A narrow boat partially sunk on the Rive Nene today after taking to the water despite warnings about strong streams.

The boat came into trouble at around 3pm on the River Nene, in Ditchford, despite advanced advice and warnings from the Environment Agency about dangers.

Two people were on the boat when it became lodged at a sluice gate. They were able to get off safely and were not injured.

The owner of the boat has arranged for it to be recovered.

The Environment Agency had issued a strong stream advice warning before the boat sunk because of high flows on the River Nene.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency this afternoon said: “We would recommend every boater to sign up for the strong stream advice service and to take the warnings very seriously when they are issued.

“If there is a strong stream, we will call you free of charge to advise you not to go out on the river.”

The free warning is sent to any boaters who sign up for the service when flows reach a level that could be hazardous to boaters.

A spokesman said notice boards are displayed prominently on the riverbanks to inform boaters of the status of the river and red flags are also raised at several boat clubs.

To sign up to receive this free service, call the Environment Agency on 01522 785943.

Boaters can also obtain information by calling Floodline on 0845 988 1188.

ONs endured a nervous final few minutes as they held on to beat Loughborough 32-25.

The game was barely one minute old when the ONs found themselves under their own posts after Loughborough had gone 80 metres to score in the top corner.

The conversion was missed and the ONs then proceeded to completely dominate the first half territory wise with Loughborough only visiting the ONs half a handful of times.

ONs’ first points of the game came on 11 minutes when Jack Bradbury won a penalty right in front of the posts and Alex Rose added the points. Three minutes later it was 10-5 to the visitors when, after Lewis Bodily had cleared up some scrappy possession from a lineout, Bradbury took advantage of the absent defenders at the side of a ruck to score under the posts.

On 19 minutes the ONs had their second try through Sam Howes. Rose converted for a 17-5 lead.

A minute later and the ONs found themselves in an identical position with a penalty eight metres out in front of the posts.

Captain Rhys Hughes this time decided for a kick at goal with Rose adding the three points.

The half-time whistle went with maybe slight concerns that the slope and wind were potentially worth more than the 20 points that the visitors had scored.

Loughborough closed the gap to 10 points before the ONs managed to find some fluency to get into the Boro 22.

ONs were awarded a penalty try after some dominance in the scrum. Rose converted to put them 27-10 ahead.

Boro kicked a penalty before Zach Draper was then driven over from close range for the bonus point try and a 32-13 lead with 11 minutes to play. The game looked over.

But a frenetic finish followed. Matt Mills went to the sin bin, then Boro scored two tries to seal a deserved two losing bonus points.

Disciplined late defending ensured ONs claimed the win.

Old Scouts 19 BBOB 13

Old Scouts had to work hard to earn the bragging rights with a closely-fought 19-13 win over local rivals BBOB at Rushmere Road.

The early attacks from the home side resulted in fly-half Adam Frost opening the scoring with a penalty after three minutes.

BB responded well and took advantage of a scrum against the head to exploit a gap wide out on the left to score in the corner.

Their lead was increased midway through the half when BB opted for a lineout from a penalty and successfully drove over Scouts line.

Scouts’ newly formed back line were in action soon after. A penalty was drilled to the right touchline and from the resulting lineout the ball was spun quickly to the left and from the midfield maul the ball was recycled via centre Ben Cohen to skipper Russell Lynch, who raced in to touch down.

Scouts were now in the ascendancy and Frost put them in the lead after half an hour with a penalty after he had narrowly missed a similar attempt.

With half-time looming Lynch, playing at full-back, was deep in his own half when Scouts recovered the ball in a BB attack and he took off from deep in his own half.

The ball was kicked towards the BB corner and was fielded by their full-back who sent a return straight into Lynch’s welcoming arms. The grateful skipper then drew the defender to put James Blackmore in for his second try in as many appearances to give Scouts a 16-10 lead.

BB were on the attack early in the second half and reduced the arrears with a penalty but an indiscretion under the sticks by BB provided Frost with a simple penalty minutes later.

With the game evenly balanced it was unfortunate that the heavens opened and in effect ruined the last 20 minutes.

BB forwards were making plenty of inroads into the Scouts half but a combination of dropped balls and misplaced passes, plus a resolute Scouts defence well marshalled by Cohen never looked like being beaten.

Scouts thought they had scored another try in the corner but the referee denied them the opportunity to increase their score.

Towcestrians 36 Market Rasen & Louth 12

Matt Yuill scored Towcestrians’ try of the season as they saw off Market Rasen & Louth 36-12.

Tows quickly took the lead, the captain Liam Wilkinson setting an example by dotting over.

This was followed with the try of the campaign, which saw Charlie Barker run from his own posts, the ball travelling excellently through the hands of the support for Yuill to finish.

Consecutive yellows for both sides saw Rasen’s forwards dive over for their first of the afternoon.

On his return to the first team, Sam Sturley ran in Tows’ third try. Falvey’s second conversion made the score 19-5.

Young scrum-half Gus Hopewell’s quick thinking in a penalty situation created a try which was finished by Chrissie George. It was not looking good for Rasen.

However, to the credit of Rasen they forced Tows back. With pressure building rapidly, Tows gave away a hotly-contested penalty try.

Tows’ second half started well after a nicely-worked Yuill try, however their superiority began to slip as they gave away penalty after penalty through the half.

With Barker picking up a yellow card and total possession being with the visitors the game looked as though it would escape Tows’ grasp. Only defensive commitment kept Rasen at Bay.

The game finished with Tows having a rare visit into Resan’s half, Gus Hopewell running in to score.

This weekend Tows go to Spalding (2.15pm).

Tows’ seconds hammered Wellingborough IIs 78-12, while the thirds were easy 56-10 winners at Wellingborough IIIs.

The colts team also won, sweeping aside Aylesbury colts 60-5.

Heathens 24 Sharnbrook & Colworth 33

A five-minute lapse of concentration virtually killed off any chance Heathens had of recording their first merit table win of the season against Sharnbrook & Colworth at the Racecourse.

Heathens started well and scored the first try through hooker Daryl Richards, which was well converted by Gavin Cottrell.

But the bad spell soon followed and weak tackling led to a converted try for Sharnbrook. That was followed by a five-pointer two minutes later and a second converted try on 19 minutes.

Heathens looked to be heading for a humiliating defeat when the visitors secured another converted try, but they stuck to their guns and responded with an unconverted try from flanker Mark Evans. This was followed in injury time by a second touchdown for Richards, converted by Cottrell to close the gap to 26-19 at half-time.

Heathens clawed their way closer to an unlikely comeback when skipper Dan Stonehouse crashed over in the 55th minute.

But despite heavy pressure on the visitors’ try line, Heathens were unable to add to their tall

Sharnbook sealed it with a try where they ran the length of the pitch to make it 33-24.

This Saturday Heathens take on Long Buckby IIs at the Racecourse.

Brackley 95 Wellingborough OGs 5

Brackley produced a devastating display of 15-man rugby as Wellingborough OGs were thrashed 95-5.

Brackley pulled on the Pink Socks to raise awareness of Breast Cancer this weekend and after a relatively quiet first half in which they notched up four tries to one, the home side let rip in the second period, touching down a further 11 times and coming tantalisingly close to a three-figure score.

As they left the field, Brackley might well have thought their haul was sufficient to overturn the points difference that had kept them from the top spot in Midlands Four East South.

However, league leaders St Neots had meanwhile increased the differential with a 98-0 demolition job on Corby, leaving Brackley to occupy second place.

Brackley coach Matt Titchener said: “This result proves we can do it.

