Sampson in the frame to be next Cobblers boss, confirms Thomas

The former Town defender has done the job before, both on a temporary and full-time basis, with many feeling he was prematurely sacked during his last spell in charge in 2011.

Having returned to the club as academy manager in 2019, Sampson joined Jon Brady’s coaching staff last year and has now taken the reins again following Brady’s unexpected departure last week.

His first game as caretaker boss ended in a 2-1 win over rivals Peterborough, after which he remained coy when asked if he would like the full-time job.

"I think Sammo has to be under consideration,” said Thomas. “He brought a calmness to the situation on Monday night and he's a very upfront and honest person.

"Sammo has indicated an interest but we haven't sat down and fully discussed it. I've explained the process and we won't rush but it's like any caretaker manager – they have the best possible interview every Saturday.

"We're realists and Sammo knows that. It's not to say that if he gets some good results the job is his because we haven't made any decisions yet, but he's not been discounted. We'll keep it open and we'll discuss it with him.

"The first thing people would say is that he's the cheap option but Jon Brady was also the cheap option supposedly nearly four years ago. That was the accusation we got at the time but that seemed to work out OK.

"We won't slow down the process because we won on Monday. We'll follow the process that we're comfortable with but results won't dictate it.”

Thomas also stressed the importance of keeping the current coaching staff in place, adding: "We are very happy with the staff we have at the club so I don't think we would want someone to come in and wipe everything clean and bring their own staff in. I don't think that would be right and we wouldn't have the financial resources for that because it would be a very expensive process.

"We'd be looking for someone to work with the staff or possibly bring some of their own staff but they would have to come in and fit into the club's structure rather than bring their own structure."