It's 'squeaky bum time' for Cobblers, admits Curle

Town remain inside the play-off places in Sky Bet League Two but only just after they were beaten 2-1 by promotion rivals Cheltenham Town on Tuesday.

Curle still believes his side are on the right track but admits they must improve at both ends of the pitch to halt their slide, particularly in defence.

The Cobblers conceded two poor goals at Whaddon Road and were also found wanting at the back in the second-half against Walsall.

“We were inches away from taking the lead (at Cheltenham) before they scored but we will turn those inches in our favour,” insisted Curle.

“You do that by being honest, identifying where we need to improve, where we need to be more aggressive and where we need to show more quality.

“It’s squeaky bum time now and as a defender you’ve got to stand your ground and put everything on the line.

“You’ve got to make first contact in the box, whether that’s as a defender, a midfield player, a centre-forward or a goalkeeper."

Curle also admits his side must do more when they have the ball, adding: "We won enough ball and we entered their half enough (on Tuesday) but we had to show more quality.

"We had a strong foothold and a good foothold in the game but we still needed that little bit more quality in the final third."