Hungry Gape feels he has so much to offer Cobblers

There might have been no deadline day action for Northampton but Jon Brady did bolster his squad with the addition of Gape shortly before Saturday’s game against Portsmouth, two days after the window closed.

The 29-year-old had been a free agent after leaving League Two side Sutton United earlier in January.

"It happened fairly quickly for people on the outside but I've actually been training with the squad for a couple of weeks now,” explained Gape, who’s signed a deal until the end of the season.

"I came in last month and did a bit of training and I enjoyed myself here so I was delighted when I received a call to say they wanted to sign me.”

Gape, a defence-minded midfielder, enjoyed great success with Wycombe, playing more than 200 games and winning two promotions in seven years at Adams Park before parting ways last season.

He added: "I left Wycombe in the summer and then trained with a previous manager at another club and I was hoping to get a contract there but that didn't work out so I found myself without a deal in the middle of the season.

"Sutton worked well for me in terms of location so it made sense for me to sign a short-term deal with them until January. I played a few games for Sutton but my contract finished last month.

"It's never nice being out of contract but every footballer needs that self-belief about what they are capable of and what they can be part of and I'm lucky enough to have played over 200 games at League One, League Two and Championship level.

"I feel I've still got a lot to offer at the age of 29, especially with all that experience in the bank, and I'm just looking to get the ball rolling here and I'm thankful for the opportunity to join such a good club.”

Gape knows what it takes to defy the odds and succeed in League One after helping Wycombe win the play-off final four years ago.

"I think it's fair to say that Northampton and Wycombe are similar sized clubs and I won promotion out of this league with Wycombe so I know what it takes,” Gape continued.

"With a good manager and the right players, you can go and be successful in this league. I'm not saying that we'll go and get promoted this season but you can have success and I believe there's a really good thing going on here and I'm delighted to have a chance to help with that.

"You have some big clubs at this level like we saw against Portsmouth on Saturday but you have to draw a line under it. If you get a result there, it's almost a bonus.

"You can't get too disheartened by losing to the team top of the league. The full focus has to be on the next game and the next opportunity.”