FEW would rate the winter Nene as their ‘most likely’ tench water – but Jim Martin and Jan Cebula are on a roll with the river’s tincas!

Out for bream last Tuesday they feeder-fished caster between Thrapston and Oundle...and hit the jackpot with THE species synonymous with stillwaters and summer – not rivers in January

A succession of bites left Jan with an amazing ELEVEN tench to 5-2 plus three perch for a total of 56lb, before it was time to leave.

“We know there are a lot of tench in parts of the Nene,” said Moulton man Jim, 
“but this must surely rate as the biggest tench catch 
ever, in one sitting, from the river.”

More was to come when the pair fished the river again, Sunday, ‘in the Northampton area’, as Jim caught two tincas for 8-11 – plus perch to 2-11 – while Jan had a tench brace for 9lb.

AN outing to Olney’s Ouse saw Stuart Shepherd (pictured below) bag a superbly conditioned 6-9 chub on Friday – almost a year on from his previous visit when he had a 6-11!

SEVEN perch – between a pound and 3-10 – fell to Alex Burbeck on MKAA’s Ouse.

STANWICK came good for Craig Waddington with a 36-10 common – a cracking fish any time of year, letalone mid-January.

WATERLOO was on fire for Trevor Griffiths in White Hart Flore’s sweep as he caught throughout the match, fishing bread on straight lead, for 165-9 of carp.

However, the venue was in the doldrums for everyone else...and Andy Sibley had barely a quarter of Griffiths’ weight for second with 43-9, followed by Gary Muddiman 31-5.

WHEN the ‘Family Ringer’ ran a pairs open on Boddington...Phil and Steve Ringer won with three points and 121lb. But they had far from an easy run, as Jason Shirley and Bas Byrd matched them on 
points and were only 3lb short on overall weight. Carl Barnfield and Darren Saunders were third, four points.

CASTLE Ashby opens: 
Wed, Brickyard, Courtney Hewlett 53-8, Pete Gibson 34-4, Alan West 19-8; Sat, Brickyard, Keith Garratt 54lb, C Hewlett 29-4, Chris Garratt 21-4.

Sunday: Grendon, Richard Dunkley 117-8 (21 carp), C Garratt 22-12, Mick Hewlett 16-10; Brickyard, Martin Faulkner 35-12, C Hewlett 24-8, Dick King 20-6; Scotland, silverfish, Nigel Fawlkes 6lb, Mick Wheeler 5-12, Ray Woodward 4-14.

CASTLE, Canons bottom, silverfish: John Lewis 7-9, Dave Keech 7-1, Nick Antonacci 6lb.

TOWCESTER Vets, Cosgrove canal, midweek: Chris Howard 7-2, John Balhatchett 4-10 (inc a big perch), Gerald Green 4-2.

TOWCESTER, Castlethorpe cut: Matt Webb 4lb, Kevin Elliott 3-1, John Balhatchett 3lb (inc a 2lb perch).

FLORE & Brockhall, local cut: Ken Cadd 2-7, Jim Tanser 1-11, Gary Abraham 1-5.

FINEDON pike match, lake near Ringstead, everyone blanked...

A lorry driver who was spotted by police in an unmarked car alledgedly driving dangerously along the M1 has been arrested.

Northamptonshire Police officers were travelling along the M1 in the county earlier today on the northbound carriageway when they saw the lorry.

Officers followed him through the ongoing roadworks and the lorry driver was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving just after the Watford Gap Services at around 12.20pm today.

The lorry driver is currently in police custody.

Emily Waugh produced a typically dazzling display at the Midland Women’s Cross Country League to help Rugby and Northampton to 12th place among an elite field at Droitwich last weekend.

Waugh dashed around the course in 26 minutes and 58 seconds, finishing 14th out of the 322 runners taking part, in a race where Team GB athlete Jess Judd showed her international class, running a time of 24.51 for a dominant victory.

