Sam Foley admits he would like to extend his stay at the Cobblers, but that he will ‘go and play somewhere else’ to continue his career if that is what has to happen.

The former Port Vale man’s Town contract expires this summer, and he says that as yet he has heard nothing with regards to a new deal coming his way.

Foley has been one of the Cobblers’ most impressive and consistent performers this season, and when he is fit and available has become one of manager Keith Curle’s first picks.

Having been signed by Justin Edinburgh in the summer of 2017, Foley endured a frustrating first season as he found himself in and out of the side under three different managers in Edinburgh, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Dean Austin.

In all he made just 18 starts in all competitions, but this season, with almost a quarter of the league campaign still to be played, Foley has already made 22 starts in league two and 26 overall - and he has just spent six weeks out with a back injury.

It is clear he is a pivotal player for Curle, but as he prepares for Saturday’s date with Exeter City at the PTS Academy Stadium Foley is just concentrating on the here and now rather than what may happen in the future.

Asked if he would like to stay at the club, Foley said: “Yes, I have had a good two years here.

“The first year wasn’t great, playing time wise, but this season a new manager has come in and he has shown that he likes me, and all I am concerned about at the moment is playing regular football up until the end of the season.

“We can then go from there.”

After what has been a difficult campaign at times, spirits have been lifted in recent weeks, with the team going on a five-match unbeaten run - winning three matches on the road in that time - and Foley senses that good times may be around the corner for the club.

“Everything about the club compared to a lot of clubs I have played for is sat very nicely,” said the central midfielder, who in all has made 44 starts and 13 substitute appearances for the Cobblers, scoring four goals.

“And that’s not only on the field, but off the field as well, because the way the club is run is just brilliant for this level.

“So there are lot of factors that come into it when it comes to players choosing this and that, and that was one of them that came into it (when he joined the club).”

A footballer’s life can undoubtedly be a good one, but one of the downsides is the fact players usually only sing fairly short-term contracts, and are then at the whim of another person’s opinion of how good or effective they are at their job.

For the vast majority of players that can lead to plenty of upheaval, and the prospect of moving to a different part of the country every two or three years, but Foley takes it all in his stride.

Asked how he deals with the uncertainty and the prospect of switching clubs, Foley, who has played for seven clubs in his career, said: “I think you do get used to it.

“A lot of players get nervous, thinking their contract is up, but I just love playing football, so if it is not at this football club I will go and play somewhere else, and I will enjoy it just as much.”

Lily Canter reviews Behind the Curtain at the Royal

On a drizzly Wednesday morning there is nothing like being whisked away to the Victorian era of top hats and covered ankles to explore the history of The Royal Theatre in Northampton.

Behind the Curtain is a theatrical retelling of the people who built, performed and watched the breathtaking productions that have graced the stage since 1884.

Our tour of around 20 people was met by the enthusiastic Erica who with nothing more than a clap of her hands and an evocative imagination soon had us believing we were local gentry attending Twelfth Night on the opening night of the theatre.

For the next 90 minutes we were led backstage exploring the unseen areas of the auditorium whilst learning about its colourful history via two engaging and informative storytellers.

It was fascinating to see first-hand how different classes of people enjoyed the theatre and the astonishing lack of health and safety in the 19th century which led to fire and suffocation.

Factual and anecdotal titbits were sprinkled with flourish throughout the tour from the use of the newly invented telephone to advertise plays to the ghostly Grey Lady who has become the theatre's unofficial mascot.

Halfway through the theatrical journey the magnificent safety curtain was explained in detail including its portraits of men and women associated with the stage and a walking stick connected to both Shakespeare and the Royal family.

Hollywood actor Errol Flynn, was of course given a mention owing to his time learning his trade at the repertory company, but there are also lesser known nods to Bram Stoker and Henry Bird.

Visitors were also given the opportunity to take a bow - and even a selfie - on the raked and rigged stage before seeing what happens in the wings.

The final part of the tour took in the production workshop where a small crew use metal, wood and plastic to create everything from intricate rock faces to mechanical dogs, making good use of the original paint frames which stretch sky high.

Our guide answered all manner of queries with great knowledge and her genuine love of the venue shined through. The only downside was the lack of a visit to the costume department or a view directly beneath the stage. But for just £13 this was a bargain of a tour that will entertain and impress history and theatre buffs alike.

