Cobblers' defensive stability all down to teamwork says goalkeeper Burge
Goalkeeper Lee Burge says the Cobblers' recent excellent defensive record 'is a team effort'.
As the shot-stopper, it is Burge who gets a lot of the credit when Town keep a clean sheet, and rightly so.
But there is a lot more to a watertight defence than just the man between the sticks, and Burge is quick to pay tribute to those in front of him.
The Cobblers travel to Wycombe this Saturday on a run of 340 minutes without conceding a goal, and having kept clean sheets in their three successive wins against Exeter City (2-0), Leyton Orient (1-0) and Blackpool (1-0).
The target will be to make that four clean sheets in a row, and Burge said: "The lads have been brilliant from back to front, and it is a team thing.
"It's not just me and all the defenders, it is the strikers as well and it has been impressive, and hopefully we can get another one on Saturday.
"We need to keep our feet on the ground and make sure that we are doing all the work we need to out of possession.
"There is a lot that goes into it in the training, with all the tactics and the formation we want to play, and how we want to fill in for each other.
"You could see on Saturday (against Blackpool) that it was tough at times, but everybody stuck together and as a team we defended brilliantly, every single player.
"We just need to keep doing that."
The mood is certainly upbeat at Sixfields, with the team having shrugged off a stuttering start to the campaign that saw them lose four of their opening five games in all competitions.
But even in those games, Burge could sense things were coming together, and he said: "It's a good atmosphere, and we have done well in the past few games.
"At the start of the season you have the first couple of games where you are just finding your feet, with new lads in the team and all gelling together.
"But you can see we have now gelled, and we are doing pretty well."
The next test for Burge and the Cobblers is a trip to Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday.
The Chairboys reached the play-offs last season, but have struggled so far this term winning just one of their eight matches in league one to sit 19th in the table, with just five points.
They were beaten 2-1 at Peterborough United last Saturday and on Thursday sacked their head coach Mike Dodds, replacing him with Michael Duff a couple of hours later.
And Burge knows he and his team-mates will have to be at their best to return home with any reward.
"We are a match for anybody, but it is going to be a tough game, and we know that," said the former Coventry City and Sunderland man.
"We are looking forward to going there, having another good battle and hopefully we will come away with the three points, or if not then a draw."
The match at Adams Park will be Burge's 97th in a Cobblers shirt following his arrival at the club in the summer of 2022, and he admits it will be a landmark moment when he brings up the century.
"I would have liked to have got there sooner, but it is what it is," admitted Burge. "It will be a proud moment, and hopefully in the next four games I will get there."