“There’s been a huge change in attitude this season with the whole squad now working for each other.

“The players are hungry to score, but at the same time they’re not being selfish. If they can see someone else has a better chance of reaching the line, they’re making the pass, then following up in support, both forwards and backs – it’s great to see.”

Deepings v Mens Own (match abandoned)

Mens Own’s match at Deepings was abandoned after a bad injury to Sam Flanagan.

Flanagan, making his first start for the Mens Own firsts, broke his ankle and the game was called off as a result after 26 minutes. The club 
wish Sam well and hope he makes a speedy recovery.

During the 26 minutes of play, both sides took turns at scoring, with Deepings scoring three tries, one converted to Own’s two tries from Danny Golden and James Reynolds.

The replay is likely to take place on November 10.

Mens Own’s second string, under the captaincy of Lee Kitchen, secured a fine win, beating Casuals IIs 33-3 at Ashton. The win ended Casuals’ unbeaten run and puts Kitchen’s men top of the league.

Premier division leaders Blisworth inflicted an NFA Lower Junior Cup upset on Woodford United Reserves.

Matt Curry settled Blisworth nerves with the opener, before Andy Seaton rounded out a convincing win with a brace.

Earls Barton slipped to a first defeat in all competitions against UCL Division One leaders Sileby Rangers.

Kris Hall and Adam Bridgeford both netted for Barton, but the 28-goal strikeforce found the hosts’ net four times to progress. Orchard Park, Harpole and Volta all found UCL opposition too strong to contend with and bowed out.

Kislingbury put four past Yardley without reply and in the three all-Combination ties it was a good day to be on the road, with each game ending in an away victory.

Matt Coleman scored twice for Brixworth who eliminated Ringstead 3-1 and Stuart MacMichael scored twice for Pegasus, but it was not enough as Milton won 5-2 in extra-time.

Duston Garage (Bosch Service) Premier Division

Kettering Nomads recorded only a second win of the season against illness-ravaged Roade. Nomads took the lead in the first half, much against the run of play when a wind assisted free-kick was headed home by Ross Patrick at the far-post. Nomads doubled the advantage ten minutes into the second half when Patrick swept home from the left hand side of the area. Roade came close to cutting the deficit several times before Steve Carroll halved the arrears from the spot. Nomads held out and climbed out of the bottom three for the first time since returning to the top flight.

Weldon struggled with conditions against bottom side Heyford, but secured the points with three second half goals from Ben Smith, Sean Fraser and Jay Arnold. Chris Dickens was also amongst the goals as Moulton cruised to victory against Khalsa. His brace set Moulton on the way to a 4-0 success.

Duston Garage (Bosch Service) Division One

Medbourne could not take advantage of the leader’s cup commitments and ascend to the summit after defeat by Wootton. Dom Williams netted for the Leicestershire side for which victory would guarantee top spot. Goals from Jamie Ellis, Joe Church, and Michael Ryan dented such lofty ambitions. Stanwick too failed to capitalise on the opportunity to climb the table after drawing with Denton. James Willmott scored for Stanwick but Rosco Cook equalised for Denton. Corby Everards did climb the table following a convincing win over struggling Gretton. Pete Callan and Steve Millar grabbed a hat-trick apiece as Everards put eight past Gretton. George Donnelly got in on the action putting one past his former club.

Rothenberger Tools Division Two

The curse of top spot remains alive and well as Halloween approaches with Wollaston being unable to hang on again. Wilby toppled the leaders after a 4-2 derby victory. Lee Woolman and Martin Burse scored for the Vics, but Paul Southey fired home for Wilby, before Shane Hawkes hit a treble to seal the win. The reverse allowed Daventry Comms to ascend to first place. Comms made short work of previously hard-to-beat Rising Sun, doubling the host’s goals conceded total for the season in the nap success. Redstar returned to winning ways, ending a run of four games without a victory by pounding Clipston 5-1. Jamie Farrell got the first before George MacKay went goal crazy with four.

Duston Garage (Bosch Service) Division Three

The Drayton Grange juggernaut was halted by Exiles. Sam Savage scored the only goal of the game to give the Northampton-based side victory. The win ended Drayton Grange’s superb unbeaten run, and was the first league defeat since May 2011!

Weedon were best placed to capitalise on any potential reverse for the leaders and made no mistake in taking the chance when it came. Shane Richardson found the net for opponents Great Doddington, but Ben Drinkwater struck twice to seal the win.

Weedon move level on points with Drayton who remain on top by virtue of goal difference. Gary Broadway also scored twice for Ferrers but it proved in vain as Grange Park emerged 3-2 winners. Walgrave leapfrogged Ferrers in the table after a routine win away at Titchmarsh.

Tommy Horsley, Jacob Garland, and Sam Bastin were all on the scoresheet for Walgrave. SPA slumped to a fourth successive defeat after going down 3-1 to FC Higham.

Sam Scarman had put the Northampton side ahead but a Tom Martin hat-trick ripped the heart out of the strugglers. Gleneagles too languish at the wrong end of the table, but ended a run of successive defeats by taking a point from the tie with West Haddon. Shomat Choudhury was the West Haddon scorer in the draw.

Duston Garage (Bosch Service) Division Four

All of a sudden Wilbarston have rediscovered the winning habit, making it two in a row after defeating Corby United.

Marek Dybek scored three of the goals in the 6-1 win, while an own goal compounded the host’s misery. Like rivals United, Corby Kingswood have yet to record a win this season, and defeat against the leaders Borough Alliance extends that run to seven games.

Alex Williams is fast becoming a fixture on the results sheet with both goals in Hellenic’s narrow 3-2 defeat to AFC Rothwell. With his goalscoring exploits so far, it can only be a matter of time before teams from the higher levels come hunting for his signature.

Kettering Park Rovers’ win over Albion Vikings was very much the tale of two goalscorers. Scott McKinnon scored twice for the Vikings, put Gavin Ledgeway went one better to seal the points for the hosts. Blame for Desborough & Rothwell’s defeat to Corby Ravens meanwhile can be laid squarely at their own feet. Kane Robinson had put the hosts ahead before poor defending saw Michael Kerfoot equalise for the Ravens. An own goal then sealed the tie in the Corby side’s favour.

Duston Garage (Great Wall Cars) Reserve Premier Division:

Bugbrooke A cemented the grip on top spot in emphatic style, smashing Ringstead Reserves 11-2.

Second-placed Brixworth lost ground on the leaders after going down 2-1 to Spencer Reserves. Chris Norman and Kofi Dawes netted the goals for the visitors. Weldon and Blisworth both closed on Brixworth after taking points in their respective matches.

Weldon’s leaky defence saw a two goal lead given them by James Ferguson squandered and allowed struggling Roade in for a point, while Blisworth enjoyed a 3-0 derby success over Milton.

Dale Lewis opened the scoring before Rob Kirby added a brace. Harpole and ON Chenecks heaped more misery on struggling Pegasus and Moulton with respective wins. Harpole over came Pegasus 2-1, while Marcus Bergland and Carl White sealed Chenecks 2-0 success.

Duston Garage (Great Wall Cars) Reserve Division One

Wootton climbed three places courtesy of victory in the basement battle with Everards. Creig Trasler was the pick of the scorers with three goals in the 7-3 win. Fellow strugglers Heyford and Orchard Park endured mixed fortunes. Heyford went down 6-0 to Earls Barton, while Orchard Park surprisingly held second placed Corby Locos to a draw, Darren Taylor, Taylor Wilson and Aaron Bell all netting. Dan Barker put leaders Stanion on the way to a sixth successive league win with a hat-trick against Bugbrooke B.

