Colin Calderwood departs Cobblers to take up position with Southampton

Cobblers assistant boss Colin Calderwood is leaving the club to take up a similar position alongside Russell Martin at Championship side Southampton.

The 58-year-old former Scotland international returned to Sixfields to work alongside Jon Brady in the summer of 2021 and has been an integral part of the club’s success over the last two seasons.

As well as his work on the training pitch, Calderwood also had an influential role in the club’s recruitment setup, but the opportunity to help Southampton get back to the Premier League was too good to turn down.

Former Cobblers boss and player, and current academy manager, Ian Sampson will step up to help Brady and his coaching staff on a temporary basis while the club decide their next steps.

"It is a real shame that Colin has decided to move on, but he certainly goes with our best wishes and as a friend,” said chairman Kelvin Thomas. “He has been made a very good offer from a club who are pushing for a return to the Premier League and we understand the attraction for him. We part on excellent terms and we thank Colin for the significant role he has played at the club over the last two and a half years.

"At the same time we are pleased to announce that head of academy and former manager Ian Sampson has agreed to step up to the first team as we assess our options. We are fortunate that we have a strong and talented technical staff at the club with Jon Brady, Marc Richards and James Alger already in place and Ian, having worked with all involved, fits into this seamlessly.”