Chelsea coach and former Dons manager made Brady aware of Paul Osew's availability as Cobblers snap up young defender

Young defender Paul Osew has been brought in by Cobblers boss Jon Brady to provide cover at left-back with Ali Koiki ruled out for the season and Ryan Haynes short of match fitness.

Koiki will not play again in 2022/23 after suffering a serious hamstring injury against Crawley, while Haynes made his first start in three months at Hartlepool United on Saturday.

A little over an hour before kick-off at Victoria Park, Cobblers caught everyone by surprise when announcing the capture of Osew on a contract until the end of the season. The 22-year-old had been a free agent following his release from Wimbledon in January.

"Mark Robinson, who was the manager at Wimbledon, is a good friend of mine,” said Brady. “He now works with Chelsea Under-23s and I speak to Robbo on a regular basis.

"He got the Wimbledon job a week or two before I did here but he was the academy manager there and we knew each other long before that and we still stay in touch.

"He told me that Paul was available knowing about our ever-growing injury list so he’s come in as cover because Ali’s out and Ryan needs time to get up to speed. The chairman has been good enough to help us and bring him in.”

Osew was straight into the squad against Hartlepool on Saturday but he remained an unused substitute.

Brady added: "Paul had a few injuries and Wimbledon let him go in January but he came onto our radar and he’s taken the opportunity to come here. It’s a situation that suits both parties.

"In terms of fitness, he’s fit enough. He’s not match fit but he’s able to come on and play 20 or 30 minutes if needed.”