Wilder a key reason why former Rangers man Perry has headed south to the Cobblers

The 25-year-old today put pen to paper on a deal at Sixfields until the end of the season, and he is delighted to be reunited with a manager he worked with briefly six years ago.

Perry was an untried teenager at Rangers when Wilder took him on loan at Oxford, and Perry went on to play 11 games for the Us in their Blue Square Premier promotion season.

And working with Wilder clearly left an impression.

“Chris Wilder gave me an opportunity when I was a bit younger, down at Oxford,” said Perry, whose move to the Cobblers is subject international clearance as his most recent club was Raith Rovers.

“He brought me in on loan from Rangers, and I really enjoyed my time there. It was my first taste of first-team football.

“Now, after leaving Raith he has given me the opportunity to come down and play until the end of the season.

“Chris has told me to come down, enjoy myself, and try to get in the team and play football.”

Perry has not played since he was red-carded in the third minute of what proved to be his final game for Raith on December 6 last year, a 5-1 defeat to Livingston in the Scottish Championship.

But he is not worried about his fitness, and says he is ready to play if called upon by Wilder.

“I played the vast majority of the games for Raith,” said Perry, who won 16 caps at Under-21 level for Scotland.

“It was a short-term deal at Raith and I have now been given the chance to come here and hopefully I can kick on.”

Perry, who also played for a short time on loan at Falkirk in 2010, made his debut for Rangers when they were in the SPL, and then won a Scottish League Division Three winners’ medal after the Ibrox giants were relegated to the bottom tier following their administration woes in 2012.

He damaged ankle ligaments in the summer of 2013, and missed the whole of the following season, before his contract at Rangers was cancelled by mutual consent.

He then signed for Raith last summer, but left the club when the deal expired at the end of December.

Perry has been searching for a new club ever since, and is delighted to have signed on for a Cobblers side pressing for a place in the Sky Bet League Two promotion play-offs.

“Northampton are on a fantastic run, are in a great position, and we have a great opportunity to go on and have a fantastic end to the season,” said Perry, who has been training with his new team-mates this week.

“I am really looking forward to it, and am hoping to be a part of that.”

“I know a couple of the guys, I know big Zander from up north, and it seems like a really good bunch of boys here and everybody has been really welcoming.

“I am just excited to get involved further and to get going.”

Perry has never played at league two level before, but says he knows what it is all about and that he is looking forward to the challenge.

“League two is a great level of football, and is highly competitive,” said Perry, who was born in Falkirk.

“I have a couple of friends who play down here in England already, and they have told me a little bit about it.

“I am just excited about getting going.

“Every game counts between now and the beginning of May, and furthermore if we really kick on.

“We just need to be positive and get the right results.”