League Two football has taken Leonard by surprise but he's learning so much with Cobblers

Young midfielder Marc Leonard believes he is already seeing the benefit of playing regular football in League Two following his loan move to the Cobblers.

The 20-year-old had precious little experience of senior football before swapping the Amex Stadium for Sixfields but he’s adapted with impressive speed, clocking up 12 appearances already this season, including seven league starts in a row.

"I didn't have a lot of knowledge of League Two football so I was a bit naive and I've found that the standard of football is really good,” said Leonard.

"You don't know what to expect but I have been very impressed with the standard of everything – how training has been run, the facilities at the club, the football.

"It's a lot different to what I expected when I first came here. We have played good football but we have also mixed it up and battled really well physically.

"Learning that side of the game and learning how to manage games with the people around me – Hylts, Jon (Guthrie), the manager – has been brilliant. It's been second to none, I don't think I could have asked for a better group to learn from. It's been really good.”

Leonard’s technical quality was apparent from the moment he first stepped onto the pitch at Sixfields, but there’s far more to his game. Young players on loan from Premier League clubs do not always enjoy the ugly side of the game but you cannot say that about the Scotland U21 international; no Cobblers player averages more tackles or more interceptions per 90.

"It's something coaches have said to me in the past, that I've got a good understanding of the game, but it's maybe not been put into practice so much,” Leonard added.

"I didn't actually know any of those stats so that's good – it'll give me a bit more confidence! But it is something I have always felt I can do and it's improved a lot since I've come to this club.

"It's had to improve because you have to concentrate for 90 minutes and you have to be on it for the whole game if you want to be successful."

Leonard is also learning the art of when to play and when to go direct. Against Stockport on Saturday, an erratic pass inside his own half almost proved costly, while a shot he took in stoppage-time was straight at the goalkeeper and allowed the visitors to launch one last attack.

"Trying not to overplay is one of the biggest things and that's something I can easily do because I want the ball all over the time,” Leonard admitted.

"We are fighting for three points every week and fans are hoping and praying that you win the game so I'm learning how to see games out in the last 10 minutes.

"I had a shot at the end of the game on Saturday and I'm not sure it was the brightest idea! But that's something I'm learning."