Indeed a mixed day for the top three was completed when Weldon A lost to Kislingbury. Kislingbury scored twice before half time and added a third just after the restart.

The Weldon fightback came to late to make any real difference. Pete Brennan scored on 85 minutes to reduce the arrears, and James Clark added a second in stoppage time.

The clock ticked down however and Kislingbury held on. Old Grammarians climbed above Bugbrooke after defeating Medbourne.

Duston Garage (Great Wall Cars) Reserve Division Two

Redstar produced a second successive 6-0 win to topple leaders Spratton. Lee McEwen was the standout scorer picking up half of the goals himself. Stanwick and Wollaston both moved ahead of Spratton following respective victories over Volta and Wilby. Seven games in and the goals against column makes sorry ready for bottom side Hellenic. James Blackwell scored five for Harborough A in the 8-0 win, that takes the tally conceded to 48 so far. Richard Charlton was the Higham Town hero, scoring twice in the win over West Haddon. His goals were crucial in ending a run of four successive home defeats for the Lancaster Park outfit.

Duston Garage (Bosch Service) Star Award

Northampton Exiles who ended Drayton Grange’s 18-month unbeaten league run.

It is said that a week can be a long time in politics. In the near future that phrase is going to be particularly fitting for the world as a superpower’s electorate heads for the polling booths.

Americans will decide whether Democrat Barack Obama is going to win a second presidential term in office, or whether Republican Mitt Romney will beat him to the keys of the White House, ushering in not only a new series of domestic policies, but also a new order for the rest of the world to deal with.

The result will have implications for us all – particularly here in terms of the so-called “Special Relationship”, 
which has seemed perhaps rather less special in recent years.

Before any of that can happen though, there is the question of what has been the biggest single story of the week: Hurricane Sandy.

Days before it hit the eastern coastline of the United States, virtually all news channels around the globe were carrying the developing story that New York State was lying in the path of a colossal storm, building in intensity to hurricane strength offshore and threatening devastation when it reached land.

Of course there have been hurricanes before, but this one was being painted in truly biblical terms: a 900-mile wide storm is indeed something not to take lightly.

When it finally arrived, thanks to the instant nature of news reporting that we now enjoy, we could all watch minute by minute as the winds and waters of the Atlantic crashed into one of the most built-up cities of the world, sweeping devastation across it and taking lives and livelihoods with impunity.

The strength of Mother Nature was impressive beyond human understanding and the cost of repairs could run into hundreds of billions of dollars when you consider the swathe of devastation across the USA and Canada that has been directly affected by the storm, and the incalculable costs of lost lives and businesses caught up in it.

I must admit that I had taken little notice of the developing story until last weekend, when a close friend of mine ventured towards the hurricane by flying out to Chicago.

The city is 800 miles away from New York and yet with the rumoured scale of the storm, even there there were concerns for the wellbeing of people and homes.

Lake Michigan is a vast expanse of water, but it’s not known for 30-feet waves and storm force winds.

Like millions, through social networking I was able to see the storm’s effect through individual eyes and I think it was this that gave me an altogether different appreciation of the story.

Let’s not forget either that many places where the storm hit share their names with locations here in Britain. Northampton, Massachusetts, was in the storm’s path as it made landfall.

The ramifications of the storm are almost as big as the storm itself, if not bigger.

The hurricane had begun to lose strength and was downgraded to a tropical storm as it neared the coast.

Even so, the forecasters were vindicated in their doom-saying and it will be years before the clear-up from Sandy is over.

Even before the storm had passed, political commentators were evaluating which presidential candidate’s performance had better served their parties and their election aspirations during it.

Personally I find that somewhat obscene but it’s an integral part of our 24/7 mentality.

I wonder whether whichever victorious president it is will be appealing for global support after nature’s demonstration of where real power lies.

He’ll need a little statesmanlike humility.

So, some of you might be wondering how I’m finding university life.

To put it simply, I still have no idea what university life is like.

To be honest, in the run-up to university I found myself having extremely diverse feelings about it.

I was looking forward to studying creative writing but as for moving away, well, I had less enthusiasm than a lamb in a lion enclosure.

If I’m honest, I knew a while ago that I wasn’t quite ready to move out yet,
and while I watched friends of mine opt to study at
Northampton, I bit the bullet and went to The University of Derby anyway (or, the halls at least).

So I was sitting on my bed in my halls, parents already well on their way back down the M1 and I just had this moment where I thought “what the hell am I doing here”.

I realised then that I’d gone along with the whole moving away thing because I just thought it was what you’re supposed to do.

But it’s not for everyone and as I looked around my room full of boxes I knew it wasn’t for me.

Now, I know what a lot of you would have said “stick it out for a few weeks, see how you feel” and that’s fair enough.

The problem is, however, that once you enrol you
automatically owe the university 25 per cent of your course fees.

In my case, that would have been £2,000.

So I had a choice to make: do I stay, even though I’m certain I’ve made the wrong decision or do I leave and be free of £2,000 debt?

It was fairly easy and, against most people’s wishes, I left university that same night.

Despite being relieved in every sense of the word, I couldn’t help but feel I’d let people down.

But the decision I made was made for me, by me and I know it was the right one.

My impromptu gap year is currently consisting of working at my weekend job, doing work experience as an English teaching assistant and writing for publications to ensure I keep my passion for English alive.

I’ll soon be applying to go to The University of Northampton next year and I can honestly say, with the pressure of university gone, I’m back to my normal happy self.

So my advice to anyone applying to university this year is this; Don’t let fear hold you back, but don’t let fear cloud your judgement of what you really want to do.

I attended the first 50th birthday party of my generation at the weekend.

By my generation I’m referring to the group of people I socialised with over 20 years ago when I was a trainee reporter on The Biggleswade Chronicle.

In those days a senior reporter was assigned to mentor the green recruits and my guardian angel was Branwell Johnson.

He was named after the Bronte brother and warned me solemnly he had
learned how to fight defending his name on the play-
grounds of his hometown Liverpool.

I was, of course, too young and naive to realise this was basically the plot of the Johnny Cash song A Boy Named Sue and it bought Branwell – as planned – a few weeks of awestruck respect.

Now that black-eyed wolf in media journalist’s clothing has achieved his half-century and on Saturday night assorted family and friends from across the eons gathered in the Phoenix Bar in Charing Cross Road to celebrate.

There were guests there who had not seen me since I was a fresh-faced “friend of Branwell” trying to fit in with a minibus full of his Oxbridge mates heading for the Glastonbury Festival.

I had been trying to remember their nickname for me acquired after several subsequent Glastonbury trips with the same crowd.

As I arrived I heard: “Look, it’s Thing!”

Ah yes, that was it.

Thing.

An Oxbridge education prepares you for many
aspects of life (driving Routemaster buses and managing the preservation of old churches among the mix here) but not thinking up nicknames.

Some of them had married each other, a lot of them had kids.

They were equally appalled and impressed that I had
four.

We discussed parenting and we all agreed that hypocrisy was the way to go when it came to disciplining teenagers for things you used to do/still did yourself.

The last time we had
all been together in one
 place we had more hair, darker hair, thinner bodies and we probably spent all night
complaining about how mad our parents and our bosses were.

Now we were spending the evening complaining about how mad our children and employees are.

The star of the show, Branwell, had fathered twins, which is the kind of two for one bargain that he always had a nose for.

And as the evening wore on his expression grew increasingly concerned, which was a surefire sign he was enjoying himself.

“Having fun is a serious business” is the way he would explain it with implacable Scouser gravity.

Far too serious to leave
it all to the kids, that’s for
sure . . .

