Hondermarck wanted to produce a big performance to show Cobblers fans what he's all about

So this is why Jon Brady spent 12 months and three transfer windows chasing William Hondermarck.

The 22-year-old has been gently eased in after joining Cobblers in January but there was nothing gentle about his commanding, powerful midfield performance during Tuesday’s excellent victory over promotion rivals Mansfield Town at Sixfields.

Hondermarck combined his physicality with intelligence to dominate in the middle of the park and help Town claim a victory that was as impressive as it was important, boosting their promotion hopes in the process.

The French-born midfielder revealed after the game that he had been wanting to deliver a statement performance to show Cobblers fans what he’s all about.

"It feels massive for me to put in a performance like that in front of our fans,” he said. "That was my first full 90 minutes in a long while and to be named man of the match makes it even sweeter.

"I felt it was important to make my presence known and to impress and show what I can do, but it's also been about managing my body and getting back to full fitness.

"I still think I have a long way to go but to have a night like that and to get man of the match just makes everything so much easier. It was a very enjoyable night.”

Things have felt a little gloomy around Sixfields of late, what with Town’s mixed results and their seemingly never-ending injury issues, but football is a fickle world and it can all change in a flash.

And on Tuesday, it felt as if there was a shift in mood. Nervous apprehension before kick-off was replaced by growing optimism as Cobblers produced undoubtedly their best display of 2023.

"At this stage of the season, any win is important so to come away with three points against a team like Mansfield, at home, is massive for us,” added Hondermarck.

"I was told about our record against Mansfield, I think we had only won one of the last five or six, and they always seem to be big games against them, so it's a big win.

"I think it can give us a lot of confidence going into the last 10 games."

Tuesday’s performance added weight to the theory that Cobblers are better suited to playing against the division’s stronger sides. Whilst they have struggled to put away the likes of Rochdale and Harrogate in recent weeks, an in-form, promotion-chasing Mansfield team, who had won four of their last five, appeared a more straightforward task.

Maybe it’s just as well then that Cobblers have Carlisle, Stevenage and Bradford all to play in the remaining two months of the season, three sides still vying for automatic promotion.

"I think a lot of things came together that led to that performance tonight,” continued Hondermarck.

"A lot of our play was quite good, especially offensively, and we created a lot of chances and dangerous situations, and then we had to manage the game towards the end.

"It became a bit of a fight and it was quite scrappy so a lot of things came together and that's what makes it such a good win.

"Some of the things we did probably haven't come off for us in recent games but I feel with hard work you always end up getting your rewards and this was reward for me and for the whole team.”