‘It's all about the play-offs’ as Cobblers focus on taking ‘second chance’

Looking forward and staying positive... Cobblers boss Jon Brady (Picture: Pete Norton/Getty Images)

Town’s players and staff may understandably feel they should already be celebrating promotion after beating Barrow on the final day of the regular season.

But after being edged out on goals scored by Bristol Rovers, they must go the long way around to League One.

Cobblers head to Mansfield for the first leg of the play-off semi-final on Saturday before the teams go back to Sixfields next Wednesday.

"We are really good,” said Brady. “The boys are focused.

"I think it's something like 7,620 minutes at the time of speaking until kick-off on Saturday and we are not wasting a minute on anything other than focusing on the task ahead.

"We can't have any regrets. Football is football and people have talked to me about 'there could have been a goal here or a goal there' but that's the beauty of football.

"You might miss a chance and then the opposition might go up the other end and score but you can't allow yourself to look back on those moments.

"We have been very consistent to achieve what we have achieved so far.

"We got pipped at the post but now we have a second chance and we are not wasting a moment on any negatives about what could have been.

"We will reflect on things at a later date, when the season has finished, but it's all about the play-offs against Mansfield.”

Asked if the events of Saturday have galvanised his squad even further, Brady said: "I'm not sure how much closer this group could be.

"We have had a lot of setbacks this season and we have fought back from them.

"There was the goal that was never a goal against Forest Green, the timing of Covid for 21 days and then coming back in not great form but fighting our way back and now we are in really good form.

"People had written us off for the play-offs. A lot of people thought we wouldn't even finish in the play-offs let alone push for automatic promotion.

"Everyone has written us off again but we are at our best when we are pushed to the limit and our backs are against the wall and no-one believes in us.”