Sam Hoskins marked his testimonial game in appropriate fashion when slotting home early in the second half, while Jack Perkins and Tyrese Fornah also netted in a dominant home performance. Cobblers have no friendlies left so it’s all eyes on next weekend’s League One opener at Wigan. Here we take a look at what we learned about Town’s new-look squad from Saturday’s victory and pre-season in general...
1. Fornah's midfield class
There's no doubt that Fornah has been the standout player in pre-season for Cobblers and he was again excellent here. He's so silky on the ball, able to go both ways, and capped it all off with a wonderful finish Photo: Pete Norton
2. Three at the back - here to stay?
Nolan has deployed three at the back in every pre-season game and it now seems certain that's how Cobblers will start the campaign. The system can be very effective when utilised correctly, as evidenced by the first goal on Saturday when one wing-back (Wormleighton) set up the other (Perkins), albeit with a bit of help from Hoskins Photo: Pete Norton
3. Wormleighton's relentless engine
The early signs suggest Wormleighton could be a smart pick-up. He can run all day long and against Birmingham he showed he has quality in the final third too, effectively creating two of Town's three goals with excellent wing-back play on the right Photo: Pete Norton
4. Beadle impresses again at Sixfields
The England Under-21 goalkeeper caught the eye as an 19-year-old for Crewe when he last played at Sixfields. Two years later and he's no less impressive. Made a string of fine saves in the first half to keep the score down Photo: Pete Norton