Northampton Town will back Colin Calderwood for the remainder of the season as the Cobblers face a key week in their League One survival hopes.
Town have been fading in their hopes to stave off relegation into League Two, with four losses on the spin leaving them seven points adrift of Exeter City ahead of the weekend’s action.
Calderwood Given Time
As reported by the Northampton Chronicle & Echo, Cobblers chair Kelvin Thomas has confirmed that current interim Colin Calderwood will be given the remainder of the season to attempt an escape from the bottom four, with the vision now to appoint a new boss in the summer.
The former Cambridge United manager, who has also served as an assistant manager under Jon Brady, replaced Kevin Nolan at the start of the month, but is yet to pick up a point in his three matches in charge at Sixfields.
Discussing the search for a new manager, Thomas said:
“We made the decision on Kevin and you’re hoping that makes a difference results-wise but, unfortunately, it hasn’t. That’s disappointing in itself and it does change the decision.
“We have identified a couple of managers who are currently in jobs and we have a big decision to make on what we do next, but I think we’ve now decided that Colin and the staff will remain in place until the end of the season.
“That gives us a few more options at the end of the season because the pool of managers gets a bit bigger in the summer. We feel it’s important to take stock, be patient and wait until the end of the season.
“I’m not going to put a timeframe on when an announcement might come after the season finishes. That’ll be part of the discussions and you’re not always in full control of that, but obviously we want to do it as soon as we can without rushing it.”
Relegation Accepted – But Is Survival Possible?
As much as survival is on the cards for Northampton Town, it seems, based on Kelvin Thomas’ comments, that the club are resigned to the fact they are likely to head back down to League Two.
However, if the Cobblers are to mount a comeback, this is the perfect period to try and claw back some of the deficit with matches against an out-of-form Bradford City and a home match against fellow strugglers Wigan Athletic.
Claiming a good chunk of points across the Easter period will do a great amount for the players’ and fans’ confidence for the remainder of the season, and at this point, having momentum behind their backs could be enough to make up the gap.
Who Could Take Over At Town?
Kevlin Thomas hinted that Northampton are looking at currently employed managers for their next appointment, meaning that anyone in League Two or perhaps the National League could be tempted to move to Sixfields.
In terms of unattached candidates, Darren Moore may be the leading candidate given his past experience at Port Vale, helping them to a near miss for the League Two title last season.
Perhaps viewed as more of a failure due to the collapses Walsall have had over the past two campaigns, Mat Sadler could also be one of the better choices on the market, boasting a fairly impressive 45% win rate across his tenure at Bescot.
For managers currently in roles, though, the National League is home to the more viable options, and picking at the managers who may miss out on promotion through the playoffs, like Scunthorpe United‘s Andy Butler or Boreham Wood‘s Luke Garrard, may prove beneficial going forward.