Kevin Nolan on 'fantastic' Sam Hoskins, Kyle Edwards' overdue debut, and coming from behind to win

The 32-year-old brought up three figures when scoring from the spot against Rotherham last weekend, and he followed that up with another successful penalty in Saturday’s 2-1 victory at Doncaster Rovers. He’s also fast closing in on Ian Sampson on the all-time list of Northampton appearance makers.

"I'm really pleased for Hosk,” said Nolan. “He's a great servant and he's a great lad and he always puts a shift in. He's been a key contributor for me and he typifies what we're all about, not just this season but last season as well. He trains hard every day, he does everything right and he wants to do well for the club.

"He was one of the main men when I came in and that's why he wears the captain's armband – because a lot of the lads follow him and see him as a leader. It’s an absolutely fantastic achievement to score 100 goals for one club. He’s such a good lad and he’s a leader within the group.”

At the other end of the scale, Kyle Edwards made his debut for Cobblers in the final few moments of the win at Doncaster. The attacking midfielder joined the club on deadline day but has missed the last few weeks with injury.

"It was nice to finally get Kyle on the pitch,” Nolan added. “He's a great lad and he's got lots and lots of ability so hopefully he starts showcasing it over the coming weeks and you'll see why we decided to offer him an opportunity. He needs to get himself up and running because it's been tough for him with his injuries but hopefully that's all behind him now and he can start making really good, positive contributions to the team.”

Nolan also praised his other subs after Jordan Willis, Michael Jacobs and Joe Wormleighton all made positive impacts from the bench, adding: "Jordan Willis came on at half-time and I thought he was fantastic. Crackers and Joe Wormleighton both came on as well and made a big difference and they contributed towards the performance. It was really pleasing to see the subs come on execute the way they did because we need everyone to do their bit.”

Saturday was the first time Cobblers came from behind to win an away game since beating Swindon 2-1 in October 2022.

"I'm delighted with the three points and to bounce back from last week,” continued Nolan. “That's always a big positive when you look at your squad and your team and you see them go 1-0 down and they come back and win.

"If we're 1-0 down, my message to the lads is to always stay in the game because I know these boys can stay strong. I've prepped them for those moments when they are 1-0 up and trying to see games out.

"I don't really look at how many minutes are on the board if I'm honest because I feel like these boys could go for 100, 105 minutes if they need. That's down to their the fitness levels and the work we've done and the stress we put on them in pre-season. There’s lots to be pleased about.”