R&N grabbed 12th spot out of the 38 participating teams thanks to Waugh’s junior club-mates Katie Clubb and Leisha Mulvey. Clubb continued her record of scoring in every round of the League, breaking the 30-minute barrier to earn 66th with a time of 29.56, while Mulvey produced a personal best, taking 82nd with a time of 30.31.

Tilly Lea and veteran Angela Copson also made the top 100, finishing four seconds apart with times of 31.11 and 31.15, to finish in 91st and 93rd place respectively.

R&N’s men were also in action in the Midlands where they continued their Birmingham & District Cross Country campaign.

The A team finished 12th on the day, with junior debutant Elisha De Mello leading the way with a time of 29.57, enough for 60th place. Seb Palmer and Paul Birch were next over the line, finishing 71st and 79th with respective times of 30.13 and 30.20.

Jack Murphy achieved his best-ever placing in the competition, with the 18-year-old finishing 106th with a time of 31.33. Brendan Moen positioned 119th after clocking 32.01, while there was another PB for Alistair McDonnell, who took 138th place with a time of 32.34, giving the team a total of 573 points to keep them in 10th spot after three fixtures.

The B team sit in eighth place in the second division after finishing 10th in last weekend’s event, with Neil Willsher the first R&N finisher home in 161st with a time of 33.14. There were more best-ever finishes for R&N athletes, with Daniel Williams and Jonathan Taylor taking 179th and 213th with respective times of 34.07 and 35.06, while Mike Andrews debuted with a time of 34.11, enough for 183rd place. Completing the scoring were 191st-placed Max Chippington (34.22) and Terry Egan (35.04), who finished 211th in his 108th league race.

Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said a social enterprise in Northampton was one of the “best examples” of an organisation that helped get ex-criminals and the long-term unemployed back into work.

The Minister for Work and Pensions, along with Conservative MP for Northampton North Michael Ellis, was given a tour of Goodwill Solutions in Moulton Park, on Thursday.

Goodwill Solutions is a Community Interest Company (CIC) that aims to help the local community by running projects such as the Back to Work programme, training ex-offenders, armed service personnel, former homeless and the long-term unemployed for employment in the logistics sector.

The company currently employs 40 people and has a 70 per cent success rate of keeping people in employment.

Mr Duncan Smith said he was hugely impressed with the work the company, set up by managing director Mike Brittan, was doing to get people back into work and said he would be inviting the Prime Minister to come and see it.

He said: “This is one of the best examples of a business mixed with a social enterprise I have seen in the country.

“It is a great example of what I want to achieve with my welfare reforms. I will be inviting the Prime Minister to come and see the work here.”

Mr Ellis, who has been a supporter of Goodwill Solutions since it was set up six years ago, said it was saving the taxpayer millions of pounds.

He said: “This is a really excellent example of social action at work. This company is having major benefits for society as it is keeping people off benefits and generating income tax revenue.

“It has a multi-million turnover but there are no shareholders and all the profits are put back into the business or other back to work programmes.”

Phil Dowson says he would love to extend his stay at Saints.

The 33-year-old flanker’s current deal expires this summer, but he is hoping to remain at Franklin’s Gardens.

Dowson has become a hugely popular figure at Saints since joining from Newcastle Falcons in the summer of 2009.

He has made 123 appearances, during which time he has captained the club to LV= Cup glory and played a large part in last season’s Aviva Premiership and Amlin Challenge Cup successes.

“My contract’s up in the summer, Dowson confirmed. “I’d love to stay, but it depends on all sorts of factors at the club.

“I’m still sorting it out and hopefully we’ll come up with a decent scenario.”

Phil Dowson believes Kieran Brookes will relish Saints’ club culture when the England man moves from Newcastle this summer.

Brookes, who has six international caps to his name, turned down the chance to stay at Kingston Park in favour of a switch to Franklin’s Gardens.

