Captain. Player of the year. Scorer of crucial late goals and, if the terrace chant is to be believed, quite the physical specimen.

Kelvin Langmead was all of these things and more to the Cobblers and their supporters for 41 months, a spell which began with the defender in form he admits was ‘poor’ in 2011 and ended with a contract termination in the Sixfields offices on Monday afternoon.

Between those two milestones, the centre-back played with a courage and tenacity which saw him go from unwanted Peterborough United loanee to the most loved member of the squad, at least on the terraces anyway.

But there is no sadness in the eyes of Langmead when he tells the story of his departure, instead they sparkle at the prospect of opportunities elsewhere and a fresh start with another club.

It is, he stresses with the same kind of certainty with which he contests headers, the correct thing to do, for all parties but ultimately for himself.

“I know it’s the right decision,” he says, with a look which manages to be both penetrating and cheerful.

“I’ve been in football a long time and you look at it for what it is. The club has moved on and I think it’s time I did.

“It’s a club that I will always hold dear to me. I still live in the area and I will always look out for their results.

“It’s always going to be a big part of my life but it’s the right time to be starting a new chapter in my career.”

There might never be a player who rose so meteriocally from Cobblers zero to hero as Langmead did.

The low water mark of those bad old days was a 7-2 home defeat to Shrewsbury, after which the defender was described on a fans’ forum as ‘a waster’ among the usual cliches from supporters offering to drive him back to London Road themselves.

The replacement of Gary Johnson, who retains a great faith in Langmead’s abilities, with Aidy Boothroyd, who retains an even greater one, was the turning point, and specifically the pairing of the player with Clarke Carlisle at the heart of a resilient and ultra-organised back four.

Langmead did not miss a game in the 2012-13 season until the knee injury he suffered in March, at a snowbound Sixfields and, in what romantics will call a foreshadowing of future events, against an Oxford United side managed by Chris Wilder.

That injury was misidiagnosed and when he returned from it, Wilder had replaced Boothroyd and the impact of the spell on the sidelines was another injury, this time to his Achilles.

“Every season I had here threw different challenges at me,” he said. “In the first season I was poor and I had a really difficult time but I managed to turn that around.

“The second season was a huge improvement and then I was hit by the injury. That was a very difficult time for me and gave me challenges I’d never had before in my career.

“Then this season, there was another injury, a change of manager and new players and it was more stuff that was new to me.”

Langmead didn’t get to play at Wembley in 2013. He wasn’t fully fit and Nathan Cameron had done enough to be trusted with partnering Carlisle in the play-off final.

That might have been his finest hour, but instead it is another memorable moment which he selects as his Northampton highlight.

“One of the best moments was being told I was going to be the captain,” he said. “We were all stood together and it was done as a group.

“To be made captain of this football club was one I really enjoyed, I never took it for granted, it was something that was an honour and something I will look back on as being a big highlight of my career.”

And what of the current squad’s hopes for the rest of the season?

“It’s a really good group of players,” he said.

“Individually they are some of the best that I’ve played with at this level, and it’s just about finding a formula that works.

“That hasn’t happened so far but I’m sure it will soon. It’s a good group of players, it’s a good dressing room, they look after themselves in there.

“Once it clicks I’ve got no doubt the club will start to get results.”

Langmead remains well liked by the current squad and the affection is mutual, although his farewell to the supporters has been limited to Twitter.

“Even if I don’t get to play at Sixfields again, I still have a lot of friends at the club and so I won’t be walking away from it,” he said.

“It will still be a part of my life.”

A homeware retailer in Northampton has raised more than £3,700 to support children’s services in Northamptonshire with it’s Christmas appeal.

HomeSense, in St James Retail Park, raised the money by asking customers to take part in its ‘Hang a Bauble’ campaign by donating money in exchange for a bauble for them to write festive messages on and hang on in-store Christmas trees.

The store have donated the money to Action for Children, the charity which runs some of Northamptonshire’s children’s centres on behalf of the county council. These offer advice and support for families on a wide range of issue, helping to make their lives easier, healthier and happier.

Children’s services manager at Action for Children in Northamptonshire, Lynne Hudspith, said: “A huge thank you to the shoppers at HomeSense Northampton.

“The funding will be spent on various improvements at the centres including outdoor play equipment, toys, and musical instruments to ensure more children and families are able to work together and learn new skills and experiences.”

Emilia Carman, head of high value fundraising at Action for Children, said: “We are very grateful to HomeSense and its wonderful customers in Northampton for their fantastic and continued support. This year’s ‘Hang a bauble’ campaign has been a huge success, raising over £150,000 nationally, allowing us to support even more vulnerable children and young people across the UK.”

