Latest news with #GavinCowan
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Brackley sign Chesterfield midfielder Hobson on loan
Brackley Town have signed midfielder Bailey Hobson on loan from League Two side 21, came through the Sheffield United academy before joining Alfreton Town in making 85 appearances for the National League North side, he joined Chesterfield in 2023 and has spent time on loan at Kidderminster and Barnet."Bailey is someone who we identified very early and has all the attributes of a player we've been looking for," said Brackley manager Gavin Cowan. "He has good experience of the league, most recently with Barnet last season, as well as having serious hunger and ambition to achieve. We're really pleased to add him to the squad."
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Brackley ready for 'relentless' National League
Brackley Town boss Gavin Cowan says his side have "set a standard" for the rest of the season by winning their first game at National League level. The Saints were promoted as National League North champions last term after missing out in the play-offs in six of the seven previous campaigns. And Shane Byrne's first-half penalty was enough to give them a home win over Eastleigh on Saturday. "We knew what we were up against. They're a huge outfit in terms of size, great resources and really well established at the level," Cowan told BBC Radio Northampton. "We wanted to fathom the level and understand where we were and what we were doing. First win, first clean sheet bodes well for the future." Brackley sign ex-Wolves midfielder Price Brackley delighted by 'extraordinary' promotion A crowd of just over 1,200 watched the game at St James Park, Brackley's home since 1974. "What an unbelievable moment for us to be playing in the National League - somebody was saying they watched us in the Hellenic League and now, all of a sudden, we're in the National League. For the supporters, I was overjoyed," Cowan added. "The message to the players is to make sure they go and replicate that. We've set a standard and you can't just take your foot off the gas. It's a relentless season and a relentless league. "Eastleigh have a team of big, strong pros and that's what we're going to be up against all year. We've got to compete with that week in and week out." Brackley make their EFL Trophy debut on Tuesday with a home game against Blackburn Rovers Under-21s, but must then wait until 20 August for their second league fixture, when they will be away to Yeovil Town. "I've got two hats on. I understand the magnitude of where we are and where we've come from and from a community perspective, a supporters' perspective, the people that love this club, just being here is incredible," Cowan added. "But professionally, my job isn't to settle for that, my job is to pit our wits against the big clubs at this level, Eastleigh being one of them."
BBC News
10-08-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Brackley ready for 'relentless' National League
Brackley Town boss Gavin Cowan says his side have "set a standard" for the rest of the season by winning their first game at National League Saints were promoted as National League North champions last term after missing out in the play-offs in six of the seven previous Shane Byrne's first-half penalty was enough to give them a home win over Eastleigh on Saturday."We knew what we were up against. They're a huge outfit in terms of size, great resources and really well established at the level," Cowan told BBC Radio Northampton."We wanted to fathom the level and understand where we were and what we were doing. First win, first clean sheet bodes well for the future." A crowd of just over 1,200 watched the game at St James Park, Brackley's home since 1974."What an unbelievable moment for us to be playing in the National League - somebody was saying they watched us in the Hellenic League and now, all of a sudden, we're in the National League. For the supporters, I was overjoyed," Cowan added. "The message to the players is to make sure they go and replicate that. We've set a standard and you can't just take your foot off the gas. It's a relentless season and a relentless league."Eastleigh have a team of big, strong pros and that's what we're going to be up against all year. We've got to compete with that week in and week out."Brackley make their EFL Trophy debut on Tuesday with a home game against Blackburn Rovers Under-21s, but must then wait until 20 August for their second league fixture, when they will be away to Yeovil Town."I've got two hats on. I understand the magnitude of where we are and where we've come from and from a community perspective, a supporters' perspective, the people that love this club, just being here is incredible," Cowan added."But professionally, my job isn't to settle for that, my job is to pit our wits against the big clubs at this level, Eastleigh being one of them."
BBC News
22-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Brackley sign ex-Wolves midfielder Price
Brackley Town have signed former Wolves midfielder Jack Price for the 2025-26 had been a free agent for nearly a year after finishing a short-term contract at Shrewsbury last July, but is now set to return to professional football with the newly-promoted National League 32-year-old is the fifth arrival at St James Park this summer following Ryan Haynes, Danny Waldron, Kyle Morrison and Zak his career, Price played in the Championship with Wolves, for whom he made 115 also spent over five years in Major League Soccer at Colorado Rapids where he succeeded former United States and Manchester United goalkeeper Tim Howard as captain in 2020."Jack will bring a wealth of experience to the squad and is a real leader on and off the pitch," Brackley manager Gavin Cowan told the club website., external "We're really pleased to have him on board at a time in his career where he is motivated and determined to make an impact."
BBC News
26-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Brackley delighted by 'extraordinary' promotion
Brackley Town manager Gavin Cowan has hailed their promotion to the top tier of English non-league football as "something extraordinary".After coming so close in the past, they beat Farsley Celtic 5-0 to become National League North champions as rivals Kidderminster Harriers, who began the day top of the table, lost 2-1 at Saints reached the play-offs in 2018, 2019, 2020 and again in 2022, 2023 and 2024 but were unable to finish the goals by Danny Newton, Tyler Lyttle, Connor Hall and Terry O'Sullivan put them 4-0 up by half-time in front of a crowd of 1,691 at St James Scott Pollock rounded things off with the fifth in the final minute of the game to ensure play-offs would not be needed this time."We're up there with the best part-time clubs but really, we shouldn't be beating teams like Kidderminster and Scunthorpe to the league," Cowan told BBC Radio Northampton."There's something extraordinary been done here, not just by the players but by the staff, the hierarchy and the fans as well. It's been a big, big collective effort." Brackley were founded in 1890 and before winning the title, their greatest achievement came in 2018 when they were victorious in the FA Trophy chairman Francis Oliver said: "Wembley was unbelievable and this is just the same."The last 30 minutes was sheer torture, how time goes so slowly - but I just feel so proud for the players, supporters, volunteers, everybody. It's just amazing."The Saints won their last six games of the season to finish top and Oliver promised they would give it their "best shot" in the National League next will be facing a number of former English Football League clubs, including Aldershot, Yeovil Town and Hartlepool their performance against Farsley, Cowan said: "The players were excellent, they showed a real ruthless mentality and I couldn't be any prouder."We created a real intensity, a real patience because we knew we were going to have a lot of possession, we wanted to play our patterns and we did."We weren't fazed about anything else. What was going on elsewhere didn't interest me in the slightest until your realise the game's won. "The feeling I've got is incredible, I can't imagine what all the good people of this club are feeling after so many years of having a go at it."
