Brady reveals how he has gone about trying to turn around Cobblers' poor fortunes

Manager Jon Brady has set out how he’s gone about trying to turn around Cobblers’ poor fortunes in training this week ahead of two crucial away games over the next few days.

Although it might be tempting to rip it up and start all over again after four games without a win, Brady has maintained a calm presence around his players in training this week, reiterating the message that they have not become a bad team overnight.

With one or two minor adjustments, and a bit of luck, Brady is confident his side can rediscover the form that kept them in the top three for so much of the season. They go to Colchester United on Saturday in need of three points.

"First and foremost, you have to stay level-headed,” he said. “You are going to lose games of football throughout a season but we have only lost seven this season and we didn't lose too many last season either.

"What you've got to do is try and find the positives but also find the solutions to the problems that we have caused to ourselves. You have to stay positive and work out the solutions.

"You don't look at the negatives all of the time and the players know that we have been really, really good in moments, and in that last 30 minutes against Grimsby we are pushing to score a second.

"We are actually going for it. We haven't sat back one bit. But we have to make sure we lock the opposition off and don't open the back door when we're doing that and I felt that's what we did. That's learning for a young group and we have to be really positive in what we do.”

After speaking with his players at length this week, Brady does not sense a lack of confidence despite their current struggles. Town, who head to Colchester on Saturday and then Harrogate next Tuesday, dropped to fifth in League Two following Stockport County’s victory at Rochdale in midweek.

“I don't think they should lack confidence,” Brady said. “I have spoken to the group a fair bit this week and I've spoken to a lot of players individually and I don't feel there is a lack of confidence, within individuals or the group.

"But a lot of these games, we usually come out winning 1-0 or we go and get an extra goal and win 2-0, but we aren't doing that at the moment. The game is brutal and if you don’t defend right, these things can happen. It wasn’t good enough on Saturday but we will work hard to get it right.”