Northampton 'shocked' by Brady departure

Ian Sampson (right) rejoined Northampton as academy boss in 2019 before later becoming Jon Brady's assistant

Caretaker boss Ian Sampson says Jon Brady's resignation as Northampton Town manager came totally out of the blue.

Sampson, who was Brady's assistant, having previously been Cobblers manager himself from 2009 until 2011, will take charge for Monday's League One home game against Peterborough United.

They are 21st in the table following a 2-0 defeat at Stevenage which prompted Brady to step down on Thursday after three and a half years in charge.

"We're all shocked, we didn't see it coming. Everybody's disappointed, we thought Jon would be here for a bit longer," Sampson told BBC Radio Northampton.

"He's made his decision for whatever reason, we respect that and we've got to crack on. Football's like that sometimes, whether it's a resignation or termination of contract, everyone's seen it before especially in our experienced group so we'll move on quickly.

"Obviously we've had some bad results and a lot of injuries and the stress builds up. I've been there myself so I know what it's about and obviously that was a tipping point for Jon."

Brady guided Northampton to promotion from League Two in 2023 and last season they secured their third-tier status by finishing 14th.

The match against Stevenage was his 200th in charge, but striker Tom Eaves was sent off and they did not manage a single shot on target, prompting Brady to hand in his resignation to the board.

Former Sunderland and Northampton defender Sampson, who also had a spell as interim boss prior to Brady's appointment, said there was no bigger game for the club than taking on Peterborough.

"Derby games tend to be a bit blood and thunder, not so much as before because I think people control their emotions better and we need to do that. We saw the other night where emotions can take control and Tom gets sent off.

"It's a good game against our local rivals who probably aren't in the position they want to be in, and we're certainly not in the position we want to be in."

Asked whether he would make many changes against Posh, Sampson replied: " If you keep doing the same thing and getting the same answer, people say that's a sign of madness.

"So we'll be looking at changing things, (but) it won't be drastic because the lads have a pattern they normally play to."

He added: "We need all the support we can get at the moment. Times are a little bit difficult. But that's when you see real characters come through and we believe we've got that in the squad and staff."