Curle explains why he's banned the word 'unlucky' at Cobblers

Cobblers host Forest Green Rovers this weekend hoping to get back on the winning trail after their unbeaten run was ended at Exeter City last time out.

But although they played well for the most part in defeat at St James Park, Curle says it's a case of upping their game, not cursing bad fortune, to return to winning ways this weekend.

"I don't really go into stats or who you beat and when you beat them," said Curle on the end of his side's unbeaten run. "Ultimately it's all about looking after ourselves and making sure we're happy.

"We're in a results industry and I understand that but in the early part of the season it's about performances and getting a platform in place.

"There are still fundamentals within our game that we can improve and we can be more clinical at and we can still be better, but there's an environment here whereby we don't do 'unlucky'.

"There's nothing wrong with saying 'not good enough, you're better than that' and as a professional that sounds a hell of a lot better than 'unlucky' because if you keep telling someone they're unlucky, they'll keep doing the same things.

"Tell someone it's not what you want and it's not good enough and they'll change what they're doing - or you change them."

Cobblers are on a five-match winning run at home and have already taken some impressive scalps at the PTS this season, including promotion-chasing trio Newport County, Plymouth Argyle and Crewe Alexandra.

"I think the supporters have now got the identity of the players and what they can do and what they bring to the football club," added Curle ahead of the visit of Rovers.

"There's an expectancy when they come to the ground now and we are a very committed and very focused group.

"We understand how to play to our strengths but we also know we need to earn the right to play how we want to play, which is to stop the opposition.