Appointing a new manager the 'priority' for Thomas as he praises Brady for 'improving' Cobblers

Chairman Kelvin Thomas has praised the job done by Jon Brady in charge of the Cobblers and says appointing a new permanent manager will be the 'priority' when the season ends in a couple of weeks.

Brady replaced Keith Curle in early February with Cobblers in the relegation zone and whilst they remain the wrong side of the dotted line heading into the final three games of the season, there has been an improvement in both performances and results.

The former U18s head coach was appointed on a caretaker basis initially and then until the end of the season, leaving Thomas and the club's hierarchy with a decision to make after Town head to Sunderland on the final day of the campaign.

Cobblers also have a number of players out of contract this summer, including first-team regulars Shaun McWilliams, Lloyd Jones and Ryan Watson, but appointing a new permanent manager will be top of the chairman's list once the season finishes.

"The priority is going to be a new manager because they will want to have some input what happens with the players," Thomas told the Cobblers Show on BBC Radio Northampton.

"Something I'm not a fan of is the club forcing players on a manager. I don't like that system, especially at our level, because I think the manager has to be comfortable working with his players.

"He has to have a significant input when it comes to bringing players into the football club so I think a manager would be the priority.

"We'll sit down with Jon, Sammo and Marc because they'll be part of any process. No matter what happens, Jon's position isn't defined by whether we go up or go down.

"We've definitely seen improvements in how we've played - I think that's obvious - and Jon's had a tough ride in terms of injuries. He's only had one goalkeeper to pick from and at times he's only had two centre-halves.

"It's been a challenge and it's been very difficult. We'll see how the next three games go but whether we stay up or go down, it doesn't dictate what happens with Jon or the other guys.

"I've been in conversation with Jon and the main thing we both agreed on was that, whatever happens, he's part of the fabric of the club and so are Marc and Sammo."