Fitzsimons sees his long-term future at Cobblers after 'very easy' decision to sign new deal

The experienced goalkeeper only penned a one-year contract when he joined from Scunthorpe United in the summer but, following an impressive run of form, he was offered fresh terms at the start of the month. Brief discussions followed as Fitzsimons happily penned an 18-month contract, including an option for an extra year, potentially keeping him at Sixfields until the summer of 2028.

Asked this week if he sees his long-term future at Cobblers, the 31-year-old said: "Yes, absolutely. I didn't see this season panning out exactly as it has but it's worked out well for me personally, and when the club approached me a few weeks and we started negotiations, it was a very easy deal to get done.

"I love being here and I've loved it from the minute I walked into the building. The setup's incredible compared to where I've been before and the management and the players were just a really easy group to come into. The gaffer was a massive influence on it and to be honest it's been much easier for me than I thought it was going to be.”

Fitzsimons will still be at Northampton until 2028 if he sees out his new deal, but he’s looking beyond even that.

"Hopefully, when we get to next summer, I'm in a position where we're looking at activating the option for an extra year or even sitting down and potentially talking about another contract,” he added. "The main aim right now is to get up the table and then re-evaluate in the summer and go again next season, and for me personally, I just want to play as many games as I can at this level.

"It was difficult at the start of the season but I've built up enough experience to manage myself in different situations because I've had good times and I've had bad times and that made it easier, but to train every week and then not play on a Saturday, it can still be tough. There's only one spot and both me and Burgey want to play but now I'm in the team, I just have to keep my level up.”