Nolan: Cobblers will be OK - but we can't feel sorry for ourselves
Kevin Nolan insists the fact Cobblers now occupy a relegation place ‘doesn’t change anything’ after they slipped below the dotted line by losing to Wycombe.
Having climbed into the top half of the table less than a month ago, five games without a win have seen Town slip into the League One relegation zone for the first time since August, below Blackpool on goal difference, whom they face this weekend.
However, with such a busy run of games to come, including back-to-back trips to relegation rivals over the next week, Nolan is staying optimistic, saying: "It doesn't change anything at all. It's a very tight league and we just have to deal with it. I'm not too bothered about the table at this moment in time.
"We’ve got 21 games left so there’s loads of points to play for and we’re all in this together. Everyone knows how hard it'll be because it's going to be a battle all the way until the end. Normally you have six or seven teams who are separated from the rest but it's not like that this season and everyone's beating everyone.
"That's how it will be between now and the end of the season and I'm very confident this team can turn it around and the squad can turn it around because we have good lads here. We're in a poor moment and we need to snap out of it quickly.”
Before losing to Wycombe, Cobblers picked up impressive draws against promotion-chasing duo Stockport County and Bolton Wanderers, and then followed those results up by dominating League Two high-fliers Walsall in the EFL Trophy.
However, such is the tight and unpredictable nature of this season’s League One, they now find themselves with plenty of work to do to secure another year in England’s third tier.
"We can't feel sorry for ourselves,” Nolan added. “What the players have to do now is stand up and be counted. We'll work and we'll be OK, I really believe that, but it was just really disappointing how we lost that game.
"We have to take the hurt from this one because it does hurt and it is a real kick in the teeth, but we can only look forward to what’s going to be a tough six weeks or so. There can be a bit of wallowing and self-pity over the weekend but when we come back in for training, we’re ready to work again.”