Blackpool's League One rivals appoint ex-Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United and West Ham United midfielder as new manager

The head coach position at Sixfields Stadium has been vacant since Jon Brady left the role at the beginning of December - with one of his final games in charge being a 0-0 draw with Blackpool the month before.

Nolan takes charge of the Cobblers on a two-and-a-half-year deal, and returns to management for the first time since 2018.

During his playing career, the 42-year-old represented Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United and West Ham United in the Premier League, amassing over 400 top flight appearances.

The midfielder later went on to hold a player-manager role with Leyton Orient, before moving into coaching full time with Notts County.

After being sacked by the Magpies, he returned to West Ham to work under David Moyes for a period, and has most-recently been Paul Nevin’s assistant with England U20s - where he worked with Seasiders forward Dom Ballard.

Nolan joins Northampton with the East Midlands outfit sat 20th in the League One table, with 21 points from 21 games.

Discussing his Cobblers appointment, he told the club website: “I am delighted to be appointed the new manager of Northampton Town and I cannot wait to get going. We have a busy schedule over the Christmas and New Year period so the challenge is to hit the ground running as best we can.

“The club has a fine reputation in the game as being a well run club and it is clear it has moved forward on and off the pitch over the last few seasons. I am proud and honoured to be given the chance to try and continue and develop that work.

“I believe the squad can make progress up the table and I am determined to repay the faith that the board of directors have shown in me.

“We don't have any time to lose, it might be Christmas but we have a lot of work to do in a short space of time and I hope the supporters will come with us as we start our journey. We will need their backing and I can promise them we will be doing all we can to turn the results around.”