Brady feels Cobblers have gone 'hugely soft' in 'key moments' after conceding two goals again

Jon Brady feels the Cobblers have gone 'hugely soft' in 'key moments' after they conceded two goals for the third league game in a row on Saturday.

After keeping clean sheets in five of their first seven games, Town have conceded seven in the last four, including two at Hartlepool United on Saturday.

And the manner of the goals was of particular frustration for Brady. The first came moments after Sam Hoskins broke the deadlock and the second arrived in the final few minutes as Cobblers were caught short on the counter-attack.

"Everyone knows, straight after scoring, you need to be strong and solid but unfortunately we allowed them to put the ball into our box too easily and on too many occasions after we scored," lamented Brady.

"That was simple in terms of how we could have stopped their equaliser but we weren't smart enough or clever enough to lock that off and we weren't quick enough to close down the cross. It should never happen and we should deal with the ball at the back stick so much better as well.

"They have a very strong home record so you've got to take encouragement from how we played but we have to learn from key moments. To be countered on the counter twice, it's just very frustrating."

The performance was a big improvement on the previous weekend against Sutton, but the result was the same.

"We know last weekend wasn't good enough but obviously we had a couple of key players out and that upset the balance," Brady added.

"That wasn't how we want to play and what we want to do but Saturday was so much better in the way that we played and we should have killed the game off against a team who have a very strong home record.

"You can take heart from the way we played but we have to be better and stronger and I said to them in the dressing room afterwards, they need to be stronger with each other and they have to make sure they lock the counter-attacks off.

"It's just too soft for me and we've gone from being a team that was strong and resilient to being a team on Saturday that was hugely soft in key moments where we've got to be strong and we've got to stand up and we've got to fight.

"We need to be better in moments when we're on the ball and instead of attacking, sometimes control the game in possession. We did control long periods but as soon as we scored, we weren't good enough on the ball.

"These moments have to build strength and character and we know where we have to be better."