Cobblers' unselected players warned not to sulk by boss Curle

Curle trimmed his squad in the summer but with only two players currently out injured - Ryan Watson and Joe Martin - he still has plenty of options to pick from when he selects his team.

However, although the recent signing of Paul Anderson has given him another headache, Curle says those players left out of the starting XI have only been motivated by Town's recent good form.

A run of three successive wins means mass changes are unlikely for Saturday's game at Oldham although Curle has never been one to back away from causing a surprise or two with his

He said: "I've got good selection problems and the pleasing thing is that players who have come out of the team and have seen the team doing well, they have an extra hunger to be involved.

"We are operating with a smaller squad but we've got quality and the more players we've got back fit the more competition we have.

"We've got a very competitive squad and selecting teams, picking teams on Thursdays and Fridays will leave people upset because there'll be people not even in the 18.

"But the decisions will be made honestly and they'll be communicated to the players honestly and it's about how they react to that disappointment.

"You can be disappointed and you can show it but show it in the right way, which means work hard, get back in the team and then perform.

"Sad faces and long faces have never swayed my team selection."