Behind the Curtain currently runs until March 8 and will return again later in the year.

Data was collected from company websites or by emailing customer service departments. In total, 357 children’s meals were surveyed from 26 outlets across the UK. Of these, 42% had more than 1.8g of salt per portion - the maximum salt target for children’s meals in the out of home sector. This is the salt content of popular kids’ meals.

Northampton BID have said they 'are not giving up' on working with town centre shoe brands to create a series of pop-up outlet shops, even though the move is looking increasingly unlikely.

Back in June, Wes Suter of Steffans Jewellers pitched his 'put your best foot forward' campaign to the Chronicle & Echo in a bid to attract shoemakers into the town centre in the hope of them opening factory outlet shops.

Wes saw a gap in the market when he noticed how international tourists currently do the rounds of big-name Northampton footwear factories before they hop on a bus and head out of town - avoiding the main shopping streets entirely.

Last September, the scheme appeared to be moving forward when executive director of Northampton town centre BID, Rob Purdie, said empty units in the town centre could be revamped to promote our shoe heritage.

He said he was working on a proposal to use vacant space, good quality factory shop stock and flexible staffing to set up a series of pop-up shops in the town centre.

READ MORE: Proposal for Northampton's finest footwear to be sold at pop-up shops
But he has now confirmed to the Chron that the idea is no longer looking possible and BID is looking to host 'shoe-themed exhibitions' in empty shops.

Mr Purdie said: “We would dearly love to see the presence of shoes within the town, and our efforts and commitment to achieving this have not waivered, despite coming up against some initial challenges.

"While our original idea around pop-up shops for the well-known shoe manufacturers to retail in the town centre is not looking possible, they are open to supporting our ideas to promote our town’s shoe heritage, and we are doing everything we can to encourage this as quickly as possible.

"Shoe-themed exhibitions in vacant units, and town centre events and initiatives are some ideas we are exploring with other partners and the borough council. As a BID we are very much a facilitator, we can open doors and help partners work together but we can’t achieve our aims alone. While it might not happen as quickly as we had hoped, we are not giving up.”

Hundreds of generous donors have pledged their support to the family of a Northampton dad who died hours after the birth of his youngest child.

Brett Kinloch, 31, died just three hours after the birth of his third daughter Ariya on February 11, as reported by the Chronicle three weeks ago.

Ever since their loss, Brett’s wife Nicola and their daughters Freya, four, Ella, 18 months, and little Ariya have been surrounded with round-the-clock support.

An online fundraiser set up by family friend Shakila Ahmed has as of today (Thursday) reached £19,679 of its £20,000 target.

Shakila said: “Brett fought hard and courageously against an aggressive brain tumour for an amazingfour years and did so without a single moment of self pity or complaint.

“He blessed their family with three beautiful girls and leaves them and his amazing wife Nicola who will miss him terribly.

“He will forever be their hero.

“Please join us in supporting Nicola, who is a hero in her own right and their beautiful girls as they face this extremely painful and difficult time ahead.”

PE teacher Brett was head of department at Cedars Upper School in Linslade, and was working up until just a few weeks before he died.

Scores of students and parents have commented on the online fundraising page.

One woman wrote: “Brett taught all three of my children so this is from them. He inspired my eldest to study PE at Uni and he was helping her with her dissertation only a few weeks ago.”

Another person wrote: “I had my baby three and a half weeks ago and I can’t imagine what this must have been like for you. But your positivity in the face of this situation is incredible. I wish you and your family all the best and lots of love at this difficult time.”

To donate to the fundraiser, visit the website www.gofundme.com/support-the-kinloch-family.

A Franklin's Gardens favourite is determined not to let his recent run of injuries in the line of duty stop him from handing out prizes for Northamptonshire's biggest fundraising bike ride next month.

A knock to the head may have prevented Piers Francis from donning his Saints shirt of late, but the formidable fly-half will be on hand to give out trophies to the prizewinners from last year's Cycle4Cynthia during a launch event next month.

Among the prizes Francis will be handing out at the launch, set to be held at the Heroes Bar of Franklin's Gardens on Tuesday, April 2, are those for the most money raised by an individual at last year’s event and the Chairman’s Award, which is given in recognition of a special contribution to the ride.