Action for Children has this month launched a new campaign to encourage parents to ask their children what they want to do and embrace their ideas.

To promote National Children’s Hour, the charity is offering a free-to-download activity pack with ideas from some of the 300,000 children and young people it supports and some from Julia Donaldson’s book, The Further Adventures of The Owl and the Pussy-Cat.

The pack can be downloaded from: www.actionforchildren.org.uk/nch and you can share your own pictures with Action for Children on Twitter and Facebook using #nch.

Fewer catalytic converters were stolen in Northamptonshire last year compared to 2013, according to new figures.

Catalytic converters, which cost between £500 and £1,000 to replace and contain precious metals, are often targeted by criminal gangs which tour the country look to steal the devices from vehicles.

To tackle the problem, Northamptonshire Police has spent several years collecting intelligence on the gangs, uncovering when they target certain areas.

Subsequent work to prevent thefts has led to a significant drop in incidents.

In 2014, there were 133 thefts reported across the county – the lowest figure since 2010 and a drop of 53 per cent on the previous year.

Chief Inspector Tom Thompson said: “We’ve had problems in the past with organised crime gangs coming into the county and spending two or three days stealing these items.

“We’ve reduced the number by more than 50 per cent in the last year, so we’re almost returning to the levels we saw in 2009, which is a great success.”

In 2010, Northamptonshire had 123 catalytic converter thefts. The figure rose to 317 in 2012 but has now dropped significantly.

The most targeted vehicles are vans, pick-up trucks, people carriers, off-road vehicles and hatchback cars.

Wellingborough motorist, Will Vandenbrink, who had the catalytic converter stolen from his vehicle last year, is among the county’s motorists who have had their catalytic converters specially marked to prevent further thefts.

He said: “I got into the car on Monday morning to go to work and when I started it, it sounded like a tractor. The catalytic converter had been sawn right off.

“I thought they only targeted commercial vehicles, I never thought for a minute they would have a go at my car.

“So it’s definitely a good idea to get them marked.”

For information on how to prevent catalytic converter thefts, visit www.northants.police.uk/files/linked/crime-prevention/Protect%20your%20Catalytic%20Converter.pdf

A £79 million package of Government funding, including £600,000 for a new link road in St James, was signed off by the Universities and Science minister Greg Clark today.

During an event in Milton Keynes, Mr Clark and Dr Ann Limb, chair of the South East Midlands Local enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) put pen to paper on an agreement that will pay for 10 transport, infrastructure and skills projects in the region.

In Northampton, £600,000 will be used to join up St James Mill Road to Towcester Road, reducing congestion near the St Peters Way roundabout.

A total of £6.5 million will also be used to build a new Northampton College campus in Daventry town centre to focus on giving students skills that meet the needs of local employers. The new campus is set to create 70 jobs.

Other schemes that have received funding via SEMLEP’s growth hub called Velocity, include Towcester Racecourse, which was given £50,000 to help fund its new greyhound track.

Mr Clark said: “It is great to be signing this growth deal.

“I has long been my belief that people living an working in an area know what opportunities and blockages there are rather than someone in Whitehall.

“The more we can put decision making out of the hands of central Government and into the hands of local people, the better.”

The money given to SEMLEP will be spent during the 2015/16 financial year. Dr Limb said she was in the process of finalising the details of the Government funding package for 2016/17, which contained some more “significant investment” for projects in the Northampton area.

Dr Limb said: “The St James Mill Road will make a massive difference to the Northampton enterprise zone.

“The new road will help deliver all the other new projects such as the new railway station and university campus.”

On the new Northampton College campus in Daventry, Dr Limb said: “Northampton College is really important for Daventry and it is important to provide the right skills for the next generation of workers.”

Professional carers in Northamptonshire who look after people in their homes are to be paid for time spent travelling between visits.

The funding, which will be provided by NHS Nene, was given after a campaign by health wathdog Healthwatch Northamptonshire to improve conditions for people who provide and receive care in their homes.

It follows a survey last year that showed elderly and disabled people felt their carers were under pressure to move between homes. They said this affected quality of care and made visits feel ‘rushed’.

In response, the watchdog lobbied the county council, who have now agreed, to buy services - using money from the NHS - for people who receive local authority-paid home care thsi winter.

The agreement will see paid travel time for home care staff as a way of relieveing pressure on them during visits.

Healthwatch Northamptonshire CEO, Rosie Newbigging, said she hope the short-term measure could be extended.

She said: “We welcome this decision by the NHS and the county council and hope that travel time will be paid for on a permanent basis.

“We are now doing a further phase of the home care survey so we will be able to find out how the changes are delivering improved quality of care.”

Councillor Suresh Patel, county council cabinet member for adult social care, said: “We have been working constructively with health colleagues to ensure individuals are able to return home in a timely way when they no longer need the hospital care.

