Brady weighs up how to approach 'ultimate test' as Cobblers head to Birmingham City

After being stunned by seventh-tier Kettering Town in the FA Cup last Saturday, the shoe is on the other foot this weekend with Northampton hoping to turn the tables and become the giant-killers.

Indeed, according to the bookmakers’ odds, a victory for Jon Brady’s men at St Andrews on Saturday would represent an even bigger surprise than the Poppies’ sensational success at Sixfields.

Birmingham are not actually top of the current League One table following Wycombe’s thumping 5-0 win at Stockport in midweek but they’ve already amassed 29 points this season and have lost only once.

To underline the strength of City’s squad, Marc Leonard, who was outstanding for Town over the last two seasons, cannot even get in the team. He has started just three league games this season, the last of which came in August.

“It’s the toughest challenge of the season,” said Brady. “After Saturday, we would have played 10 of the top 11 in our first 14 league games. It will be a big challenge but we will face it head on and try and be at our best.

"They have a 100 per cent record at home since the opening day of the season but we’re taking 2,000 away from home and hopefully we can do our fans proud.

"It’s the ultimate challenge for any manager and for all players in this league. Pound for pound, they are probably the strongest League One side that's ever been put together.

"We need a lot to go our way and we need to be at our best but we will go there with full belief that we can get something from the game.”

Brady must decide whether to press high and go man for man tomorrow – his favoured approach - or put players behind the ball and sit back against Birmingham, who like to dominate the ball. Their average possession count of 69 per cent this season is the most by miles in League One.

Brady added: "You look at teams like Bolton – they are a possession-based side but they went to Birmingham and only had 27 per cent of the ball.

"If you go man for man, how uncomfortable could you make them? Those are the things we have to consider. We’ll have a look at what we do and how we approach it."