Businessmen told Northampton Borough Council on Monday night that the town centre needs free parking to help boost footfall in the shopping areas.

Our councils have been trying to spin the benefits of parking charges for years while out-of-town shopping areas thrived and business after business closed in the centre.

They said more people could park in the town centre if on-street spaces had to be vacated after an hour.

Viewed in isolation, this is true, but Northampton town centre does not exist in isolation.

It exists a couple of miles down the road from Weston Favell where you can park for free outside a huge Tesco and a range of other shops and restaurants.

I live in Semilong and I often drive to Weston Favell rather than nipping into the town centre which is on my doorstep.

Part of the reason is avoiding town centre traffic and part of the reason is parking convenience.

It’s not really the cost of parking that bothers me
 in the town centre, it’s the
 hassle of finding change, getting a ticket and going back to the car to stick it in the window.

At the moment the experience of being in town does not justify the inconvenience of getting there.

It’s fixable. Make it less inconvenient or more enjoyable to be there.

Preferably both. It’s not brain surgery.

Aidy Boothroyd will urge his Cobblers players to capitalise on an injury situation at Bradford City that is almost as bad as the one at Sixfields when the teams meet in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Town will be without four of their most established first-team players with top goalscorer Alex Nicholls added to a missing list that already includes David Artell, Luke Guttridge and Ben Harding.

That burden was lightened this week with the news that John Johnson and Chris Hackett - who has arguably the club’s most consistent player of the current campaign - have returned to fitness.

Bradford will be without both of their first-choice central defenders, with the giant Luke Oliver and Andrew Davies, who excelled in a 1-0 win at Sixfields 10 days ago, both ruled out.

Central midfielder Ricky Ravenhill also turned in a good performance in the league meeting between the sides and is also missing through suspension.

Both managers will name starting line-ups diluted in quality as a result of the absence, and Boothroyd is confident his fringe players can better Bradford’s to secure a second-round place.

“They’ve lost Luke Oliver to an Achilles injury, (Andrew) Davies is out for a period of time and Nakhi Wells went off in the game on Tuesday but the boys that came in did very well,” he said.

“They’ve got enough depth to be able to get through injuries like that but if they get even more injuries on the top of that then they’re going to really struggle.

“That’s where we are right now but either way you’ve got to take advantage and hope that the boys given a chance don’t step up to the levels of the previous players.”

Bradford have been in outstanding cup form this season and this week reached the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup by winning at Premier League side Wigan Athletic on penalties.

Their reward for that was a last-eight tie with Arsenal at Valley Parade, for which the club hope to earn in the region of £300,000 through gate receipts and television money.

Such an injection of cash, combined with a sole pre-season ambition at Bradford to win promotion, means the FA Cup might take on limited importance for Northampton’s weekend opponents.

But Boothroyd is fully aware of the financial incentives in the world’s oldest knockout competition, with a win in round one carrying a prize of £18,000.

“But you know it’s the FA Cup and it’ll mean a lot to both teams if they get through to the next round because of the extra revenue that it brings in.

“That is important because it repays some of the money that the chairman has had to invest on bringing other players in.”

An international drug dealer involved in a conspiracy to fly £1.7 million worth of cocaine into an airfield in Northamptonshire is an Iraq war veteran, a court heard.

Christopher McGlone, 27, served three tours of duty in Iraq with the British Army, Northampton Crown Court heard yesterday.

The former soldier will be sentenced today, with five others, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import Class A drugs, along with his brother James McGlone, 30, also of Occupation Road, Corby, Adel Chouhaib, 33, of Lingfield Walk, Corby, Wayne Burgess, of Westfields Road, Corby and Abdelilah Hilali, 35, of Marsham Road, London.

The gang plotted to smuggle five kilograms of cocaine into Deenethorpe Airfield, two miles from Corby, from Abbeville in France.

James Thomas, prosecuting, said Richard Murray, 50, of Greenhill Rise, Corby collected the drugs from a contact in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and drove to the airfield in France where he met Burgess, who had flown from the UK in a £31,000 light aircraft the gang had bought, to collect them. However, he was arrested upon landing on June 26 last year.

Police already had the gang under surveillance and swooped to arrest them when the plane touched down and drugs were found in a wing compartment.

Charles Kayne, for Christopher McGlone, revealed his client was “vulnerable” when he joined the gang, as he was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

Mr Kayne said: “ He was vulnerable at the time of the operation and when he was offered the chance to join the gang.

“He has no previous convictions and we can see from the evidence that there is good within this man.

“He was vulnerable and the decision to take part in this operation was the one aberration in this man’s life.”

Mr Kayne said it was a bad decision to leave the army because of “the massive change in his life since his departure “ .

He added that Christopher McGlone had an impressive army record and helped train children at Corby Boxing Club.

Judge Lynn Tayton QC concluded Chouhaib, who also admits a conspiracy to supply cannabis from a house in Grendon Avenue, Corby, played a “leading role” in the international smuggling plot.

She added that it was clear that he directed the other members of the group, directed the buying of the plane and ordered the training of Burgess.

Having bought a light aircraft for cash, the gang arranged for the consignment of drugs to be transported to France where Burgess picked them up in the plane and fly the shipment back to England.

Chouhaib admits being part of the plot, but claims he was only the “transport manager” and the entire operation was arranged by someone above him - who he would not name.

The group is due to be sentenced today.

Calum Clark will start for Saints at Leicester Tigers on Saturday after his 32-week ban ended on Friday.

The flanker makes his first appearance for Northampton since receiving the suspension for hyper-extending the elbow of Tigers forward Rob Hawkins during the LV= Cup final in March.

Also starting for the first time this season will be wing Jamie Elliott, who has recovered from a hamstring injury to take the place of Vasily Artemyev on the wing.

Tom May is given the nod at full-back, Martin Roberts replaces England man Lee Dickson at scrum-half and Phil Dowson captains the side.

Samu Manoa and Mike Haywood come in for injured duo Courtney Lawes and Dylan Hartley, who were forced off in the 16-6 defeat to Saracens last Saturday.

That result saw the Saints slip from the top of the Aviva Premiership Rugby table, but director of rugby Jim Mallinder believes that there were plenty of good things to take from that performance.

“Of course we want to win, but rugby is also about the way you play and there has been plenty to build on from our previous games,” he said.

“We’ve looked at our past performances and there have been bits where we’ve played well and bits where we haven’t. Of course we’ve worked on those areas and while it’s going to be a massive challenge at Welford Road it’s one that we’re up for.

“We’ve got a good side who have had the right attitude in training, and hopefully we’ll have the right performance which will lead to the result we want.”

Saints: May; K Pisi, G Pisi, Waldouck, Elliott; Lamb, Roberts, Tonga’uiha, Haywood, Mujati; Manoa, Sorenson, Clark, Dowson, van Velze.

Replacements: McMillan, Waller, Doran-Jones, Nutley, Oakley, Day, Burrell, Artemyev.

Leicester Tigers: Murphy; Hamilton, Allen, Smith, Morris; Ford, Youngs; Ayerza, Chuter, Castrogiovanni; Deacon, Kitchener; Mafi, Salvi, Thorpe.

Replacements: Stevens, Stankovich, Balmain, Slater, Noone, Harrison, Bowden, Goneva.

A woman has died after being hit by a lorry in Northamptonshire in the early hours of this morning.

Detectives have appealled for witnesses following the fatal road traffic crash, which happened at 4.10am on the A6003.

A police spokesman said: “A 31-year-old woman from Corby was struck by the HGV along the A6003 between Danesholme Road junction and Cottingham Road junction.