He will be a replacement for Salesi Ma’afu, who will be heading to Toulon at the end of the current campaign.

Dowson left Newcastle for Northampton in 2009, and he feels Brookes will relish his new environment.

“I left (Newcastle) six years ago and it’s a whole different system now, a different coaching setup,” said the 33-year-old.

“When I left, it was a massive change for me but Newcastle are a lot more professional now and have a lot better facilities than when I was there.

“I don’t really know enough about it to say what he’ll find different, but I’m sure he’ll enjoy it down here.

“The culture at the club led by Dylan (Hartley) and the senior players group makes players feel very welcome and I’m sure he’ll slot in just fine.”

And Dowson is backing Brookes to be a big success at Saints.

He added: “Kieran’s a top man. He’ll be a great signing. When Salesi leaves he’ll fill that hole very nicely.

“He’s different to Salesi in that he’s a bit younger and he’s still got a bit to learn, but he’s a great athlete and another great signing for the club.”

Chris Wilder is well aware of the Cobblers’ unique and one-sided record against Dagenham and does not hesitate in reminding opposite number Wayne Burnett about it.

The duo are old pals from their days together at Leyton Orient in 1992, Wilder on loan from Sheffield United and Burnett as a midfielder of such repute he secured a move to Kenny Dalglish’s Blackburn Rovers.

The pair’s paths have crossed on rare occasions since, but the friendship remains firm going into the weekend meeting of their teams, where Dagenham will bid to improve on a record which reads ‘played eight, drawn one, lost seven’.

“I’ve got a lot of time for Wayne, I’ve known him for a long time and I played in the same team as him when he was an up-and-coming player and I think he’s the same as a manager,” said Wilder, who is set to name an unchanged side for thegame on Satuday (3pm kick-off).

“We have a laugh about the fact they’ve never had a result against us, but he is very driven and I’m sure he will have a long and successful career on the coaching side.

“We’ve had some decent results against Dagenham but we can’t take anything for granted because they drew at Southend and beat Bury and those are two of the better sides we’ve played in the 
past two or three months.

“Dagenham try to play and it’s important we don’t take a backward step after two good results at the start of an important month for us.”

Burnett would dearly love for such jibes to stop, but accepts he will face a Cobblers side which has not always performed to the level of its talent this term.

“I think Chris has had a problem with injuries this season,” said Burnett.

“He hasn’t had the start to the first part of the season that he would have liked, but they have an excellent group of players.

“They were certainly better than us earlier in the season and played a lot better in the first half in particular.

“I have known Chris for a long time and he is someone I have a lot of time for. I respect him very much.”

Seeing the cast of Downton Abbey clash with a host of different eras and celebrities is the idea behind a spoof show coming to two county venues this month.

The Only Way is Downton played to sell-out audiences at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and now it can be seen at The Core @ Corby Cube and the Royal & Derngate in Northampton.

Celebrities pop up and cultures clash in the show which takes in many other popular TV shows and voices.

This one man show features Luke Kempner whose comedy impressions have been a big hit on YouTube.

He has also appeared in Les Miserables and Avenue Q.

The show comes direct from a West End season and this is an extended version featuring new material.

The Only Way Is Downton is on at The Core @ Corby Cube at 7.30pm on Friday, January 23, and takes to the Royal stage at 7.45pm on Saturday, January 24. Tickets can be booked by calling the The Core on 01536 470470 or Royal & Derngate on 01604 624811 or online at www.royaland
derngate.co.uk.

If you missed the great production of The Full Monty when it came to Royal & Derngate in Northampton last year, there is another chance to catch it as it is on at Milton Keynes Theatre.

Gary Lucy will lead a cast that includes Andrew Dunn and Louis Emerick in the show which is coming to Milton Keynes Theatre from January 19 to 24.

It is based on the 1997,British film about six out-of-work Sheffield steelworkers with nothing to lose who end up putting on a strip show. The film took the world by storm becoming one of the most successful British films ever.

