Horwood targeting ‘league one and beyond’ with the Cobblers

Apart from a loan spell at Darlington when he was a youngster, the left-back dropped down to the basement division of the Football League for the first time in his career when he joined the Cobblers in their survival fight last season.

The 29-year-old initially headed to Sixfields on loan before signing permanently last summer, and he admits that league two is a level he doesn’t want to be playing at for much longer.

He wants start working his way back up the League ladder, and he wants to start doing it next season.

“I don’t want to be playing league two football,” said Horwood, who enjoyed lengthy spells in league one with both Carlisle United and Hartlepool United, as well as a stint in the Scottish Premier League with the now defunct Gretna.

“I have played league two for the first time in my career, and I want to be back up in league one and beyond, and I don’t see why this club shouldn’t do that.

“The potential is there, 100 per cent.

“That is the reason I dropped down to league two, because I thought it would slingshot us back up the leagues, and that’s what we should be doing.

“If we get a few good additions over the summer, and the gaffer does what he wants to do, then we should be heading up to league one next season.”

Horwood will return for pre-season with the rest of the Cobblers players on Monday, June 22, and they will be working towards the first friendly of the summer, which will be on Sunday, July 5.

The club have announced that’s when they will be playing what has become the traditional summer curtain raiser at Fernie Fields, the home of UCL Premier Division outfit Sileby Rangers (ko 3pm).