“Investing in mainstream domiciliary care in this way allows providers to offer enhanced benefits to their staff which helps with recruitment and stability within the workforce.

“This can only be of benefit to the frail older people we are all here to serve with care being provided in familiar surroundings.”

Ben Gowland, chief executive of NHS Nene, said: “We are fully committed to ensuring that wherever possible those people who are well enough to leave hospital are supported to do so.

“This helps us to provide appropriate care for people closer to home while alleviating pressure on our hospitals. We will continue with work closely with the council and Healthwatch Northamptonshire.”

Jim Mallinder believes Saints are a better team now than when they last visited Sale in the Aviva Premiership.

And he has urged his men to maintain their fine form throughout the second half of the season.

Saints were slayed 19-6 at Sale last March, with Mallinder describing it as a ‘bad day at the office’.

But they return to the AJ Bell Stadium this weekend with seven successive wins under their belt.

And Mallinder, who steered his side to a Premiership and Amlin Challenge Cup double last season, said: “We were a good side when we went there last March, but we didn’t play well on the day.

“Our international players came back for their first game after being away for two months and we didn’t play well together, whether it was mental or technical, or a mixture of both.

“We’ve certainly improved as a team this year - and you’ve seen that in some of our attacking play.

“It doesn’t mean too much at this stage of the season.

“It’s good we’re improving and getting better, but we’ve got to make sure we continue that in this second half of the season.”

Saints thrashed Sale 43-10 when the Sharks visited Franklin’s Gardens in October.

But Mallinder is adamant Steve Diamond’s men, who were beaten 41-16 at Wasps last weekend, will pose a real threat to his table-toppers this weekend.

“Sale were probably unlucky to lose to Leicester a couple of weeks ago - they lost right at the end,” he said.

“Last week, they made a few changes and perhaps didn’t quite have their minds switched on, but no doubt they’ll be fully motivated and Steve Diamond will have them ready to go.

“We’ve known for the past few years what they can do. They can turn sides over.

“They’re developing and they’re hard to beat. They can vary their gameplan and they’ve got some very good young backs.

“Danny Cipriani is playing well and outside that there’s some lively new talent coming through.

“They’re a tough side to beat.”

A woman found guilty of keeping a pistol and ten bullets at a Northampton flat for her drug dealer boyfriend sobbed after being told she could face up to five years in prison.

Kimberley Finley, of Tresham Green, Dallington, had pleaded not guilty to possessing a prohibited weapon and ammunition for a firearm without a certificate at an earlier hearing.

The gun and ammo was found during a police investigation into Finley’s then partner, Junior Reid, who was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison on August 15 last year for a string of class A drug supply offences.

Yesterday, a Northampton Crown Court jury found Finley guilty of both charges, which date back to March 2013, following a trial.

The 21-year-old, accompanied in court by her family, broke down on hearing the verdict.

Recorder Robert Egbuna told Finley she should expect a lengthy prison sentence.

He said: “The law in relation to firearms and ammunition is particularly severe.

“In the circumstances, the sentence that I will impose has to be a minimum sentence set by law, because of what any live weapon could be used for.

“The sentence when someone has a prohibited firearm is five years unless there are exceptional circumstances.”

Defending for Finley, Nick De Freitas, said the defendant should be given bail and placed on a curfew before her sentencing.

He told the recorder: “She has a rented place of residence, I would ask that, as she knows she is going to receive a custodial prison sentence, she is allowed time to put her affairs in order.

“There will almost certainly be a situation where things will be discarded from her flat if she does not return there.”

But recorder Egbuna said the crime was too serious to allow her bail.

“It is quite clear that whatever happens, this gun was kept there with your knowledge by Junior Reid,” he said.

The recorder adjourned the sentencing until next month, for probation reports.

Producers of a new Channel 4 show featuring top property presenters Phil Spencer and Kirstie Allsopp are seeking Northamptonshire homeowners to appear on the programme.

Love It or List It is a 60-minute show hosted by the stars of Location, Location Location, which is currently in production.

The programme will feature families who are struggling to decide whether to renovate their house or buy a new one and it will see Kirstie try to convince the family they can make their current home work by transforming it.

Phil, on the other hand, will try to convince the household to sell up.

A spokesman for Raise the Roof Productions said it had already secured a family from Braunston, in Northamptonshire, to appear in the show and it is now looking for others in the county to take part.

“We currently are seeking homeowners who are considering moving house because their current property is not fulfilling their needs as a family any more,” the spokesman said.

“What we can offer our home owners through our series is expert advice and assistance in both property sales and renovation through our presenters, television’s top property couple, Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer.”

