Jon Brady warns of 'difficult' summer and 'even bigger mountain to climb' for Cobblers in League One next season

Jon Brady believes Cobblers will have an ‘even bigger mountain to climb’ to survive next season after warning that it will be ‘the strongest and most competitive’ League One for many years.

Town have thrived in their first season back in the third tier following promotion 12 months ago, currently occupying 14th place having already chalked up their best points tally at this level for 16 years.

Brady has described his team’s achievements as being greater than their promotion success, but he feels they will need to go one step further next season. The three teams that are coming up – Stockport, Wrexham and Mansfield – all have big budgets and will be looking to push on in 2024/25 while whoever joins Rotherham and is relegated from the Championship will be eyeing an immediate return.

That means Cobblers will have to get their recruitment right again this summer, although that is easier said than done, especially with so many players out of contract.

"The market is going to be difficult again this summer and I think next season will be the strongest and most competitive League One for a long, long time and it'll be really tough,” said Brady.

"When we started out at the beginning of the season, I thought it was a huge mountain to climb and I feel what we've all done here is our biggest achievement. It's the club's biggest points tally in 16 years at this level and to achieve that is incredible.

"It'll be an even bigger mountain next season because of the opposition and the teams that are coming up from League Two and the teams that are coming down from the Championship. It'll be a huge challenge but we'll give it a go.”

Before then though, Cobblers still have one more game to play. Victory at Barnsley – who must win themselves to secure a play-off place – could result in a top half finish.

Brady added: "It would be really satisfying to get to 60 points but I saw that Barnsley lost on Saturday so they will be fighting for their lives to stay in the play-offs and it'll be one hell of a game. It'll be really tough, like every single game has been this season at this level.

"The whole team will want to finish on a high. You could see the energy and application we had on Saturday. I set teams out to win games and the players want to win but football doesn't always work like that.”