We take a look at a selection of players who have appeared for both Northampton Town and Colchester United.
Scott McGleish
Scott McGleish had two spells with the Cobblers, once on loan and once on a permanent deal. He originally arrived from at Sixfields after leaving Colchester United. He stayed at the club for 3 years and established himself as a fans favourite, playing over 100 times for the club. He later rejoined the Cobblers in the 2008/09 season on loan, making 9 appearances. In total, McGleish made 137 appearances, scoring 50 times and providing 9 assists in all competitions.
McGleish also had two spells with the U’s, having a successful loan with the club in 1996 where he made 15 appearances and scored on 6 occasions. He later returned to the club on a permanent deal in 2001 and he stayed at the club for three years where he became a mainstay in the side. He left the club in 2004 to join the Cobblers. Across his two spells he made 159 appearances for the U’s and scored 44 goals.
Luke Chambers
Kettering born Chambers is a product of the Northampton Town academy and quickly established himself as a fans favourite, even being given the captaincy by Colin Calderwood in just his second season as a professional. He stayed at the club until January 2007 after helping the club to promotion to League One after finishing in the play-offs in the previous two seasons. In all competitions he made 119 appearances for the Cobblers, scoring once and providing a solitary assist.
Following his release by Ipswich Town in the summer, Chambers joined Colchester United, signing a two-year deal. At the time of writing, Luke has made 33 appearances for the U’s, and has found the back of the net on 3 occasions becoming a mainstay in the Colchester United defence.
Tony Adcock
Tony Adcock began his career at Saturday’s opponents, Colchester United, coming through their youth system. He quickly established himself as a regular and went on to make over 200 appearances at the club. He left the club in 1987 after six years to join Manchester City for a £75,000 fee. He later returned to the U’s in 1995 and stayed for a further 4 years. Across both spells at the club, Adcock made 318 appearances and scored 126 goals in all competitions.
The Cobblers signed Adcock in January 1988, in a swap deal that saw Trevor Morley go the other way. He spent 18 months at Northampton Town but left following relegation to Division Four, this wasn’t the end of Tony and the Cobblers though as he later returned to the club after 18 months at Bradford and went on to once again be a key player for the club. Over his two stints at the club he made a total of 107 appearances and scored 40 goals for the club.
Luke Prosser
Luke Prosser signed for Northampton Town in January 2016 on a loan deal to the end of the season, adding extra defensive cover in to the side as the club challenged for the League Two title. The club ran away with the league title, gaining 99 points in the process with Prosser himself making 8 appearances for the club.
Colchester United signed Prosser following the conclusion of his loan spell at Northampton Town and his release by Southend United. He stayed at the club for four years and was part of the side that lost to Exeter City in the play-offs in the 2019/20 season. Following the conclusion of the 19/20 season, Prosser left the club after making 103 appearances, scoring 6 goals.
Clive Platt
The U’s signed Clive Platt for a club record fee in July 2007 from Milton Keynes Dons. Platt went straight in to the Colchester side from the off, becoming a regular, having many different strike partners during his 3 year stay at the club. Platt went on to make 132 appearances for Col U, scoring 26 goals and notching 7 assists.
Platt joined the Cobblers in May 2012, reuniting with his former manager, Aidy Boothroyd. He was part of the side that reached the play-off final in 2013, starting the final itself. The Cobblers lost the final and Platt left the club midway through the following season and went on to sign for Bury. In all competitions, Platt made 54 appearances for Northampton Town, scoring 8 goals and providing 3 assists.