The cast includes Gary Lucy, pictured right, who is well known from his roles in EastEnders, Footballers Wives, Hollyoaks and The Bill as well as appearing on Dancing on Ice. He plays Gaz.

Andrew Dunn played Tony in Dinnerladies and Louis Emerick is familiar from his long-running roles as Mick Johnson in Brookside and PC Walsh in Last of the Summer Wine.

For tickets call Milton Keynes Theatre box office, on 0844 871 7652 or visit www.atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes. See our review of the show on the theatre section of our website.

It seems that Richard Herring misheard the words to the hymn Lord of the Dance when he was a boy, and was disappointed to discover the real words.

The comedian is coming to Northampton later this month with a show whose title is inspired by this misunderstanding, Lord of the Dance Settee. And the general silliness of this is the theme for the show in which he also discusses the power of the sombrero to remove sadness.

This is his 11th stand-up show in 11 years and it follows performances covering the full range of human life with subjects including, sex, death, love, politics and religion.

He has performed at nearly every Edinburgh Festival Fringe since 1987 and was previously in a double act with Stewart Lee. Recently he has created award-winning podcasts and is a radio and TV panel show regular.

Richard Herring takes to the Royal stage with Lord of the Dance Settee at 7.30pm on Monday, January 19.
Tickets are £16 and can be booked by calling the box office on 01604 624811 or online at www.royalandderngate.co.uk. This show is recommended for ages 16 and above.

If January gloom is causing a lack of laughter in your life you could always book tickets for the Screaming Blue Murder Comedy Club which returns next week.

A compere and three comedians will be at Royal & Derngate, in Northampton, on Friday, January 23

Compere Dan Evans is joined on the Underground stage by comedians Roger Monkhouse, Joe Lycett and Tiff Stevenson, pictured right.

Tickets are priced at £12.50, and can be booked by calling 01604 624811 or visiting www.royalandderngate.co.uk. Doors open at 7.45pm, and the show is recommended for ages 16 and above.

Dylan Hartley returns from suspension to skipper Saints in the Champions Cup game at Ospreys on Sunday.

The England hooker has missed his club’s past three matches after being sent off for elbowing Matt Smith in the win over Leicester on December 27.

Hartley replaces Mike Haywood in a Saints pack that also includes Samu Manoa, who returns from compassionate leave, and Christian Day, who has recovered from a back injury.

Calum Clark, who was in the second row for the defeat at Sale last weekend, moves back to the flank.

Courtney Lawes remains sidelined with an ankle injury, while Kahn Fotuali’i continues to recover from a shoulder problem.

Gareth Denman comes in for Salesi Ma’afu, who has been hit with a one-week ban after falling foul of the totting up process.

Ken Pisi replaces Jamie Elliott with Alex Waller also starting, in place of Alex Corbisiero.

Former Saints scrum-half Martin Roberts is among the Ospreys replacements with the PRO12 leaders able to name Wales internationals Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar at half-back.

Ospreys: Evans; Natoga, Beck, Matavesi, Walker; Biggar, Webb; Thomas, Baldwin, Jarvis; Bernardo, Wyn-Jones (c); King, Tipuric, Ardron.

Replacements: Parry, Thomas, Arhip, Allen, Lewis, Roberts, Davies, Dirksen.

Saints: Foden; K Pisi, G Pisi, Burrell, North; Myler, Dickson; A Waller, Hartley (c), Denman; Dickinson, Day; Clark, Wood, Manoa.

Replacements: Haywood, E Waller, Corbisiero, Dowson, Harrison, Hodgson, Wilson, Elliott.

Fixture: Ospreys v Northampton Saints (Champions Cup Pool 5 - match five)

Date/kick-off time: Sunday, January 18, 5.30pm

Venue: Liberty Stadium

Weather forecast: 4C, clear

Referee: Jerome Garces

Ospreys: Evans; Natoga, Beck, Matavesi, Walker; Biggar, Webb; Thomas, Baldwin, Jarvis; Bernardo, Wyn-Jones (c); King, Tipuric, Ardron.

