Thomas warns of 'very difficult' League One challenge for Cobblers

Cobblers chairman Kelvin Thomas is not afraid to admit that the club will face some daunting challenges when they make the step up to League One next season.

Town’s prize for winning automatic promotion from League Two is a place in England’s third tier and a chance to compete against some of the biggest clubs in the land.

Derby County, Portsmouth, Barnsley, Charlton and Blackpool, all of whom have played in the Premier League this century, are just some of the teams Jon Brady’s side will face when the 2023/24 season kicks off on August 5th.

With Thomas and co-owner David Bower taking sustainable, ‘sensible’ approach to ownership, Northampton’s budget will be at the lower end of the division – but that does not mean they can’t compete with some of the big boys.

"I think the togetherness at the club got us through a lot of stuff this season and the previous season and all the setbacks only helped galvanise the squad and the club,” said Thomas. "We will need that again because it’s going to be hard next season.

"Everyone talks about us being a yo-yo club and that we go up and down but when you look at the clubs and the budgets in League One, it is very, very difficult. The reality is we aren’t Ryan and Rob at Wrexham and we don’t have the money that those guys have. We have always said that we won’t break the bank.

"We’ve had success here and I think we are very good at getting out of League Two – this is our third promotion in seven years. I’ve spoken to chairman this week who’ve never had a promotion so we're happy with that.

"Now we need to look at how we stay in League One. The budgets are big – there are clubs coming down with budgets of £12-14million. It’s not all about money but it does help.

"We’re comfortable with our budget and we’ve never said we’ll be the type of owners that will just throw money at it and risk the future of the club. You look at Scunthorpe – when we bought Kevin van Veen and sold him back to them, they were big spenders and flying high in League One. Now they’re three divisions below us.

"You have to be careful of what you’re spending. It’s not a lack of ambition, it’s about not taking financial risks, and there is a long conversation ongoing with the Premier League and EFL about financial redistribution.

"The reliance on owner funding has to change and I believe it will change but I think some clubs will experience some pain before that. Fortunately, we aren’t in that position because we’re sensible.”

There are several similar sized clubs to the Cobblers in League One. Fleetwood and Shrewsbury finished mid-table in 2022/23 and are set for their ninth successive seasons in the third tier, while Bristol Rovers, Port Vale and Exeter City all survived after promotion from League Two.

"We will have challenges next season,” Thomas added. “I’m good friends with Julian Tagg at Exeter and their budget will be pretty similar to ours in League One and he said that the problem is you go from winning a lot of games in League Two to not winning as many and you have to control that expectation.

"There will be some tough games and you might lose by four or five but you can’t panic. Every point is so important and we will work extremely hard. I think we like being the underdog and that’s what we’ll be and I think we can go to these bigger clubs and compete.

"The fans know this is a squad, this is a group of people and this is a club that will work hard.”