Northampton Town have announced the signings of Jack Burroughs and Kamarai Swyer.
The League One club have signed Burroughs on a 2-year deal after his release by Coventry City and Swyer on a 2-year deal after his exit from West Ham United.
The moves mean the Cobblers have made a trio of new signings ahead of the 2025/26 season, having previously signed midfielder Jack Perkins from Nottingham Forest.
Defender Burroughs, who can play as a full-back or in midfield, signs after previously representing the Cobblers’ one-time tenants Coventry City.
The 24-year-old has previous League One experience after a loan spell with Lincoln City, while he also has top flight experience in Scotland after loan spells with Ross County and Kilmarnock. He also has received caps from the Scotland national team at levels up to the under-21 team.
Northampton Manager Kevin Nolan told the club’s official website of his delight to bring Burroughs to the club.
He said, “Jack is a player we’ve admired for a while and this is a signing we are very pleased to make. He has qualities that fit with what we are looking for. He brings pace and athleticism, versatility, he is good on the ball and has a very good attitude. We believe he’ll be a valuable addition to our squad and we believe he can have an impact here.
“While he is mainly a right back or right wing back, he can also play on the left side or in midfield too and from our meetings with him, his determination and ambition to do well here was clear. We think he is a good age and has a good range of experience of playing in the Championship, in a side that were battling at the top of League One and in Scotland and in European competition too.”
Meanwhile, 20-year-old attacking midfielder and striker Swyer will join the club after being released by West Ham United.
Swyer has previously worked with Nolan, who spent time as a first team coach with the Premier League side during David Moyes’ second spell in charge at the London Stadium.
The winger spent time last season on loan in League One with Crawley Town.
On Swyer, Nolan said, “Kamarai is a talented young player with huge potential, who I have worked with before so I know all about him. He’s hungry, technically gifted, he takes people on and is a good athlete who is a good size and has an excellent attitude.
“We’re excited to welcome him to the squad and look forward to working with him and to see him develop with us over the next two years.
“We think we are getting him at a good time. He is on an upward curve, he had a standout season in Premier League 2 last season, with eight goals and ten assists, the most number of goal involvements for any West Ham player.
Milton Keynes City Council have revealed plans for events marking what they are designating as Tech Week later this year.
Organised by Milton Keynes City Council, the event in September is intended to build on last year’s Artificial Intelligence Festival, which attracted more than 2,000 attendees.
MK City Council said, “This year, the programme is even bigger, offering a week of hands-on tech experiences, inspiring speakers and opportunities for people to engage with current and future technologies.”
The week starts at Bletchley Park, the historic site which also hosted the first-ever Global AI Summit, setting the scene for a city-wide series of events. From AI in everyday life to the future of adult learning, motorsport, robotics and a Dragons’ Den-style pitch event with local investors, Milton Keynes Tech Week 2025 is intended to show potential futuristic innovations.
Some of the UK’s leading names in tech and innovation will be taking part, such as Red Bull Racing and Technologies, Santander UK, His Majesty’s Government Communications Centre (HMGCC) and The Open University. They’ll join exciting new tech businesses and industry experts.
A major part of the week will be the Smart City Robotics Competition, held in centre:MK, where university teams from across Europe will put their robotics and programming skills to the test in real-world challenges such as delivering coffee, assisting in homes, packing goods, and flying drones.
The City Council added, “Milton Keynes is one of the fastest-growing cities in the UK, recognised for its unique urban design and thriving tech scene. With an economy worth £13.3 billion+ annually and more than 2,400 tech businesses generating £3.4 billion in GVA (2022), it’s no surprise that one in three local jobs is in the tech sector.
“The city council’s five-year strategy for tech, smart city innovation, digital, and creative industries launched in 2024 continues to drive growth and reinforce MK’s role as a national leader in the field.”
Headline partners include: The Open University, Santander and Cranfield University. Supporting partners include: British Business Bank, HAYS, Smart City Consultancy, Bletchley Park, HMGCC, and Aiimi.
Cabinet Member for Planning and Placemaking, Cllr Shanika Mahendran, said, “Milton Keynes Tech Week 2025 is a celebration of how far we have come as a city and where we’re headed. The week will highlight our reputation as a national centre of excellence for technology and AI while also inspiring the next generation of innovators to shape our future. Whether you’re a student, an entrepreneur, or just curious about what the future holds, there’s something for everyone.”
