Calderwood does not doubt his squad's 'appetite for the fight' ahead of Easter double-header

Cobblers enter the extended weekend in a bleak position, sitting second bottom in League One and 10 points from safety, with hopes of a miracle escape receding by the week. They simply must win both matches to have any realistic chance of catching the teams above them but that in itself appears unlikely given their current form.

To do that, Town will need to start much better than they did against both Stockport and Mansfield in their last two games, when they found themselves behind inside five minutes.

"Training time is all well and good but it's pretty obvious where we've struggled,” said Calderwood. “We've put ourselves behind early in games and early in second halves and that's something we're trying to address.

"We don't want to make too big a deal of it because if it happens again we have to be in a position where we cope better and make sure the end outcome is better. You can always lose a goal early in a game but it's happened too often and our response to that hasn't been strong enough to pick up points. If you're going to challenge and you want to get out of the trouble we're in at the moment, we'll need a dramatic improvement in that respect.

"We have to make sure the appetite is there for the fight, which it definitely is. Looking at the way the boys have applied themselves, it's been really good this week but now we have to take it onto the pitch against Bradford."

Even when Cobblers have been in the lead – as they were against Luton in the EFL Trophy – they have struggled to capitalise on it.

"We have been in the lead in a couple of games, none more so than the Luton game, but then an early goal in the second half knocks us,” Calderwood added.

"We're playing against good teams but we've contributed too much to our their xG and the goals we're conceding. We need to stop that first and foremost because there’s been too many mistakes.”

Friday’s trip to Ethan Wheatley’s Bradford looks a daunting prospect. The Bantams are fourth in League One and have the second best home record in the division.

Calderwood continued: "We’re trying to be super positive but the reality is we have to be a lot better and I think we are better than the results have shown recently – but we have to go and prove it.

"We have to prove it to ourselves because that gives you a foundation, but also to the fans and make sure that they always carry the pride that they support the club with and give it the honour it deserves.

"Our complete concentration is on what makes us better. We'll always look at the opposition and where we can hurt them. We have to cope with their good players and the crowd because they'll have a lot of fans expecting to see a win. We have to go and perform.”