The venue for this year's ride will also be announced at the event.

He said: “I’m absolutely honoured to be launching this year’s ride in aid of such a fantastic charity and really pleased to be continuing the longstanding partnership between the

Saints and the hospice.”

Francis has been through the injury mill of late, having dislocated his shoulder against Exeter Chiefs in the final game of 2018.

The Franklin’s Gardens favourite made an impressive return to Premiership action last month, scoring 12 points in his first game back before being rested following a knock to the head.

But the keen cyclist says he will still be taking part in the Cycle4Cynthia ride itself on September 22.

The hospice’s fundraising manager, John Helm, is hoping the Saints player's support will inspire others to join the charity event.

He said: “We hope that his appearance will not only prompt many of last year’s cyclists to join us as we celebrate their efforts at the launch, but also encourage many more to sign up

for the main event in the autumn in the hope of making it a record-breaking rid."

For the latest updates about the event, visit www.cycle4cynthia.co.uk.

Chris Boyd has hailed Rory Hutchinson for taking his big chance at Saints.

And although the Saints boss believes Hutchinson still has some way to go before becoming the complete player, he has been hugely impressed with the centre's recent form.

Hutchinson has this week been named Gallagher Premiership player of the month for February, following in the footsteps of fellow Saint Cobus Reinach, who won the award for December.

And Saints boss Boyd said: "I had a chat to Rory earlier this week and I thought he'd been here for three or four years but he's been here for five and he's had a pretty horrid run with injuries over a long period of time and hasn't been able to get himself going.

"On the back of being injured he hasn't had opportunities so it's been a frustrating time for him.

"This year looked like it was going to shape up the same way because he was injured for long periods of time at the start. When I came here in pre-season he was injured, and in the early part of the season.

"But a little window of opportunity opened up for Hutch and in the past month it's fair to say he's made the most of his opportunities and he's played pretty well."

Cambridge-born Hutchinson has come through the Saints Academy but has often been blighted by injury.

He suffered a knee problem against Glasgow Warriors during pre-season, preventing him from making an instant impression on new boss Boyd.

But the 23-year-old centre, who has represented Scotland at Under-18 and Under-20 level, has been back in action in recent months, making seven appearances this season.

And Boyd added: "I think he's a genuine football player.

"He's a pretty relaxed rooster but he's got a bag of skills and a bag of tricks.

"He's got a lot of talent and a lot of ability but, by his own admission, he needs to become a better professional around his detail and stuff like that.

"He's far from the complete article but he's playing with confidence at the moment.

"He's had a good little patch and it's great for him and it's great for us."

Police were called to the Giggling Sausage in London Road, Delapre, at about 3.40am today (Thursday) after a member of the public spotted a man kicking a hole in the bottom of the cafe's door.

Police were on the scene within minutes and arrived to see the man in mid-escape, halfway out of the hole.

Seeing the officers, he was left with no choice but to reverse on all fours and flee out the back of the cafe.

A witness said: "The officers lost him briefly before they realised he had climbed on the roof at the back. He was trying to hide."

The man must have then clambered across the rooftops of the adjoining terraced houses as he then started to kick through the skylight of an attic half-a-dozen houses up the road.

He was spotted by the police helicopter which had arrived by then, and he doubled back the other way, trying to break into the attic next door to the cafe.

But officers were ahead of him and a police negotiator was already waiting below.

A witness said: "It was a bit of a stand-off for a long time and he ended up staying up there for hours. He was talking about jumping off."

Police eventually persuaded him to come down at about 6.45am.

Officers later confirmed they had arrested a man aged 34 for criminal damage and burglary.

Knife crime has never been more prevalent as it is today in the UK. Some have even declared it a national emergency.

Even in Northamptonshire, seven people have been killed in the county in incidents related to knife crime and stabbings since January 2018.

The Chronicle & Echo wants to report on the full effects of knives on the streets of Northampton. If you have been affected by knife crime, we want to hear from you.

If you want to share your story, please get in touch confidentially by messaging us on our Facebook page or by emailing the team at editor@northantsnews.co.uk.

Thank you.

Police in Corby are appealing for witnesses following a burglary at a business.

The break-in happened between 3am and 4am yesterday (Wednesday, March 6) at Alexander Court in Fleming Road.