Replacements: Parry, Thomas, Arhip, Allen, Lewis, Roberts, Davies, Dirksen.

Saints: Foden; K Pisi, G Pisi, Burrell, North; Myler, Dickson; A Waller, Hartley (c), Denman; Dickinson, Day; Clark, Wood, Manoa.

Replacements: Haywood, E Waller, Corbisiero, Dowson, Harrison, Hodgson, Wilson, Elliott.

Outs: Ospreys: Baker (shoulder), Bearman, Bevington (both groin), Bishop (neck), Hassler Peers (both ligaments), Jones, Spratt (both knee), Smith (pectoral muscle), Steenkamp (Achilles). Saints: Fisher (foot), Lawes (ankle), Fotuali’i (shoulder), Ma’afu (banned - week one of one).

Most recent meeting: Saturday, October 11: Saints 43 Sale 10 (Aviva Premiership)

Tom’s preview: From Paris and Venice (well, nearly) to a Sunday evening in Swansea - Saints’ Pool 5 journey is meandering towards its conclusion.

And though this week’s surroundings may not be as picturesque as on their past two away days, Jim Mallinder’s men know that this weekend’s game in Wales is just as important.

Win, and they could make the quarter-finals, should other results go their way.

Lose, and the pressure will pile on next Saturday’s showdown with Racing Metro at Franklin’s Gardens.

Barring the biggest of upsets, the Top 14 giants will dispose of Treviso in pretty ruthless fashion in France this weekend.

That means Saints must win to at least be level with Racing going into the crunch clash at the Gardens.

And Mallinder’s men won’t just want to finish top.

They will want a home quarter-final, even if it is played at stadium:mk.

The last time Saints secured progression to the last eight, they went all the way to the final, losing their unbeaten record and a 22-6 half-time lead to Leinster at the Millennium Stadium.

Since then, the Cardiff curse has hung over the club, with a quarter-final place proving as elusive as a rambunctious George North run.

But, with Treviso trounced twice in December, Saints are now in pole position to progress.

And they will be desperate not to lose their lead at the Liberty Stadium.

Racing were only able to earn a draw from their fixture at the same ground.

And if Saints can better that, they will deservedly top the standings going into the final weekend of pool action.

Then, the pressure will be on Racing to pull a result out of the hat.

And we all know French sides can be a bit flaky on their travels.

So though there may be little sight-seeing for the hardy few who travel to Wales this weekend, there will be a mouthwatering match in prospect.

And how Saints would love to reward their travelling support with what would be a vital victory.

Tom’s prediction: Ospreys 20 Saints 25

Fixture: Northampton Town v Dagenham & Redbridge

Date/kick-off time: Saturday, January 17, 3pm

Venue: Sixfields Stadium, Northampton

Weather forecast: cloudy, 3C

Outs and doubts: Cobblers: Ian Morris (knee), Kaid Mohamed (broken metatarsal). Dagenham: Matt Partridge (hamstring)

Betting: Cobblers 10/11, draw 14/5, Dagenham & Redbridge 18/5

Form guide: Cobblers WDLLLL, Dagenham DWDLLL

Possible line-ups: Northampton: Duke, Moloney, Cresswell, Collins, Horwood, D’Ath, Taylor, Byrom, Holmes, O’Toole, Richards. Dagenham: Cousins; Batt, Obileye, Doe, Connors; Jakubiak, Bingham, Labadie, Hemmings; Cureton, Murphy

Last time out: Cobblers won 2-0 at Exeter City (Richards, O’Toole), Dagenham drew 0-0 with Oxford

Most recent meeting: Saturday, April 26: Dagenham 0 Northampton 3 (Toney 2, Morris)

Cobblers connection: Graham Carr needs no introduction to Northampton supporters, having assembled their greatest team of the past 50 years in 1986-87 when the club’s manager, and also served in the first division side of the 1960s as a capable player. Carr was also in charge of Dagenham, in the mid-1990s, in what was his final managerial position before turning full-time to scouting, which he currently does for Newcastle United.

