| Club: | Northampton Town |
| Season: | 1952–53 |
| Manager: | Bob Dennison |
| Chairman: | E.C. Hawtin |
| Stadium: | County Ground |
| League: | Division Three (S) |
| League Result: | 3rd |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Second round |
| League Topscorer: | Willie O'Donnell (27) |
| Season Topscorer: | Willie O'Donnell (27) |
| Highest Attendance: | 19,242 vs Reading |
| Lowest Attendance: | 6,100 vs Hendon |
| Average Attendance: | 12,031 |
| Prevseason: | 1951–52 |
| Nextseason: | 1953–54 |
The 1952–53 season was Northampton Town's 56th season in their history and the twenty-fifth successive season in the regional Third Division South. Alongside competing in Division Three South, the club also participated in the FA Cup.
| Name | Position | Nat. | Place of Birth | Date of Birth (Age) | Apps | Goals | Previous club | Date signed | Fee | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||||||
| Alf Wood | GK | Aldridge | April 30, 1953 | 63 | 0 | Coventry City | Summer 1951 | £2,100[1] | |||
| Full backs | |||||||||||
| Ron Patterson | LB | Gateshead | April 30, 1953 | 49 | 0 | Middlesbrough | Summer 1952 | ||||
| Jack Southam | RB | Willenhall | April 30, 1953 | 104 | 1 | Birmingham City | Summer 1949 | ||||
| Half backs | |||||||||||
| Maurice Candlin | CH | Jarrow | April 30, 1953 | 152 | 2 | Partick Thistle | Summer 1949 | ||||
| Ben Collins | CH | Kislingbury | April 30, 1953 | 78 | 0 | Apprentice | Summer 1948 | N/A | |||
| John Croy | WH | Falkirk | April 30, 1953 | 5 | 0 | Third Lanark | Summer 1951 | ||||
| James Davie | WH | Cambuslang | April 30, 1953 | 76 | 1 | Preston North End | Summer 1950 | ||||
| Norman Dodgin | WH | Gateshead | April 30, 1953 | 19 | 1 | Reading | Summer 1951 | ||||
| Gwyn Hughes | WH | Blaenau Ffestiniog | April 30, 1953 | 140 | 15 | Blaenau Ffestiniog Amateur | Summer 1946 | ||||
| Tom McLain | WH | Morpeth | April 30, 1953 | 35 | 2 | Sunderland | Summer 1952 | ||||
| John Smith | WH | Leicester | April 30, 1953 | 10 | 1 | Apprentice | Summer 1950 | N/A | |||
| Frank Upton | WH | Atherstone | April 30, 1953 | 4 | 0 | Nuneaton Borough | Summer 1952 | ||||
| Inside/Outside forwards | |||||||||||
| Jack English | OF | South Shields | April 30, 1953 | 151 | 64 | Apprentice | Summer 1947 | N/A | |||
| Tommy Fowler | OF | Prescot | April 30, 1953 | 200 | 40 | Everton | Summer 1946 | ||||
| Felix Staroscik | OF |  | Silesia | April 30, 1953 | 25 | 7 | Third Lanark | Summer 1951 | |||
| Don Adams | IF | Northampton | April 30, 1953 | 9 | 4 | Apprentice | Summer 1951 | N/A | |||
| Larry Baxter | IF | Leicester | April 30, 1953 | 11 | 2 | Apprentice | Summer 1952 | N/A | |||
| Maurice Edelston | IF | Kingston upon Hull | April 30, 1953 | 33 | 15 | Reading | Summer 1952 | ||||
| Ken Leek | IF | Ynysybwl | April 30, 1953 | 0 | 0 | Apprentice | Summer 1952 | N/A | |||
| Fred Ramscar | IF | Salford | April 30, 1953 | 95 | 47 | Preston North End | Summer 1951 | ||||
| Centre forwards | |||||||||||
| Willie O'Donnell | CF | Clydebank | April 30, 1953 | 71 | 37 | Partick Thistle | Summer 1951 | ||||
See main article: 1952–53 FA Cup.
| Player | Division Three (S) | FA Cup | Total | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starts | Goals | Starts | Goals | Starts | Goals | ||||||||||||||
| GK | Alf Wood | 46 | – | 3 | – | 49 | – | ||||||||||||
| FB | Ron Patterson | 46 | – | 3 | – | 49 | – | ||||||||||||
| FB | Jack Southam | 46 | 1 | 3 | – | 49 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| HB | Maurice Candlin | 28 | – | 3 | – | 31 | – | ||||||||||||
| HB | Ben Collins | 19 | – | – | – | 19 | – | ||||||||||||
| HB | John Croy | 2 | – | – | – | 2 | – | ||||||||||||
| HB | James Davie | 11 | – | – | – | 11 | – | ||||||||||||
| HB | Norman Dodgin | 14 | 1 | – | – | 14 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| HB | Gwyn Hughes | 29 | 1 | 3 | – | 32 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| HB | Tom McLain | 32 | 2 | 3 | – | 35 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| HB | John Smith | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||||||
| HB | Frank Upton | 4 | – | – | – | 4 | – | ||||||||||||
| OF | Jack English | 45 | 24 | 3 | – | 48 | 24 | ||||||||||||
| OF | Tommy Fowler | 46 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 49 | 12 | ||||||||||||
| OF | Felix Staroscik | 1 | 1 | – | – | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| IF | Don Adams | 2 | 1 | – | – | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| IF | Larry Baxter | 11 | 2 | – | – | 11 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| IF | Maurice Edelston | 30 | 15 | 3 | – | 33 | 15 | ||||||||||||
| IF | Fred Ramscar | 45 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 48 | 23 | ||||||||||||
| IF | Ken Leek | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||||||||||
| CF | Willie O'Donnell | 46 | 27 | 3 | – | 49 | 27 | ||||||||||||
| Players who left before end of season: | |||||||||||||||||||
| IF | Tommy Mulgrew | 3 | – | – | – | 3 | – | ||||||||||||
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