Harrogate Town sign 'all-action' midfielder Ben Fox from Northampton Town


The 27-year-old joins the League Two Sulphurites on a free transfer on a two-and-a-half year deal and becomes Simon Weaver’s seventh capture of the January window.
And his arrival can be viewed as something of a coup for struggling Town, with the central midfielder a regular starter in the division above when fit.
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Hide AdIndeed, Harrogate have been admirers of Fox since he impressed for Grimsby in the National League in 2020/21, and head of recruitment Lloyd Kerry said that he and boss Weaver are thrilled to have finally landed a longstanding target.


“We’ve been admirers of Ben for a few years now, since his time at Grimsby, and we moved quickly to try and get him in,” Kerry explained.
“He’s a really good character, an all-action midfielder who can chip in with a goal, wins his duels, is strong in the air and is tidy on the ball.
"He is a real all-rounder.”
Fox is a product of Burton Albion's academy and made 37 appearances for the Brewers in both the Championship and League One.
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Hide AdHe was sent out on loan to non-league outfits Tamworth (twice), Solihull Moors, Gateshead and Barnet during his time with the Derbyshire club, before signing for Grimsby in the summer of 2021.
Fox caught the eye in the centre of the park during a season which saw him make 32 National League appearances as the Mariners were promoted back into the Football League.
He was named as man of the match in Grimsby's play-off final victory over Solihull at Wembley, earning himself a move to Northampton on a two-year contract soon afterwards.
Fox played 27 games in all competitions during his first campaign as a Cobbler and was once again left celebrating a promotion at the end of the season.
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Hide AdBut, on a personal level, he endured a tough time from February 2023 onwards after suffering significant ankle damage during a goalless draw with AFC Wimbledon.
Reconstructive surgery meant that Fox was sidelined for the rest of the season, but looked set to return for the start of 2023/24, only to be hit with another setback when injured during a pre-season friendly against MK Dons.
He was ruled out for two months but then featured five times in league and cup in the autumn of 2023 before a training injury sustained in October ruled him out for a further four months.
Having re-established himself as a first-team regular from February onwards, Fox went on to make a total of 19 appearances in League One last term.
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Hide AdFox was then handed a new one-year deal with an option of another year by then-Northampton manager John Brady.
"Ben is a player who we believe in, he has shown what he is capable of and we believe there is even more to come from him," Brady said back in May of last year.
"Our record with him in the side was strong last season and we are looking forward to him staying a Cobbler."
This season, he played 17 times for Northampton in all competitions, with 13 of those outings coming in League One - 10 of them as a starter.
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Hide AdHe has however not kicked a ball in anger since shortly before Christmas having only just returned to fitness after picking up a calf issue.
On joining Harrogate, Fox, who will wear the number 27 shirt, said: “The opportunity to come and play regularly for a really good football club is a really exciting challenge. I’m really looking forward to pulling on the shirt and giving it a really good go.
“I think I’ll fit in well here, it sounds like a really good group of lads and that always goes a long way.”
“I want to win games of football and push up the league, it’s really important that we keep building on the positive performances in recent weeks.”
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Hide AdFox, who follows Bryn Morris, Eko Solomon, Bryan Bilongo, Olly Sanderson, Tom Cursons and Tom Hill into Wetherby Road, will be available to make his Town debut against Yorkshire rivals Bradford City this Saturday.
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