The offenders arrived in a white Vivaro-type van with a refrigeration unit on the top.

Two of the four offenders then climbed on to the roof of the building and broke in through a skylight.

A quantity of cash was stolen.

The suspects were white men. One of them appeared to be wearing Adidas jogging bottoms and trainers, with stripes to the side.

Witnesses, or anyone with information about the vehicle or people involved, should call Northamptonshire Police on 101.

Alternatively, they can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Keith Curle has revealed he won’t be setting any dates for contract talks with any of the Cobblers players while the season is ‘alive and kicking’.

As it stands, several of the Town squad see their deals at the PTS Academy Stadium expire this summer, including the likes of David Buchanan, John-Joe O’Toole, Sam Foley, Dean Bowditch, Daniel Powell and Shay Facey.

All will be keen to sort their futures, but Curle says it is highly likely contract talks are not something he is going to finalise until after the final ball of the Cobblers’ season has been kicked.

He says he has already held some discussions with players, and that he has an ‘open door’ to talk to any player who has any concerns or questions.

Curle has also promised to give those players that knock on his door ‘an honest answer’, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be the one they want to hear.

“A few of the players I have seen already, and a few of the players have come to see me, asking what the situation is, and basically, I give them the honest answer,” said the Cobblers boss.

“Every individual is different, and what you find is that some players need to know now, some players need to know later, and some players are making plans for themselves for next season anyway.

“I don’t set a date (for sorting contracts), because the season is very much alive and kicking and there is an expectancy on every player for what I need them to do.

“And that is whether they are going to be here next season, or whether they are going to further their career elsewhere.

“But while they are here, while they are being paid and while they are being employed by the football club they still have a job to do.”

Curle accepts that players worrying about where their futures lie does create ‘uncertainty’, but says the best way anybody can try and earn themselves a new contract is by doing their job out on the pitch.

“At every football club, at the end of the season, there is always that uncertainty, but the players in the changing room have harnessed things and have said ‘hey, we are playing for ourselves,” said the Town manager.

“They have an understanding that no matter what happens, as a footballer you are virtually self-employed, because what you produce gives you the best opportunity of earning another contract, either where you are or somewhere else.

“The best thing you can do as a player, is when you cross that white line you put in a performance you are happy with.”

Curle was of course somebody who enjoyed a long playing career himself, and although he was fortunate enough to never see any of his deals at any club run down, he does appreciate the difficult position that players, who have mortgages to pay and families to feed, find themselves in.

“I never came to the end of my contract at a football club as a player,” said Curle, who played for the likes of Bristol Rovers, Bristol City, Wimbledon, Manchester City, Sheffield United and Wolves in a distinguished career.

“I was always striving to improve, and I played in every division and worked my way up.

“Through circumstances not only due to myself, my contracts always got taken over or bought out by somebody else.

“But it does play a part, and I am aware the players have families, have responsibilities.

“The best thing they can do to produce a lifestyle for them is to put in performances on a daily basis, and a weekly basis, that guarantees them gaining employment either here or elsewhere.”

So how will the contract talks pan out at the Cobblers come the end of the current campaign?

“Some players here might get offered a contract that doesn’t suit them, and they are then well within their rights to choose a different option for themselves,” said Curle.

“I don’t know exactly when the day will be, but at the end of the season I will have a meeting with every single player.

“The day after the end of season do, I will sit down with all the players, starting at 8.30am, and I will work my way throughout the football club, meeting staff and players, and that is final conversation.

“But between now and then there will be players that will come and see me and will give them the best information I can do.

“For some of them the door is still ajar, for some of them the door is still open, and for some they will be told their future doesn’t lie here and that is the reality of it.

“So there is no date set in stone (for talks), but I have an open door policy here and if a player has concern and it is affecting them, then they can come and see me.

“Will I put their mind at rest? I will give them the honest answer.”

The plans by Denise Topliss and Formouse Limited are for 14 five-bed homes on a parcel of the Buckton Fields land near to the Whitehills pub.

Although the scale of the proposals pales in comparison to the ongoing neighbouring 1,050-home development on the land just north of the town, residents nearby are worried that the access to the new 14-home estate onto Harborough Road North, would be dangerous.

