'Professional' Curle texted Thomas to thank him and Cobblers for their time together

Cobblers chairman Kelvin Thomas has praised Keith Curle for the 'exceptionally professional' manner in which he reacted to the news that he was to be relieved of his duties.

The 57-year-old had been determined to carry on and drag Cobblers out of trouble after their 1-0 home defeat to Wigan Athletic left them 23rd in League One.

But within 24 hours of that disappointing loss, Curle was informed by Thomas that his services would be no longer required with Jon Brady taking over in the short-term.

"It's never fun and it's never enjoyable," admitted Thomas. "It's a stressful time and a lot of thought has to go into a decision like this.

"Keith and Colin (West) were with us for nearly two and a half years and they did a good job for us but it just hasn't worked out this season so we felt we had to make the change.

"I'm quite frank about it and I'm quite up front so we didn't beat around the bush and we just said we were going to make a change.

"Keith was exceptionally professional and he sent me a text message on Thursday to thank the club and it's the same for Colin - they are very professional individuals.

"No matter what has happened over the last few weeks, they should be seen as two people who had a very successful period at the club and I can only say thanks to Keith and Colin and good luck to Jon, Rico and Sammo."

Thomas said it was not a straightforward decision, particularly with the squad hit by injuries to key men, but the inconsistent performances remained a big concern.

He added: "Keith was doing everything he could to get results and he understands the game as much as anybody and I accept that we were very unlucky with Alan and Mickel's injuries because they are two big players for us.

"But we supported Keith in the window and I think we were looking for a little bit more on the pitch because teams will get relegated if they don't score goals."