"This is a failure of the whole of society. It's everybody's failure.

"Kristian's story has to make some changes."

Charity sets up group to help the 10,000 adults in Northampton who cannot read

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A charity which helps adults to read through a structured, free programme is coming to Northampton.

Read Easy Northampton is a part of a nationwide charity that aims to support adults learning to read by providing one-to-one tuition for free. This teaching is led by trained volunteer coaches and uses a phonics-based reading scheme to support the learning.

To help get the group off to the best start when it officially launches in May more volunteers are needed to sign up and become coaches, or members of the management team.

With over 10,000 adults in Northampton who cannot read, or struggle to read, Lynne Parker saw the need for a local group to be created. A launch event for Read Easy Northampton was held on Tuesday.

"I think if you think about the age range we are looking at, it's not just the people who have just left school" Lynne said. "A lot of them are older than that.

"When I was at school I had never heard of the word dyslexia. The teachers did not know that there were other ways of [teaching]."

Founded in 2010 by Ginny Williams-Ellis, the charity provides a flexible, free and supportive approach to learning. Each person is paired with their own reading coach who offers continued support as they learn to read.

The sessions allow for people to learn to read in private, and at their own pace, helping to build their confidence.

The establishment of Read Easy UK in 2011 allowed for volunteers to set up groups in areas across the country.

With the first training session for coaches starting in May of this year, Read Easy Northampton is inviting individuals, who are interested in volunteering, to take up becoming a reading coach.

If you would personally like to learn how to read, or know someone who does wish to, get in contact with Lynne at northampton@readeasy.org.uk.

Girl assaulted outside Northampton school

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An investigation has been launched after a teenage girl was assaulted outside a Northampton school.

Northamptonshire Police say they are aware of a video circulating on social media showing the assault on the girl outside Caroline Chisholm School in Wooldale Road.

The attack happened between 3.30pm and 4pm yesterday, Friday, March 1.

A police spokesman said: “Officers ask that any information about this incident is passed to Northamptonshire Police on 101, and not to anyone allegedly involved.

“People are also asked not to view, share or comment on this video and that parents and young people in particular are made aware it is now part of a police investigation.

“Information can also be shared anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.”

Injury-hit Saints are beaten at Saracens

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Saints suffered yet more misery at the hands of Saracens as the black, green and gold were beaten 36-17 at Allianz Park on Saturday afternoon.

The home side had the try bonus point before the half hour mark and proceeded to pile on the pain, scoring six times in total.

To add to Saints' agony, they were dealt several injury blows, with James Grayson forced to withdraw after the warm-up, Paul Hill off with concussion and Fraser Dingwall also replaced during the first period.

Only second-half scores from Reece Marshall and skipper Lewis Ludlam gave Saints anything to shout about on another hugely difficult day against the current Gallagher Premiership champions.

Saracens scored more than 50 points in all four meetings with Saints last season - and they were impressive again at Allianz Park.

Saints had gone into the game on the back of four wins from their past five league matches, but they suffered problems before the game as Grayson picked up an injury, meaning full-back George Furbank was switched to fly-half.

Ahsee Tuala moved to 15, with Tom Collins coming in on the wing and Andrew Kellaway taking his place on the bench.

And Collins was called into immediate action as Sean Maitland beat the Saints wing to score in the corner after a rapid Saracens break.

Ben Spencer added the extras to make it 7-0 after just four minutes, but Saints quickly responded through a Rory Hutchinson penalty.

However, Saracens were soon back at the Saints door and with a penalty coming, they found it far too easy to engineer a second score, with Nick Tompkins turning on the turbos and cruising through a gap to dot down.

Spencer missed the conversion but Saracens were carving Saints apart with alarming ease, scoring a third try when David Strettle was afforded the freedom of Allianz Park to dot down on the right.

Spencer converted from the touchline and it was looking ominous for Saints, who were now 19-3 down with just 18 minutes gone.

And it was to get even worse soon after as Luther Burrell, on for the injured Fraser Dingwall, was sin-binned for persistent Saints offending.

Saracens took immediate advantage, grabbing the bonus point inside half an hour as Maitland made the most of acres of space to score his second try.

Spencer missed the conversion but his side were now 24-3 up, with Saints struggling to deal with the relentless home side.

It was soon five tries as Tom Woolstencroft rumbled over from a lineout drive and though Spencer missed the conversion, it was getting messy for Saints.

The second half started with more of the same as Saracens were awarded a penalty try 10 minutes into it for a no-arms tackle from Alex Mitchell.

Mitchell was sin-binned but Saints did manage to rumble over for a score from a lineout drive, with Marshall the man on the mark.

Hutchinson converted and Saints were now up and running, looking far more like themselves when Burrell and Hutchinson combined to send Ludlam over out wide.