Co-chairman of the Whitehill sand Spring Park Residents' Association, Steve Miller, wants the developers to rethink the access plans.

He said; "It would be lovely to keep that area as green space - but we understand the developers want to realise the value of the land.

"However, the cars are going to exit onto Harborough Road.

"It's one of the most congested corridors in the town - at peak times the traffic can be backed up to Pitsford.

"There will be 14 houses all with two cars each looking to turn right onto Harborough Road. We think those exits are not safe.

"It's an accident waiting to happen. It's crazy."

WASPRA says the houses, which would sit opposite the junction of Lynton Avenue in the Whitehills area, could easily be reached via one of the new roads on the wider Buckton Fields estate to the rear of the site instead.

Denise Topliss and Formouse Limited, on the other hand, say the five-bedroomed homes will provide a visual screen to the high-density housing estate being built to its rear.

The developers say it will also pay respect to the 'character and density' of the existing houses opposite.

The deadline for commenting on the application is Tuesday, March 26. Comments can be made via the borough council planning portal here by searching for the application numbers N/2018/1696, N/2018/1697 and N/2018/1698.

Shocking photos have shown a heap of well over a hundred empty three-litre cider bottles piled in one corner of the derelict block on the Racecourse.

Borough council park rangers have now worked with Northamptonshire Police to shut off the block and try to prevent any more access.

It is not clear if park drinkers have been entering the old block of toilets to drink or if the stack of empty plastic bottles has built up from throwing them through an unsecured window.

A tweet by Northampton Neighbourhood Police Team, who helped secure the block, reads: "In the process of securing the old toilet block on the Racecourse... complaints of anti-social behaviour... there must be a long term solution for this building moving forward?"

It comes after a litter pick by the Friends of Northampton Racecourse saw more than 40 volunteers turn out to tidy the park and around the toilet block on February 24.

Define salon owner, Claire Elliott, is a brow specialist who is sitting down every Friday afternoon, for the next three weeks, to teach women how to draw on their eyebrows with a pencil.

The one-hour sessions are completely free of charge and are a way of Claire giving back to her community, she says, after she took on her new business venture in December last year.

The 30-year-old said: "I've been in the beauty industry for 15 years and I'm a fully qualified beauty therapist who is obsessed with eyebrows.

"I have never been touched by cancer and no one in my family has but, as a woman who loves eyebrows, if it was to happen to me that would be a big deal.

"Now I'm in a position to give a bit of something back I really want to."

Claire's second eyebrow masterclass is tomorrow evening at her salon, from 5pm to 6pm, and is a class of up to four women who want to learn how to draw on their brows by using a 'dot-to-dot' style technique.

In the first class Claire teaches the importance of eyebrow shape, in the second class the women get to draw on the brows shadowed by Claire and lastly, in the final session, they get to show off their newly learned skills and draw on the eyebrows themselves.

She added: "I don't want to be the only stylist that does it. As I can only offer certain times and dates if others did it we could help women all across the county."

To book with Claire, call: 01604 315121 or contact her on Facebook @definebeautysalon

The last time Reece Marshall was put up for interview after a game against Saracens, he was certainly not smiling.

Because although he grabbed a try on his first Premiership start, he had just been part of a team that was smashed 63-13 on home soil.

But things have changed a lot since that sobering day last April - and for the better.

Saints may have lost again against Saracens last weekend, suffering a 36-17 defeat at Allianz Park, but the fact they refused to crumble after shipping six tries says a lot about the increased positivity and belief among the black, green and gold ranks.

Marshall embodies that, with the likeable Lutonian typically upbeat when he met the media this week.

Again he had scored against Saracens, helping Saints to at least win the second half at Allianz Park.

And Marshall was in good spirits ahead of Saturday's game against Bristol Bears at Franklin's Gardens.

"We're obviously talking on the back of Saracens, which wasn't a great result for us, but in the weeks prior to that we'd been going really well," said the 24-year-old.

"We're starting to gel now, the fans are optimistic about how we're playing, we're optimistic about how we're playing and it's all coming together with a blend of youth and experience.

"It's different at the club now and I've gone through the transition of us maybe not being as good but everyone has their ups and downs.

"We got a lot of flak back then (at the end of last season) but now everyone's coming back and we're playing some really exciting rugby.

