Northampton Town have confirmed two deals on transfer deadline day, with the club making the loan signing of Dara Costelloe and confirmed the exit of Ben Fox.

Forward player Costelloe, 22, has signed on loan for the rest of the season from Championship side Burnley, becoming the third new signing made by the Cobblers in their first transfer window with Kevin Nolan in charge.

The Cobblers also confirmed the departure of Fox, with the 27-year-old midfielder signing for Harrogate Town on a free transfer. The League Two club confirmed Fox has signed a two-and-a-half year deal to move to North Yorkshire.

Costelloe had spent the first half of the current season in League Two with Accrington Stanley, scoring five goals in 14 league appearances for the side from Lancashire.

Nolan told the official Northampton Town website that he felt Costelloe represented a useful addition.

He said, “We think Dara can come in and offer something a little different.

“He can be a threat, a spark, he can create things and he is very much an attacking threat.

“He is another player who we have brought here despite strong interest from other clubs as his performances this season have attracted attention. That’s a big tick for us and we are really pleased that Dara wants to be here. 

“He has done really well at Accrington this season, we hope he will come and continue that here.”

Meanwhile, Fox leaves Northampton after three and a half years at Sixfields. The midfielder had joined Northampton from Grimsby Town in 2022, making 64 appearances in all competitions for the club.

In his time at Northampton, he had helped them win promotion from League Two and achieve survival last season. However, Fox has fallen down the pecking order at Sixfields, having not played since Nolan took charge of the club in December.

With Fox’s contract due to expire at the end of the season, Northampton have instead opted to let him leave on a free transfer, with the midfielder making the move to Yorkshire.

Speaking about Fox’s exit, Nolan said, “Ben is a top lad and we wish him all the very best.

“He has fallen down the pecking order a little here with the signings we have been able to bring in to the club during this transfer window.

“Ben was also out of contract here in the summer, so this move gives him and his family the security he needs and hopefully the chance to play regular first team football.

“I am sure he will do well for Harrogate and I think this move works for all parties.

“We all wish him well, and thank him for his time as a Northampton Town player.”

The police force that covers Milton Keynes has announced a month-long firearms amnesty.

Thames Valley Police is holding a four-week Firearms Amnesty for Turkish manufactured top-venting blank firers (TVBFs), which are now illegal to possess following testing by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

The amnesty began today (3/2) and will run to Friday 28 February 2025, after which anyone in possession of a top-venting blank firer (TVBF) could be subject to prosecution and up to 10 years imprisonment.

Tests by the NCA, funded by the Home Office, show models produced by four Turkish manufacturers are readily convertible and therefore illegal.

Top-venting blank firers (TVBFs) are legal to buy in the UK without a licence by over 18s unless they are readily convertible. In their original state TVBFs have a fully blocked barrel and are designed to discharge only blank cartridges. When discharged, combustion gases vent from the top of the weapon.

TVBFs are sold with at least 50 per cent of their visible surface painted a bright colour; however, criminals may paint them black so they look like an original lethal purpose (OLP) weapon as well as convert them to a lethal purpose firearm.

Since 2021, UK law enforcement has recovered more than 800 of the guns in criminal circumstances and converted blank firers have been used in at least four homicides in the UK in the last two years.

The firearms are manufactured by Turkish brands: Retay, Ekol, Ceonic and Blow. Firearms legislation has not changed; the weapons are illegal to own under the Firearms Act 1968 as they can be readily converted using common household tools and without specialist skill on the part of the person carrying out the conversion.

Recent testing completed by the NCA has demonstrated this. Thames Valley Police is asking people to hand in any TVBFs before 28 February 2025 to help them avoid prosecution and prevent these pistols getting into the wrong hands.

Many TVBFs may be held in innocence and ignorance of their illegality or may be overlooked or forgotten in people’s homes. The amnesty gives holders the chance to dispose of the TVBFs safely by taking it to a local police station and handing it in.

The amnesty for TVBFs will be held for four weeks. Other unwanted, unlicensed firearms and ammunition may be surrendered to police at any time which will avoid the risk of them becoming involved in criminality and means that members of the community can dispose of firearms in a safe place.

During the Amnesty period, those handing in a Turkish manufactured TVBF will not face prosecution for the illegal possession and will not have to give their details. However, the history of any live firearms handed in will be checked for evidence if its use in crime.

Thames Valley Police have said that the front counter in Milton Keynes taking part in this will be located at 302 North Row, Witan Gate East, Milton Keynes, MK9 2DS.

Front counters in Slough, Reading, Newbury, Maidenhead, Loddon Valley, Abingdon, Oxford, Banbury, High Wycombe and Aylesbury will also be taking part in the scheme at stations across the Thames Valley Police area.

