Kevin Nolan expects Kyle McAdam to be 'knocking on my door' after impressive cup displays
Kevin Nolan expects Kyle McAdam to be ‘knocking on my door’ after the young defender’s impressive performances in the EFL Trophy.
The 21-year-old wing-back has made only two starts since joining Cobblers on deadline day last month but he’s impressed in both, setting up the winner at AFC Wimbledon in the Vertu Trophy quarter-finals before scoring his first senior goal in the following round against Luton.
McAdam has only featured in one matchday squad for league games so far, and he faces strong competition from the likes of Jack Perkins and Nesta Guinness-Walker if he wants to force his way into the side.
"That’s what you have to do – grasp those opportunities when they come your way,” said Nolan. “That’s what any footballer has to do and Kyle has done that. He’s been brilliant since he came into the building, as has Ben (Hammond).
"You haven’t seen too much of Ben but these are two lads we’re trying to get sorted for next season but they are showing up in the present, which is brilliant, and I’m delighted with that.
"They are two players for the future and we will hopefully have a very talented, youthful squad next year. First we have to secure what we want to do this season and then add maybe a bit of experience in the summer.
"But I've been really pleased with Ben and Kyle. Kyle’s done fatnastic in the two games he’s played and I imagine he’ll be knocking on my door and rightly so. He's taken his chances, as have a lot of the lads, and everyone needs to realise they are playing for shirts. They have a lot of respect for each other and everybody will contribute between now and the end of the season so they all have to be ready.
"We’ve gone away from getting those nitty gritty wins but we need to get back to basics and that’s what work really hard and these players have that in abundance and that’s what we’ll be doing from now until the end of the season.”