Sampson sets Cobblers stiff play-off challenge
Ian Sampson has challenged his Cobblers team to win nine of their remaining 13 matches and book themselves a place in the Coca-Cola League Two play-offs.
Town won 2-0 at Hereford United on Tuesday night, with Adebayo Akinfenwa netting his 13th goal of the season and Billy McKay getting his sixth.
It was a result that puts Sampson's side eighth in the division, but although they are only two points off Notts County in seventh, they have played five more games than the Magpies.
With less than three months remaining of the current campaign, Northampton know they must maintain their form over the final furlong to stand any chance of being involved in the promotion shake-up.
And Sampson has named the magic number needed from this position.
"I think we'd need to win nine games to stand a chance of getting in there," he said. "Fair play to the lads, over the last 14 games we've been beaten twice.
"They've shown good spirit to come back from losing those two games. We'll see where this run takes us and it's going to take a lot of hard work.
"To get nine wins is going to be a tough ask but other teams will drop points. You usually need around 70 points to get there, but teams have got to play each other and they'll lose points."
Last night's win was built on a handful of star performances and a more professional attitude, with the manager feeling the latter factor was the difference between beating Hereford and losing at Crewe at the weekend.
"It was an extension of Saturday's game, it's just we were a bit more professional and we were a lot tighter when we didn't have the ball," said Sampson, who lost Luke Guttridge to a toe injury on the morning of the game.
"We talked about that yesterday and we worked on it in training, so it was pleasing to put it into practice during the game."
Full story and match report in Wednesday's Chron
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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