Cobblers face anxious Guthrie wait as Sampson explains absence of trio against Charlton

The defender, an absolutely vital player for Town in the current circumstances, came off towards the end of Saturday’s 5-0 defeat to Charlton Athletic. Up until then he had played every minute of every league game this season.

"Guth felt his hamstring but we’re hoping he’s OK and we got him off in time,” said interim boss Ian Sampson. “We’ll find out on Monday when we come back in.”

Cobblers were already down to the bare bones for Charlton’s visit following another spate of injuries, which meant Sampson had to name four academy teenagers on the bench, plus a 20-year-old and a 21-year-old.

Ben Fox is set for another spell on the sidelines with a calf injury while Sam Hoskins continues to battle a knee problem that has plagued him for most of the season. Defender Jordan Willis was due to be in the squad on Saturday but pulled out late in the day.

"Jordan was due to be on the bench but he phoned in with illness in the morning,” explained Sampson. “We were hoping Sam would make the bench but he’s got this degenerative knee problem which needs seeing to.

"I think he had it in October when he had an injection and it took about 10 days to settle down. He’ll possibly go down that route again but it’s something that needs sorting.

"Ben’s got a calf injury. He’s had a scan on Friday and he’ll be missing for quite a few weeks.”