'I don't think it will ever happen again' - how Northampton reached top flight

BBC News

17-04-2025

It will never happen again that a club sharing a ground with a county cricket team will reach the top flight of English football.And yet that was the reality for Northampton Town, who, on 17 April 1965, sealed promotion to the old First Division with a 4-1 away win at Bury.It capped an outstanding managerial achievement by Dave Bowen, who guided Northampton from the fourth tier to the first in just five seasons - a rise which, by comparison, took Luton Town nine years to emulate in the current century, from 2014 to 2023."We needed to win at Bury on Easter Saturday. Everybody seemed a little bit nervous, but as the game went on, we got control. Don Martin scored early in the second half and we had a three-goal lead then and we could relax," Graham Carr told BBC Look East.Carr, who was then only 20, had come into the side during the season, making eight appearances, and was still finding his feet among seasoned professionals.But such was the congested nature of the fixture list, there was little time to enjoy their achievement - that came later at a special dinner hosted by the town's mayor."After the game, I can't remember celebrating. We were sitting on the bus ready to go and we could hear Dave Bowen talking to Sports Report on the radio," said Carr."On Sunday, we were at Luton Airport, a 16-seater to fly to Exeter to play Plymouth. Derek Legg was sent off early in the game, we were up against it and got beat 5-2. "Then we got the flight back to Luton and the following day we played Plymouth in the return game and won 3-1. We played three games in four days with the same players. No subs then. If you were injured you stayed on."
'Dave Bowen was a marvellous coach'
Northampton finished the season in second place with 56 points from their 42 games - only two for a win in those days - and were just a single point behind champions Newcastle United.And promotion meant that in the following season, the Cobblers would be mixing it with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Leeds United.Carr believes that much of the credit must go to Bowen, who was first appointed in 1959 following two spells as a player with the club, and also spent 10 years as manager of the Wales national team."Dave Bowen was a marvellous coach and he was out with us every day training. He had a plan for everything," he said."There was good recruitment and we played the same system every game, every week, two wingers - right-footed right winger, left-footed left winger - two strikers, back four, we always had balance in the side."Those wingers were principally Harry Walden and Tommy Robson, later to become a club legend for rivals Peterborough United, with Robson reaching double figures for goals, along with Don Martin and Bobby Brown.
'The County Ground was our Wembley'
But how much of an advantage was Northampton's unusual ground?The club had shared the playing area with Northamptonshire CCC since 1905 and went through the entire campaign without losing a single game at home, where they only conceded 16 goals in 21 fixtures. "Everybody loved playing there. It was our Wembley really. Even with the set-up (we had), I never heard any player want to leave," said Carr. "We never did warm-ups like they do now, we rubbed oil on (our legs in the changing room) and ran onto the pitch. You didn't see the build-up of people coming into the ground. "You couldn't help but think 'wow', I'm ready for it' with the people on the cricket side tight to you, down the side, it became a close, tight atmosphere. Other clubs would feel they were up against it. It played its part for us."The promotion season ended with a home game against Portsmouth, an unforgettable occasion for those who were there."'It was a big deal, the town was only half the size it is now so everyone knew everyone. None of us could believe it was happening," supporter Roger Averill told BBC Look East."The last game against Portsmouth, I was in the middle of the hotel end which was packed. I had to climb up the floodlights so I could see. It was party time. I don't think I appreciated the magnitude of it. "It was heaving. Everyone went on the pitch, the players went into the stand, throwing shirts and boots into the crowd. As a 12-year-old, I thought we would do this all the time but I have found out that we don't!"
Sobering start at Goodison Park
Northampton were handed a trip to Merseyside to take on Everton for their first match in the top flight, and it proved to be a harsh lesson as, although Bobby Brown's goal brought them level at 1-1, they eventually went down 5-2."It was the first year subs came in. We played at Everton, I remember driving in and I knew I was (going to be) on the bench," Carr recalls. "The crowd outside Goodison Park was unbelievable."There was encouragement from their first two home games, which ended in 1-1 draws with Arsenal and defending champions Manchester United, Matt Busby's side helping attracting a crowd of 21,245 to the County Ground.Things then took a downturn as the Cobblers failed to win any of the next 10, leaving them 21st by mid-October, but back-to-back 2-1 home victories over West Ham and Aston Villa lifted the mood, with Jim Hall scoring both goals in the latter.Results were mixed thereafter but the Cobblers managed to stay just above the bottom two despite 6-2 defeats in the return game with Manchester United at Old Trafford and at Stoke City in February.Newcastle United and Leeds United were both beaten at home and they completed a notable double over Villa when John Mackin and Graham Moore's goals gave them a 2-1 win.The final three games were a rollercoaster as a 4-2 home loss to Fulham dropped them into the relegation places, a 2-1 home win over Sunderland lifted them out, only for a 3-0 defeat at Blackpool to see them finish 21st, just three points from safety, and they were relegated along with Blackburn Rovers.They had certainly not disgraced themselves, winning 10 games and drawing 13, but defensive frailty ultimately cost them dear. Their 92 goals conceded was four worse than any other team."We had great lads who were physically strong, who would work hard and dig in – and frighten people – but in the First Division then, you did need a little more than that," said Carr. "Unfortunately, we didn't have the money to do it - we did our best but our best wasn't good enough."
'Once-in-a-lifetime achievement'
Carr left Northampton in 1968 to join York City but returned as manager in the mid-1980s and and guided them to the Fourth Division title in 1987.He went on to become chief scout for both Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United before deciding to return to Northampton as an associate director eight years ago.Now 80, how does he feel looking back to that glorious season which culminated in promotion 60 years ago and the players with whom he shared a dressing room, the majority of whom have passed away?"It was a marvellous feeling, unbelievable. A once-in-a-lifetime achievement. I don't think it will ever happen again because finances have changed this game," an emotional Carr added."We all lived in Northampton so we had a drink together, we socialised together, we went to the cafes together after training."They were all great lads. I miss them."