Midfielder McCormack believes in-form Cobblers are just getting started

They have stormed up the table from 18th to sixth in a matter of weeks and are the form team in the division, but in a warning to their rivals, midfielder Alan McCormack says Town are only just getting started.

The Irishman is one of 16 new arrivals to rock up at the PTS over the summer and into the early autumn, with manager Keith Curle completely revamping the squad he inherited 14 months ago.

The new-look team endured a sluggish start to the campaign, and after a sobering 3-0 defeat at Scunthorpe United on October 12 that saw them closer to the relegation zone than the top seven, the team simply hasn't looked back.

The impressive run of results has coincided with McCormack's return to the starting line-up after he suffered a hamstring strain on the opening day of the season, but the 35-year-old says the upturn is all about the players getting to know each other better.

And that there is plenty more to come.

"I think everybody in the dressing room is delighted at the moment, and the positive to take from it is that we still feel we can get better and there is more to come from us," said the former Luton Town man.

"We are learning as a group, and we are performing as a group which is getting better every week, and I think the results are showing that.

"If we continue to do what we are doing right, then we will continue to climb the league or stay in the top seven."

Asked about what has clicked at the PTS, McCormack, who is set to make his 500th senior appearance in Sunday's home FA Cup second round clash with Notts County, said: "If you look throughout the leagues, the teams that are up there and performing well are consistent teams.

"I had it last season and the season before with a very consistent team (Luton) week in, week out, and when that happens the team begins to build a trust with each other, and a knowledge of each other's games.

"You are able to rely on them and know exactly what they are going to do, and I think our performances are showing that we look a very, very strong outfit in both defence and attack.

"Maybe on Saturday we were a bit weaker in the wider areas and Grimsby got the ball into the box and they had a few chances, so we rode our luck a little bit.

"But with the performances over the past few weeks I think we deserved that little bit of luck.

"There have other games where we have had great chances and didn't get the luck in front of goal, so in football things do swing around and I think things are swinging our way at the moment."

The Cobblers take a break from league action in the next two games, with Sunday's FA Cup date with the Magpies followed by a trip to Portsmouth in the Leasing.com Trophy next Tuesday.