Wilder wants Cobblers to create more magical League Cup memories

Town face a first round tie against Sky Bet League One side Blackpool at Sixfields tonight (Tuesday).

And if recent history is anything to go by, the Cobblers will be far from overawed.

Back in 2008, they won 2-1 at Bolton Wanderers in the second round, and one of the club’s most famous wins came at Anfield two years later as Liverpool were beaten on penalties.

Since then Ipswich have also been slayed on their own turf and, as recently as last season, Wolverhampton Wanderers were eliminated, as Wilder’s men won 3-2 at Molineux.

Cobblers can draw inspiration from those stunning successes, and their manager wants his current crop of players to make a name for themselves this season.

“We’ve had some great days in the cup and there’s a picture in the secretary’s room of them celebrating the win at Liverpool a few years ago,” Wilder said.

“You look at other clubs and you look at the cup competitions and they can be a massive kick on financially and in prestige of winning games of football and putting yourselves up against some really good opposition.

“We had a great result last year at Wolves. I’ve just been talking about Bournemouth (in the following round) where they could’ve rested players or underestimated us but they absolutely battered us and I think we took a beating that night.

“This season’s competition starts tonight and we want to progress and make a name for ourselves from a football point of view.

“We saw last season with Cambridge who had two games against Manchester United and all of a sudden it puts your club in an unbelievable position and that’s happened through the years.

“Exeter and Burton have had it, other clubs have had it.

“What we’re 100 per cent focusing on is our game tonight.

“Blackpool are still a league one club with league one players and we want to go and show that we’re a decent side and we can go and battle it out against them.”