Cobblers defender reveals he has played through 'absolute agony' at times this season

The 28-year-old centre-back, who joined Northampton from Barnsley last summer, has made 36 appearances across all competitions this season, but he’s also had various spells on the sidelines during a difficult first campaign at Sixfields.

"The people around the town are really nice and friendly but I’ve struggled on the pitch and it’s been very hit and miss,” admitted McCarthy after Tuesday’s game against his former club. "I’ve struggled a lot with my body and it stems from pre-season when I had a double hernia and then I had a hamstring issue and then a back problem. It’s been a season full of niggles.

"I was in absolute agony at the time and I think I’ve had five injections in my groin to try and settle it down. It’s been playing up again recently but that’s the life of a footballer and I won’t be using it as an excuse to hide behind for some of my performances.

"The summer gives me a chance to get my body sorted and reset, both mentally and emotionally, and I’ll do everything I can to improve and stay fit next season because I’ve enjoyed playing for this club. I certainly see the potential here to be a really competitive League One club in the future and it’ll be good to have a reset in the summer – I can’t wait to play for this club again next season.”

McCarthy, as many others have before him, insists both players and staff feel the pain of this season as much as supporters, adding: "The staff and the players are absolutely devastated.

“We sound like a broken record but it’s not for a lack of trying. I’ve just never seen a slide like this in my whole career. You can probably count on one hand the amount of points we’ve picked up in the last few months. We haven’t created enough and we haven’t defended well enough. That’s it in a nutshell. If you’re not doing either, you end up in this position.

"Hats off to the fans, they’re a credit to the club, and things can change quickly. It’s all doom and gloom now but we’ll put this season to bed, a new manager will come in, new players will come in and I can’t see why we can’t be really competitive next season.”

The defender also admits that talk of fresh investment into the club is a topic of conversation in the dressing room.

"It is a bit of a discussion among the players,” he said. “It’s similar in the transfer window when there are rumours on social media. We need to take everything with a pinch of salt and we’ll only find out when everyone else does.”