The Enterprise National League North kicks off again on Saturday, with Brackley Town visiting the SEAH Stadium as they resume life at Step Two.
The Saints and the Bucks share plenty of recent history, but it will be a very new-look Brackley team that arrives for tomorrow’s season opener.
The changes at the Northamptonshire club result from last season’s relegation from the National League, with the Saints finishing in 21st position in their maiden campaign in the top tier.
The Saints earned their elevation to the National League in the 2024/25 season after knocking consistently on the door for several seasons under Kevin Wilkin, now with the Bucks.
It was former Bucks manager Gavin Cowan who finally got Brackley to the promised land, with a thrilling promotion won on the final day when a 5-0 victory over Farsley Celtic and Kidderminster’s 2-1 defeat at Southport allowed the Saints to overtake the Harriers.
A solid start to the season and a televised FA Cup victory over Notts County in November suggested the Saints had adapted well in their new environment.
They found that form harder to maintain into the winter, but were still placed 15th and with some breathing space when manager Cowan departed to take the manager’s role at EFL League Two side Shrewsbury Town.
They had climbed a place, going three games unbeaten, before new manager Andy Whing was appointed in mid-February.
Whing, the former Banbury United and Solihull Moors boss, had departed his position at Barrow AFC in December 2025, but a damaging sequence of seven straight defeats in his first seven matches dropped the Saints to 20th position before they collected their first point under their new manager.
They achieved only one more win, on the season’s penultimate Saturday, and finished four points adrift of Aldershot Town, the team they defeated for that solitary victory.
Nevertheless, the club’s hierarchy showed faith in Whing and entrusted him to carry out the rebuild.
Squad
Only defender Kyle Morrison and winger Matt Lowe remain from last season, whilst club legend defender Gareth Dean announced his retirement and moved to an off-field role at St James Park.
Defence
Goalkeeper Harrison Rhone has arrived on a season-long loan from Reading, with the full-back berths likely to be occupied by Kieran Coates, formerly of AFC Fylde, and George Harmon, released by Cheltenham Town.
Morrison and Josh Tomlinson, who Bucks fans may recall from loan spells with Leamington and Bedford Town last season, are the men at the centre of the back line, with Will Armitage, a loanee last season, now making his move permanent following his release by Southampton.
Midfield
Charlie Cooper, son of Chelmsford City boss Mark, a former Bucks manager, arrived at the club in the summer following his release by Yeovil Town. Cooper spent time at both Hereford and Kidderminster Harriers last season, scoring at the SEAH Stadium on Easter Monday as the Harriers surged to promotion via the playoffs.
Another former Harrier, Kai Lissimore, signed for the club on the eve of the season, having been at both Tamworth and Alfreton Town in the 2025/26 season.
An undisclosed fee brought midfielder Ewan Williams to the Saints from Leamington, and Bucks fans will know all about him, as the scorer of the Brakes’ promotion-winning goal in the 2024 Southern League Central promotion final.
O’Shea Ellis provides another midfield option, arriving from Oxford City, whilst Kai Yearn, signed following his release from Coventry City, should weigh in with goals from midfield. He enjoyed a highly productive loan spell at Chesham United in the National League South over the second half of last season.
Forwards
The Brackley forward line is led by Tahvon Campbell, who was a scorer on his last visit to the SEAH Stadium, notching Yeovil’s second goal in our FA Trophy exit last season. Campbell joined Brackley on loan before the end of last season as they sought the firepower to keep them up. Matt Lowe will also feature, and DJ Campton-Sturridge, a close-season arrival from Oxford City, adds depth, alongside Kian Pennant, a former Leicester City player with loan experience at Gateshead on his CV.
The Saints have also added Josh Tolawaloju on a month’s loan from Coventry City, Fin Roberts on a half-season loan from Crewe Alexandra and former I-Lani Edwards following his release from Aston Villa. Edwards played for both Hereford and Leamington on loan last season.
Swapping Sides
Players and staff involved tomorrow who have featured for both clubs include Bucks’ boss Kevin Wilkin, assistant manager Mark Noon, S&C coach Rhys Morris and analyst Lee Bolt. Zak Lilly is the most recent to make the switch from Saint to Buck, rejoining Telford in the close season after three seasons at Brackley brought him a championship medal.
Notable Encounters
The final two league games between these sides, in the 2022/23 season, were memorable for the events that followed as much as for the games themselves.
A 1-0 home defeat in late September 2022, featuring a red card for the Bucks’ Brad Bood and a late winner from Wes York, was followed two days later by the shock news of Kevin Wilkin’s sacking, a move that started a chain of events bringing him to Telford.
The Good Friday return fixture saw the Bucks reverse the outcome and earn a 2-1 win at St James Park, with Montel Gibson’s penalty proving decisive. In a bizarre echo of earlier in the season, the Saints sacked manager Roger Johnson, Wilkin’s successor, the following day.