Curle demands ‘desire’ from Cobblers squad ahead of end-of-season season run-in

Cobblers boss Keith Curle has set his players the challenging task of claiming six wins and a draw from their final seven games of the season.
Cobblers boss Keith CurleCobblers boss Keith Curle
Cobblers boss Keith Curle

And if they do that, then Curle believes the team will have a great chance of clinching a place in the promotion play-offs.

Momentum had been building in the Cobblers camp, but last weekend’s 3-1 defeat at Cheltenham Town was a real setback.

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It leaves Town a sizeable nine points off the top seven with just 21 points left to play for, but Curle still believes it is a gap that can be closed.

The run-in is, on paper at least, a good one as Cobblers play League Two’s bottom four in their remaining matches - starting with Port Vale this Saturday - and also have four home matches to play.

And Curle is asking the Town supporters to give the team an extra push.

“The run-in starts now,” said the Cobblers boss.

“I said before last weekend that we can afford to lose one game out of the remaining eight, and now we need six wins and a draw.

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“That would get us an accumulation of points, that if anybosy else potentially slips up, then we will be there waiting.

“But the onus is on us, and we need to win games, and when I say we, the supporters are a massive part of that.

“The support at Cheltenham on Saturday was phenomenal - fantastic.

“We were disappointed with the result, disappointed with the performance, but the support they gave us was excellent.”

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Even if the Cobblers were to match Curle’s 19-point target, it is not guaranteed they would reach the play-offs, but the manager is demanding the best from his players, no matter the league situation.

“I have a desire, I need to be successful, and I need to surround myself with people who have that same desire, that same need, and that same hunger,” he said.

“There might be seven games to go, there might be one game to go, I want to win it.

“I want to win everything when I represent this football club, and from the players who represent me and this football club, I want that hunger.”