Boss Edinburgh issues injury update on key Cobblers duo

O’Toole, Northampton’s top scorer this season with 12 goals in all competitions, has been carrying a slight knock for some weeks now, while Williams has already missed several games since signing on loan in January due to a knee injury.

The pair were ruled out for the visit Oxford on Saturday, meaning starts for Keshi and Paul Anderson, but after the 0-0 draw, Edinburgh downplayed the seriousness of either injury and suggested both should be fit for the trip to Rochdale this coming weekend.

“John-Joe has been playing with a sore groin,” explained the Northampton manager. “We hoped that if we took him out of training during the week it would have improved and maybe allowed him to play a game where it’s not sore.

“But it didn’t work and we made the decision that he probably needed longer than a week so we did that.

“We fully expect him to be fit for this weekend.

“It’s the same with Luke. He complained of a tight hamstring on Thursday in training and we know he’s been out and then come back into the fold so we didn’t feel it was the right thing to do to risk it.

“So we decided to leave him out as well.”

Edinburgh was pleased with the way his team coped without two such influential players, singling out Paul Anderson in particular, following Saturday’s hard-fought goalless draw against Oxford United.

“They’re obviously two big players who were missing but I thought we dealt with it well,” he added.

“Paul Anderson came in and he did very, very well and I’m pleased for him because he’s had to be patient.

“That’s pleasing for me and when people are getting their opportunity they’re certainly taking it.”