by Chris Bailey
FOR so long, the east stand loomed over Sixfields as a half-finished husk, a metaphor for the financial plight that threatened to devour Northampton Town.
It was poetic justice, then, that the first wave of claret and white seating had returned to that part of the ground in time for the Cobblers to confirm the most unlikely of promotions last week.
This is a club that was on its knees last November, saddled with a multi-million pound loan from the local council, an unpaid six-figure tax bill and, for a time, unpaid players and staff.
But David Cardoza – who was arrested in January for ‘alleged financial regularities' during his ownership – finally relinquished his grip on the club and Kelvin Thomas, a former chairman of Oxford United, rode in to save the day.
All the while, Northampton have been relentlessly marching towards League Two promotion, suggesting that off-the-field turmoil had been brushed aside by the players. But it wasn't easy.
“For the club to be so low halfway through the season and now be so high, gaining promotion, is the best feeling possible for a player,” said club captain Marc Richards.
“It's just been a bagful of emotions. You can talk about it all day long and I'm sure the book will make for an interesting read one day.
“When you looked up to the east stand, you saw it as a dark cloud that was over our heads for a number of months.
“But one of the best things about the last few weeks is that, with the new seats being put in, fans can start to fill it out, like it used to be. The perfect end to a bad situation. It's poetic, really.”
The gravity of their problems hit home after manager Chris Wilder claimed the situation was “tearing us all apart” in an impassioned post-match plea back in November.
It was all too familiar for 33-year-old Richards, whose first stint at the club in 2003 came at a time when the entire Football League had been hit hard in the aftermath of the ITV Digital collapse.
This time, he found himself becoming a confidant to the younger players, who had never needed to worry about their next payslip.
“The first moment when we were not going to get paid, that was the most difficult,” recalled the striker.
“The young lads spend every penny they earn and hadn't put aside anything for that sort of occasion.
“A number of them were really concerned about paying the bills, the mortgage, the rent.
“We went a week or two without being paid, but the non-playing staff were the ones who were put through the most.
“I've been there before as a player at this club. We didn't go into administration, but we were close, and you can help if you've had those experiences in the past.
“The fans, too, did a lot of work outside the club to try to pay a few bills. People sent in pizzas for the office staff, so they could have their lunch. At the time, we were still doing quite well in the league, but it spurred us on even more.”
That siege mentality was only encouraged by the straight-talking Wilder and, after spearheading Northampton's miraculous season, the manager is reportedly in demand by Bolton, who have recently overcome their own financial difficulties.
But Richards is adamant that, come what may, Northampton will be all the stronger for their next challenge in League One.
“The gaffer has been absolutely fantastic,” said Richards, who will miss the rest of the season after undergoing an operation on his achilles.
“He was as honest as possible with the lads, which is exactly how it should be and, if anyone had a problem struggling to pay bills, he was of the attitude ‘I will do what I can for you'.
“Just to know that gave the lads a bit of breathing room, and he's always been that sort of guy. You can speak to him about things going on outside the club.
“The success shows the character of the players the gaffer has brought into the club. We've always worked hard together and, in that situation, you become stronger.”
