Northampton Town have signed former loanee Callum Morton, who joins on a season-long loan from Salford City.
The 24-year-old will return to Sixfields 4 years on from a spell in the second half of the 2019/20 season, which saw him score crucial goals as Northampton were promoted via the play-offs. In that run, Morton scored twice against Cheltenham Town in the semi-finals and the first goal as Northampton won 4-0 in the play-off final against Exeter City at Wembley.
After leaving Northampton in 2020, Morton had further spells out on loan with Lincoln, Fleetwood and Peterborough, before he left his parent club West Bromwich Albion for good in 2022. He spent time with Fleetwood Town before joining Salford City in 2023, though he spent the first half of last season on loan with Forest Green Rovers.
Morton is Northampton’s third signing confirmed this week, following the previous recruits of James Wilson and Nik Tzanev.
Cobblers boss Jon Brady told the Northampton Town website of his delight to bring him back to the club and that he felt the club would appreciate having him back.
He said, “Callum is a player we know all about and Cobblers fans will know all about and it is great to be able to bring him home.
“We know his strengths, what he is good at and we believe he will suit us and we will suit him.
“He is still only 24 but he has a good record at a number of clubs and we will play to those strengths. He also has experience of playing in all three divisions of the EFL and we think we can bring the best out of him.
“He is mobile, he works hard, his statistics show you he can finish and he is very much at home at Sixfields.
“I am sure Cobblers supporters will be delighted that Callum is back with us and he is the latest addition to the group of strikers we are working to put together.”
MK Dons have announced the signing of midfielder Liam Kelly from Crawley Town for an undisclosed fee.
The 28-year-old joins the Dons from last season’s League Two play-off winners, and has signed a contract of undisclosed length at Stadium MK.
Kelly is the Dons’ seventh signing of the 2024 summer transfer window, as the club seek to rebuild a squad that finished fourth in League Two last season.
Former Ireland youth international Kelly joins two months on from helping Crawley beat MK Dons in the League Two play-offs en-route to promotion via the play-offs, with the midfielder scoring in the first leg of their semi-final.
He had been with the Sussex club for two seasons after signing from Exeter City, scoring 6 in 45 appearances for the Red Devils last season.
Kelly told the official MK Dons website that he is pleased to join the project that his new boss Mike Williamson is building at Stadium MK.
He said, “The project that’s building under the gaffer here is clear to see from the outside even when playing against MK Dons last season. It’s a project that I was looking forward to getting on board with when I first heard about it so I’m delighted to get it done.
“I had an unbelievable season last year, not just me personally but as a team to get promotion. Hopefully, I can use that experience.”
“Obviously, last year the Club got close to doing it so hopefully with the learning that has come from that and both experiences combined, we can come together and have a really good season.
“The ambition of the Club is simple, to get promoted, but it comes from us players to dig in and show why we should be getting promoted.”
Williamson spoke of his delight at getting the player and described Kelly as an option who would be a strength to MK Dons in the upcoming season.
He said, “Kelly is another exciting addition to our team.
“We’ve witnessed first-hand how impactful he can be on the field and his creativity is something that can only strengthen us. That, paired with his experiences, aligns perfectly for what we’re looking to achieve.”
American chicken restaurant Wingstop will be opening a new branch in Midsummer Place in Milton Keynes next month.
The retailer will be opening on Midsummer Place’s Boulevard section at 11am on Monday 15th July 2024.
Wingstop will be opening in an outlet formerly occupied by Burger King and located between Zara and Pret a Manger.
Simon Martin, General Manager at Midsummer Place, said, “We are thrilled to announce Wingstop’s opening on Monday 15 July. This addition will complete the Boulevard’s dynamic food and beverage lineup at a time when the better weather arrives, and we see an increase in visits to the centre.”
The Central Milton Keynes location has been confirmed as one of several sites that Lemon Pepper Holdings, the UK franchisee of US brand Wingstop, is planning to open in 2024, which also includes locations in Croydon, Essex, Dudley, and Leeds.
The brand, which makes chicken wings, tenders, burgers, and sides cooked to order, currently operates over 40 UK branches.
Northampton Town have made their first signings of the transfer window as James Wilson and Nik Tzanev have signed, while defender Manny Monthé has left.
Striker Wilson has joined Northampton after leaving Port Vale, with the 28-year-old signing a one year deal with an option for an extra year at Sixfields.
Goalkeeper Tzanev has joined from AFC Wimbledon, with the 27-year-old New Zealander signing a one year deal.
Meanwhile, defender Monthé has signed for National League outfit Oldham Athletic on a free transfer and leaves after one year with the Cobblers.
Wilson and Tzanev are Northampton’s first two signings ahead of the 2024/25 season, with the club looking to rebuild after losing the likes of Louis Appere, Shaun McWilliams and Sam Sherring in the summer window so far.
The club’s first confirmed signing was Wilson, who will join after leaving Port Vale.
Wilson broke through in the academy at Manchester United, scoring 4 times in first team games for the Premier League giants, while also spending time out on loan with Brighton, Derby, Sheffield United and Aberdeen.
The striker made his Aberdeen loan permanent in 2019, before having a spell at Salford City and then joining Port Vale in 2021. He scored 15 goals as Port Vale won promotion from League Two in the 2021/22 season, and last season, he scored 4 in 31 appearances for the Valiants.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Tzanev arrives with the Cobblers after a seven year spell with AFC Wimbledon. Tzanev, who has won 2 caps for the New Zealand national team, joined the South Londoners in 2017 after a successful trial.
He made 126 appearances for the club, though lost his place last season, making just two appearances in League Two.
Tzanev arrives after the departure of Louis Moulden, with the goalkeeper who competed with Lee Burge in the second half of last season returning to parent club Wolves.
Northampton have also confirmed the departure of defender Monthé, who leaves after just one season with the club.
The 29-year-old Cameroonian joined Northampton from Walsall a year ago, and made 39 appearances in all competitions for Jon Brady’s side last season, scoring two goals.
Monthé joins the Latics on a free transfer, and has signed a two year contract to move to Boundary Park.
MK Dons’ away games against Salford City and AFC Wimbledon have been chosen for TV broadcast by Sky Sports in the UK.
This means 3 MK Dons games in August and September will be broadcast by Sky, who had already announced all games on the opening weekend of the EFL season will be televised.
The Dons’ opening game of the season against Bradford City on Saturday August 10th will therefore be broadcast on Sky, but will remain as a 3pm kick-off.
As for the others announced today, both the trips to Salford and AFC Wimbledon will now be held at new kick-off times.
Originally scheduled for Saturday August 31st, the trip to Salford’s Peninsula Stadium will now be on Monday September 2nd 2024 and take place as an 8pm kick-off.
As a consequence of this, MK Dons also said that an EFL Trophy game against Colchester at Stadium MK provisionally scheduled for Tuesday September 3rd will be pushed back.
Meanwhile, the Dons’ trip to play AFC Wimbledon at The Cherry Red Records Stadium will remain on Saturday September 14th as scheduled, but as well being on TV, it will take place as a 12:30pm kick-off.
All of the Dons’ other League Two games in August and September will take place in kick-off slots as announced on the fixture release day last week.