Hutchinson again added the extras but the game then petered out as Saracens celebrated yet another win against Saints.

Saracens: Malins; Strettle (Wigglesworth 58), Tompkins, Barritt (c), Maitland (Gallagher 50); Goode, Spencer; Barrington (Lamositele 50), Woolstencroft (Gray 58), Judge (Koch 50); Skelton (Burger 58), Isiekwe; Clark (Kpoku 68), Earl, Wray.

Saints: Tuala; Pisi (Kellaway 60), Dingwall (Burrell 20), Hutchinson, Collins; Furbank, Mitchell (Reinach 60); van Wyk (Waller 61), Fish (Marshall 52), Hill (Franks 20); Ribbans (Moon 61), Ratuniyarawa; Gibson, Ludlam (c), Brüssow (Wood 64).

Referee: Luke Pearce

Powell and O'Toole on target as Cobblers go marching on with victory at Crewe

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First-half goals from Daniel Powell and John-Joe O'Toole steered the Cobblers to their third win in four away games as they eased past Crewe Alexandra 2-0 at Gresty Road on Saturday.

A clinical first-half display was followed by a resolute second as Town restricted their hosts to barely a sniff of goal en route to three well-earned points, making it five games unbeaten for Keith Curle's men.

The visitors were in control at half-time after an excellent first-half performance with Powell's scruffy opener added to by O'Toole's first-time finish to give Town a two-goal cushion.

The second 45 minutes were controlled by Crewe in terms of possession but they never really laid a glove on David Cornell's goal, at least not until it was too late, as Northampton's defence, shepherded well by Ash Tayor and Aaron Pierre, comfortably recorded another clean sheet.

The three points move Town to within two of the top 13 and nine adrift of the play-offs in League Two, although it'll take a few more wins until fans start seriously dreaming of an unlikely march towards the top seven.

Despite victory at Stevenage last time out, Keith Curle could not resist the urge to make more changes to his team as one Powell stepped in for another - Joe out, Daniel in - and Sam Foley replaced Jack Bridge, who dropped to the bench.

Playing 4-4-1-1 with O'Toole tucking in behind striker Marvin Sordell, Cobblers made a purposeful start at Gresty Road and enjoyed virtually all of the ball in the first 10 minutes but Powell's harmless effort, deflected well wide of goal, was their only shot of note during that period.

Jordan Bowery should then have given Crewe a 12th minute lead with the game's first clear opportunity, but he somehow fluffed his lines just a few yards out, skewing wide of the target after the hosts broke away from a Northampton corner.

David Cornell was let off the hook when fumbling Paul Green's long-range drive, gathering at the second attempt just before Bowery stuck away the rebound, while O'Toole went close for the Cobblers after a defensive mix-up, George Ray recovering to clear off the line.

There had been little between the teams for the opening 28 minutes, but that all changed when two quickfire goals either side of the half-hour mark put Cobblers firmly in the driving seat.

Powell was at the heart of both, first breaking the deadlock with a scruffy finish as Crewe failed to deal with David Buchanan's corner and Sordell's miscued shot fell nicely for Powell to nod into the bottom corner.

The Town winger then turned provider just two minutes later when escaping his man on the right and sending in a low cross to where the onrushing O'Toole squeezed a first-time volley between Ben Garratt and the near post.

Crewe looked stunned and struggled to muster a response in what remained of the first-half, leaving Cobblers to take a handy advantage into half-time.

The second-half took on a predictable pattern given the state of the game but Crewe, for all their possession, only managed a couple of wayward long-range efforts, while Charlie Goode's cleverly-guided lob landed on the roof of the net for the visitors.

O'Toole almost notched his second when heading Ash Taylor's cross just wide before Crewe finally carved out their first opportunity of the second-half on 77 minutes, substitute Shaun Miller getting into the box and blasting over.

Town defended resolutely throughout the second period to keep Crewe at arm's-length, although 'keeper Cornell was called upon twice in the final few minutes, denying Callum Ainley and then getting a big hand to Chris Porter's effort.

That second save came in the second of nine added minutes, during which the visitors continued to stand firm in defence as they encountered few problems in seeing out victory.

Crewe: Garratt, Ng, Ray (c), Porter, Bowery (Miller 67), Ainley, Nolan, Wintle, Green (Finney 85), Kirk (Dale 67), Sterry

Subs not used: Richards, Nicholls, Lowery, Johnson

Cobblers: Cornell, Goode (J Williams 81), Taylor, Pierre (c), Buchanan, Foley, Turnbull, O'Toole (Bowditch 77), D Powell, Hoskins, Sordell (A Williams 77)

Subs not used: Coddington, Elsnik, J Powell, Bridge

Referee: Lee Collins

Attendance: 4,096

Cobblers fans: 632

Saracens defeat a lesson for youthful Saints

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Chris Boyd believes his young Saints squad will have learned a lot from Saturday's 36-17 defeat to Saracens at Allianz Park.

