I’m always a fan of the early check in when it comes to summer signings and am of the opinion that an early gathering of most of the squad that’s going to take you hurtling into the following season should be in place before pre-season to allow maximum gelling time. So this past week’s double whammy of Alfie Potter and Nicky Adams was more than welcome and the signs are that more talks are ongoing.
Both signings show signs of added flair and would have been very good additions even before you consider the players they realistically have to battle past to feature in the first team – Lawson D’Ath and Rickie Holmes. It’s been clear in the petering out period between March and May this year that more strength in depth was needed as the Cobblers battled hard but couldn’t quite keep up with the top seven. So having this much talent in those positions is a huge start to the summer with both players not only able to play out wide but also across most attacking positions. The likes of Rico and Ivan Toney will be licking their lips at the service that’s likely to come to them.
Potter has been linked with Town ever since Chris Wilder made the move to Sixfields and at 26 has that fine balance between experienced in league football but with plenty of prime years left in him. The relationship with Wilder shouldn’t be underestimated and hopefully the Cobblers boss can get the best of the winger once again.
Adams is one of those players that seems to have been around for years but is only 28 himself. Past clubs’ fans have commented on how he runs himself into the ground for the team and he fits the Wilder mould to a tee when you look at his signings of the aforementioned D’Ath and Holmes, both of whom provide exactly the same service.
It’s a great start to the summer with the deals done before the playoff final was done and dusted to officially close the 2014/15 League Two season. To say that we’re building bricks on top of solid foundation rather than filling holes is great to see and though there’s still work to be done in key positions there’s reasons to be cheerful as we usher in the summer.
A Load Of Cobblers 