Breaking: Northampton sign former Blackpool defender on loan from Oxford United

The left-footed centre-back, who worked with Cobblers technical director Colin Calderwood during his time Blackpool, is the 11th player to join Northampton this summer and the first on loan.

Thorniley joined Everton as a 10-year-old and progressed through the club’s youth ranks but he made his professional debut at Stockport County, for whom he played 10 games on loan, ahead of a permanent move to Sheffield Wednesday in 2016. He racked up 35 appearances for the Owls and also 17 in a loan spell at Accrington Stanley.

The defender then headed to Blackpool for an undisclosed fee on New Year's Day 2020, playing 76 times for the Seasiders, with a further 25 games as part of a loan spell at Oxford United, and that then became a permanent move, playing a further 21 times for United.

Thorniley has played more than 75 games in the Championship in his career as well as appearing in the League One play-off final during his time with Blackpool, where he worked with Calderwood.

He is the second centre-back to sign for Cobblers this summer after Conor McCarthy.