Curle 'can't fault the attitude' of Cobblers but accepts they are lacking a creative spark

Cobblers boss Keith Curle does not believe his side's current problems are caused by a lack of 'effort' or 'commitment' following their most recent defeat to Accrington Stanley on Saturday.

Curle was 'shocked' by his side's attitude during their FA Cup loss to Oxford City last week, but he did not feel there were any problems on that front during Town's 1-0 loss to Accy.

Jon Russell scored the only goal of the game just two minutes in as the Cobblers attack was again easily blunted, managing just one shot on target across the 90 minutes, and Curle admitted his side are lacking a creative spark.

"It was a good away performance from Accrington," he said. "They dealt with what we threw at them, but we didn't make enough first contacts with the ball up front and we didn't get enough players in the right areas and we didn't create enough goalscoring opportunities.

"I can't fault the attitude, the effort and the commitment in difficult conditions with the wind in the first-half. Distances covered and things like that, I haven't got a problem, but they landed on more second balls than us and that's that little bit of game knowhow which you need when you make that step up."

Sam Hoskins hit the post with a free-kick and also had a shot blocked while Fraser Horsfall wasted Town's best chance by shooting straight at Toby Savin. Cobblers have now failed to score in five of their seven home games this season.

"Sam was close with a couple of free-kicks and he also put a great cross into the box that you think should have been a goalscorer's goal," Curle added. "If someone buys a ticket and gambles, that's a goal. But instead it goes into the goalkeeper's hands in the middle of the goal.

"Ricky Holmes made a great movement off the one contact we did have but got flagged offside. He was a yard onside and the analyst has told me he was onside for the other one as well. Things like that are going against us but we stick together and it will change."

Curle also denied his side suffered a hangover from their FA Cup exit, adding: "It's not at all a hangover. I think it was only Fraser, Sam and the goalkeeper who started both games so there's no hangover."