Brady challenges Cobblers to keep improving as West Ham United visit Sixfields

Cobblers boss Jon Brady wants to see continual improvement from his team ahead of tonight's second pre-season friendly against West Ham United.

After visiting tier 10 side Northampton Sileby Rangers on Saturday, it's one extreme to the other for Town who host the Premier League Hammers at Sixfields this evening.

However, for Brady, he only wants to see more of the same as his players gradually build their fitness and sharpness in preparation for the new season.

"It's the end of our second working week and now we have four more to go," said Brady. "We need to make sure we're ready for that fourth week because that's the most important thing.

"It will be a work-in-progress all the way through and then when we get to the first game of the season we need to hit the ground running and make sure we keep improving from there on in.

"West Ham will obviously be a bigger test for us but it'll be another mixed bag for us because we're still building and we'll be looking at a lot of players again."

One player who will be craving more game-time on Tuesday is young midfielder Scott Pollock, who made his first appearance in 16 months at the weekend.

"Scott has got a lot of endurance and I think the great thing about him is that, whilst he's been out, he's really built up his upper body strength," Brady added.

"Instead of him bouncing off some of the senior pros, they're bouncing off him at the moment and it's really pleasing him to look so strong and long may that continue."