Northampton Town assistant manager Colin Calderwood is leaving the club to take up a similar position with Southampton.
Calderwood returned to the club in the summer of 2021 as assistant to Jon Brady and has enjoyed an excellent period of success with the club on the pitch.
Chairman Kelvin Thomas said "It is a real shame that Colin has decided to move on, but he certainly goes with our best wishes and as a friend. He has been made a very good offer from a club who are pushing for a return to the Premier League and we understand the attraction for him.
"We part on excellent terms and we thank Colin for the significant role he has played at the club over the last two and a half years.
"At the same time we are pleased to announce that Head of Academy and former manager Ian Sampson has agreed to step up to the first team as we assess our options. We are fortunate that we have a strong and talented technical staff at the club with Jon Brady, Marc Richards and James Alger already in place and Ian, having worked with all involved, fits into this seamlessly.
Calderwood himself added: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time back at the club and I believe the club is heading the right way both on and off the field.
“To be part of the club when we moved into our first ever training centre was also a proud moment. We will look back on that as such an important moment for the club and I am happy to have played a small part in that from the planning and the implementation. I would like to express my personal thanks to Moulton Magpies and all of the local companies and partners who helped the club with that transition.
"The interaction the club has with the local community is very strong, there is a unique connection and we have seen that over the last two and a half years of such excitement. I would like to thank everyone involved with the club and the supporters for their support.
"It is difficult to leave and I do so with a heavy heart but the opportunity to go and work at a club that is challenging for a Premier League return was not something I could turn down. I know Northampton Town are in very good hands and I wish everyone involved all the very best for the future.”