Professor of Knowledge Technologies at The Open University, Enrico Motta, added, “For over a decade, The Open University and MK City Council have been working together to progress innovation in Milton Keynes and I am very pleased that MK Tech Week will provide us with another exciting collaboration opportunity. This promises to be a brilliant event and another great showcase for a city that continues to be at the forefront of innovation.”
Police are appealing for witnesses to a robbery that happened outside a nightclub in Central Milton Keynes.
The incident happened at approximately 10.05pm on Sunday (25/5) in the city centre, near to 12th Street Burgers and Popworld on Lower Twelfth Street.
The victim, a man in his twenties, was in a parked car sat opposite the restaurant and nightclub when two boys unknown to him approached him.
An altercation took place, during which the boys stole the victim’s car, which has been identified by Thames Valley Police as a grey Honda Civic.
As part of their appeal, police issued profiles of the two offenders.
The first boy is described as white and was wearing a bright pink shirt, which was removed as the altercation began, shorts and trainers. The second boy is described as white and was wearing a light coloured polo shirt, which was also removed as the altercation began, a white vest top, grey jeans and trainers.
A 16-year-old boy from Milton Keynes has been arrested on suspicion of assault in connection with this incident. He has since been released on police bail until 19 August.
Investigating officer, Detective Constable Grace Boland said, “I am appealing to anybody who may have witnessed this incident to please contact Thames Valley Police.
“I am keen to hear from anyone who had any interaction with the two boys matching the descriptions of the offenders between 10pm and 10.30pm on Sunday 25 May or anybody who was in the area and saw what happened.
“I would also like to hear from anyone with video or dash cam footage of the incident or the moments leading up to it.
“You can contact us online or by calling 101, quoting reference 43250257740.
“Alternatively, for anonymity, you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Police are appealing for witnesses to an incident of grievous bodily harm at a music festival in Milton Keynes.
The incident happened between 9pm and 9.30pm on Saturday (24/5) at the Sidewinder festival, which was being held at the Marshall Arena adjacent to the MK Dons stadium in the Denbigh area of the city.
The victim, a man in his teens, was at the event when he was seriously assaulted by an unknown man. He sustained serious injuries to his cheek bone and eye socket, which required hospital treatment.
A second person sustained minor injuries to their face which also required hospital treatment. Both have since been discharged.
Thames Valley Police revealed that two mobile phones were stolen in the incident.
Investigating officer DC Jessica Cooper said, “I am appealing to anybody who may have witnessed this incident to please contact Thames Valley Police.
“This was a serious assault which took place near to the smoking area at the Sidewinder music festival and the area will have been busy at the time. I believe a number of people will have seen what happened and may have information to assist our investigation.
“You can contact us online or by calling 101, quoting reference 43250256941.
“Alternatively, for anonymity, you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
MK Dons have announced the signing of winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing from Derby County.
The 33-year-old is reunited with his former Rams boss Paul Warne at Derby, with the winger to move to Stadium MK on a full transfer when the transfer window opens next month.
The move will see Mendez-Laing be the Dons’ first new signing for the 2025/26 season, while he has signed a contract of undisclosed length with the League Two club.
Mendez-Laing has made over 475 competitive appearances in English football, as well as making 17 appearances for the Guatemala national team.
At Pride Park, Mendez-Laing had been captain for Warne’s side, while he was also a regular player as they won promotion from League One to the Championship in 2024.
Mendez-Laing’s career also saw him play in the Premier League for Cardiff City, having been a regular when the Bluebirds won promotion to the top flight in 2018. He also scored a brace for the Welsh club in a 2-0 win at Manchester United on the final day of the 2018/19 season.
He also had spells playing Championship football for Peterborough and Middlesbrough, as well as spells in League One with Sheffield United, Portsmouth, Shrewsbury and Sheffield Wednesday.
Mendez-Laing told the official MK Dons website of his excitement to join the Dons.
He said, “I’m buzzing, happy to finally get this deal done! It’s a project that I’m really excited about, and I can’t wait to get going.
“I’ve always kept in touch with the gaffer (Paul Warne), he’s someone I highly respect. When the conversation happened, there was instant interest from my side. He’s a great and honest man.
“I’ve come from the Championship, which shows the project this club is aiming for and the type of person the gaffer is. I can’t wait to get going, the facilities here are amazing and I’ve always loved playing at Stadium MK. As I said before, I can’t wait to get going because it’s an exciting season ahead.”