The black, green and gold looked to be on the way to a humbling defeat when Saracens stormed into a 36-3 lead.

But, to their credit, Saints kept going, with Reece Marshall and skipper Lewis Ludlam both scoring during the second period to narrow the deficit.

Overall, it was a difficult day for a Saints side that contained a plethora of inexperienced players, but Boyd was pleased with how they responded after Saracens flew ahead.

"There are games you consider bonus games and if you can get a victory against Saracens at Allianz Park it is a real bonus," Boyd said.

"They were too good for us in the first 40 minutes. They really applied a lot of pressure and we battled to get our game going because we couldn't get a steady supply of ball.

"Hats off to them because they delivered a really good first 40.

"On the other side of it, I was happy that we knuckled down and didn't go away in the last 40 minutes.

"There are some really good learnings for us as a group collectively.

"We've got a young group that is full of enthusiasm but without a supply of quality ball, it makes it very difficult for them to impose their game.

"The set piece was always going to be a bit of a battle, but the area we would liked to have done better in was the breakdown.

"They were pretty hard on the ball in many ways and we didn't adapt to the referee's interpretation as well as they did.

"They certainly got the rub of the green in and around the ball."

Curle's plan works a treat as he praises Cobblers display in Crewe win

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Cobblers boss Keith Curle praised his players for expertly carrying out the gameplan during Saturday's 2-0 victory over Crewe Alexandra at Gresty Road.

Crewe are considered a good footballing side by many in League Two but they were out-muscled, out-battled and out-thought by the Cobblers on Saturday when Daniel Powell's headed opener was added to by John-Joe O'Toole.

Leading 2-0 and cruising at the break, Town allowed Crewe to dictate possession in the second-half but the home side struggled to go anywhere with it, only leaving it until the final few minutes to truly test visiting stopper David Cornell.

"As I explained to the players throughout the week in training, if we came here and stood off Crewe and just play football, we could be in for a difficult afternoon," said Curle, whose side have now won three of their last four away games.

"But if we come here and identify Crewe as being comfortable on the ball with good ability, our aim has to be to stop that and nullify that and then find out what their plan B is.

"If their plan B is going to be more of plan A, then we will get even closer to them and I thought we did that today - we stopped them from playing and nullified their threat while proving we can score goals away from home at a good footballing team."

From looking over their shoulders only a few weeks ago, suddenly the Cobblers are 15 points clear of relegation and within nine of the play-offs.

"There's been a focus about the group this week and the standard of training and the environment have all been pleasing," added Curle.

"Our work out of possession won us the game today. We had a game plan, roles and responsibilities and I think we did everything we needed and everything that was required.

"We can still do a little bit more, especially with the ball because some of our options can be better, but defensively, as a team, as a unit and as a changing room, it was very good."


Boyd provides injury update after Saints' defeat at Saracens

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Chris Boyd gave an injury update after Saints' 36-17 Gallagher Premiership defeat at Saracens on Saturday afternoon.

Saints were forced into a reshuffle before the match at Allianz Park because of fly-half James Grayson's withdrawal in the warm-up.

George Furbank filled in at 10 with Ahsee Tuala switching from wing to full-back and Tom Collins coming into the starting 15.

And when asked about Grayson's hip issue after the game, Boyd said: "It was a bit of a blow.

"He took a bit of a bump a couple of days ago and we thought he was going to be fine but in the warm-up he just felt uncomfortable.

"We had to move George (Furbank) to 10, which is not a natural position for him, but I thought he did a really good job in that space.

"We had to shuffle things around a little bit but I wouldn't use that as an excuse."

Fraser Dingwall appeared to be forced off with an ankle problem during the first half, while Paul Hill came off with concussion.

"Fraser trained really well with us but he took a blow during the first half," Boyd said.

"We don't expect him to play for us for a few weeks now."

Saints decided not to call on Dan Biggar for the trip to Saracens due to injury.

"Dan has had a bit of a shin and knee problem," Boyd said.

"He's been a mixture of being with Wales and with us, but the injury is still problematic for him so we decided he wouldn't play."

Dylan Hartley has not played for Saints since December 21 due to a knee injury and he had surgery in a bit to rectify that on Tuesday.

"Dylan had his operation on Tuesday and he was very bullish after it," Boyd said.

"The surgery was relatively minor but he doesn't want to put any pressure on himself in terms of having a time-frame for a return, and neither do we.

"They opened his knee up and found a couple of bits that shouldn't have been there but overall it seems very positive."