Participating families will be shown three or four homes that match their criteria by Phil, as he tries to convince them to ‘list it’, the production company said.

At the end of the programme, when they have seen all the houses with Phil and their own home transformation is complete, the family will then be asked whether to keep it or sell it.

Phil said: “It’s a dilemma that most families face at some point in their lives, so it will be great to help them navigate what will be the biggest decision they may ever make.”

To apply to Love It or List It, email homes@raisetheroofproductions.com or call 07460286500.

A judge has criticised the length of time it has taken for a case involving a 22-year-old Northamptonshire man, who was found to have more than 500 indecent photographs of children on his computer, to come to court.

Lee Harman, of Harborough Road, Rushden, appeared at Northampton Crown Court on Friday and pleaded guilty to a string of charges, including inciting two young girls to engage in sexual activity.

The two charges relate to an incident in Northampton in September 2010, when Harman was aged 17-years-old.

However, it took until February 2013 before Harman was arrested and it was found that he had hundreds of indecent images of children on his computer, including 93 in the most serious category.

He was also charged with distributing indecent images of children between August and September 2011.

Judge Lynn Tayton said she was “astonished” it had taken more than four years after the first offence and two years after his arrest for Harman to appear in court for a plea and case management hearing.

Judge Tayton said she understood a major cause of the delay was the fact a private company was in charge of analysing computers on behalf of the police but didn’t understand the “urgency” of getting evidence ready quickly for the courts.

She said: “This is the second case this week in this court that has suffered from delays examining computers.

“I understand it is a private company doing this work for the police and they have no understanding of the urgency of the cases.

“Particularly in cases that involve young victims it is important cases are heard promptly. The defendant is also entitled to be tried in a timely fashion.

“I find it astonishing this case has come to court four years after the first offence. We have structures in place where cases can go through the system in 12 weeks.”

Harman will be sentenced next month. He was released on bail.

A paedophile has admitted grooming a Northamptonshire boy into performing sex acts and making indecent images of children.

Andrew Bolderson entered guilty pleas to eight charges under the Sexual Offences Act at Northampton Crown Court yesterday, five of which related to the abuse of a boy from Daventry.

The 28-year-old, from Hemel Hempsted, admitted inciting the boy to carry out a number of sex acts and to making images indedcent images of children, one of which was in the highest category of severity.

He admitted a charge of grooming the Daventry child and to a charge of causing a boy under the age of 13 to be involved in pornography.

He also admitted a charge of making the same child look at an image of a person engaging in sexual activity for his own gratification.

Recorder Roger Egbuna adjourned sentencing until Monday, February 16, so psychiatric reports could be drawn up about Bolderson.

The defendant, who spoke only to confirm his name and enter his guilty pleas, will remain on remand until then.

The recorder also told the defendant: “You are now subject to the Sex Offenders Register. You will know in more detail about the length of the order when sentencing is dealt with.”

A Northampton bar which had its licence suspended following the stabbing of six people in Bridge Street in December is to remain closed “until further notice.”

Northampton Borough Council suspended the licence of Faces Bar shortly after a 60 man brawl, which began within the venue and spilled out onto the streets outside on Friday, December 12.

It is understood the instigators of the riot had first attended an organised event at nearby venue Nu Bar, which also had its licence suspensed in the incident aftermath.

Last night the borough council’s licensing sub-committee met again behind closed doors to consider both bars individually with evidence presented by Northamptonshire Police.

The committee concluded that Nu Bar, which was allowed to reopen for busniness on December 19 after the council was satisfied it had carried out a full risk assessment, would receive changes to its licensing conditions, including needing to give the Police 14 days notice of any external promoted event.

But it concluded Faces Bar should remain closed until further measures could be put in place and the licensing authority could be satisfied the venue can be opened safely.

The suspension remains in place for 21 days but this could be lifted if the conditions are met before then.

Councillor David Mackintosh, Leader of Northampton Borough Council, said: “We take our roles as the licensing authority and in protecting the public very seriously and we acted quickly after the incident in December. The Licensing Sub-Committee considered a lot of evidence before reaching their conclusions in this review and Faces Bar will remain closed until we are satisfied that all proper measures are in place.”

Chris Wilder has defended his decision to this week dispense with the services of two of the club’s most popular players.

Former captain and player of the year Kelvin Langmead had his contract terminated and Alex Nicholls’ deal ran out, with the striker agreeing terms with the Cobblers’ weekend opponents, Exeter.

For good measure, Ricky Ravenhill was also ‘paid up’ while fitness coach Craig Smith parted company with the club after two years in charge of the sports science department.

It was no surprise that the day became known as ‘Black Monday’ (details were officially released 24 hours later) around the ground, but Wilder stands by his ‘scorched earth’ policy and while he accepts some supporters will not agree with his decisions, he will continue to make the calls he feels are in the best interests of the club.

