Opinion: Who I would appoint as the next Northampton Town manager

The club are no strangers to dropping back into the fourth tier – this season, barring a minor miracle, will be the third time it’s happened in the last decade – but the sheer scale and speed of their descent over the last few months makes it no ordinary relegation.

It is not easy to halt, let alone reverse, such a rapid and dramatic slide. Just ask fans of Carlisle United or Forest Green Rovers. Shrewsbury, Crawley and Bristol Rovers are all currently in the bottom eight of League Two following relegation from League One last season.

The powers that be at Sixfields have decided to wait until the end of the season before bringing in a permanent manager, leaving Colin Calderwood in charge until then. It is the right decision. Relegation now seems certain and it is vital they take their time to bring in the right man.

So, who are the options? The usual suspects are doing the rounds, from Darrell Clarke and Ryan Lowe to Darren Moore and Michael Appleton. Elsewhere, Andy Peaks and Luke Garrard, both of whom continue to impress in the National League, are interesting options, while Alan Sheehan and Ryan Mason would be high-risk, but potentially high-reward, appointments.

But whilst all of those candidates have their merits, the person at the top of the club’s wish list, in my view, should be Andy Woodman, the 54-year-old former Cobblers goalkeeper who is doing a spectacular job at League Two leaders Bromley.

Let’s address the elephant in the room first: would he even want it? Maybe, maybe not. Bromley will, in all likelihood, be a division above Northampton next season. He almost has a job for life at Hayes Lane given what he’s achieved in his five-year stint as manager.

The Ravens were 10th in the National League when Woodman was appointed in 2021. Three years later, they were beating Solihull Moors at Wembley and winning promotion to the EFL for the first time in the club's 132-year history. Fast forward another two years and they sit atop League Two, five points clear of second place.

It is hard to tell whether he would want to leave all that behind but a return to Sixfields would surely be an enticing prospect given his personal connection to the club. He played 200 times for Northampton between 1995 and 1999 and enjoyed great success along the way, including promotion in 1997 and a fourth-place finish in the old Division Two the following season. That remains the club’s highest EFL finish in 60 years.

After retiring in 2005, Woodman gained years of coaching experience with various roles at Rushden & Diamonds, West Ham, Newcastle and Crystal Palace before his first stint in management when he led Whitehawk to National League South safety in 2017. He then spent several years as goalkeeping coach at Arsenal before joining Bromley.

So he has the pedigree and the personal connection. What about his style of play?

“Woodman has often set his side up in a compact 3-5-2 formation, making them especially hard to break down in central areas, forcing opponents wide when out of possession,” explained a piece on the EFL website earlier in the season. “With the ball, they look to strike on the break using quick transitions, with (Michael) Cheek remaining a key part with his ability to not just find the back of the net, but drop deep and link play.

“Set pieces have also become a key factor, too, with the Ravens having netted more goals from dead-ball situations than any other team across the three divisions, alongside fellow League Two outfit Gillingham. It's a style that relies on efficiency and teamwork, but it's resulting in success.”

Ex-Town trio Nicke Kabamba, Mitch Pinnock and Will Hondermarck have all played important roles, contributing 29 goals and assists between them, but Cheek is the main man – he has 16 goals so far this season to go with the 26 he racked up last term.

But perhaps the strongest case for Woodman lies in his character and the culture he would look to build at Sixfields. This video of a pre-season meeting is an interesting insight into his management style and how he speaks to his players. That clarity of thought and confidence in how he delivers his message are hallmarks of successful managers. He’s a strong, assertive character.

All of this may prove moot if Woodman does not want the job but there’s plenty of reason for why Cobblers should at least try, especially given the importance of getting this particular appointment right.

Most will be expecting a promotion challenge next year but given the extent to which Northampton’s season has fallen to pieces, it would perhaps be no bad thing for a year of consolidation in League Two. A chance to reset and put the building blocks in place for another tilt at promotion further down the line. And few are better placed to do that than Woodman.