IPSWICH have been granted permission to speak to Northampton boss Colin Calderwood about the Portman Road vacancy.A Town spokesman confirmed today: “Colin Calderwood is one of a number of our interviewees.

By Mel Henderson

IPSWICH have been granted permission to speak to Northampton boss Colin Calderwood about the Portman Road vacancy.

A Town spokesman confirmed today: “Colin Calderwood is one of a number of our interviewees.”

The Cobblers, promoted from League Two last season, were expected to resist attempts to prise the 41-year-old Scot away from Sixfields.

But when Town chairman David Sheepshanks made his move within the last 24 hours he was given the green light by opposite number David Cardoza.

Ipswich have compiled a shortlist of candidates after being denied permission last week by Colchester to speak to Layer Road manager Phil Parkinson.

Scottish club Hibernian gave Tony Mowbray the go-ahead to speak to his former lub, the ex-Town captain and first team coach decided to stay put.

Sixfields chief Cardoza recently reassured supporters that Calderwood would still be in charge next season after he was linked with a return to one of his former clubs, Nottingham Forest.

Calderwood joined Northampton in October 2003 and in his first two seasons at the helm he led them into the play-offs, where they lost at the semi-final stage each time.

But it was a case of third time lucky in the campaign just ended when the Cobblers claimed the second automatic promotion place behind champions Carlisle.

Ipswich want a young, ambitious manager with an impressive track record and Calderwood, who shares Town's traditional belief in a passing game, fits the bill.

He is currently away on a family holiday and will return to meet Sheepshanks and chief executive Derek Bowden within the next week.

The former Scotland international played for Mansfield and Swindon, whom he helped win promotion to the Premiership, before landing a £1 million-plus move to Tottenham in 1993.

He spent five years at White Hart Lane then joined Aston Villa and both Nottingham clubs, Forest and County, before returning to Spurs as reserve team coach.

It was from there that he joined Northampton and he has enhanced his reputation as one of the game's brightest young bosses.

He is assisted at Sixfields by two former Ipswich players, John Deehan and David Kerslake, who also played alongside him at Tottenham.

Cardoza said recently: “Colin has had a very good season, he's a quality young manager and it's not really a surprise to me to see his name linked to these jobs.

“I'm sure Nottingham Forest won't be the last club he gets linked to this summer. It's inevitable really.”

The Northampton chairman was clearly determined to hold on to his manager and will still be hopeful that Calderwood's interview will come to nothing.

Meanwhile, Burnley boss Steve Cotterill has been ruled out as a possible successor to Joe Royle and another candidate, ex-Arsenal star Graham Rix, also appears to have little chance of landing the job.