Opposition view: Crewe boss Artell left unhappy by defeat to Cobblers

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A despondent David Artell felt his Crewe Alexandra side never got to grips with Northampton's 'physicality' during their 2-0 defeat at Gresty Road on Saturday.

First-half goals from Daniel Powell and John-Joe O'Toole set the Cobblers on their way to a relatively comfortable three points, the second time they've beaten Crewe 2-0 this season.

Crewe's Twitter account referred to Northampton's 'roughouse' tactics at full-time, upsetting a few fans, but Artell felt his side just never got going as they slipped to a second successive home defeat.

"There was no positives to come out of today," admitted Artell. "Even if we had drawn 2-2 it would only have masked a poor performance.

"We weren't playing against a particularly good team today and that's not being disrespectful to Northampton - they are a good side but we've played against better.

"We had the best chance of the first-half with Jordan (Bowery) at 0-0 and those are the fine margins but I don't think we ever felt comfortable and had sustained pressure.

"I'm not going to speak about the referee but he didn't help with that. We were our own worst enemies and we didn't get going at all really and that's the most disappointing thing.

"I don't think they've out-footballed us but their physicality was better than our physicality and that's the bottom line. We helped them with that and we helped them gain the initiative.

"Did we play with any intent in the first-half? I don't think so. I've said it before - aggression doesn't mean whacking people, it's about having an aggressive mindset on the ball but we didn't have that first-half.

"We were at least competitive in the second-half, we had the best chances of the half and we were better, but we weren't fluid on the ball.

"We spoke about what we needed to do during the week - if we don't concede from set-pieces and crosses, we win the game. But a set-piece and a cross wins them the game so it's not as if the players didn't know."

Lib Dems' candidate for Northampton North MP would back plans for 'urban park' in town

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The Liberal Democrats have chosen their candidate to bid for the Northampton North seat at the next general election.

Local businessman and campaigner Martin Sawyer was voted to represent the party at a meeting on February 27.

Mr Sawyer would be up against current Tory MP Michael Ellis, who has held the seat since 2010. His bid would follow the Lib Dems picking up 1,025 votes - or just 2.5 per cent of the total - in 2017.

But Mr Sawyer hopes to sway voters by focussing on Northampton's air pollution, bus services and what to do with the Greyfriars site.

He told the Chronicle and Echo: "I don't see local Conservative politicians taking responsibility for anything in Northampton except the unitary bid and the museum project.

"I am a local man and I am involved in local community groups... I am pleased and humbled to be given the chance to stand up for people in my home town and to argue the case for a change of direction in our country.”

With regards to the empty Greyfriars site, Mr Sawyer has gone against the grain in his party after other Northampton Lib Dems pitched an idea to build another large bus station on the land and turn the North Gate terminal into a coach station.

He said: "Whenever anyone talks about Greyfriars they say they want to put another bus station there. I think there needs to be some more creative thinking.

"My vision for Greyfriars is an urban park with canopies for buses if needed. I've seen something similar in Budapest. The green space would help the town with its air quality problems.

"The Conservatives seem to think you can just build a retail park there but doing so would collapse the Grosvenor Centre. It's not going to happen."

Mr Sawyer - who is also the director of Brandon Surveys Ltd - also wants to create more electric car charging points in the town and improve bus services for communities.

The next UK General Election is scheduled for May 5, 2022.

Opposition view: Saracens' win against Saints 'soured' by second-half showing

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Saracens boss Mark McCall felt his side's comfortable win against Saints was 'soured' by their second-half showing at Allianz Park.

Saints were beaten 36-17 by the current Premiership champions, but they did at least fight back after the break.

Chris Boyd's men had fallen 36-3 behind but scores from Reece Marshall and Lewis Ludlam gave the scoreline a little more respectability.

And McCall was not particularly happy with how Saracens stepped off the accelerator after scoring six tries.

"Overall, we're very pleased to have won the game, and to have got five points is great," McCall said.

"This group of players has done very well during the international windows, which have been challenging for us over the past couple of years.

"We've won four out of five games, got 20 points from those games and it's a great effort from the group.

"But it was soured a little bit by how we played in the last 20 minutes because we got ahead of ourselves and did things we wouldn't ordinarily do.

"We judge ourselves on effort and outcome, and the second half was very disappointing.

"We made a lot of decisions based on the scoreboard rather than what was best for the situation so it's a very frustrated changing room because of how we played in the second half."

Crewe Alexandra 0 Northampton Town 2: James Heneghan's player ratings in pictures

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Cobblers registered a third win in four away games as Daniel Powell and John-Joe O'Toole both netted in victory over Crewe Alexandra on Saturday.

On a day when several players impressed, who stood out for the Cobblers? Find out with James Heneghan's player ratings - scroll down and flick through our picture gallery to see how each player performed at Gresty Road.

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