Keith Curle's reaction to Cobblers' EFL Cup defeat at Bristol City

Keith Curle took heart from his side's performance for the first hour on Wednesday evening despite the Cobblers losing 4-0 to Bristol City in the Carabao Cup.

The Robins ran out comfortable winners in the end, scoring twice in the final 10 minutes to add a little bit of gloss to the final scoreline, but prior to Chris Martin's goal late in the first-half, there had been little in the game.

Martin scored with only City's second shot on target but the impressive Kasey Palmer doubled the lead three minutes into the second-half and from then on the home side were on easy street.

"I think for 60 minutes we showed good discipline and we were competitive in the game," said Curle. "After that, you could tell our distances became slightly disjointed and then they started to have fun with the ball.

"They needed to get their goals and they had a little bit of fortune with the second goal but once that goes in, they start showboating.

"The final scoreline was probably a little harsh but it's all about learning and improving and developing and sometimes you need to pick the bones out of it and learn from the technicians they've got and how quickly they move the ball, but for 60 minutes, we kept our shape well."

The major plus of the evening was a full debut for Caleb Chukwuemeka and a first professional appearance for fellow striker Ethan Johnston, while Morgan Roberts made it three academy players on the pitch for the final half-hour.

"It was a great learning experience for the three academy players to be involved in the first-half and to play against a club that's got Premier League aspirations," Curle added.

"To be on the same pitch competing with those players is a fantastic learning curve, and it was excellent to be able to get Ethan Johnston on the pitch and give him a taste of it."