Curle still looking for another piece to complete his Cobblers puzzle

Keith Curle is still looking for one final piece to complete his Cobblers puzzle ahead of the closing of the January transfer window.

Peter Kioso, Bryn Morris, Ryan Edmondson and Mickel Miller have all joined the club on loan this month but, with two squad spaces still available, Curle has six days left to do more business.

Asked if he was finished in the transfer market, Curle said: "Unless you're top of the Premier League by 10 points, I don't think you would ever say your business is done and you're completely happy with the squad you have.

"We're trying to continue an upward curve at this football club and that's not just me - it's everyone, including the owners and the chairman. We have an understanding and a realisation of where we are and what we want to build.

"We don't do it by going and buying the best players that are available, we do it more by method and good housekeeping. Yes, sometimes it might take longer than some people would like, but there's a reason for why we make the decisions we do."

After a busy summer, Curle has continued to make big changes to his squad this month. As well as those four loan signings, Harry Smith, Nicky Adams and Chris Lines have all departed.

"As a football club, we're trying to be progressive and we're trying to develop a style and an identity within this division," Curle added.

"On Tuesday, from the play-off final team, Sam Hoskins was the only player to start. We had a shorter transfer window than other clubs in the summer and we had to formulate a squad.

"To only have one player starting from the play-off final shows how much work has gone on, not just in terms of recruitment with players going in and out, but also on the training ground and putting down our ethos of how we want to play and the culture we want to create.

"That doesn't happen overnight. It's time spent on the training ground and a lot of work goes into bringing in players because we have a gameplan of how we want to play and we have to get the right piece of the puzzle to fit into that gameplan.

"We waited three weeks for the players we brought in but discussions started before the January window opened."