Chairman Thomas reaffirms his and David Bower's commitment to Cobblers

Cobblers chairman Kelvin Thomas has reaffirmed both his and co-owner David Bower's commitment to the club and feels they continue to enjoy support from the vast majority of fans.

Thomas has been in charge at Sixfields since 2015 when he stepped in and helped save the club from financial ruin following David Cardoza's ill-fated reign. Two promotions, two relegations and nearly seven years later, the former Oxford United chairman says he remains as committed as ever.

There are some supporters who continue to feel frustrated by Thomas' ownership, though, and in particular the lack of progress over the East Stand saga. The Supporters' Trust have been among the most vocal critics.

However, whilst Thomas says some of the criticism he receives is tantamount to 'bullying', overall he believes he has the backing of the majority of supporters.

"We are here and we are committed," said Thomas. "A lot of the stuff is just noise, we know that, especially on social media.

'David has been a lawyer for a long time, I have been in business for a long time and we have had a lot of things thrown at us but none of it sticks because there's no proof.

"People can say what they want but we are not going to legally challenge fans unless somebody really crosses the line and it starts to impact our lives.

"But you hear so much stuff and some of it is awful. It's bullying. But we are big enough to get on with it and we have a job to do at this football club and luckily we do have a tremendous level of support.

"I come to games and it grounds me a little bit because although sometimes you can get frustrated, people come up to you on a Saturday and say 'thanks for what you're doing, I really appreciate it'.

"I look at some of the other clubs like the Oldhams of this world where people are protesting all over the place and then you look at the 125th birthday game we had at Sixfields and you realise people do actually like us and we are actually doing a decent job.

"Sometimes you forget and you listen to the noise but we are committed."

Thomas says co-owner Bower also remains committed to the club, adding: "David is tremendously involved and supportive. He might be in Dubai but he still has a place in England and comes over regularly. He doesn't come to every match but there's a lot of people who support clubs that don't go to every match.

"That shouldn't dictate whether David or I are committed. We aren't sitting here trying to plot how badly we can run Northampton Town Football Club. We are sitting here trying to think of ways to make the club better.

"We won't always get it right but if you look back over our six or seven years, I think we have got more right than wrong overall and here we are, sitting third in the league and we have eight games to try and get promoted.

"Whether we do or we don't, it won't be through a lack of trying. We are always going to get criticised as a club and as individuals but I do feel the majority of the fans are behind us.

"I think we have done OK. We are not big planners, I won't sit here and say we will be here for the next 25 years but the reality is that we are here and we are committed. We have paid the bills for the last six years and we have got the club through a very difficult time with COVID."