How Northampton Town can push for promotion next season – These 2 changes need to happen | OneFootball

Kevin Nolan has done an impressive job in charge of Northampton Town and the Cobblers only need a couple of tweaks to be serious contenders.

Northampton Town have ensured League One status for next season and they have been much-improved since the appointment of Kevin Nolan in December.

The Cobblers hammered already relegated Shrewsbury Town on Easter Monday at Sixfields by four goals to one thanks to a brace from on-loan Dara Costelloe as well as strikes from Aaron McGowan and Cameron McGeehan.

As they head into their final two matches of the 2024/25 season, a trip to relegation-battling Crawley Town and then a clash with Wigan Athletic on the final day of the season, Nolan and his side will be more than content with the work they have put in in the final few months of the season.

Now, as they look to prepare for another season in the third-tier, work will begin on what they can do in the summer transfer window in order to try and mount and sustain a genuine push for promotion next season.

Backing Nolan in attack

Arguably the biggest issue for Nolan and Northampton to address this summer would be to find someone that can score regularly in the third-tier over the course of a season.

Now, every club in League One wants one of those players so it isn’t exactly the most searing piece of analysis and insight but it is the biggest glaring issue that has prevented the Cobblers from pushing on further into the middle-of-the-table.

They have managed to score just 47 goals in 44 games so far this season with only five teams scoring fewer than them, whereas their defensive record is better than many, including two clubs in the top-half of the table, Barnsley and Bolton Wanderers, for example.

After hitting a brace on Monday, Burnley loanee Costelloe has now scored six goals in 13 appearances for Northampton since joining in the winter transfer window and four of those have come in his last four games.

It could well be that the solution is already at the club and trying to re-sign the former Ireland U21 international either on loan or even permanently should and could well be the priority but if unable to do so, finding someone to fill his boots will be imperative.

McGeehan made it into double figures with his goal against Shrewsbury but he is the only man to score ten in the league for Town this season with Sam Hoskins on seven.

Northampton have made themselves difficult to beat and the form of Costelloe, if re-signed and continued into next season, could prove to be a major difference next season.

Northampton’s lack of depth

When Nolan first took charge of the club, Northampton were in the midst of an injury crisis that has to rival some of the lengthiest lists of injuries perhaps ever seen in the EFL.

At one stage, Northampton had 16 players out through injury in early-January when captain Jon Guthrie became sidelined but they did some good work in the transfer window to aid the improvement sought by Nolan and the club.

However, three of their four additions were only temporary solutions alongside Costelloe as Taylor Perry joined on loan from Charlton Athletic and Ben Perry joined from Nottingham Forest. Liam Shaw also came in on a permanent deal from Fleetwood Town.

Cobblers may well already be resigned to losing Taylor, following an exclusive report from the Football League World that Frank Lampard’s Coventry City were interested in the Scotsman.

Keeping Costelloe is, as discussed, a priority but ensuring their squad is deeper to avoid an autumnal collapse like this season will be key for Nolan and the recruitment side of things is imperative.

Adding quality and quantity is the goal of any squad over the summer but Northampton will believe it is paramount for them more so this summer to back up the foundations laid by the impressive coaching credentials of Nolan.

A platform has been put down for the club to build on and potentially mount a serious push towards the top six next season due to the work of Nolan and getting recruitment right in a couple of ways could prove to be the difference between being a mid-table also ran and a serious contender.