“Sadly, the woman sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.”

Witnesses can call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or alternatively, information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Franklin’s Gardens isn’t the only Premiership rugby ground that will be hosting a fireworks show this weekend.

Welford Road will be the setting for plenty of pyrotechnics on Saturday afternoon as Saints square up to old adversaries Leicester Tigers.

It promises to be more explosive than a night in Mario Balotelli’s bathroom and the presence of Calum Clark is sure to light the blue touch paper.

Clark, back from the 32-week ban he picked up for an unsavoury incident involving Tigers hooker Rob Hawkins during the LV= Cup final in March, starts for Saints.

And the flanker is sure to receive a spiky welcome from the Leicester faithful when he enters the field of play on Saturday.

But it is crucial that he and his Saints team-mates keep their cool in what is likely to be a white-hot atmosphere at Welford Road.

Northampton will be so desperate to take something from the game and their tempers must not become frayed as they look to record their first league win at Leicester since February 2007.

Jim Mallinder, Dorian West and Paul Grayson will be expressing the need for ‘discipline, discipline, discipline’ in their pre-match team talk and it is vital that Saints don’t go a man down at any point.

The inner fire and desire needs to be controlled and ruffling the feathers of the Tigers players will be the best bet in the bid to secure victory.

There hasn’t been too much between the teams this season, with just a point separating fourth-placed Saints from fifth-placed Leicester in the Premiership.

And both have one win from two games in the Heineken Cup.

It should be as tight and tense as ever this weekend, but Saints will hope it is them rocketing up the league table come 4pm on Saturday.

Six international drug smugglers have been jailed for a total of 38 years for their part in a cocaine trafficking operation which involved drugs flown to Northamptonshire via the Netherlands and France.

The Corby-based gang were jailed today at Northampton Crown Court by Judge Lynn Tayton QC who said they were prepared to import £1.7 million of cocaine using a £31,000 light aircraft bought for the purpose.

She said: “This concerns an organised criminal conspiracy to import substantial amounts of cocaine into the UK for onward supply.”

It followed an investigation by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit – Serious Organised Crime (EMSOU-SOC) team and Northamptonshire Police. The operation resulted in the seizure of five kilos of cocaine with a street value of £1.7 million.

Five of the men were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply controlled drugs on Sunday, June 26, 2011, while a further man, Abdelilah Hilali, was arrested in London on Wednesday, August 24 last year.

All defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import Class A drugs and conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Ringleader Adel Chouhaib, 33, of Lingfield Walk, Corby was sentenced to 10 years for his involvement in the cocaine conspiracy. He also received an 18 month sentence, to be served consecutively, for conspiracy to supply cannabis from a drugs house in Grendon Avenue, Corby

Abdelilah Hilali, 34, Marsham Street, London was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment.

Christopher McGlone, 27, of Occupation Road, Corby received five years’ imprisonment.

James McGlone, 30, also of Occupation Road, Corby was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment.

Wayne Burgess, 36, of Westfields Road, Corby, who was the pilot specially trained for the task, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment.

Courier and ex-paratrooper Richard Murray, 48, of Greenhill Rise, Corby was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment.

He received 12 months to be served concurrently, for a separate offence of obtaining £50,000 of war pension by deception and fraud.

The group operated as an organised crime network with Adel Chouhaib organising the importation and dissemination of the drugs. The operation was funded by the McGlone brothers, who were also involved in distributing the cocaine.

Hilali arranged for the supply of drugs from Amsterdam while Burgess and Murray acted as couriers.

The drugs were collected from Amsterdam by Murray who drove by car to meet Burgess at an airstrip in Abbeville, France.

He then flew back to the UK with the shipment of drugs in a micro-light aircraft before landing at Deenethorpe Airfield near Corby.

Co-ordinated arrests were made after Mr Burgess landed the plane and Mr Murray re-entered the country in Dover, Kent. James Thomas, prosecuting, said: “This was an organised criminal conspiracy. At the heart of the conspiracy was Adel Chouhaib, for recruiting Burgess and training him to fly the plane.

“Burgess, recruited by Adel Chouhaib and financed by him and others, trained as a pilot. Richard Murray was recruited as a courier.”

In September 2010, Wayne Burgess began training at the Nene Valley Microlights centre, near Peterborough, in April he completed that training.

In May 2011, he bought a microlight aircraft paid for in cash and stored at Deenthorpe Airfield.

Chouhaib admitted being a part of the organised crime group but challenged the prosecution case that he was in fact the ring leader. This resulted in a three day Newton Hearing in court to determine his role in the conspiracy.

Detective Inspector Greg Maides, senior investigating officer, from EMSOU-SOC said: “This was a hugely complex operation involving a number of different law enforcement agencies based both here and abroad.

“The criminal enterprise was highly planned, with preparation starting as early as 2010 when Mr Burgess began to train as a pilot.

“The drugs were destined for Northamptonshire and the Midlands and had they not been intercepted, they would have had a serious impact on the communities living and working there.

“I’d like to thank the officers and staff from EMSOU-SOC and Northamptonshire Police who worked so diligently to ensure this group ended up behind bars.

“This is an example of good solid police work with assistance from our counterparts in the Netherlands and France.

“We were supported by the Metropolitan Police who arrested Mr Hilali on our behalf, the Border Force who intercepted Murray as he re-entered the country and SOCA who liaised with non-UK law enforcement on our behalf.

“A significant role was also played by the Crown Prosecution Service’s Complex Case Unit in presenting such a clear and persuasive case.”

Lawrence English, Head of the CPS East Midlands Complex Casework Unit added: “Importing and supplying drugs of this nature can have a devastating effect on people’s lives. The Crown Prosecution Service is determined to play our part in keeping our streets safe from this kind of threat.

“We worked closely with the forces who thwarted this criminal operation, providing advice throughout the investigation from an early stage.

“Thanks to the diligence and teamwork of the investigators we were able to present a case so compelling that the defendants had no option but to plead guilty.”

A Border Force spokesperson said: “Our officers are on constant alert to keep class A drugs and other banned substances out of the UK.

“Working together with other law enforcement colleagues we are determined to stop them reaching our streets and our communities.”

The four men hoping to become Northamptonshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner were quizzed today in an online webchat.

The elections hopefuls – John Norrie, independent, Jim MacArthur, UKIP, Adam Simmonds, Conservative, and Paul Varnsverry, Liberal Democrat – answered questions on the Chron’s website on a range of subjects about the election, their policies and their personal lives.

The candidates were asked about why Labour Party voters should vote for them after Lee Barron was forced to admit this week that an arrest in 1990 meant he could not take the job.

Mr Norrie said: “I have always said this job should not be voted along party lines and people should select the candidate based on relevant experience and skills and not just on which party they represent. “

Mr Simmonds said: “Lee demonstrated so much passion for things he cared and cares about. I believe I have the same passion to make Northamptonshire safer.”

They were then quizzed about warnings the election turnout could be as low as 18 per cent.

Mr Macarthur added: “I am worried about voter apathy but at he end of the day the new PCC will still be elected. The important thing is that whoever becomes PCC will act and conduct himself in a manner acceptable to the community.”

Mr Varnsverry said: “It will be the conduct of the successful candidate, once in office, that creates their mandate through the way in which they engage with and involve the people of Northamptonshire in setting policing policy.”

Asked about whether there was any potential merger with other forces, Mr Simmonds said: “I understand mergers are out of the question at the moment but there is lots of scope to embrace some sort of integration, not just the back office, but in terms of fleet management and call centres.”

