Brady 'extremely frustrated' by loss of key man McWilliams

Jon Brady is searching for a solution to replace midfielder Shaun McWilliams who will miss Saturday's game against Leyton Orient through suspension.

The 23-year-old picked up an unnecessary yellow card for a shove against Oldham Athletic in midweek as players on both sides clashed after the full-time whistle.

That was his fifth booking of the season – just one game before the cut-off point – and means he will now serve a one-game suspension, therefore breaking his run of 13 successive league starts.

“It’s extremely frustrating because Shaun has been so disciplined on the pitch through the last few games,” said Brady.

“He’s been absolutely fantastic for us and his performances have been brilliant so it’s disappointing.

“Unfortunately we lose a valuable member of our team for Saturday.”

McWilliams' absence might mean a switch in formation to 4-4-2 with striker Danny Rose coming in and Paul Lewis dropping into midfield, but that has not worked so well for the Cobblers this season.

Jordan Flores, Nicke Kabamba and Scott Pollock are other options.

"It's not ideal but it's like anything - we will have to come up with a solution that we think will be best to counteract losing Shaun," said Brady.

"He's been an integral part of our performances recently but it gives someone else an opportunity to step in and really put a marker down for themselves."