“I think you’ve got to take that out of the equation,” he said. “You have to make decisions and you’re looking for heroes or role models when we get a settled side.

“I’ve brought players to this club that are going to take the club forward in my time here. I’ll back my judgement and you do get judged on your signings.

“You have to make decisions on players and we need a turnaround and a change, in terms of the personnel and to freshen things up.

“We’ve done that and we need to build a squad which is going to take us forward in the next two or three years.

“The supporters will look back at the players that have left and have their opinions on them, but as a manager I have to look at the players that are going to take us forward to the next level.”

And he added: “The club moves on. I have to take the emotion out of it and do what’s right for the football club.

“People will have their opinions on players, of course, and I’m sure people have their opinions on the meat pies at the ground and all sorts of other things, formations and transfer targets, whatever.

“The beauty of the game is that everybody has their opinion. It’s more noticeable these days because of social media and the internet.”

George Pisi says Saturday’s defeat at Sale was a ‘kick up the backside’ for Saints.

Jim Mallinder’s men were beaten 20-7 at the AJ Bell Stadium as tries from Eifion Lewis-Roberts and Dan Braid sealed their fate.

It was a disappointing end to a seven-match winning streak, which has kept Saints on top of the Aviva Premiership pile.

And Pisi knows the Sharks shock must be used as a wake-up call ahead of Sunday’s crucial Champions Cup game at Ospreys.

“It’s a kick up the backside,” said the Samoan centre. “It will stand us in good stead for next week hopefully.

“Next weekend is an opportunity to stay in control ahead of the big game against Racing Metro the week after.

“We know Ospreys will be tough, it’s another away game and they’re doing well in their league, but so are we.

“It’s going to be an exciting game next week.”

Saints will be hoping to get key men back for the crucial Champions Cup double-header, with Courtney Lawes and Samu Manoa among the men to have missed the defeat at Sale.

Lawes has been nursing an ankle injury in recent weeks, while Manoa returns from compassionate leave on Monday.

And Pisi admitted those men, along with the likes of Christian Day and Kahn Fotuali’i, were missed on Saturday.

“We missed our big boys on Saturday,” he said. “They could have scored a lot more tries than they did with the pack that they had.

“Our boys did well to contain them for a while, but they put a lot of pressure on us and we just didn’t react properly.”

Alex Nicholls felt he should have won a penalty for new club Exeter City against the Cobblers - and would have asked regular spot-kick taker Graham Cummins if he could have taken it.

Nicholls came on as a second-half substitute for the Grecians just four days after his contract expired at Sixfields and he penned an 18-month deal at St James’ Park.

He admitted he should have done better with a headed effort moments after joining the game but felt referee Kevin Johnson should have given a penalty for what he felt was a foul on him by Lee Collins later in the game.

“I couldn’t quite get the power on it that I wanted to,” he said. “I think if it had come over a foot lower I’d have been able to get more on it and would have scored it.

“I definitely should have had a penalty. I definitely got clipped and the referee said the ball was running away from me but I didn’t think it was.

“I thought I was getting on the end of it and was going to have a shot but it didn’t go our way and it was one of those days.

“Graham (Cummins) is our penalty taker here so I wouldn’t have been on it but I would have put the question to him.”

Nicholls would have been keen to have taken the penalty but would not have celebrated if he had scored it, or the headed chance which came his way, out of respect to his former club.

“I wouldn’t have celebrated,” he said. “The club means a lot to me and the fans do too and it would have been disrespectful to have run off celebrating.

“I’d have been happy to score but I wouldn’t have rubbed it in the fans’ faces.

“They were brilliant to me in my time at Northampton and they were brilliant when I came on on Saturday as well, so I thank them for that.”

This was most certainly not the Saints side supporters have come to know and love during the past couple of seasons.

In fact, at the AJ Bell Stadium on Saturday, Jim Mallinder’s men were almost unrecognisable from the team that had won 15 of their previous 18 games in the current campaign.

Firstly, it is only fair to point out that this was an unfamilar performance from an unfamiliar pack.

Sam Dickinson and Calum Clark, both of whom were carded on an afternoon of yellow peril, were makeshift locks.

Ben Nutley, who had not started since the win at London Welsh at the end of November, was thrown in on the flank.

And Saints were desperately lacking the brute force offered by ‘Bruise Brothers’ Courtney Lawes and Samu Manoa, along with the ever-cool head of Christian Day.

On the kind of day windmills were designed for, Saints needed those men to rule the skies.

Instead, they were caught short in the set piece, with the creaking lineout a constant source of frustration.

