Northampton name Nolan as new manager

Kevin NolanImage source, Rex Features
Image caption,

Kevin Nolan was a first-team coach at West Ham for over four years

Northampton Town have appointed Kevin Nolan as their new manager on a two-and-a-half-year contract.

He replaces Jon Brady, who resigned on 5 December after three and a half years in charge, during which he guided the club to promotion from League Two in 2023.

Nolan previously managed Leyton Orient and Notts County, but more recently was first-team coach at West Ham United under David Moyes before the pair left in May.

Northampton are 20th in League One following Saturday's 5-0 home defeat by Rotherham United, and Nolan's first match in charge will be a Boxing Day trip to Reading.

"This is the next step in my journey to getting to the top... I was really young when I took the two jobs previously and I managed to be quite successful in that period," the 42-year-old told BBC Radio Northampton.

"This is a great place for me to be at at this stage of my managerial career and as a club, and a team, we can all grow together.

"I've done a lot of due diligence with people in and around me who I know and trust and they were very complimentary, not only of the owners and CEO, but also the staff already working here."

He added: "It's Christmas, you know you've got plenty of games and we've got to get it right, get the right amount of work into the lads. We'll be working hard to make sure we go to Reading to be the best version of ourselves, being a lot more diligent and harder to beat and trying to create more chances than we have in previous games."

Image source, Rex Features
Image caption,

Kevin Nolan scored for West Ham against Newcastle in a 2012 Premier League game

Nolan made more than 600 appearances and scored 111 goals during a playing career which began at Bolton Wanderers and took him to Newcastle United and West Ham – winning promotion to the Premier League with all three clubs.

He joined Leyton Orient as player-manager in January 2016 but only lasted three months in the dual role before being replaced as boss by Andy Hessenthaler despite the team being just outside the play-off places.

Nolan left the London club that summer and was appointed by Notts County in January 2017, leading them to the League Two play-offs in the following season before losing to Coventry City, only to be sacked in August 2018 following a six-game winless run.

Northampton chairman Kelvin Thomas said Nolan, who worked with England Under-20s as assistant head coach after leaving West Ham, had shown "a real desire" for the job at Sixfields.

Thomas continued: "Our immediate target is to try and move up the table and while we understand we have challenges to overcome, we believe Kevin is well placed to lead us forward on that.

"Kevin will be ably supported by the current staff who will remain in their roles while we expect to be able to confirm an additional experienced appointment in the near future to complete a very strong football staff."

Northampton have been as high as 12th during the course of the season so far, but are now only two points clear of the relegation places following defeats in four of their past five matches.

Their only victory in the past eight came against Peterborough United in the Nene derby on 9 December under interim boss Ian Sampson.

Following the game against Reading, they are away to Shrewsbury Town on 29 December before Nolan's first home fixture in charge against Stevenage on New Year's Day.

'He will need a reaction quickly' - analysis

BBC Radio Northampton sports reporter Jake Sharpe

Nolan is certainly a gamble on the Cobblers part.

Critics will point to the fact that he hasn't managed a side since 2018. However, Nolan has been working in top-level football with West Ham until last summer and brings with him a wealth of footballing experience.

He will need to get a reaction quickly with a hugely important run of fixtures coming over the festive period.