"The crowd are maybe more on our side now and it's nice to have the Gardens roaring again."

Marshall recently signed a new deal at Saints, keeping him at the club alongside a plethora of other young players with real potential.

"I'm very happy because it's an exciting time at the club," said the Academy graduate.

"A lot of the other boys have signed new deals and we've all played Wanderers together and it's all started to come to fruition for a lot of us.

"It's enjoyable for us and it was a no-brainer to sign for another couple of years because this team can grow together and it's only going to be good for me and the club."

With Dylan Hartley and Mike Haywood injured for much of the current campaign, Marshall has made five starts and 10 appearances as a replacement already this season.

That is exactly the same as he made during the entirety of the previous campaign, and his development is there for all to see.

"It's unfortunate Mikey and Dylan have been injured but (James) Fish had a massive go at it at the start of the year and I've come back at injury and been lucky enough to get games," Marshall said.

"Fishy and I have both been sharing the spoils and the rotation has been really good.

"For us two playing as much as we are now hasn't happened before so it's nice for us to not have to push our bodies all the way.

"Fish is a year younger than me and we get on really well. There's no animosity between us and we try to help each other out."

Marshall and Fish are now setting their sights on Saturday's key game at Franklin's Gardens.

Saints are currently sixth in the Premiership with 35 points but 10th-placed visitors Bristol Bears are only five behind.

And Marshall said: "It's a massive game this weekend.

"We set ourselves this block of four to see how we could come out of it and we knew it could be a big point in our season to push for the play-offs.

"It's a massive game and I'm really excited to be involved in it."

An application to build 1,900 homes on the edge of Northampton near Harpole has been granted planning permission by councillors.

As well as the new homes, the Norwood Park development includes a new primary school, local centre and public spaces. It will also complete the proposed Sandy Lane Relief Road.

It was approved by councillors on South Northamptonshire Council’s planning committee yesterday afternoon (March 7), despite objections from three parish councils in the area.

The development site runs along Sandy Lane between Harpole and St Crispin, and alongside the A4500.

Planning officers at South Northamptonshire Council said that the ‘benefits outweighed’ any negatives of the application.

But the parish councils objected due to the number of homes, what they felt was an ‘inappropriate location’ for the proposed primary school, air quality concerns and that it breached the West Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy.

Speaking to councillors at The Forum, in Towcester, the chairman of Harpole Parish Council, Colin Wilkinson, said: “Your committee meeting report agrees that the proposed development does not comply with the core strategy. The school is located on the far side of the Sandy Lane Relief Road from most of the new housing. This will cause danger to school children crossing the road.

“The new distributor road is called a relief road, but in fact the relief road will bring no relief to Sandy Lane which will be used as a major link into the new housing, as evidenced by the proposed improvements to the roundabout at the A4500 junction. It will be used as a rat-run by traffic seeking access to the M1. At peak times the queues on Sandy Lane are nearly a quarter of a mile long and the relief road will not ease this situation.”

The parish councils at Kislingbury and Upton had also objected to the scheme.

Planning officers acknowledged that as a small part of the application site was on open countryside, it could be seen as being contrary to the joint core strategy. But they added that due to a failure to demonstrate a five-year supply of housing land, the policies were considered ‘out of date’.

Some councillors on the committee echoed concerns about the location of the primary school, while Councillor Steven Hollowell bemoaned the lack of a secondary school on the site.

He said: “The county council have asked for a lot of silly little things, but when it comes to secondary education they haven’t asked for anything at all. There’s going to be hundreds of children going to the new primary school, but where are they going to go after that?”

Councillors were told that the percentage of affordable homes in the development was 15 per cent, less than the 35 per cent required by South Northamptonshire Council. But they were told that the scheme would not be viable if the figure was any higher.

Councillor Phil Bignell said: “When this application came to cabinet, the amount of affordable housing was only at 10 per cent, and we rejected it. We told planning officers that they could get better, and they have done.”

Lizzie Marjoram, from agents Bird Wilford and Sale, was speaking on behalf of the applicants Barwood Development and told councillors this was a chance to support a site that South Northamptonshire Council itself had earmarked for development.

She said: “No stone has been left unturned in this application. This application provides a green buffer between Harpole and Northampton, and 40 per cent of this application is green space. There will be affordable homes, arguably the most important part of this application.

