Johnson says top-three finish the target for Northampton Town

Town have a new confidence after taking four points from two difficult away games in the past week, and will bid to enhance their sixth-placed standing in npower League Two with back-to-back home games next on the schedule.

Plymouth Argyle are the visitors to Sixfields on Saturday (3pm kick-off) before a home game against Bristol Rovers on the following Tuesday.

And Johnson feels the double-header will provide the team with a good opportunity to press home their case for promotion.

“We’re still confident we can achieve automatic promotion this season,” said Johnson. “But if it is to be the play-offs then that’s what will be.

“We’ll regroup and go again in those. I think there are a lot of teams that won’t want to play us in the play-offs.

“I would fancy us strongly to go up through those.”

Johnson was quick to praise the contribution made by goalkeeper Lee Nicholls in the 1-1 draw at Wimbledon on Tuesday night, and felt the team might even have snatched a late win at Kingsmeadow.

“Lee was brilliant for us at Wimbledon the other night, he came for crosses and he was a real man mountain in goal,” he said.

“It was a well-fought point for us and we maybe had the chances to win it towards the end.

“We’ve not got two home games so hopefully we can pick up some wins there and we will prepare in the right ways and look forward to that challenge.”