Curle determined to establish Cobblers in League One

Keith Curle insists he will not discard any player from future team selections purely because of their performance against Oxford City in the FA Cup.

Curle was deeply unimpressed by his side's efforts as they were beaten at Marsh Lane in Monday's first-round tie, however whilst some of those players may not feature in the immediate future, they will be given further chances to earn back their manager's trust.

"We've got a fit, competitive squad and we've got a hungry squad because players who were given an opportunity on Monday know they need to do better," Curle said.

"I bought these players to the football club and there are reasons why for that. Some of them are on a development programme and they might not start this weekend but they will get opportunities and they've got to deliver."

Meanwhile, Curle has also reiterated his belief that establishing the Cobblers as a solid League One outfit is the number one priority this season.

"I think it's important to say that we haven't prioritised the league because we're out of the cup," he added. "Right from the first day, when we came back for pre-season, the priority was to maintain league status.

"We want to be a club that can operate between the middle and the top half of this division. That isn't something that has just been sprung on us, that was there right from the get-go."

Next up for Town is the visit of Accrington Stanley this weekend.

Curle continued: "Accrington are a side with strengths and they are probably a more physical side than what I've come across recently, but the fundamentals of how they play won't change.

"They get good numbers in the box, they get around the ball and they put the ball into areas that makes it difficult for you to deal with. They're not shy from set-pieces because they've got good size and good delivery.

"This is game that, rather than setting traps, it'll be a toe-to-toe encounter and it'll be a case of which teams goes on the back foot first."