Out-of-contract Guttridge wants to stay a Northampton Town player

The former Southend United man is one of 11 current Town players that are out of contract in the summer, with a 12th, Kelvin Langmead, having signed a new two-year deal earlier today.

Guttridge says he has enjoyed his second stint at Sixfields, and that he wants it to continue, but accepts that Boothroyd may decide he wants to freshen things up following the team’s npower League Two play-off final defeat at Wembley at the weekend.

Asked if he wanted to stay at the Cobblers following the 3-0 loss to Bradford City, Guttridge said: “That is the plan, and I think it’s the same for everybody.

“We have a good group of players, but it is down to the manager who will be here next season, that is out of our hands.

“We have done our best as players to put forward what we can do, and it’s now up to the manager and whether he wants to keep you or not.

“The manager has a lot of options now.

“He can either change it up, or he can keep the team together and kick on, but that’s why he’s the manager and gets paid to do those things.

“But I will obviously be more than happy to stay if I am offered a contract.”

Whether he stays at Sixfields or not, Guttridge had some words of encouragement for the Cobblers faithful still reeling from the weekend’s Wembley battering.

When Guttridge rejoined the club in January, 2012, the Cobblers were staring relegation in the face, and he said: “To get to where we are is a great achievement.

“We finished sixth in the league, despite having a shaky start, and we have had some bad injuries as well.

“You can always look at the bad things, but you don’t look at the games you have won where you shouldn’t have.

“But this season has been a massive step forward and hopefully next season the team can push on even further and go up automatially.”