Adams dedicates Wembley win to 'unbelievable' Curle

Whilst some supporters may have had their doubts about Keith Curle over the past 18 months, the same certainly cannot be said for his players.

Ever since he was appointed by Kelvin Thomas in October 2018, Curle has divided opinion, particularly on social media.

Debates have raged over his style of football, over his lack of a promotion in 12 seasons as a manager and over his suitably for the job at Northampton.

But any remaining critics were emphatically washed away by Town's stunning play-off wins over Cheltenham Town and Exeter City, both of which were masterminded by the man in the dugout.

Yes, you could argue the Cobblers were fortunate to finish in the play-offs in the manner they did, but you definitely cannot say that they did not earn their promotion.

Just when it mattered most, Curle's men pulled it out of the bag, thumping Cheltenham 3-0 in the semi-final, overturning a 2-0 deficit from the first leg in the process, and then going one better in demolishing Exeter at Wembley Stadium.

Monday's win handed Curle a long-overdue promotion, his first as a player or manager, and not only that, it silenced the critics once and for all.

Well, until next season starts anyway.

Nicky Adams, appointed Northampton's club captain by Curle last summer, has always been one of his strongest supporters.

The promotion specialist left Sixfields to sign for Curle's Carlisle United in 2016 and it was the same man who helped persuade him to return 12 months ago.

"It's just unbelievable, especially for the manager," said Adams. "He's been first-class with us. I've worked with him before and I've been close with him before when we nearly got promoted at Carlisle.

"I was gutted we couldn't get over the line, I felt like I let him down, but we've done it this time and this club deserves to be in League One so we've got back to where it should be.

"I told him when I signed last summer that I won't let him down and hopefully I've now repaid him because he's been unbelievable with me.

"He treats us as players superbly. I can't speak highly enough of the man."

Curle's contract as Northampton manager technically ended two days after Monday's Wembley win but, barring any late changes of heart, he's expected to sign a new deal later this week.

Adams hopes Curle will now start getting the respect he deserves, particularly when it comes to criticisms over his style of play.

The former England defender admits himself that it is not always pretty but for all the snobbery over long ball, direct football, it is rarely dull to watch.

And if it continues to bring results in League One, very few will care.

"It's massively important we keep him for next season," Adams added. "I think sometimes we get a bit of unfair criticism because we don't play total football.

"Listen, it's very hard to play total football, even the top teams struggle. Everyone's been moaning watching the Premier League games recently - it's not easy to play like Barcelona or Man City every week. You have to be special to do it.

"I was lucky to play in a Bury team last season that in my opinion was too good for this level in terms of the players they had. We were applauded for the way we played and the manager did a great job.

"But we've been very good this year and yet when it went wrong, it felt like 'oh, well, they just play long ball'. Come on, you saw us on Monday - anyone watching at home wouldn't have moaned about long balls.

"We were absolutely fantastic and we played some great stuff. He's a top manager, he's a top person and he deserves all the plaudits in the world for what he's done."