Thomas 'sorry' to see Nolan go as Calderwood takes temporary charge
Technical director Colin Calderwood will take temporary charge of Northampton following Kevin Nolan’s departure.
Confirmation of Nolan’s sacking came on Monday afternoon after a run of one win in 16 league games, and the club will now assess their options ahead of the final 10 matches of the season, starting with Saturday's visit of relegation rivals Burton Albion.
Calderwood managed Cobblers between 2003 and 2006 and has had various other roles at the club, including assistant to Jon Brady, before he returned as technical director alongside Nolan last January.
He will now take training this week, supported by Ian Sampson, as chairman Kelvin Thomas and the club’s board decide the next steps. Cobblers are currently 23rd in League One, three points from safety.
Thomas admitted it was not an easy decision to part ways with Nolan but he felt it was in the club’s ‘best interests’ as they seek a fourth successive season in England’s third tier.
"We are sorry to have to take this decision, but unfortunately as we all know, football is very results based,” said Thomas. "We will always be grateful to Kevin for his hard work here, he helped keep us up last season and we enjoyed a strong first half of this season but since Christmas the sequence of performances and results have led us to believe a change is in the best interests of all concerned.
"We are fortunate to have someone of Colin's experience, supported by Ian Sampson and the rest of the staff to look after matters on an interim basis. Kevin leaves with our thanks and our best wishes and we wish him well for the future."