This is a message from us all at Northampton Town Football Club to thank you for your support and to wish you all a safe, happy and healthy Christmas.
These two recent postponements, against Barrow and Walsall, have come as a big frustration to us as we were on an excellent run of form with eight wins and a draw in the last ten games. We certainly had momentum and we will look to pick that momentum back up when we resume playing again shortly.
While it has been frustrating to see those recent games postponed, we will be spending Christmas Day second in the table and we would all have taken that position when the season started back in August.
The first half of this season has seen some exciting games, some excellent goals scored and we reach the festive period in a good place.
It isn't just the men's first team that are enjoying success, because after a record breaking run to the third round of the Vitality Women's FA Cup, Northampton Town Women are top of the table with a 100% league record and are hopefully well placed for a promotion push in the New Year. To have two teams in the top two of their league tables is not bad going by anyone's standards!
Off the pitch, our work in the community, headed by the Northampton Town Community Trust, has enjoyed a very successful 2021. The ever changing situation in the community around Covid-19 has meant the work has had to be adjusted in line with keeping everyone safe, but in recent weeks that work was recognised when Sir Trevor McDonald announced the Northampton Town Community Trust's Tackling Loneliness project as the winner of the Community Project of the Year award at the 2021 Northamptonshire Business Excellence Awards. The judging panel was headed by Nick Hewer from The Apprentice and to have your work recognised by such a distinguished panel is wonderful.
We have been delighted to receive your input in to some key decisions taken by the club in the last few months. You elected Tom Cliffe as the supporters' representative on the club's Board of Directors, you decided our 125th season home kit will be a modern twist on the 1986/87 Division 4 title winning strip and 97.67% of you backed the club's East Stand plans. To those of you who took part in any or all of those votes, thank you. Your views and your opinions help shape what we as a club do.
Thank you too to each and every one of you who have been a huge help to the club throughout 2021. To those who purchased a season ticket, thank you and thank you too to those of you who donated any refund or credit due back to the club earlier this year. Your support is very much appreciated and we cannot wait to see those names on the 125th birthday kit which is due out in February. Thank you so much.
As we approach 2022, there is so much to look forward to. As we have mentioned, the men's and women's first teams are both in the top two of their respective divisions, we have an exciting timetable of events planned for our 125th birthday, we have a deal agreed in principle with West Northamptonshire Council for the East Stand development while the work of the Northampton Town Academy and Football & Education department continues to go from strength to strength, with a number of players from our pathway making their first team debuts in recent times.
We will be back together soon and with so much to look forward to, it is a great time to be a Cobbler!
Merry Christmas to you and your families and thank you again for your support.
From all of the Directors, staff and players of Northampton Town Football Club