Moloney takes up coaching role in Ireland - but he still keeps an eye on the Cobblers

After three knee operations in 18 months, the 31-year-old made the decision to retire from football aged just 29 not long after leaving Northampton at the end of the 2017/18 season.

The right-back could have stayed at the Cobblers if he so wished and he also had offers from elsewhere, but frustrated by his constant battle against injury and with new priorities now in his life, not least his young daughter, he opted to return to Kerry with his family.

Moloney finished his UEFA B-licence last year and has ambitions to also complete his UEFA A-licence, although everything has been put on hold thanks to the coronavirus.

"The more it went on, the more I thought I'm going to go with my gut feeling here and just go down a different path and go into coaching," said the former Nottingham Forest defender.

"That's where I am now and I'm getting into coaching by managing Kerry U17s back in Ireland and it's been a great opportunity for me so early in my coaching career.

"I didn't expect to get an opportunity like this so soon but I'm very grateful - it's just so disappointing that the season was suspended because I was really eager to get it kicked off.

"At the moment it's all a bit on hold which is a real shame because we had done six weeks of pre-season and the players had put in a lot of work.

"But you can't do anything about it and we've all got to put people's safety first because that's obviously more important. Hopefully it won't take too long to get started up again and I'm really looking forward to when it does."

Whilst he's enjoying life in his village of Beaufort in the south west, Moloney will always carry fond memories of his time at the Cobblers.

"I still keep an eye on the Cobblers and I always look out for their results," he added.

"They're going well at the moment and hopefully the season will resume again soon because they've got a chance to finish the season well and get back up to League One.

"Right from my first game at the club it went well for me. I had a great relationship with the fans and they always supported me and they took to me very quickly.

"That's always an extra boost and I loved playing there. When you have that support from the fans it drives you on and it also gives you that extra bit of confidence.

"They still have nice things to say about me when I come across Cobblers fans these days and that's always a good sign because hopefully it means they remembered me as a good player for the club."