Brady explains why there was 'a method to our madness' after starting without a striker against Forest Green

Jon Brady has explained the method to his 'madness' after Cobblers started Saturday's top-of-the-table clash against Forest Green Rovers without a recognised striker.

Brady dropped striker Danny Rose to the bench and gave Dylan Connolly his first league start since September, with Sam Hoskins moving from his usual wide position to a central role.

However, whilst it may have looked negative on paper, there was nothing cautious about the way Northampton started the game as four players - Hoskins, Connolly, Mitch Pinnock and Paul Lewis - pushed high into advanced positions.

That pinned table-topping Forest Green back for much of an entertaining, open and competitive first-half, and whilst clear-cut chances were at a premium, Cobblers did go close with Pinnock hitting the post, Connolly shooting wide and Lewis heading off target.

"It was four men up top and there were things that we worked on throughout the week," explained Brady. "I'm not sure any team has done it that way against them.

"People might have looked at it from the outset and saw no real recognised striker in the team but there was a method to our madness and you could see that in the way we played from the start.

"I had the buy-in from the players as well and for a manager to get that, I'm extremely pleased because it was a bit unique with the way we did it.

"But the boys really bought into it and I felt it worked, I really did, and it was sheer joy to score at the end because that was the least we deserved."

Pinnock's 95th minute strike salvaged a well-earned point for the Cobblers following Matt Stevens' hotly-debated opener.

"We played some good stuff and the way we set up, it was a real positive system," Brady added. "You could see we were on the front foot from the off.

"Forest Green are a fantastic side and deserve to be where they are but I felt confident going into the game today and I thought we played very well."