Northampton Town have announced Kevin Nolan will be the club’s new first team manager.

Nolan has signed a two-and-a-half year deal with the club up to the end of the 2026/27 season and has been confirmed as the permanent replacement for Jon Brady, who resigned as Cobblers manager earlier this month.

The deal will see Nolan return to the managerial hotseat for the first time since leaving Notts County in 2018. In the time since leaving Meadow Lane, he had a stint of just over four years as part of David Moyes’ coaching staff with West Ham United in the Premier League.

In his playing days, Nolan had been a Premier League and Championship regular, winning promotion from the second to the first tier of English football with Bolton, Newcastle and West Ham, and being team captain at all 3 clubs.

In management, Nolan had a brief stint as player-manager with Leyton Orient in 2016 before taking the Notts County job in 2017, where he took the Magpies to the play-offs before leaving a few weeks into the following season.

Nolan will take charge of the Cobblers for the first time on Boxing Day when they travel to play Reading in Berkshire.

The new Cobblers boss told the official Northampton Town website of his delight to join the club and would be looking to get a team competitive straight away in the busy ffestive period.

He said, “I am delighted to be appointed the new manager of Northampton Town and I cannot wait to get going. We have a busy schedule over the Christmas and New Year period so the challenge is to hit the ground running as best we can.

“The club has a fine reputation in the game as being a well run club and it is clear it has moved forward on and off the pitch over the last few seasons. I am proud and honoured to be given the chance to try and continue and develop that work. 

“I believe the squad can make progress up the table and I am determined to repay the faith that the board of directors have shown in me.

“We don’t have any time to lose, it might be Christmas but we have a lot of work to do in a short space of time and I hope the supporters will come with us as we start our journey. We will need their backing and I can promise them we will be doing all we can to turn the results around.”

Kelvin Thomas, Northampton’s chairman, said he was impressed by Nolan in interviews and that he saw potential in the former midfielder to excel as a manager.

He said, “He has done well in difficult circumstances in both of his previous managerial jobs and he impressed us with his knowledge, his energy, his experience and his passion. He showed a real desire and enthusiasm for the role, he couldn’t wait to get started and he has already taken charge of training for the first time.

“He has been a leader throughout his career. Whether that be as a player where he was a Premier League captain of some distinction, to his managerial career where he enjoyed success at both of his previous clubs in difficult circumstances, to being a successful coach back in the Premier League, he has a hugely impressive CV. 

“He is also very well connected and respected throughout the game. He has a fine record of working with players at all levels and of all ages and we are excited to welcome Kevin to the club.

“Kevin has been held in high esteem by both players and supporters of his previous clubs and we are delighted to have been able to secure his services for Northampton Town.

“Our immediate target is to try and move up the table and while we understand we have challenges to overcome, we believe Kevin is well placed to lead us forward on that.”