'Grateful' Sheehan hopes to earn longer term deal at Cobblers

Experienced defender Alan Sheehan says he's 'grateful' for the opportunity given to him by the Cobblers and is now hoping to turn his short-term deal into something more permanent.

The 34-year-old centre-back has started all four league matches since he joined the club on an appearance-based contract at the end of last month, including Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Accrington Stanley.

Sheehan has added experience and stability to the back-line although the team continue to struggle for consistent results following a run of one win in six.

Asked if he'd like to extend his deal, Sheehan said: "Yes, I'm enjoying working under the manager and I'm happy and grateful to have been given an opportunity.

"He's given me the chance to come in and prove myself and I want to show I can do well for him. It's been good since I came in and I'm enjoying it.

"I was really disappointed about Saturday but this league is full of up and downs. I've played in this division for a long time and it's unpredictable. When you lose a game, you've got to stick together and look to bounce back. It's the same when you win - you're constantly just looking at the next game."

Cobblers are 19th in League One and will drop into the relegation zone should Oxford and Swindon both win their games in hand on Tuesday evening, but Sheehan is staying positive.

"There's a great bunch of lads in the changing room," he added. "You're not hearing me say worrying things like 'we didn't work hard enough' and stuff like that.

"It's not about hard work. The lads work their socks off and everybody is in it together. We maybe lacked a small bit of quality at times and we need to be a bit more streetwise during the game, and we can't concede that early goal because it gives teams something to cling onto.

"But the good thing about football is that you've always got another chance to put it right and we have questions to answer so we'll stand up to be counted and bounce back."