Assistant Chief Constable Tim Metcalfe, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for the Criminal Use of Firearms, said, “The top-venting blank firers are used by criminals and can be converted into lethal firearms.

“During the last two years, policing and the NCA has identified and disrupted several workshops used to convert these pistols into lethal weapons.”

“In the same period, large numbers of converted weapons were recovered across multiple locations, alongside thousands of rounds of blank calibre and modified ammunition.

“One investigation recovered more than 400 converted weapons from a single crime group. There is a strong demand for them evidenced by the numbers imported and subsequent recovery from criminals.

“Stopping the sale of these top-venting blank firers from being converted will go a significant way to help protect the public.”

Top-venting blank firers can be handed in at any police station but anyone handing one over during the Firearms Amnesty is advised to check the opening times of their station.

To receive advice on how best to transport the weapon responsibly from home to the police station phone 101 before travelling.

If you know of people involved in illegal firearms activity should call the Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Every call to Crimestoppers is anonymous and potentially vital to preventing or solving serious crimes; removing an illegally held firearm may just save someone’s life.

Luton Town have announced the deadline day signing of Norwegian striker Lasse Nordås from Tromsø.

Nordås is Luton’s eighth new signing of the January transfer window, with the 22-year-old also being the second Norwegian to arrive at the club following the previous arrival of Thelo Aasgaard from Wigan.

The striker moves from Norway to Bedfordshire for an undisclosed fee and has signed a contract of undisclosed length with the Hatters.

In his time with Tromsø, Nordås scored 18 goals in 63 appearances, representing the club in the Europa Conference League along the way.

Nordås had also previously played for Lillestrom, Strømmen and Bodo/Glimt, playing for the latter in the Champions League. The move will be Nordås’ first outside Norway.

Luton boss Matt Bloomfield told the club’s official website of his delight to make the signing happen.

He said, “Lasse’s a really exciting signing for us, with the potential that he brings as well as goals at the top of the pitch.

“He comes really highly regarded, but Lasse is someone who already has some good experience so he’s got good pedigree and knows where the back of the net is.

“He’s an under-21 International and has played European football, but this is his off-season, so we’ve got to be careful with him and build him up slowly.

“Lasse’s an international teammate of Thelo’s too, so that will help him settle. They’re the future of Norwegian football and for us too.”

Kevin Nolan won his first home game as Northampton boss as the Cobblers held out to beat Huddersfield Town 3-2 at Sixfields.

The Cobblers had been 3-0 up against the promotion-chasing Terriers, with Sam Hoskins, Tom Eaves and Liam Shaw giving the hosts the advantage in the contest.

Huddersfield gave Northampton a scare when Herbie Kane and Jonathan Hogg scored goals to trim the host’s advantage down from three goals to one, but despite late chances, Huddersfield couldn’t equalise.

Victory means that Northampton have completed a home and away double over the Yorkshire club this season. It also sees the Cobblers climb a place to 19th in the League One battle, with Nolan’s side now holding a five point lead over the relegation zone.

The game had seemed like a tough test for the Cobblers, despite Huddersfield arriving at Sixfields on the back of two defeats in a row.

Although Huddersfield had most of the possession in the early stages, Northampton had the best opportunity as Jacob Chapman denied Eaves early on.

Just after the half-hour mark, Northampton ended up finding the breakthrough. A ball into the box was flicked back by Eaves and would find Hoskins, who let fly with a first-time strike that duly found the Huddersfield net and put Northampton ahead.

It was soon followed by a second for the hosts. From Terry Taylor’s pass, Eaves was able to outmuscle a covering defender, control the ball and beat Chapman to make it 2-0 to the home side.

Northampton nearly found a third first-half goal when the ball was played into Tarique Fosu in a prime position, only for the Cobblers attacker to miss the target from close range.

Six minutes after the break, however, Northampton would make it 3-0. Cameron McGeehan was able to pick the ball up down the Cobblers’ right flank and feed it inside to Shaw. The recent arrival from Fleetwood duly curled a fine strike into the back of the net to score a second for Northampton in as many matches.

The Cobblers could’ve extended their lead even further, with TJ Eyoma’s crisp strike denied by Chapman.

With 20 minutes to go, Huddersfield would grab a goal back as half-time sub Kane received Callum Marshall’s pass and scored.

Huddersfield then made it 3-2 with just under ten to play, as Hogg fired home a firm strike after a free-kick had initially been blocked.

Sensing a point might be available, Huddersfield pressed hard, with Northampton keeper Nik Tzanev forced into two stops late on to stop goalbound strikes.

But the Cobblers got the job done, holding out to take a first home win since beating Peterborough in early December and take the points.