Ian initially arrived at the County Ground on loan in December 1993, before making a £30,000 permanent move from Sunderland the following summer. Before retiring from playing in the summer of 2004, Ian had become a Cobblers legend, making 449 senior appearances in the claret and white, placing him second in the list of appearance makers behind Tommy Fowler. A down-to-earth no nonsense defender, Sammo was a veteran of 2 play off finals at Wembley, and helped the side to 2 promotions in his 11 year career. He was promoted to the position of first team coach in 2006, and was appointed manager in October 2009 after the departure of Stuart Gray.
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