And Sale, rested and refreshed after eight changes were made to the team which was walloped at Wasps on the previous weekend, took full advantage.

The home side produced a performance so dominant that you thought the teams had entered the wrong dressing rooms, donning the opposition’s kit before the game.

But, no, Sale really were the team in blue and white and, more shockingly, the current champions really were the men in lime.

The Sharks drowned Saints during a first half display that beggared belief.

Mallinder’s men spent what must have been close to 35 minutes penned in their own half, playing against the wind and a home team determined to defend their territory.

It was a deluge of pressure, much like Saints have subjected sides to at Franklin’s Gardens this season.

But this time they were on the other end of it.

And this time, unlike a couple of weeks ago at Twickenham, when they beat Harlequins with around 25 per cent possession, they were punished.

There is a feeling this has been coming.

That Saints had been riding their luck during the latter part of a seven-match winning streak.

The coaches and players admitted that their defending had to be better if they were to survive at the AJ Bell Stadium.

And although it was, marginally, the sheer weight of pressure put on them ensured Sale would eventually break through.

A 13-0 half-time lead was added to in the second half before Teimana Harrison wrestled his way over to grab a consolation score for a Saints side struggling to see the positives.

Quite simply, this was one of those days you write off as quickly as possible.

You allow it to motivate you for the following weekend, but dwelling on it would be dangerous.

Saints know they have more stern tests to come: crucial Champions Cup clashes lie in wait on successive weekends.

Just as it was last March, defeat at Sale must be a salutary experience.

On that occasion, Saints were described as ‘knackered’ by Sale boss Steve Diamond and said to lack cohesion by Mallinder.

But they bounced back and went on to win two trophies.

Now they will be desperate to use the Sharks shock as a catalyst once more.

Losing is an unfamiliar experience for Saints.

And they will want to make sure it stays that way in the coming weeks.

How they rated...

BEN FODEN

It was always going to be a tough day for full-backs with the wind whistling around the AJ Bell Stadium, and this was not a game to remember for the Saints No.15... 5

JAMIE ELLIOTT

Made a couple of key interventions, but had little possession and was unable to make any that he did get count... 6

GEORGE PISI

Tried to use his physicality to get Saints on the front foot, but it was in vain as Sale bossed the game for long spells... 6

LUTHER BURRELL

A tough afternoon on his return to Sale as not much stuck and he was guilty of giving up possession on more than one occasion... 5

GEORGE NORTH

Tried to make something happen with a couple of big carries, but Sale were resolute and it was to be a frustrating 80 minutes... 6

STEPHEN MYLER

This had been billed as the battle of the two 10s, with Danny Cipriani in the opposition ranks, but in truth it came down to the packs and Saints’ were well beaten up front... 5

LEE DICKSON

Is shouldering the Saints scrum-half role with Kahn Fotuali’i out and there was little he could do as he had no possession to work with... 5

ALEX CORBISIERO

Made his first start since September, but this was not one to enjoy as Sale bullied Saints up front... 5

MIKE HAYWOOD

Had a torrid time in the lineout with most of Saints’ regular go-to guys in the set piece missing... 5

SALESI MA’AFU

Was one of a number of players guilty of giving away cheap penalties and was unable to impose himself at scrum time as he so often does... 5

SAM DICKINSON

Made a rash decision to tackle a man without the ball, but it was a sign of the frustration that had built up in the Saints camp and he did his best to make amends... 5

CALUM CLARK

Like Dickinson, he fell foul of the referee’s book, and the sin-binning, although perhaps a bit harsh, was to cost Saints... 5

TOM WOOD

Skippered Saints on the day and was left desperately disappointed with his side’s defending and application... 5

BEN NUTLEY

Scored two tries on his previous visit to the AJ Bell Stadium, but this was a wholly more unsatisfactory experience... 5

PHIL DOWSON

Kept plugging away as he desperately tried to turn the tide, but the Sharks drowned Saints in a first-half deluge... 6

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

ALEX WALLER (for Corbisiero 58)

Not an easy game to come into, but Saints could only get better and he helped them make a slight improvement late on... 6

GARETH DENMAN (for Ma’afu 58)

Tried to help Saints swim against the Sharks tide and didn’t do too badly as they at least put up a bit of a fight late on... 6

TEIMANA HARRISON (for Nutley 58)

Probably the brightest point of a dreary afternoon as he came on and showed tenacity to wriggle over for a late try... 6

CHRON STAR MAN - Dan Braid (Sale Sharks)

It would be very easy to present Saturday’s win for the Cobblers at Exeter City as a lesson in the importance of teams taking their goalscoring chances.

But in the critical early stages of the game that is exactly what it was, with the home side missing two very good opportunities to score and seeing a third excellently saved by visiting goalkeeper Matt Duke.

