Brady expects transition to be 'seamless' despite loss of 'brilliant' Calderwood to Southampton

Cobblers boss Jon Brady admitted he was disappointed to see good friend and assistant manager Colin Calderwood leave the club earlier today (Monday), but he does not believe his departure will cause major disruption.

Calderwood has joined Russell Martin’s coaching staff at Southampton after two and a half years at Sixfields, leaving Brady without an assistant manager, although head of academy Ian Sampson will step in and help the first-team on an interim basis.

"It’s bittersweet,” said Brady. “We’ve had a great partnership and I consider Col a really good friend, but it’s a great opportunity for him to go and work at a club like Southampton who are challenging to be in the Premier League. He goes with our blessing and I wish him all the best.

"We all understand the situation and everyone knows Col’s pedigree. He’s been fantastic for all of us but when I first started this journey, Sammo came in and helped me for 20 games in League One and I really enjoyed his company. He’s part of the fabric at this club and now he’s back on board, he’ll give it everything he’s got and I’m really looking forward to working with him.”

Sampson is stepping up on a short-term basis as the club ponder their options following Calderwood’s exit, and Brady does not think that will be too unsettling as Cobblers continue their League One campaign at Derby County on Tuesday.

“We’ll just let the dust settle,” he added. "I don’t want to downplay Col’s role. He’s a fantastic guy and brilliant at what he does but, if you have a structure in place like we do, it should be seamless for someone else to step in. We’ve gone through our roles and responsibilities this morning and Sammo’s champing at the bit.

“It’s still a bit fresh because it’s only happened in the last few days but this is football and you have to adjust and adjust quickly. He goes with our blessing and Sammo will jump up and help us out.

"He’ll still do some work with the academy but myself, Marc (Richards), Sammo and James (Alger) have worked really well together in the past and we’re looking forward to it again.”