Sheffield FC date completes Cobblers’ pre-season fixture list

Chris Wilder’s men, who return for training in just 10 days’ time, will play seven pre-season fixtures, with two of them against Football League opposition.

Those fixtures are both at Sixfields, with Championship outfits Derby County and Birmingham City coming to Northampton on July 18 and July 21 respectively.

The Cobblers kick-off pre-season in what has become their regular curtain raiser at UCL side Sileby Rangers at Fernie Fields on Sunday, July 5.

As part of their week-long training camp in Brighton, they then go to Worthing on Tuesday, July 7 and Burgess Hill on Saturday, July 11.

Following the Derby and Birmingham clashes, Town go to Brackley Town to play the NFA Maunsell Cup Final, before wrapping things up at Sheffield.

Sheffield play in division one south of the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League, and are officially named ‘the oldest football club in the world’.

Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest were members of the Sheffield Cricket Club, and are the men credited with writing the rules and laws for the game of football.

They founded the world’s first club, and called it Sheffield FC, on October 24, 1857.

Sheffield FC play at The Coach and Horses Stadium, which has been their home since 2001, and are managed by Andy Kiwomya, who is a former Barnsley, Sheffield Wednesday, and Bradford City player.

The fixtures for the 2015/16 Footbal League season, which will start on August 8, are announced next Wednesday at 9am.

Cobblers’ pre-season fixtures

July 5: Sileby Rangers (a) 3pm

July 7: Worthing (a) 7.30pm

July 11: Burgess Hill (a) 3pm

July 18: Derby County (h) 2pm

July 21: Birmingham City (h) 7.30pm

July 25: Brackley Town (a) 3pm

July 31: Sheffield FC (a) 7.30pm