Mr Vansverry added: “I opposed a merger when it was proposed several years ago. For me, a county force, held accountable by the people of the county is a fundamental part of policing by consent.”

Asked about continuing police performance, Mr MacArthur said: “I absolutely agree with you about the great improvements to ours service under (Chief Constable) Adrian Lee. However, I think much more work has to be done in engaging local communities and indeed individuals.”

Mr Simmonds added: “We are still doing badly in two areas; violent crime which rose by 5.5 per cent last year and drug trafficking which is almost as bad as London.”

Questions were also put to Mr Varnsverry about his business affairs, having run into financial difficulties several years ago.

In response, he said: “The rules on eligibility and disqualifications for standing for this office do not prohibit me from doing so. As I said earlier, I took a moral and responsible step to ensure those to whom money was owed were paid. The arrangement concludes in January.”

Mr Simmonds also responded to questions about the nature of his departure from Northamptonshire County Council, where he was an assistant director.

He said: “I had a three month notice period, so if someone wanted to get rid of me or I wanted to leave both sides needed to allow the other three months notice. Because I went for this role, my neutral council role was going to be difficult to hold.

“So because I owed the council three months notice and they would owe me three months notice before terminating my contract we agreed I would leave immediately and I would get my three months salary. This was taxed. There was no pay-off, just money I had already earned but upfront.”

Candidates were finally quizzed on how many police officers they want to see in the force by 2013.

Mr Norrie said: “I will do all in my power to ensure that that number does not reduce. I have already made it clear that visible front line policing must remain at, at least, current strength.”

Mr MacArthur added: “I can’t say exactly how many more officers I will be able to get on the street but I promise you it will be substantially more than we have now.”

Goals from Abbie Mackenzie and Emily Boddington secured County Cup victory for Moulton Magpies Under 16s as they say off their Kettering Town counterparts.

Magpies started brightly and created several openings but Kettering held firm as both teams battled to keep the ball down and play some good football in difficult conditions.

Magpies made the break through after a good through ball from Ollie Clifford released Mackenzie and she found Boddington, who squeezed the ball home for 1-0.

In the second half Mackenzie produced a superb run down the wing and after cutting inside she finished well for 2-0. A good result in a tight game. Well played, girls!

Moulton team: Kirsty Bryant, Chloe Dunkley, Ollie Clifford, Aneesah Malik, Jo Gilding, Georgia Webb, Lauren Kennedy, Katie Gurr, Emily Boddington, Abbie Mackenzie, Bayleigh Newby

Subs: Lois Donegal, Hannah Morton, Ella Sturgess, Rosie Baker

MOM: Abbie Mackenzie

UNDER 13

COGENHOE & KINGSTHORPE

Lost 3-0 to Welland Valley

Team: Lauren Avis, Ryanna Turnbull Belfon, Chloe Carpenter, Ella Clarke, Liberty Cook, Mathilda Fidler, Georgia Francis, Charly Rogers, Hollie Webster.

Subs: Kim Drage

Report: Cogenhoe and Kingsthorpe FC and Welland Valley contested a good, even game of football. Cogenhoe and Kingsthorpe had numerous chances but the ball was not going in the net. Chloe and Charly worked extremely hard, gaining them M.O.M. Well done to both teams, some good football played.

G.O.M: Charly Rogers and Chloe Carpenter

WELLAND VALLEY

Beat Cogenhoe & Kingsthorpe 3-0

Scorers: Anaiya Shah, own goal (2)

Team: Anaiya Shah, Carrie Slinn, Hannah Mowbray, Jemma Whyley, Taya Finch, Georgia Mains, Lucy Botterill, Alice Smith, Sophie Brooks

Subs: Samantha Fletcher

Report: First goal went to Anaiya Shah with a brilliant cross-shot, which went in the top right-hand corner of the net. The second came from a defender trying to clear the ball from Shah’s shot and it just clipped the wrong side of her foot, ending up in the back of the net! Welland came out fighting in the second half and put in a strong performance with another own goal same sort of thing. Alice Smith took a shot that clipped the defender and went in. Cogenhoe looked strong right until the end with a lot of shots being hit wide or saved by the Welland Valley keeper. Great performance by all.

UNDER 14

PARKLANDS TIGERS

Lost 7-1 to Corby Gems Sapphires

Scorer: Eve Leonard

Team: Charlotte Mortimer, Molly Hughes, Dallas Ferguson, Amy Mann, Billie Swift, Chloe Southgate, Olivia Willson, Courtney Henry, Eve Leonard

Report: Parklands played a very strong and good tactical Gems side on a cold Sunday morning. Parklands conceded an early goal but soon equalised with a cracking strike from Eve Leonard. Dallas Ferguson made some crucial saves that kept Parklands in the game until just before half-time, when Gems scored their second. It was a fantastic display by Parklands who only had eight players. In the second half the lack of players started to take its toll and the Gems scored a further five goals. By no means did this reflect the play as Parklands played well all game and showed good teamwork. Well done to all the girls.

MOM: Dallas Ferguson

UNDER 16

BRACKLEY ATHLETIC

Drew 2-2 with Parklands Tigers

Scorers: Lacey Walton, Charlotte Alderman

Team: Zara Grudzinski, Shauna Cox; Eden Brown, Saraya Phillips, Hannah Shepherd, Jody Marshall, Stephanie Knight, Lacey Walton, Beth Hope, Charlotte Alderman, Amy Marshall

Report: Brackley started brightly playing some great passing football and were rewarded after just six minutes when Lacey Walton scored. But Parklands responded with two goals inside five minutes. The first was a great 30-yard strike and the second a header from a corner. Charlotte Alderman then latched on to a loose ball in the box to make the half-time score 2-2. No further goals in the second half but both teams played their part in a great game

PARKLANDS TIGERS

Drew 2-2 with Brackley Athletic

Scorers: Sharee Bobowitz, Shanice Rowlands

Team: Melanie Hinds, Amy Lethbridge, Fern Noble, Jasmine Eden, Chloe Wykes, Sharee Bobowitz, Chelsea Felix, Courtney Hyde, Aimee Smith, Teesha Henry, Shanice Rowlands

Subs: Lucy Hodgson, Paris Harman, Chloe Jones, Emma Lewthwaite, Line Rasmussen.

Report: A really hard-fought game with both teams playing some fantastic football. Brackley took the lead after a sloppy defensive error. Tigers soon equalised through a cracking strike by Sharee from fully 30 yards and within five minutes Tigers took the lead with Shanice grabbing her first for Tigers. Again Tigers gave away the equaliser and that’s how the first half ended. The second half didn’t see any further goals but both teams had chances to win it. A great advert for the Midshires League. Sharee was voted MOM but everyone battled and could have won the award.

MOM: Sharee Bobowitz

For Rhys Oakley Saturday’s game at Leicester will be his first taste of an east midlands derby.

The No.8, signed from Bourgoin during the summer, has played at Welford Road before, but never as a Northampton player.

The excitement is building as the 32-year-old prepares for the big kick-off this weekend and we caught up with the 32-year-old in the latest of our Chron Q&As.

Rhys, a perfect opportunity for the lads to bounce back from last weekend’s defeat to Saracens and stamp their mark on a game at Leicester Tigers on Saturday.

“Yes absolutely, as if Saracens at home wasn’t a big enough game, straight after we’ve got Leicester at Welford Road. It’s a fantastic opportunity to bounce back in style.”

Speaking to you in Toulouse, you did say this is the sort of match you came to Northampton for and to play these sorts of giants every week. It just seems to be a case of one to the next at the moment?

