Carter says joining Northampton Town was ‘a very easy decision to make’

And the 29-year-old, who put pen to paper on a two-year deal at Sixfields this week, says the infectious enthusiasm of manager Aidy Boothroyd played a key part in his decision.

Carter was widely believed to be close to joining last season’s league two runners-up Port Vale but no offer from them emerged.

The uncertainty of the close season combined with Boothroyd’s desires to make Carter a key player in a team that will this season look to build on their sixth-placed finish last time around, made the decision a straightforward one.

“It was a no-brainer to come here for me,” he said. “The manager is infectious with his enthusiasm and his positivity and I’m really looking forward to working with him.

“Having seen what the club did last season and spoken to him about what he wants to do this season, it was a very easy decision to make.

“There was interest from a couple of clubs but at the moment there seems to be a lot of talk and you have to take that with a pinch of salt.

“This was the offer that came forward, the manager made his intentions clear that he wanted me at the club and when you’ve got someone with his experience and achievements wanting you to be part of a promotion drive, it is very difficult to turn down.”

Although he did not feature in either leg of the play-off semi-finals for Cheltenham against the Cobblers, Carter was in the Robins side for both halves of the league double they inflicted over Northampton.

In fact, he scored at Sixfields in a 3-2 win in December that he admits was an unjust victory.

“I was very impressed with Northampton last season, even though we won against them with Cheltenham in the two games during the league,” he said.

“They were both tough games, especially the one at Sixfields where we came back from 2-0 down to win - in all honesty, Northampton were by far the better side that day.

“We nicked a result and then the home game was the same really.”

Carter will make his first appearance in a Northampton shirt this afternoon when the Cobblers play their first pre-season friendly of the summer.

Town take on UCL Premier Division side Sileby Rangers at Fernie Fields in Moulton (ko 3pm) and admission is £5 for adults, £2.50 concessions.

Report and reaction will be on www.northamptonchron.co.uk after the match, and you can follow @JeffersonLake and @chronsport for updates during the game.