Northampton Town: Boothroyd urges Cobblers to stay on the same course that has served them well in recent matches
Barnet FC V Northampton Town Football Club. Ben Tozer goal celebration.
FOR inspiration ahead of tomorrow’s visit of Barnet, Aidy Boothroyd has turned to a 1939 Ministry of Information poster that has become a staple of modern-day popular culture.
The ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ slogan that first found its way onto t-shirts and mugs a few years ago and has been modified to represent a whole host of different messages for a variety of different situations.
But Boothroyd believes that, having impressed in the 5-2 defeat to Southend United last Saturday, his team should simply maintain what they’ve been doing since his arrival at the club six weeks ago.
“It’s keep calm and carry on,” he said. “I don’t think it should be anything else. We’ve got a good game, and a big game, tomorrow. We’re close on a lot of accounts.
“The boys in the team are working their socks off, the boys out of the team are working hard to get in the team and then the boys who have been told aren’t going to get in, their agents are working hard to get them a move away.
“The message is simple, just that we keep going. If we do that then we’ll turn some of these performances into wins.”
They could really do with one of those coming at the expense of Barnet tomorrow.
The Bees are the division’s perennial strugglers and despite having the scent of relegation on them at all times, they have managed to avoid the trapdoor on several occasions.
And, in a piece of awful timing from a Northampton perspective, they won 3-0 at Accrington last week.
“I’ve watched Barnet play, I know how they play and what they try to do,” said Boothroyd.
“We’ve got to stop that, we’ve got to combat that, and we’ve got to put the onus on making them defend.
“Every team has got strengths and weaknesses and the tactical side of the game comes in when you identify those weaknesses and how you’re going to exploit them.”
Last week’s scoreline was a bad one for the Cobblers but the numbers only tell half the story.
No 5-2 home defeat is ever good, but the loss to Southend was about as good as you are ever likely to experience.
Town were in the game for the majority of it – about 80 per cent by the manager’s reckoning – and it took a late flurry of goals from a side who went top of the table with that result to make the result appear more emphatic.
The side have shipped goals at an alarming rate throughout the duration of a deeply disappointing campaign, but Boothroyd is upbeat about his daily routine at Sixfields.
“I’m enthused about coming here,” he said.
“People ask me how it’s going here and they look at you like there’s been a death in the family.
“But I love coming here. We’ve got a good staff, we’ve got good people behind the scenes and I think the supporters can see we’ve got a bright future.
“There’s a bit of rain at the moment but we’ll get through that, we’ll get that rainbow and start winning games.
“It’s all part of being successful, going through periods like this where it is not going so well.
“You find out a lot about the people you’ve got around you and also what you need to bring in to take it forward.
“I’m enjoying the challenge and I’m looking forward to putting a few wins together and getting some sunnier days here.”
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Weather for Northampton
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
Comments
There are 4 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
mack80
Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 08:34 AMwell said hothandsharris
kefalloniacobbler
Friday, January 20, 2012 at 07:31 PMAidy deserves some success on enthusiasm alone, and there are much more positive vibes than was ever the case in the previous few months. As long as he doesn't say 'The season starts here', because I have heard or read that at so many false dawns in the last 30 years that I cannot believe it.
hothandsharris
Friday, January 20, 2012 at 06:54 PMBring me sunshine We will smile. Bring us 3 points All the while. In this town where we live There should be more happiness So much joy you could give With a win against the bees tomorrow Bring me hope, bring me survival, Bring me joyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeee. Come on the Town...
FranklyFrank
Friday, January 20, 2012 at 06:49 PMYou know what? I believe him!
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