Thomas thanks fans for 'tremendous' support and says Cobblers will 'come up with a plan' for season tickets

Cobblers chairman Kelvin Thomas says the 'tremendous' support shown by fans during the two-month shutdown of football has meant the club is able to take on the financial commitment of playing in the play-offs.

Northampton have been inundated with messages both on social media and via email from supporters who want to financially help the club, either by turning down a refund on their current season ticket or offering to purchase one next season.

The club are yet to announce when they will put next year's season tickets on sale but Thomas says they are working hard behind the scenes to come up with a plan.

"Our fans have backed us tremendously in terms of season ticket refunds because we've had more emails and enquiries about buying season tickets for next year than we have about any refunds," he said. "The vast majority of people have said they want to donate the money to the club or not ask for a refund.

"James (Whiting) and the team are working on a few things in the background where maybe we can give fans the opportunity to donate to our academy or to the youngsters, something along those lines.

"We're working on that and we'll have that available once the decision to end the season gets ratified but we do appreciate the fans for doing that because it helps us make decisions and we can take on the financial commitment that gives ourselves a chance in the play-offs."

Before the club can make anything official, they must wait for the EFL and FA to rubber-stamp last week's decision to end the season but keep the play-offs.

"Once it gets ratified, we can certainly put some plans in place," added Thomas. "As a club, I think our reputation is strong enough that people know we try and do the right thing and we'll be fair and reasonable and we'll always take that view.

"This decision won't be any different and we'll try to put a procedure in place to ensure that we are fair and reasonable and I think our fans will be fair and reasonable as well and they'll look at it and understand.

"It's not like, as a club, we've made a bunch of income and we're asking people to make donations because the reality is that we've lost income.

"That's stuff we'll work on over the next week or so because I think there's a bit of time before the decision gets ratified but we'll work on it and come up with a plan.

"I think fans will be appreciative of that, like we are to them, but in the meantime, once it's made official and we get some dates for the play-offs, we have to focus our minds on trying to be as successful as possible while following all the procedures and guidelines to ensure it's a safe environment."