Striker Anderson confident he can provide a goal rush for the Cobblers

The Crystal Palace striker is set to make his Town debut at Milton Keynes Dons on Saturday (ko 3pm) and is is desperate to make an instant impact.

The past five months have been frustrating for the 21-year-old, as he found himself struggling to break into the team while on loan at promotion chasers Bolton Wanderers.

He scored on his debut for the Trotters in a 1-1 draw with Southend United, but two games later he was sent-off for picking up two bookings in a 1-0 defeat at Walsall, and he found opportunities limited from then on as Phil Parkinson’s men went from strength to strength.

In all, he made only three league starts and five substitute appearances, and after Palace cancelled the season-long agreement with Bolton, Anderson has opted to sign for the Cobblers and can’t wait to get going.

Anderson enjoyed a more profitable spell at Doncaster Rovers the previous season, but a serious injury that saw him dislocate his ankle and break his leg saw him spned nine months on the sidelines, and he wants to make up for what he feels has been lost time.

“Since the injury I haven’t scored as many goals as I would like, but I think that has been down to minutes on the pitch,” said the Luton-born frontrunner who was a prolific scorer at non-League level with Barton Rovers.

“But once I am on the pitch I know I will get that scoring rate back up.

“I love scoring goals, but I love assisting just as much. I love just the game itself, and as long as I am on the pitch and playing I am happy.

“Even training, I love training. You can tell me I am doing runs and I will just get on with it, that is part of the game.

“Just being out there on the pitch, and having the fans behind the team, and just the joy of it.

“To be out for those nine months, and then to get back to fitness and have the five months I have just had has been frustrating.

“I just want to be playing football and getting as many minutes on the pitch as I can, and scoring as many goals as I can. Let’s see where the next three or four months take me.”

Anderson’s enthusiasm for the game is obvious, and that could be to do with the fact he had to break into the professional game the hard way, playing in the Southern League for Barton against the likes of Kettering Town, having been overlooked by League clubs.

An impressive 32 goals in 53 games in all competitions saw Brentford show an interest in the youngster, and it was in a trial game for the Bees that the then 19-year-old scored a hat-trick in six minutes against a Crystal Palace reserve team.

The Premier League club moved quickly and signed up a player with huge potential, and Anderson has revealed it was a moment he was prepared for.

“It was about hard work and determination,” he said.

“When I was in non-League I would put in extra, and I was playing football every day, with perhaps one day off. That would probably be a Sunday, when I was probably watching football.

“It was all about working hard, and I was doing all the right stuff and making sure that if the chance did come around that I would take full advantage of it, and luckily I did.

“Going into the enviroment at Palace when I did, I think it was a good time because the boys that were there. It was a good squad in the under-23s, and they pushed me that little bit more.

“Training wise I fitted in well when I did join in, and I think I have just progressed from there.”

Walking into Sixfields this week after becoming new Cobblers boss Justin Edinburgh’s first signing, there was a friendly face in the dressing room in Palace club-mate Hiram Boateng, and Anderson revealed that the midfielder painted a positive picture of the club he was joining.

“I know Hiram and have played with him more than enough to know how he plays, and for him to know how I play,” said Anderson.

“So him being at the club was another little thing that excited me about the move, because I know he will be able to set me up, and I know I will be able to put the ball in the back of the net.

“I spoke to him after his first game (against Bristol Rovers) even though it wasn’t the best for the team.

“He told me the lads were good, the training had been good even though what was happening with the manager was unfortunate, he said other than that it was all good and the new manager has come in now.

“I was in training on Tuesday and I felt the tempo was very high, and everything seems to be good, the team just needs that extra push and I feel like I can provide that and maybe take us up the league a little bit.”

So what can the Cobblers supporters expect to see from their new player? All reports on him say he has plenty of pace, and although Anderson is playing that particular asset down, it seems technology backs it up!

“The GPS things that we wear apparently picked up that I was one of the fastest players, but I am not sure about that,” he said.

“I like to think I am quite fast, but I wouldn’t say I am the fastest.

“I do luckily have a bit of pace though, and it does help. It helps stretching defences and being slipped in as well.”

Anderson has already seen the Cobblers close up this season, as he was an unusued substitute when Bolton won 1-0 at Sixfields in November, and he was impressed.

“The Northampton team kept fighting that day, the team spirit looked good and the fans were behind them too, considering they hadn’t been on the best run,” said the Palace man.

“Even after the Scunthorpe game, I spoke to Hiram about how it was and he said it was decent and it was unfortunate to lose.

“The team just needs that little bit of luck just to make the ball go in, and hopefully I’ll bring that luck.”

Every single Cobblers supporter will be hoping exactly the same.