Nolan already looking into why Cobblers are suffering so many injuries

It all started in the second half of the promotion-winning season under Jon Brady when Town would regularly be missing 10, 11 or twelve players, and that’s continued in their two seasons in League One.

The current campaign has been the worst yet for injuries. At least 12 players have been absent for every game since November, sometimes up to 16, with numerous suffering long-term, season-ending injuries, including Jon Guthrie and Callum Morton.

However, whilst those two are out with knee ligament damage, it’s the muscle injuries – specifically calves and hamstrings – suffered by the likes of Ben Fox, Tyler Roberts and Luke Mbete which Nolan wants to look into.

"I knew I was coming into a lot of injuries but that's something I want to change,” he said. “There seems to be a lot of hamstrings and a lot of calf injuries so we need to get to the bottom of that.

"I've already been looking at a lot of things – is it to do with training pitches? Is it to do with training? But I have genuine faith and our training and everything else with what I've put together.

"We have periodised what's going to be happening over the coming months to hopefully help the lads who are coming back to hopefully avoid recurrence injuries.

"It's going to happen at times because that's the nature of football but it's hopefully trying to negate the amount of injuries and building a robustness in these lads to make sure they can go and go again.

"It's not going to be easy but it's something you have to deal with and I have dealt with it as a player and a coach. You have to think outside the box with the off field stuff and build a culture.

"When you're trying to make those changes on the training pitch, off the pitch and in the gym, it obviously helps to keep people fit for longer and to sustain them so I can pick them.”