Guthrie still has a big role to play as 'heartbroken' McGowan pays tribute to Cobblers skipper
Aaron McGowan says he was ‘heartbroken’ when told of Jon Guthrie’s season-ending injury after describing the Cobblers captain as ‘one of the best people you could meet’.
The 32-year-old had started all of the first 24 league games of the season but he was stretchered off with a worrying knee injury against Stevenage on New Year’s Day and scans later confirmed significant ligament damage, ruling him out for several months.
Guthrie has become a pivotal and constant figure in the Town defence since he joined the club in 2021, playing over 150 games, but they will have to do without their captain for the rest of the campaign, putting extra responsibility on his deputy McGowan.
The vice-skipper, who held aloft Guthrie’s shirt in front of the away end at the end of Saturday’s win at Burton, said: "Let's not beat around the bush, that's a massive blow to this football club. He's probably the most consistent player I've ever played with and we'll do everything we can to support him.
"Forget football, that's my friend and my brother and when he told me the news it really took me aback. We knew it could be a bad one when it happened but when it got confirmed, it was heartbreaking to be honest.
"We had a huddle before the game and the last thing I said to the lads was – can we put a smile on Jon Guthrie's face? I've just had a text off Jon at the end of the game and I think we did that.
"That win was for Jon and for all of the injured lads. He's our captain and he's our leader and we'll do everything we can for him. Jon being Jon, he's one of the best people and characters you could meet and he'll support us and he'll still be a big part of it.”
Manager Kevin Nolan believes Guthrie will still have a vital role to play between now and the end of the season as Cobblers look to climb away from trouble at the bottom of League One.
"I want him in and around the lads,” said Nolan. “We could send him to games when his knee settles down and he can move about. We'll get him watching opposition and all that type of stuff which will help him.
"That'll keep him involved and he's a motivator on the training ground and that's so important. He has a positive energy and we need that positive energy. He's got a long, long road ahead but we're all behind him and we're all with him.”