'A win for the changing room' - Curle hails team spirit after depleted Cobblers beat Salop

Keith Curle was delighted to see his players roll up their sleeves and dig deep to beat Shrewsbury Town 2-1 on Saturday and claim a first league win of the season.

Cobblers were without nine players through injury and then lost Benny Ashley-Seal late in the first-half but they still managed to come away from New Meadow with all three points.

Shaun Whalley's strike cancelled out an early goal from Mark Marshall but Sam Hoskins exploited a mistake in the Shrewsbury defence to net the winner.

"I think that's a win for the changing room and what we're trying to create and build within that changing room," said Curle.

"It would have been very easy to make excuses because we've got 10, 11 players missing through injury or illness and a lot of people could have excuses already lined up.

"But I made the players aware that I don't buy into excuses because we want to have a competitive environment.

"We started the game very well, then went off for it for a 20-minute spell that got them back in the game but their goal didn't rock us which is pleasing and that shows the character which is building in the squad.

"I thought we lacked energy in the first-half but we upped it slightly and could have scored more goals because we hit the post and had a couple of other chances, but I was very pleased with the attitude and application of the players."