Jefferson Lake’s preview: Never has the terrace plea of ‘can we play you every week’ been more appropriate than it is when Northampton play Dagenham. Of the eight meetings between the two teams, the Cobblers have won seven and drawn only once – last season’s 2-2 stalemate at Sixfields, and the 3-0 win at Victoria Road in April was critical in securing the club’s Football League safety.

The home side go into the game having partially turned a corner with four points taken from their past two games and they will keep the same starting 11 for a third consecutive match, barring any last-minute injuries.

Ivan Toney is back from suspension but will have to make do with a place on the substitutes bench, and Zander Diamond has recovered from the hamstring pull he suffered at Tranmere on December 28 but won’t force either Lee Collins or Ryan Cresswell out of central defence after the pair’s contribution to a clean sheet in the win at Exeter City last time out.

Dagenham captain Abu Ogogo, forward Christian Doidge and dangerous winger Zavon Hines are all working their way back to fitness so could be on the bench this weekend.

Left-back and former Cobblers player Joe Widdowson signed a permanent contract recently and should also be among the visitors’ substitutes.

If Dagenham are to take anything from the game they will need to improve on a poor recent run of goalscoring form which has seen them notch only once in six outings, although that goal was enough to defeat a talented Bury side two weeks ago.

Their line will be led by Jamie Cureton and Rhys Murphy, who was the subject of major transfer bids from Peterborough United and Barnsley but has scored just once since returning from a hernia injury.

Prediction: Northampton Town 1 Dagenham & Redbridge 0

A Northampton nightclub that was closed after a 60-man riot began in the premises last month, will reopen today.

But Northampton Borough Council have said that the police will continue to closely monitor the venue and will be ready to respond to any incidents if necessary.

Faces, in Bridge Street in the town centre, was closed by the council last month after police officers accused it of failing to have sufficient security measures in place when the brawl developed.

CCTV footage showed that a fight began in the venue and then spilled out onto the street in the early hours of December 12 last year. Police said later that six people were stabbed during the violence, some of them in Faces bar.

Following an emergency licencing review with the council’s licensing sub-committee on the same day, the bar was ordered to close.

Leader of the council, David Mackintosh, said: “The safety of residents and visitors to our town is our top priority. As the licensing authority we have a duty to make sure that the pubs, clubs and other venues in Northampton are safe places to visit and are managed responsibly.

“Faces is being allowed to reopen, and working with Northamptonshire Police, our licensing officers will continue to monitor the situation ready to take action if required to keep the public safe.”

Following a private meeting last week with the council’s licensing sub-committee to lift the bar’s suspension, Faces owner Robert Snajdr said: “Our house is in order, it’s just a case of crossing the ts and dotting the is. I run a good venue and the people that come here love it. At the end of the day we have put all the measures in place now to ensure public safety.”

Mr Snajdr said he has hired a new security firm to oversee the venue since the incident and added that he would be glad to put the events of December 12 behind him.

The Cobblers chairman has said the promised update on the East Stand construction will come next week.

David Cardoza said talks to resume building work are ongoing.

He said: “I know we said we would aim to provide that update last week, but timings changed a little bit and we now have meetings with stakeholders involved next week after which we will provide supporters with a detailed update.

“As supporters can see, we have made progress on the pitch in the last couple of games and we are making progress off the pitch as well.

“It has been a difficult few months and a frustrating time but we are coming through that and I thank all supporters for their trust and patience.”

A severe cold weather warning has been issued for Northamptonshire this weekend, with icy conditions and thick frosts set to blanket the county.

