Injury-hit Stevenage to have 'fresh mindset' for Cobblers fixture, says caretaker boss Sampson

Bottom-of-the-table and winless Stevenage will have a 'fresh mindset' for Tuesday's visit of the Cobblers, according to caretaker manager Mark Sampson.
Mark Sampson has taken temporary charge of Stevenage following Dino Maamria's sacking.Mark Sampson has taken temporary charge of Stevenage following Dino Maamria's sacking.
Mark Sampson has taken temporary charge of Stevenage following Dino Maamria's sacking.

The former England Women's boss took temporary charge following Dino Maamria's sacking last week, but a change of manager didn't bring an immediate change of results for Boro, who were beaten 3-2 at home to Carlisle Untied on Saturday.

Stevenage have just three points from their eight fixtures and prop up the League Two table, but Sampson is confident he can oversee a turnaround in fortunes.

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“We are not happy we are losing football matches," he said. "We are really not. We want to make sure on Tuesday, we are brighter, sharper and better. We turn these good phases of games into a 90-minute performance and get three points on the board.

“If I am a supporter, I want to win football matches number one. We are not doing that. I understand that they are going to be frustrated with us not getting results.

"The last thing we want is to play at home and not win football matches. What we always ask for is that in these tough times, we do stick together. Our job as a club is to support the players on the field.

“On Tuesday, it is imperative that we put this to the back of our minds. We puff out our chests and we all come here with a fresh mindset to be at our maximum level.

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"All of us together. Supporters, staff behind the scenes, players, to try and turn this bad run of results into a much better run of results.”

Sampson is not helped by a lengthy injury list which includes former Northampton players Joel Byrom and Emmanuel Sonupe, as well as club captain Scott Cuthbert.

“We know we have got some young players in important positions at the moment," added Sampson. "Sometimes, those young players are only going to learn on a matchday, and those mistakes can be costly.

"I have got to say, their application has been excellent. What you know with these players is they will learn their lessons very quickly, and we know we need to do some work now before Tuesday."

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