Brady calls on Cobblers to be 'ruthless' ahead of trip to struggling Rochdale

Boss Jon Brady is calling on his Cobblers players to be ‘ruthless’ and show no mercy on struggling Rochdale at Spotland this weekend.

Dale’s long and proud history in the EFL looks in serious danger of coming to an end this season. Languishing at the very bottom of League Two, Jim Bentley’s side have lost their last four games and are in danger of being cut adrift.

Cobblers, by contrast, are going well but can’t afford to take any game for granted, as they discovered to their ultimate cost when beaten twice by Rochdale last season.

"We can't really have any sympathy,” said Brady. “We have our own agenda for what we want to do in this league this season and we need to be ruthless in the way we do things and how we play.

"We have looked at them over the last six or seven games and they got a great result at Bradford and they have been in every single game.

"The difference is, when you're down there, you're fighting for your lives and they'll be fighting to try and get a win against us this weekend.

"We are fighting in a different way and to be at the top of the league but it'll be a tough game.”

Dale struggled for most of last season too and only finished a few places above the drop zone, but they still did the double over the Cobblers, something which proved vital come the end of the season as Town missed out on promotion on goal difference.

"Last season I thought Rochdale were a really good side but they got some mixed results,” Brady added. "It's a different team this year but I don't really look back at history.

"You play the game on the day and we have the best away record in the league and that has to give us confidence to go away and get results.

"But it's not a given on the day. We have to be at our very best to get a result.

"We want to win. That's a given. But it's how we play first and foremost and if we apply ourselves right and play our best, we have every opportunity to get the right result."