 He scored his only Southend goal in a 3–1 win over rivals Colchester United, and helped Southend achieve promotion to the Championship.The following season, Cole became increasingly frustrated with the lack of first-team appearances at the beginning of Southend's 2006–07 Championship campaign, and was subsequently loaned out to Northampton Town for a month.Cole made his Northampton debut in a 3–1 defeat against Tranmere Rovers at Sixfields.