The level three Met Office warning states that the county is likely to endure colder than average conditions over the weekend period, and days either side, with the chance of snow in some areas.

In Northamptonshire there is a 90 per cent chance of severe cold weather featuring widespread ice and frosts tonight through until Tuesday, with temperatures predicted to drop as low as -3 degrees Celsius on Sunday night.

A Met office spokesperson said: “Some wintry precipitation can be expected for most areas too, mostly in the form of scattered showers, leading to lying snow and icy stretches in places.

“There is also currently an uncertain risk of locally significant snowfall for parts of southeast England later on Sunday, and also for central parts of England on Tuesday.”

The weather will get gradually colder throughout today (Friday), with daytime temperatures reaching 4C before dropping to -1 degrees Celsius tonight.

Saturday shows a similar picture, but Sunday will see daytime temperatures reaching only 2 degrees Celsius, which will feel more like -2 degrees Celsius when the wind-chill factor is considered.

If you want more information about how cold weather can affect your health, visit www.nhs.uk.

If you are concerned about your health or somebody you care for, advice can be obtained from www.nhs.uk/winterhealth, NHS 111 or your local pharmacist.

A 22-year-old motorist who was involved in a collision with a tree near Rothersthorpe earlier this week has died, police said.

The accident happened at about 7pm on Tuesday, January 13, on the road between the villages of Kislingbury and Rothersthorpe, at the junction with Gayton Road.

The silver Honda Civic driven by 22-year-old James Docherty left the road on a bend before hitting a tree.

He was initially taken to Northampton General Hospital before being transferred to University Hospital Coventry, where he later died.

Police officers investigating the collision have asked anyone who saw what happened, or who has any information, to call them on 101.

Marc Richards welcomes Ivan Toney back to the forwards’ union at Sixfields this week, and does so with a word of advice to the teenager about dealing with the provocation of opposing players.

Toney has completed a three-game suspension for his off-the-ball Boxing Day scuffle with Bury defender Hayden White and is available for selection to face Dagenham this weekend.

He assured his manager and squad-mates that no punches were thrown in that incident and the consensus view from both sides is that the sending-off was hasty and that a yellow card for both players would have been the more calmer punishment.

But Richards will tell Toney he has to learn how to control himself in such situations, as he did when he was an emerging player.

“I’ve been sent off like that in the past and it’s part and parcel of learning the game that you don’t get involved in those sorts of tussles,” he said.

“I was involved in things like that before, and it’s something you have to learn quickly but it also comes with experience.

“The officials are there to do a job but if you don’t put yourself in that position and the other guy wants to go that way about doing things, you have to hope the officials see that and make a decision on what they see.”

The ‘rough stuff’ from defenders is, Richards feels, all part of the game.

“I’ve had plenty of bad treatment from defenders over the years and two or three times I’ve been sent off for something similar to what Ivan was sent off for,” he said.

“Sometimes it’s a heat of the moment thing. Ivan just showed he’s got a passion for the club and I think the way he plays shows that too.

“He wants to win flick-ons, he wants to score goals and he’s got everything he needs to be a top player, he just needs to learn how to be a top player.”

The Cobblers have terminated the contract of a second youth system product in the space of a few days with the announcement that Connor Roberts has left the club.

On Monday, 20-year-old striker David Moyo was allowed the leave Northampton, and has since signed for Conference North side Brackley Town.

Now Roberts, who is just 18 and has been on loan at Southern League Premier Division outift Biggleswade Town this season, is the latest player to be told he is surplus to requirements.

The young full-back, who could also play in central defence, was given a professional contract by Aidy Boothroyd in the summer of 2013, but never made a first team appearance.

The young duo of Moyo and Roberts follow Kelvin Langmead, Ricky Ravenhill and Alex Nicholls out of the Sixfields exit door as manager Chris Wilder reshapes his squad after a disappointing first half to the season.