Northampton Town sign Millwall striker John Marquis

John Marquis looks thrilled to have joined Northampton Town on loan on February 22, 2016
© Getty Images
Northampton Town sign Millwall striker John Marquis on loan until the end of the season following an injury to captain Marc Richards.

Millwall striker John Marquis has joined League Two leaders Northampton Town on loan until the end of the season.

The 23-year-old, who previously had a loan spell at Sixfields in 2014, comes in as cover for captain Marc Richards after he was ruled out for at least a month with an Achilles injury.

"Of course losing Marc is a blow, but we are delighted to have re-signed John to add to our squad. When I spoke with the chairman in January we agreed to keep some money available so that we could cover injuries and this is a perfect example of this," said Town manager Chris Wilder.

"This is a big 15 games for the club and we need to be at our strongest as a squad and if Marc had been out for only a couple of games I am not sure we would have acted, but with him probably missing more than that we felt it was the right decision to strengthen.

"John is a player the supporters know well and he was very popular here in his first spell. He is a fighter, a striker who has a physical presence and can finish. He will be able to hit the ground running, he knows the club, he knows what we are all about and he has been in and around the Millwall squad so he is fit and ready. He is also out of contract at Millwall in the summer, so this gives both parties the chance to have another look at each other over the remainder of the season."

Northampton currently lead the way by ten points in the fourth tier and are 18 points clear of fourth place.

Marc Richards of Northampton Town celebrates after scoring his sides third goal during the Sky Bet League Two match between Luton Town and Northampton Town at Kenilworth Road on December 12, 2015
Read Next:
L2 roundup: Cobblers win seven-goal thriller to go top
>
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Northampton TownNorthampton40269573413287
2Oxford UnitedOxford Utd402013769363373
3Bristol Rovers402251364402471
4Plymouth ArgylePlymouth402181157372071
5Accrington StanleyAccrington402011964451971
6Portsmouth391715763352866
7Wycombe WanderersWycombe401710134236661
8Carlisle UnitedCarlisle401515105956360
9Leyton Orient401612125452260
10AFC Wimbledon391611125748959
11Exeter CityExeter401611135654259
12Cambridge UnitedCambridge401511145452256
13Mansfield TownMansfield401411155048253
14Luton TownLuton39158165252053
15Barnet40149175361-851
16Crawley TownCrawley40138194363-2047
17Hartlepool UnitedHartlepool39136204157-1645
18Morecambe40127216271-943
19Yeovil TownYeovil401013173750-1343
20Notts County39119194968-1942
21Newport County401011194057-1741
22Stevenage40912194664-1839
23York City40611234475-3129
24Dagenham & RedbridgeDag & Red39610233667-3128