Anderson 'sad' to leave Cobblers after play-off final victory

Paul Anderson admits he was 'sad' to leave the Cobblers just a few days after their play-off final victory over Exeter City.

The 31-year-old made 17 league starts in 2019/20 and came on for the final few minutes at Wembley, but just three days later he was told by manager Keith Curle that the club would not offer him a new deal.

He was one of 13 players to be released and whilst he understands why - particularly given the current situation caused by COVID - he had hoped to be given the opportunity to stay.

"It's sad to be leaving," he admitted. "It would have been nice to have had the chance to stay because I'm 31 and I'm looking at settling down now and finding somewhere to finish my career and do all my coaching badges.

"It would have been really nice to be able to do it all there but for one reason or another, I'll be moving on to a new chapter.

"It's a difficult situation because I have to look at it from the outside and no-one knows where money is going to be in football, what budgets will be, when the season will start, things like that.

"We also don't know when fans will be back in the stadiums either and that's going to have a big impact on people's budgets.

"You have to take all of that into consideration and I did look at that and wasn't sure if they were going to offer many players new contracts, but if I'm honest, because of my impact and what I had done in the changing room, I think I did expect to at least have a conversation about it.

"But you don't know quite where finances are so that was a bit of a shame.

"I helped keep the club in the league the last time I was here in League One and I assume that would be the target for next season so it would have been nice to do that again, but we have no idea where football is going to go this summer.

"It's going to be a strange, strange season I think and there'll be a lot of footballers without clubs and without contracts and I think a lot of young lads will be playing."

Anderson turns 32 next week but has no plans to stop playing just yet.

"I'm only 31 and I feel as fit as a fiddle," he added. "I think my running stats were right up there with Sam Hoskins and Matty Warburton for Northampton so my legs have definitely not gone.

"I want to carry on playing. I think I'm two appearances off 400 so I'd like to get to that mark and I think a lot of professional footballers have the aim of hitting 500 so I've got the years and the legs to be able to do it.

"It just comes down to the situation and what happens next. I'm also doing my coaching badges and I'm at that part of my career where I have to look forward rather than back.

"If moving forward for my career and my family is to get into coaching and there's a good opportunity, that's definitely something I would be happy to go into.

"But I've still got plenty to offer and plenty to give."