Northampton know better than most teams the necessity to score during periods of dominance - in the recent away games at Carlisle and Tranmere they had vast amounts of possession in attacking areas but lost both matches because the home side capitalised on the limited chances which fell their way.

The game at Exeter was, after the first 10 minutes or so, much more in the Cobblers’ control and after Marc Richards had put them in front they grew in confidence and got better with every passing minute to turn in a display which ranks among their best this season.

Richards should have scored again minutes later after goalkeeper James Hamon had inexplicably passed him the ball from a goal kick but it did not prove costly as John-Joe O’Toole scored a second and the result was effectively sealed.

Several things were then important in ensuring Exeter did not get a goal and a lifeline in the game - game management, in which extra seconds were taken over each and every set-piece; robust defending and closing down up front, meaning Exeter were forced to play long balls when they are much more suited to patient, short passing; and quality ball retention in the attacking third.

The first two things are not particularly easy on the eye but the third was, with the interplay between the front four and the two central midfielders, in particular Joel Byrom, producing some of the most aesthetically-pleasing football produced by this team for several years.

Again, all of the new additions played well. Ricky Holmes, like Lawson D’Ath on the opposite wing, was a bundle of energy but also knew when to attack and when to shield his full-back.

Jason Taylor went up a notch from his debut, seizing on the loose ball time after time and competing for challenges with a precision that has been missing at times in the Northampton midfield, in this season and in others.

Brendan Moloney gave a copybook display as an overlapping full-back, providing the cross for Richards’ goal and recovering from a pretty strong challenge to complete the full 90 minutes.

What is perhaps most notable about the team at the moment is that the 11 all seem to know their jobs - for example, Taylor knows he needs to sit when Byrom takes an extra touch and drives forward; Cresswell knows he can compete for a header because Collins will sweep up behind him. All over the pitch, chemistry is breaking out.

Richards’ contribution once more cannot be overstated - he completes everything with a smoothness and works tremendously hard for the team.

At one point, Holmes had gone on a counter-attack and lost the ball and it was Richards who dropped in to play right-midfield and stem the Exeter tide.

As well as the goals, his work rate is exceptional and he should be the model for the squad’s younger players.

O’Toole is also working harder than ever before right now and although he is not completing games, he will be a lot happier with his form and it is better for the team to have him going all out for 60 or 80 minutes than for him to coast for 90.

As with the draw against Southend, this is a step in the right direction for the Cobblers and their manager Chris Wilder must now avoid the temptation to alter this starting 11 for the game against Dagenham last weekend.

Finally an understanding is being built among the players and it is no surprise that has come when the same starting line-up has been selected for the first time in successive matches this season.

Player ratings

MATT DUKE

A real mixed bag in the first 10 minutes, with an error and a good save before his afternoon quietened down considerably ...6

BRENDAN MOLONEY

Improved on his first performance with a very good attacking display on the overlap, finding space and crossing well throughout ...7

RYAN CRESSWELL

Settled down after a shaky start and dominated in the air as Exeter went increasingly for the longer option as the game went on ...6

LEE COLLINS

Dropped a clanger when he misjudged the bounce of a ball early in the game, nearly costing his side a goal, but got better after that ...6

EVAN HORWOOD

Didn’t produce the same amount of attacking play from full-back as Moloney but still made a solid contribution to the team’s clean sheet ...6

LAWSON D’ATH

Lovely pass to O’Toole for his goal and worked tirelessly both in attack and defence. Deserves a decent run in the side now ...7

JASON TAYLOR

Gets to everything first in the midfield battleground and used the ball well in the rare moments when he was in possession ...7

JOEL BYROM

For a spell of around 15 minutes towards the end of the first half he completely dominated the game and played with confidence and assuredness ...8

RICKY HOLMES

Was a vital player on the counter-attack and passed the ball very well, while also working hard to help keep the midfield shape ...7

JOHN-JOE O’TOOLE

Arguably his best performance in a Northampton shirt so far and it is important that he has opened his goalscoring account ...8 STAR MAN

MARC RICHARDS

Another typically high-quality display from the leading scorer, although if you’re being ultra-critical he really should have scored a second goal ...7

Substitutes

EMILE SINCLAIR (for O’Toole, 79)

Added a bit of pace to the forward line and created a late chance after doing well to drag a centre-back out of position ...7

CHRIS HACKETT (for Richards, 88)

Not used: Carter, Tozer, Hornby, Snedker, Warburton

John-Joe O’Toole admits there have been times this season when he felt he would never open his goalscoring account for the Cobblers.

The midfielder ended a goalless first five months in Northampton Town colours with the team’s second goal in their 2-0 win at Exeter City on Saturday.

