Diamond certain Cobblers will learn from this season’s mistakes

The central defender is still focusing on victory at Burton Albion on Saturday as Town try to maintain their outside chance of a promotion play-off place.

But it is odds on that the Cobblers will be kicking off next season still in Sky Bet League Two, and if that is the case, Diamond believes there are reasons to be optimistic.

In spells this season, Chris Wilder’s men have looked the real deal and have proved more than a match for the top teams in the division.

But they have also at times really struggled, especially defensively, and the former Aberdeen man is confident that won’t be the case next term.

“The season is not finished yet, and we need to finish it off with positive results, but you have to look forward.” said the 30-year-old, who returns to play against a former club for the first time at Burton.

“When we come back after the summer we can maybe analyse the mistakes that have happened throughout this season.

“But you need to go forward and not dwell too much on the past.

“It is a great squad of players in our dressing room, and people say that on paper it is one of the best in the league, but you need to go and prove it week in, week out.

“Burton have done that, Shrewsbury have done that, they have kept a level of consistency that I am sure the manager here at Northampton is looking for.

“So if we can get that consistency and stay injury free next season, then I think we have a great chance of going up.”

The Cobblers travel to the Pirelli Stadium hoping to deny their hosts the chance to clinch the league two title on their own patch.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s men are already promoted, and Diamond admits he isn’t surprised to see his former team-mates at the top of the tree after failed play-off campaigns in the previous two seasons - both of which the former Aberdeen man was part of.

“If I take my two years there, in the first year we got to the sem-final of the play-offs and got knocked out by Bradford, and the year after they lost in the final,” said Diamond.

“So the law of averages suggests that they go one better and they go up.

“There has been a lot of turnaround in personnel and players, and speaking to a few of the boys Hasselbaink has brought a few of his own players in, and there are a few foreign boys there.

“So I think it’s a totally different team to the one when I was there.

“But we are going to Burton in a positive frame of mind, and it is about us on Saturday, not them.”