“There will be a second phase for the relief road, vital new facilities for the football club in Harpole, £9million in New Homes Bonuses for this council, and £21million being spent locally in the economy by new residents. This is a great opportunity to deliver all these benefits.”

Despite raising some concerns, the committee granted outline planning approval for the development. This effectively gives permission to the principle of the development, but a reserved matters application - which will finalise the details and layout of the overall scheme - will have to be approved by the committee at a later date.

Keith Curle says he is still just concentrating on putting the Cobblers’ ‘own house in order’ as they close in on the teams above them in the Sky Bet League Two table.

A five-match unbeaten run and two away wins on the spin have raised spirits among the club’s support, with those possessing a positive outlook even dreaming of a late-season tilt at the play-offs with 11 games of the season to play.

Saturday’s home date with fifth-placed Exeter City (kp 2pm) is quickly followed by another game at the PTS Academy Stadium, against Newport County next Tuesday night, and although Curle isn’t about to start talking up any sort of play-off bid, he isn’t ruling it out either.

Town are still down in 16th in league two, but there is still almost a quarter of the league two season to play, with 33 points on offer, so there is a lot to play for.

“I know where we are, the changing room knows where we are, and the important thing is the focus is still on our results,” said the Cobblers boss.

“First and foremost you have to put your own house in order before you get into the latter stages where other teams’ results become important.

“So the focus is still purely on our results and our performances.”

The main focus this weekend will be transforming the team’s impressive away form into a good home showing.

Unbeaten in five, with three away wins in that run, Town haven’t tasted victory at the PTS since they beat Carlisle United 3-0 on January 12.

That is their only home win in their past eight league games, a runs stretching back to early November, with Curle’s men registereing six draws and one defeat in that time.

Having only played at home once since February 2, and with that being a dour 0-0 draw with Crawley Town, Curle is keen to give the PTS faithful something to cheer, but he knows it is going to be a difficult test against play-off hopefuls Exeter on Saturday.

“What every manager, coach and player wants is to perform at home,” said the Cobblers boss.

“Everybody would like the opportunity to perform and win in front of your own supporters, but this Saturday is going to be a difficult challenge.

“Exeter are interested in their own result, but also in the results of people around them because of where they are in the league, and sometimes that can have a negative effect.

“Our focus and concentration is on our results, and what other people do is down to them.

“Exeter are going through a spell where they need to go on a run again to cement themselves in the top seven, top 10 of this division.”

The Cobblers have a virtually fully fit squad to pick from, with the only absentee through injury being Brighton loanee George Cox.

Exeter City boss Matt Taylor is looking forward to his misfiring team getting back on the road when they head to the PTS Academy Stadium to take on the Cobblers on Saturday (ko 2pm).

The Grecians’ promotion bid has stuttered in recent weeks, and last weekend they were beaten 1-0 at home by Tranmere Rovers, and they were also beaten by Bury by the same scoreline in their previous clash at St James Park.

On the road though it has all been more encouraging, with Exeter winning 2-1 at Crewe and only being denied a victory at leaders Lincoln City by a last-gasp equaliser in a 1-1 draw.

That three-pointer at Crewe is the Grecians’ only win in their past five games, and with the chasing pack closing in, Taylor knows his team have to start winning again if they are to maintain their place in the top seven.

And he is hoping to do just that at the home of the Cobblers.

“Off the back of the Crewe victory, and coming so close at Lincoln, we’ve been playing really well away from home,” said Taylor.

“It seems to have suited us to a certain extent, soaking up a bit of pressure and then hitting teams on the counter attack, but also the good surfaces we’ve played on away from home.

“Northampton will hopefully be the same, but it’s all about the points at this stage of the season.

“I’ve got to get a fully fit and fully motivated squad out there on Saturday and not look too far ahead in terms of the Tuesday game (Exeter travel to Macclesfield).”

The problem for Exeter is that they will come up against a Cobblers team in good shape at the moment, and one that has lost just once at home in the league since early September.

Taylor believes Town’s current 16th position in league two is something of a false one for a squad containing ‘some seriously good players’, and he is preparing his team for a difficult afternoon at the PTS.

“We know how tough it will be at Northampton, they’re a team in form, but away from home we’ve been playing well,” said the Exeter boss.

