Nolan still up for the fight as fan frustration mounts after Wimbledon defeat
Kevin Nolan has no doubt that he can keep Cobblers in League One this season after frustration among supporters deepened with Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at AFC Wimbledon.
Town have taken only eight points from a possible 48 in 16 league games since Christmas Day – winning just once in that time – and their latest defeat came in familiarly disappointing fashion at Plough Lane on Sunday.
Outplayed in the first half, Cobblers fell behind to Callum Maycock’s 10th-minute finish and they would have been further adrift at the break had goalkeeper Lee Burge not made a couple of smart saves.
There was an improvement in the second half but not enough to avoid another defeat, and the 700 plus away fans were not shy in voicing their disappointment at the full-time whistle.
"Of course I understand it,” said Nolan on the reaction of the fans. “We’ve won one in 16 and I’m not one to shy away from it. I walk towards the fire, never away from it. We’re in a fight and I’m looking forward to it. Hopefully, in 10 games’ time, I can be smiling and looking at you and saying ‘I told you’.
"That’s what I want to do and that’s why I’m here and that’s why I was brought here 15 months ago – to keep us in the league. We haven’t been able to stay in this league for four years in a row for 60 years and that shows how difficult the job is but I knew that and I knew how difficult it would be.
"We have to stick together in these moments. You only get out of it together. We're in a tough place and none of us are enjoying it but we know what we have to do. We have to start picking up wins and picking up points very quickly and it'll help having a free week going into next weekend.”
Asked if he’s still confident he’s the right man for the job, Nolan replied: “Come on. I was the man last season and I want to be the man now. We've been playing well, you know that. You've watched our games, we've been playing well and we've deserved more than what we've got.
“We had three good opportunities today and on another day we score three goals. When things are going well, they go in for you. They’re not at the moment but we have to keep the lads believing, keep repeating and get back to where we were earlier in the season. I know it’s hard for everybody right now but we’re well up for the fight.”