Curle not surprised to see former striker Oliver thriving at Gillingham

Cobblers boss Keith Curle has not been surprised by the speed with which Vadaine Oliver has adapted to League One football ahead of his return to the PTS this evening.

The 29-year-old became a key player for the Cobblers last season after he joined from Morecambe the previous summer, starting all-but two games during the second half of the campaign.

However, despite being offered a new deal after Town's play-off final win against Exeter, Oliver departed the PTS and signed for Steve Evans at Gillingham. He returns to Northampton for Tuesday's League One fixture with seven goals to his name this season.

"It's not surprised me," said Curle. "I like him as a person and as a professional and I think it's to be celebrated what he did for us last season because he played a massive part in our success, not just in the play-offs but also how he rose to the challenge.

"He came in from Morecambe and he was another acquisition in the recruitment where I remember a lot of people questioned the value of bringing in Vadaine Oliver who's a bit of a journeyman with York and Morecambe.

"People were asking why we brought him in but there was a plan in place and by the end of the season, he was one of the first names on the team sheet going into the play-off final and it's similar again this season.

"We've bought in some players that haven't hit the ground running but we've stepped up a level and they've been brought in for a reason."

Asked if he was disappointed to lose Oliver in the summer, Curle added: "As a manager and a club, we delivered exactly what we said we would deliver to Vadaine.

"That was an opportunity for him to improve and develop and take that step up so I think the club deserved a lot of credit and that's all departments because we progressed a player to a level that we think he should have been playing at.

"We did our part and Vadaine moved on but he went with our best wishes. He was disappointed not have played at a higher level consistently before he came in but we gave him a platform and he furthered his career.

"I've missed out on a lot of players for a lot of different reasons but I always wish them well if they choose a different path in their careers."