“Northampton have got some good players, a team that we watched a lot at the start of the season, and they were underachieving because they have some seriously good players in that squad.

“They’re hitting form at the right time and the manager has got them going, so they’re a good team, a strong team and a physical team who will put a lot of balls into our box.

“We’re going to have to defend but play our way, and the Exeter City way, and try to hurt the opposition at every opportunity.”

Exeter have also struggled with injuries and will arrive in Northampton without a fit centre forward.

Top scorer Jayden Stockley was sold to Preston in January, and Taylor has a major headache as forwards Jonathan Forte (knee), Ryan Bowman (groin), Donovan Wilson (groin) and Lee Martin (calf) are all sidelined.

“It’s incredible and you can’t foresee it happening,” said Taylor. “Donovan and Ryan are new to the club, they only arrived in January, so we haven’t had time to work on them physically.

“We might have to tinker with how we play slightly, knowing what we have at the top end of the pitch.

“But we have enough good players on that pitch and in the squad that can affect the opposition and when you are missing your centre forwards, then you need people to step up and score goals.”

Cobblers forward Sam Hoskins has been nominated for the EFL’s Goal of the Month award for February after his wonder strike against Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park.

The 26-year-old’s inclusion as a sole striker for Town’s trip to Merseyside had caused much debate prior to kick-off, but he justified his selection and then some with a two-goal showing as the Cobblers ran out 2-1 winners over play-off chasing Rovers.

Hoskins’ second was the talk of social media after he made a darting run to the front post and produced a wonderful first-time effort to flick David Buchanan’s cross over goalkeeper Scott Davies and into the corner of the net.

And that effort is now in the frame to win Goal of the Month for the Sky Bet Championship, League One and League Two over February, with the EFL website stating: “How did he do that? Marked closely and running diagonally across the area, Hoskins defied all logic as he backheeled home a half-volley and threw in a pirouette for good measure.”

Hoskins faces competition from Nelson Oliveira (Reading), Teemu Pukki (Norwich), Said Benrahma (Brentford), Alex Mowatt (Barnsley), Kyle Wootton (Scunthorpe), Jordan Graham (Oxford), Kaiyne Woolery (Swindon) and Illias Chair (Stevenage).

Voting opens from 6am tomorrow (Saturday) on Skysports.com and closes next Monday. All winners are announced on March 15.

The Sandy Lane relief road was dubbed the ‘road to nowhere’ after construction stopped nearly a decade ago when proposals for new homes nearby fell through.

But Norwood Development has now pledged to complete the scheme, after South Northamptonshire Council (SNC) approved their plans for 1,900 homes between Harpole and St Crispin yesterday.

Three parish councils, including Harpole, had strongly objected to the scheme.

But SNC says the development will see 'millions of pounds poured into public open spaces', a country park, play areas, a primary school, a mixed-use local centre community facilities and offsite healthcare provision.

Councillor Roger Clarke, SNC’s portfolio holder for planning, said: “The principle of building homes in that location is well established under the Joint Core Strategy (JCS), but the history of this site demonstrates how complex this kind of proposal can be.

“There will be those who object to these plans, but we can only restate that we have the interests of existing and future residents at the forefront of our minds when making decisions like these.

“Having a road to nowhere is blighting our landscape and collective conscience and is holding back plans for Northampton’s desperately needed ring road.

“These plans will unblock those proposals and help Northampton reach its full potential.”

The relief road would effectively sit parallel to the current Sandy Lane, which runs between the A4500 and Berrywood Road, Duston.

A minimum of 15 per cent of the first phase of housing will also be affordable housing and subsequent phases will be required to comprise a minimum of 17.5 per cent affordable homes.

While South Northamptonshire can demonstrate it has nearly 12 years’ worth of housing in the planning pipeline for the district, the Norwood Farm area is part of the Northampton Related Development Area (NRDA).

The NRDA forms part of the JCS and recognises that there is limited space within Northampton for housing developments. In doing so it allows homes built in South Northants on the outskirts of the town to be counted as part of Northampton’s contribution of new homes to the region.

Critics say this allows a neighbouring council to deposit large home builds on the outskirts of Northampton - though the new residents will not pay taxes to Northampton Borough Council.