Brady left 'hugely frustrated' as winger Connolly is hit by Covid-19

The former St Mirren man was primed to replace the suspended Sam Hoskins and make only his third Sky Bet League start of the campaign, but that plan was scuppered in the build up to the match.

Instead, Jordan Flores stepped in and played well in the 3-0 win over the Cumbrians, although the naturally left-footed player looked a little uncomfortable in the wide right areas.

It wasn't an ideal situation for Brady, who said: "We were a little bit stretched in certain positions due to unavailability so we've had to deal with that and it's been hugely frustrating as a manager.

"Dylan has played in a couple of reserve games and has done really well and this would have been his chance with Sam being out due to suspension.

"Dylan is the natural replacement and we were hoping he would take his opportunity with both hands, but he's got two young children and you can't help these things.

"It's not a nice feeling at all because you prep the team, you do everything you can and through the week we have taken some body blows.

"It's left us quite stretched to be honest and you saw we had a couple of young pups on the bench. It's frustrating but I'm just glad to get the win."

On Flores' performance, Brady said: "We asked Jordan (Flores) to do certain things. We moulded that role to suit his game but he helped us get some positive outcomes.

"He was able to drift inside and find the little pockets and feed Kion and feed Pablo (Paul Lewis) and if he can't go forward, he was able to go into midfield.

"But I'm really pleased that he could get those minutes under his belt and get a start."

As well as Hoskins' suspension and Connolly's illness, there were other issues for Brady.

Right-back Aaron McGowan was forced off in the first half due to an injury he has been carrying for a while, and again there was no like-for-like replacement with Michael Harriman out of action with an ankle problem.

It meant left-sided defender Dominic Revan had to play at right-back for two-third of the game, with the loan man taking his chance to shine with an impressive League debut.

But Brady would still prefer to have Harriman available.

"I'd love to have Michael (Harriman) in our squad and in our team but at the moment it's an ongoing problem with his ankle," said the Cobblers boss.

"Can we push him and have him around the squad next week? I really hope so because it's extremely frustrating for Michael and for us as well."