Tying down Sam Hoskins was a priority for Cobblers and chairman Kelvin Thomas this summer

Getting Sam Hoskins tied down for the foreseeable future was a priority for the Cobblers and chairman Kelvin Thomas this summer.

The 30-year-old forward would not have been short on offers had he chosen to take a look around this summer after scoring 22 league goals last season but he never had any intention of leaving – and the club were never going to let him go.

Hoskins, who’s nearing 350 appearances for Northampton, is set to take his stay at Sixfields to well over a decade after penning a new three-year deal on Wednesday, and Thomas was delighted as anyone.

He said: "It is rare in modern day football for a player to stay with a club for such a long time, let alone to have the consistent impact upon performances like Sam continues to do.

"This is great news for the club and for Sam. His standing in the history of this club is secure and it is right that we get to pay tribute to that, and as a player he just seems to be getting better and better.

"We were very keen to ensure Sam stayed with the club. He fully deserves this new contract and while the term legend is used sometimes too often in football, Sam deserves all the plaudits he gets for the service has given and continues to give for the club.

"It says a lot about both Sam and the club that he will have been with the club for 11 years by the time this new contract comes to an end. He already has a glittering list of honours, awards and achievements from his time at the club and hopefully he can add to that list over the next three years."