Exclusive John-Joe O'Toole interview: why I signed for the Cobblers, a tough first season and getting sent off on my day!

Whilst he was unable rediscover the form that had persuaded manager Chris Wilder to sign him from Bristol Rovers the previous summer, O'Toole continued to feel the love from fans and that was no better demonstrated than a February visit to Mansfield.

Supporters christened it 'John-Joe O'Toole Day' and wore headbands and long, dark wigs in the away end at Field Mill, except the afternoon ended prematurely for the man at the centre of most people's attentions.

Sent off for raising his hands towards Ritchie Sutton nine minutes before half-time, it rather encapsulated what had been - and continued to be - a difficult season for the enigmatic midfielder, one which nearly led to his departure the following summer.

"I couldn't get going in that season," admits the 31-year-old. "And getting sent off on John-Joe O'Toole day... you can't help but think to yourself 'this just isn't happening for me here'.

"It had been a tough summer and obviously it didn't start very well for me at Northampton. I wasn't in a great place mentally and I was still struggling with the relegation from the previous season and I had a few personal issues that I wasn't dealing with too well either."

There was several factors behind O'Toole's difficulties, including a persistent groin injury and his position in the team.

"I couldn't get through a 90 minutes even when I was picked and I just found it so much harder," he says. "I also played just behind the striker but with the way we played and the squad we had at the time, it just didn't really work for me.

"Every time I felt like I could get motoring a little bit, I just had these setbacks with injury, and then there was the loan spell at Southend.

"When I came back from that I actually thought I played OK in a couple of games and I was just starting to get fit again, but then we had that O'Toole day..."

Returning to the previous summer, Northampton were not the only club in for O'Toole following his impressive, goalscoring season at Bristol Rovers, who suffered relegation to non-league as Cobblers survived by the skin of their teeth.

So, why did he choose the Cobblers?

"When I met with the manager, he was positive and it seemed like the club was going in the right direction," explains O'Toole.

"They had only just stayed up the season before and I went down that year with Bristol Rovers so it was a little bit funny to go from the club that got relegated to one that just stayed up, but it was quite a hard summer and I wasn't in a particularly great place at the time.

"I think there were talks with Gillingham but it never materialised and Northampton offered me a three-year deal which was nice because it gave me some stability.

"I obviously had to sign for someone and Northampton came across as a good club when the manager showed me around and they were making some decent signings in that same summer.

"Marc Richards came in and I knew he was a good player from playing against him a few times so it felt like the club were on the up and I wanted to be part of it."

We'll have more of our interview with O'Toole over the coming days.