“Absolutely, that’s what it’s all about and it’s fantastic to be involved in these sort of big games in front of a full house here (Franklin’s Gardens) against Saracens on Saturday and a full house at Welford Road.

“The atmosphere will be fantastic and it’s the kind of game that every professional rugby player wants to play in.”

How much are you looking forward to being involved in the game because you perhaps haven’t tasted this sort of derby atmosphere before?

“I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve played at Welford Road a few times before and the atmosphere is always really good but I imagine in the derby it will be an extra step up which I’m very much looking forward to.”

What do you think the team needs to do to improve on last weekend, because it seemed all the build-up play was there, it just required the finishing touches?

“I think we dominated the possession, the play and we did all the work. We just need some extra composure in the final third and make sure we play at the right times really.

“I think we let Saracens soak up all of our pressure and then hit us on the counter and that’s something we need to be wary of.”

How much are you relishing that battle for the No.8 shirt with GJ van Velze now returning?

“GJ had a great game at the weekend and is playing really well. We’re both in good form and I relish the idea of having to fight for the jersey because that’s the way it should be at a club like this.

“You should never expect an easy ride and that’s exactly what I expected when I came here.”

Obviously there’s a few players missing in the back row and Tom Wood is away with England, do you think you fit elsewhere for example 6 or 7?

“I’m a versatile player, I’ve played 8 since I’ve been here but in the past I’ve played both 6 and 7 and even had spells in the second row at certain clubs.

“I’m more than happy to play anywhere for this club. I’ll always do my best and whatever Nobby (Dorian West) and Jim (Mallinder) need me to do I will try and do the best I can.

Every time Saints and Leicester meet there is always a massive forwards battle and I suppose that’s something the boys on the paddock are looking forward to getting their teeth into?

“Yes, with it being the local derby and the fans getting behind the players then every tackle and carry is going to be that little bit harder and you’ll just have to put that little bit of extra effort in because it will be probably be the hardest physical encounter that both teams will face all season.”

Have you experienced a derby clash before?

“Not so much. Playing for Bristol against Bath is probably the closest I’ve come to it but it’s a match that I’ve watched over the years and been jealous of the players playing in it and it’s now fantastic that I’ve got the chance to actually play in it.”

And it’s also a good chance for some of the squad members who don’t regularly start games to show what they can do?

“Yes, absolutely. We’ve got a fantastic squad here and in training every day there are some players who are playing just as well as some of the top guys and they are ready to take that chance and show everyone and the coaches that they are worthy of a starting spot in the team.”

You must have analysed Leicester, Where do you think their strengths are?
“Well, they’re obviously a very strong team. They’ve lost a few members of the team to International call ups but they’ve got a formidable pack even without their England players, with people like Castro (Martin Castrogiovanni) stepping up.

“I imagine Leicester will go back to basics, they’ll go back to their maul, they’ll go back to their scrum and they’ll really try and battle it out there.

“That’s what we expect and we’ll also have to keep an eye on our friend Ben Youngs coming back from England.”

You mentioned Bristol v Bath - what kind of derby was that?

“It was ferocious. They’re very old rivals who have never really got on. Much the same as this one here I guess. There’s a lot of history and that’s what makes these games so special.”

Do you feel your experience of that clash will help you this Saturday?

“I think it’s good to just have experience in general. It gives you an upper hand because it doesn’t allow you to get flustered or do things that you shouldn’t do.

“You understand that you have a job to do and anything extra is seen as a bonus.”

Although the game won’t be season-defining, I suppose there’s the added importance of not only getting the local bragging rights but also beating a side who are always a Premiership title contender?

“Obviously, as you said they are always up there competing as are we and it’s always a massive game when you come across the teams around you in the table.

“So yes we’ll be doing our best and certainly going away from home where we feel the shackles are off and we can really go for it.”

I suppose at the same time it’s also important not to get too wrapped up in the derby atmosphere?

“Absolutely. We need to keep our heads and our discipline and we need to try and grind out a victory.”

Jim Mallinder says he will consider adding to his Saints squad if the fringe players and youngsters struggle to perform.

Mallinder is without a host of first-choice players, with the likes of Ben Foden, Dylan Hartley and Courtney Lawes all missing.

The director of rugby takes his side to Welford Road to face old rivals Leicester Tigers on Saturday with his squad stretched to the limit.

Jamie Elliott starts on the wing and Mike Haywood is at hooker in the absence of Hartley, giving the youngsters a great chance to prove himself.

And while the emphasis is on giving Elliott, Haywood and other youngsters an opportunity to develop, Mallinder won’t rule out bringing in reinforcements if needed.

“You’ve got to look at it, particularly if you’ve got key injuries in a lot of positions,” he said. “Full-back is a good example where we’ve lost four full-backs if you include Stephen Myler, to injury.

“We’ve got to look at our academy, look at the squad and see if those players are good enough and capable and ready to come into the team and if not what you sometimes have to do is look around.

“But we’re confident at the moment that our squad members are all good enough to come in and do a job. If they’re not, it’s pointless having them there anyway.”

With so many experienced heads either on international duty or on the sidelines, Mallinder will look to certain players to provide leadership in the white-hot surroundings of Welford Road.

The return of Calum Clark from a 32-week ban and Phil Dowson’s release from the England squad have boosted the Saints ahead of the east midlands battle.

And Mallinder knows just how important the presence of those two players, who have captained the team to good effect in the past, will be.

“You need as many leaders as you possibly can have in the team,” he said. “We know Dylan Hartley is our skipper so it’s unfortunate he’s not playing but he wasn’t going to play anyway because of the England regulations.

“We’ve got to trust and rely on the other players and having Cal with Dowson are two really good players who have got good leadership qualities.”

Bradford City joint chairman Julian Rhodes has described his club’s FA Cup first-round tie against the Cobblers at Saturday as ‘another huge game’.

Bradford have been cup kings this season and on Tuesday night secured a Capital One Cup victory at Wigan Athletic that has secured the club a home tie against Arsenal in the quarter-finals.

That match will be televised and draw a capacity crowd to Valley Parade, meaning the Bantams are likely to bank in excess of £300,000 from the evening.

By contrast, the FA Cup first-round contest at Sixfields on Saturday (3pm kick-off) will be for a place in the second round and a prize fund of £18,000.

But Rhodes wants Bradford to maintain their dominant form in knockout football this season, and inflict a second win over Aidy Boothroyd’s men in the space of 10 days.

Rhodes told the Bradford Telegraph & Argus: “The Northampton game is very important to the club – as is the JPT tie against Port Vale. The better you can do in the cups has a knock-on influence in the league and it gets people behind you.

“Tomorrow is another huge game. The FA Cup prize money can be enormous – you don’t get any in the League Cup – and the TV fees are so much more because it’s still the number one competition.

“It’s fantastic that we are doing well in the League Cup. Nobody could have ever imagined we would be here in the quarter-finals.

“Tuesday night has to go down as one of the best for a long, long time. But we have to keep it going.”

Bradford go into the game in the midst of a defensive injury crisis, having lost both of their central defenders in the past week.

Luke Oliver has been sidelined for the remainder of the season with an Achilles injury and Andrew Davies will miss between three and four months after suffering a twisted knee.

Bantams manager Phil Parkison said: “It’s a bitter blow to lose two players who have been very influential for us.

“We thought the swelling in his knee could be quite serious and sadly it’s proved to be the case.”

Jim Mallinder says a fast start is essential if Saints want to avoid defeat at Welford Road this weekend.

The director of rugby has warned his players not to let rivals Leicester Tigers get on the front foot early.

