Akinfenwa confident Cobblers can improve away form

Leading Cobblers goalscorer Adebayo Akinfenwa says the squad are fully aware of the need to improve their away form as a matter of urgency.

Town go to Aldershot tonight (Tues, ko 7.45pm)) for the first of a run of five away games in six matches that could make or break their season.

As it stands, they are sixth in npower League Two and just three points outside the automatic play-off places, a standing that is built almost entirely on the best home record in the division.

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Ten teams have been beaten on Sixfields soil this term but on the road it is a dramatically different story, with just two wins - at Dagenham and Accrington - coming Northampton’s way.

If the side can start to replicate the returns they are getting on their own ground on their travels then a serious bid for promotion could be launched.

“We really have to sort out our away form and we know we have to do that,” said Akinfenwa, who will bid to add to his tally of 15 goals at Aldershot on Tuesday night.

“We’re so strong at Sixfields but away we just seem to be really inconsistent.

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“If we can tweak that then all the better. We don’t know why it’s happening but it is something that we’ve really got to look at.

“Our home ground has become a real fortress for us and we’ve got the best home record in the division, it’s only the grounds that are different so there’s no reason why we should be struggling like we are.”

Midfielder Ben Harding endured one of his weakest performances for the club in the most recent away game, a 3-0 loss at Chesterfield, but was back to form in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Burton Albion.

The performance at Chesterfield left Harding with what he calls a ‘horrendous’ feeling - and one he does not want to experience again any time soon.

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“It definitely has to start getting better and we are under no illusions about that,” said Harding.

“We need to better ourselves and we’re confident we can do that.

“We need to make sure we’re never walking off a pitch again with the feelings we had at Chesterfield, it was a horrendous feeling that we don’t want again.

“We are confident we won’t feel like that again and that we can start to improve our away form.”