Buchanan wanted to prove Hasselbaink wrong after being replaced by Bunney

Buchanan had been one of the first names on the team sheet during the previous two years and he remained a regular starter when Hasselbaink initially took the reins just a few games into the season.

But the Dutchman was a busy man in the forthcoming January transfer window and one of his nine signings included Rochdale left-back Joe Bunney, who quickly displaced Buchanan in the side.

The former Preston defender, who's now at Chesterfield, went 12 matches in a row without starting between January and March and it was only after Hasselbaink's sacking in April that he returned, playing the final five games under caretaker boss Dean Austin.

"Jimmy had his own unique way of managing," says Buchanan. "It wasn't just me but, when he came in, there was me, there was Revs, there was Matty Taylor, there was Rico... for some reason it was the senior players.

"I don't know if he saw us as a threat or maybe he thought we weren't good enough but whatever it was, he obviously didn't like me because he went and bought Joe Bunney in January to replace me.

"All you can do as a player in that situation is get your head down, work hard, stay professional and prove people wrong and I think I did that."

It was a similar story on the other side of Town's defence where right-back Brendan Moloney made way for another January signing in Shay Facey.

"We didn't really do hours and hours tactical stuff with Chris (Wilder) in the title season but under Jimmy it was completely different because we'd work on stuff for a long, long time and there would be no results to show for it on the pitch," says the Irishman.

"Man management has a big role in football because there's 20 odd players in the changing room. You can't always keep everyone happy but you need to have a good relationship with them because it's about what happens off the pitch as well as on it.

"But it just didn't work with Jimmy. If you go and ask Burton's players about Jimmy after they won the title they'd probably say he's one of the best managers they've had.

"That's just the way football is sometimes. It never worked out for him at Northampton and I think man management was a big factor in it.

"It's not just what you do out on the training pitch or anything because good managers can do both things."

Hasselbaink was sacked with five games to go and despite an improvement under Austin in the final weeks of the season, the damage had been done and the Cobblers were relegated back to League Two.

"We made some big signings under Jimmy and there was a big outlay and maybe he was fortunate to keep his job for as long as he did, if I'm being honest," Buchanan adds.

"Had we changed managers with maybe 10 games to go and Dean Austin was appointed a bit earlier, I definitely think we'd have stayed up, but that's just my opinion."