And he wants Saints to be water-tight as they look to record their first win at Tigers since February 2007, when Mark Robinson’s try secured a tense 10-9 victory.

“If Leicester get on the front foot and the crowd get behind them, they’re a real awkward team to beat, we know that much,” said Mallinder.

“We’ve got to stop them, make sure defensively we’re very, very good. We’ve got to make sure we play in the right areas.

“We’ve got to make sure we counter-attack with accuracy and at the right times.”

Fourth-placed Saints and fifth-placed Tigers are separated by just a single point in the Aviva Premiership table, with seven games gone.

Recent battles between the two sides have been nail-biting affairs, and Mallinder doesn’t expect that to change.

“We’re very close in terms of where we’ve been in the table and in terms of recent results,” he said.

“We’ve had a little bit of success in the Heineken Cup but also lost a game, done quite well in the Premiership but lost a couple of games so it’s going to be tough.

“We’ve got a number of injuries, so have they. We’ve got a number of players out with England, so have they, and we know what a hard place it is to go to.

“But we’ve trained really well this weekend and we’re looking forward to the opportunity of turning them over.”

Saints go into the game on the back of a barren October, which saw them lose three of their four games in the month.

The most recent defeat came against Saracens last Saturday as the nomadic outfit scored a 16-6 win at Franklin’s Gardens, but Mallinder is not concerned by the recent run of form.

“September was a very good month, we were unbeaten,” he said. “But October was not so good, we lost more games than we won.

“What we don’t want is to concentrate too much on wins and losses, what we do is concentrate on our performance and we’re always looking to improve our performance.

“We will take the good bits from last week, and there were lots of good bits.”

Jim Mallinder labelled Calum Clark ‘outstanding’ after the flanker made an impressive return to action in Saints’ 16-12 defeat to rivals Leicester Tigers.

The 23-year-old played the full 80 minutes as Northampton were outpointed by the Tigers, who claimed a gritty win thanks to Matt Smith’s second-half try and 11 points from fly-half George Ford.

Saints battled to the end but were hit by Ryan Lamb’s late sin-binning and just couldn’t find the final punch to knock out their bitter adversaries.

Clark kept his side going top the end, though, keeping his cool in his first game back from the 32-week ban picked up for an incident against the Tigers during the LV= Cup final in March.

And Mallinder said: “I thought he was outstanding. “To come back and play 80 minutes in such an intensive game as that was good.

“We’ve got no doubts about Calum in terms of where he is. He’s one of our leaders. We’ve missed him and we’re glad he’s back.”

Lamb’s quartet of penalties had kept Saints in the game, but they couldn’t find the finish needed to cross the whitewash.

Smith’s early second-half score proved damaging and Mallinder admitted his frustration at his side’s lack of attacking edge.

“I’m pleased in terms of I thought generally our defensive game was very good, apart from the fact we conceded early in the second half, which is very frustrating,” he said.

“Generally we defended well but in attack they managed to slow us down, we didn’t get as much momentum as we would have liked and we didn’t have as many opportunities as we would have liked.”

Calum Clark’s return from exile ended in an east midlands derby defeat as Saints were beaten 16-12 by Leicester Tigers at Welford Road.

Clark, who saw his 32-week ban lifted on the eve of the game, put in a mature display beyond his 23 years, playing the full 80 minutes in his first game since the LV= Cup final defeat to Leicester in March.

Saints tasted defeat on that occasion and that heartache was repeated as a second-half score from centre Matt Smith and 11 points from the boot of George Ford won it for Tigers.

Ford was to have a shocking day, though, missing five kicks and failing to put the game out of sight when given the chance.

Ryan Lamb, who had put Saints 6-0 up early on, landed four penalties, but was shown a yellow card for nudging a player off the ball with five minutes to go.

Despite that, his side held on to earn a losing bonus point which their spirited display had more than merited.

The inclusion of Clark in the Saints line-up dominated the pre-match build-up, but the flanker was not greeted with the expected level of animosity as he took to the Welford Road pitch.

The home faithful almost refused to acknowledge him as a teacher might with a naughty schoolchild, feeling silence was the best expression of discontent.

The game itself started with few fireworks but Saints began with fire in their bellies and were awarded an early penalty as Richard Thorpe was penalised for not rolling away.

Lamb struck the kick sweetly to put his side ahead but Tigers almost had an immediate riposte as Saints failed to gather the kick-off effectively and presented possession to their hosts.

But the away side held out and showed their strength in the scrum as the home pack crumbled to concede a penalty.

And the Tigers forwards didn’t do much better moments later, again losing out at the scrum, presenting Lamb with another penalty chance, which he again slotted with aplomb.

Ford, in for Toby Flood, who is on England duty, had the chance to land an instant reply as Saints were penalised by referee Greg Garner, but his kick went wide to a backdrop of groans from the home faithful.

He missed again moments later, but made it third time lucky on 18 minutes to narrow the gap to three with an effort from directly in front of the posts.

But Ford was not proving reliable and he stuttered once again soon after as Saints did brilliantly to prevent a try, but conceded a penalty in front of the posts.

The 19-year-old No.10 was having what could only be described as a shocker and his woe was added to as he failed to find touch with another penalty effort.

Saints continued to grind to get a foothold in the game and they pinched a lineout five metres from the Leicester line, but Lamb fluffed a good chance of a drop goal when there were better options available.

Jim Mallinder will have been delighted with the way his side competed during the first half, with solid defence becoming the hallmark of the half for the men in blue.

But Tigers did get one last chance before the break as they squeezed a penalty out of Saints, allowing Ford to partially atone for his earlier misses by levelling the scores at 6-6 at the break.

And the home side took the lead just a minute into the second half as Mark Sorenson was unable to pouch the kick-off and Tigers made the attacking position pay, Smith storming through to score.

Ford added the extras and from being 6-0 down, Tigers were not 13-6 up, with the wind in their sails.

But Saints refused to be crushed with immediate effect and they mounted an instant reply as Lamb grabbed a penalty in front of the posts.

He was less fortunate minutes later, however, hitting the post with another effort to give the Tigers time to breathe.

It had been a long time coming, but the first flashpoint of the afternoon arrived on 56 minutes as Mike Haywood stormed into Geordan Murphy and the referee called for the TMO.

But with the home fans baying for blood, Garner took no action. Tigers were handed a penalty chance for a different incident, allowing Ford to put them 16-9 up.

Still Saints refused to buckle and they were showing immense spirit in attack, displaying their intelligence at the breakdown to keep the Tigers caged in their own half.

Territory wasn’t turned into tries, though, and the home side should have made the most of their reprieve as Ford had two penalty chances in quick succession.

But, in keeping with his afternoon, he missed them both and Lamb took advantage at the other end, grabbing a penalty which saw his side creep to within four points with six minutes to go.

The Saints fly-half then saw yellow for a silly block which hampered his side for the final four minutes and Tigers held out to claim the derby-day bragging rights.

Leicester Tigers: Murphy; Hamilton (Goneva 41), Allen, Smith, Morris; Ford, Youngs; Ayerza, Chuter, Castrogiovanni; Deacon (Slater 34), Kitchener; Mafi, Salvi, Thorpe.

Replacements: Stevens, Stankovich, Balmain, Noone, Harrison, Bowden.

Saints: May; K Pisi (Artemyev 56), G Pisi, Waldouck, Elliott (Burrell 74); Lamb, Roberts, Tonga’uiha (Waller 63), Haywood, Mujati (Doran-Jones 60); Manoa, Sorenson, Clark, Dowson, van Velze (Oakley 71).

Replacements: McMillan, Nutley, Day.

Referee: Greg Garner