Brady believes Carlisle run out will 'stand Cobblers in good stead' for Christmas period

Manager Jon Brady believes the value of playing a competitive league fixture just a few days before Christmas will stand the Cobblers in good stead for the festive period.

Town had gone 17 days without a game after seeing two fixtures fall victim to frozen pitches, but their home clash against Carlisle United was swiftly rearranged for Tuesday, the only League Two match played on that day.

Cobblers won 2-1 to open up a gap to fourth, but almost as important was just playing a competitive match. That should benefit them for Christmas, especially as Boxing Day opponents Mansfield wouldn’t have played for over two weeks by the time the game comes around.

Brady said: "It was really tough to know where we would be physically but I felt we were physically strong and I was just pleased to get a game in because I think that will stand us in good stead for the game on Boxing Day. We tried to get the balance right and we did think we got it right but you just never know.

"But I felt right from the start, in the first five or 10 minutes, that we looked really sharp and really strong and credit to the players because they have worked hard and they’ve been adaptable during this period to get themselves right.

"It’s been difficult to get good, consistent training in so to get the three points and to put in a performance like that was really pleasing, but obviously there is still loads more improvement to come.

"It was hugely important because it pulled us away from fourth but it also builds confidence in the players because when there's a break between games there might be an element of doubt and you might be a bit rusty in terms of the connections within the team.

"But the connections between units and between players was really good and given how training has been impacted, I give great credit to our group of players and we hope that will put us in a good position now.”