It capped an improved performance from a player who has been in much better form since returning from his pre-Christmas loan spell at Southend United.

O’Toole was taken to Sixfields as a goalscoring midfielder after notching 15 times for Bristol Rovers last term but feared the worst after a barren run for his new club.

“It felt really good to score,” he said. “It’s been a while now and it’s felt at times this season like it was never going to come.

“It hasn’t been for the fact of not trying, it’s just the ball hasn’t dropped to me or I haven’t been getting on the end of things like I was last year.

“Sometimes you feel like it’s never going to come but thankfully it has and I’ll want to get a few more now.”

As well as failing to score, O’Toole has produced some mixed performances in the first half of his debut season as a Cobbler, and found himself left out of matchday squads altogether prior to his temporary move to Southend.

But the 26-year-old is confident he can keep improving after finally opening his goalscoring account in possibly his best Northampton performance to date.

“It’s been a long time coming and it obviously hasn’t been a great start for me here,” he said. “It’s not ideal that it’s come this late but hopefully I can just kick on from here.

“I can’t quite put my finger on why it hasn’t been working, it could be a number of things but the fact is it hasn’t been.

“Hopefully this will kick it off. We’re not doing great in the league but hopefully I can salvage something out of this year because it has been a bad start.”

Jim Mallinder is hoping the Saints medical staff can help solve his second row crisis this week.

Mallinder was without all four of his first-team locks on Saturday as his side fell to a 20-7 Aviva Premiership defeat at Sale Sharks.

Courtney Lawes has been nursing an ankle injury, Christian Day a back problem and James Craig has only recently returned to training.

Samu Manoa, who has predominantly been used at No.8 this season but can play in the second row, has been on compassionate leave.

But Manoa returned to Franklin’s Gardens today and Mallinder is desperately hoping the other three missing men will be ready to face Ospreys in the Champions Cup on Sunday.

“I’ll be putting quite a lot of pressure on our medics over the next few days to make sure they’re all back,” said the director of rugby.

“Samu’s been in America and has returned, and we’re quite positive that the other three will be fit for this week.

“James Craig has been very close for a long time. He’s running now and we’re hoping that in the next week or two he will be returning.”

Chris Wilder has confirmed the Cobblers will not dip into the transfer market to replace Kaid Mohamed, who will miss the next three months of the season through injury.

The on-loan Port Vale man has had surgery on a broken metatarsal which will rule him out until early April.

Town had been tenuously linked with Oxford United winger Alfie Potter, who Wilder knows well from their time together at the Kassam Stadium and who has been told he is free to leave the club in the January transfer window.

But the 26-year-old is not a target for Wilder, who has signed three players this month in what may be the limit of the changes he will make to his Sixfields squad.

“We’re not looking,” confirmed Wilder, whose side ended an eight-game away losing streak with a 2-0 win at Exeter City on Saturday. “We’ve got Chris Hackett who can play either side and we’ve got a little bit of flexibility with Ricky (Holmes) who can play in behind or on both as well, plus Lawson (D’Ath) as well so we three for two there if we go with that shape.

“We’ll wait and see how it goes with Ricky.

“He’s here for a month and I know he’s enjoying it here - the club has made him feel very welcome.

“He’s a popular boy and he’s been involved in two good performances so we’d like to keep in the building for as long as possible.”

Wilder’s team were delighted to end their dreadful away run with an unexpected win at St James’ Park, and the manager was especially pleased for Marc Richards, who is now the leading goalscorer in Sky Bet League Two but has endured a difficult time since being made the team captain last month.

“We’ve given him the armband and I’ve felt sorry for him really because he’s been the shining light this season and he’s had the captaincy through this little period when we’ve struggled,” he said.

“I’d imagine it was weighing on him a little bit because yeah he’s scoring and playing well, but he wants to win and he wants to lead from the front.

“As a captain you want to be a successful captain and he can be.”

A 32-year-old car driver has suffered serious injuries after his vehicle was involved in a collision with a lorry and another car near a busy Northampton roundabout.

Police were called out to the A43 in Thorpeville, between Moulton and the Round Spinney roundabout, following a collision between a blue Peugeot 206, a white Mercedes HGV lorry and a silver Peugeot 406 shortly before 3.30pm on Friday.

The blue Peugeot, being driven by the 32-year-old man, was travelling towards Round Spinney at the time of the collision and the driver was taken by air ambulance to University Hospital Coventry with serious injuries.

The 49-year-old man driving the lorry and the 36-year-old man driving the Peugeot did not suffer serious injuries.

Police would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed this collision take place or anyone who may have any information regarding it.

Anyone with information or who witnessed the collision is asked to contact the Drivewatch Hotline on 0800 174615.