Northampton Town Football Club were saddened to learn of the death of former player-manager Billy Baxter, who has died at the age of 70.

He was born in Edinburgh on 24th March 1939. He started his playing days with Broxburn Athletic in Scotland moving to Ipswich in 1960 for a fee of £500.

He became part of the side that marched from Division Three to One in consecutive seasons winning both the Division Two and Division One titles.

He won another Division Two Championship medal with the Suffolk club in 1968 as skipper of the side but left a few years later after a much publicised bust up with the then manager Bobby Robson.

A brief spell with Tommy Docherty at Hull was followed by a loan spell at Watford before he joined the Cobblers in 1972.

Dave Bowen signed experienced players in the hope of getting the club out of Division Four and within two months of joining Bill was made player manager.

Things did not work out for him in his new position, the club applied for re election for the second consecutive season and he was relieved of his manager's post.

He was asked to remain on the staff as a player but he declined preferring to play for non-league Nuneaton.

He returned to Scotland and died in a Dunfermline hospital from cancer.