Jones has 'absolutely loved' every minute at the Cobblers

Centre-back Lloyd Jones has 'absolutely loved' every minute of his second spell at the Cobblers having started all 16 league games since returning to the club in December.

The 25-year-old's first stint at Northampton, in February and March of last year, did not go to plan as he managed just seven appearances before the coronavirus pandemic swept across the country.

He then spent several months out of the game after his contract at parent club Luton Town expired, but was then invited to train with the Cobblers by former manager Keith Curle last autumn and hasn't looked back since.

Jones has been an ever-present in the league for Northampton since he signed a short-term deal in December and the team's defensive record in that time speaks for itself. They have kept seven clean sheets and conceded only 17 goals, a vast improvement on the previous 19 matches.

Speaking on the Cobblers Show on BBC Radio Northampton, Jones said: "I wasn't playing for my parent club at Luton as regularly as I would have liked last season and I only played six or seven games for Northampton so I couldn't get any consistency.

"But then I had a bit of time out of the game and it made me realise how much I missed being out there and now playing regularly has helped me a lot to find my consistency and I think I've brought that to the team.

"When I came back to train, I watched the games regularly for about six weeks and I was eager to come in and help tighten things up. Even in the games we have conceded, there has been some soft goals.

"I did a talk after the Swindon game and I said that it wasn't really teams breaking us down. Everyone makes mistakes - I've made loads in the past - but I think it was the manner of the goals we conceded because they were very soft."

Jones' has also taken on a leadership role in recent weeks having captained the team against Charlton and Portsmouth.

"When I played youth football I used to be captain a lot and it all comes from confidence," he added.

"I've only played 16 games but for those 16 games I have absolutely loved every minute of it. I just couldn't get regular game-time at Luton for the last two and a half years but I've always had myself down as a leader.

"It's difficult to really stamp yourself on the team for the first few games but now I'm 16 games in and hopefully I'm showing everyone what I'm about."