Proud Eppiah wants to keep Cobblers fans smiling after scoring his first goals for the club

"It's like anything in life – if you make someone smile, you feel good about yourself.”

Well, in that case, Josh Eppiah must have come away from Leyton Orient on Saturday feeling very good about himself.

The young forward made a lot of people smile at Brisbane Road – 1,250 to be exact – with an electric and unplayable first-half display as Cobblers ran riot in the capital.

This looked a tough game for Jon Brady’s men and so it appeared for 18 minutes. But once Mitch Pinnock brilliantly thrashed in the opener, Town went on the rampage.

Jon Guthrie added a second but Eppiah was the star of the show. He went close on three separate occasions before scoring twice in eight minutes, first rounding Lawrence Vigouroux to tap in and then guiding a beautifully controlled, first-time volley into the bottom corner.

"It's a great day for me and most importantly for the team as well,” said Eppiah.

"I probably should have had a hat-trick in the first-half. I tried to go around the goalkeeper for the first chance and he made a couple of good saves with his legs as well so credit to him.

"When I got that next chance, I made sure I got round him and finished it off.

"I'm just happy I could contribute towards the win. It's a proud moment for me and hopefully there are more goals to come.”

Eppiah’s second goal came at a crucial time as Theo Archibald had just pulled one back for Orient.

"The second goal I scored is something we have worked on in training,” added the Leicester loanee. “I have always been told to get in at the back post so as soon as I saw Sam (Hoskins) cut in, I looked to make a run towards the back stick.

"All I did was keep my eye on the ball and when it landed on my foot, I just knew and I had that feeling that it was going straight in.”

Eppiah took more of a back seat as Cobblers protected their lead in the second-half, although he did go close to completing his hat-trick before being substituted.

"Obviously I was disappointed to come off in the second-half, especially having scored two goals, but I think any footballer would be annoyed in that situation,” the 23-year-old admitted.

"For me, it's more about my fitness. The gaffer heard me in the changing room at half-time just talking about my hamstring and I think he was a bit wary of that and wanted to take me off.

"I should be fine. The medical department at the club are really good because they are always looking after me and protecting me.

"The gaffer and everyone is playing a part in helping me to get through minutes on the pitch and getting the best out of me.

"They allow me to recover well and that means I don't get the major, major injuries that I've had in the past. The only injuries I get now is little niggly ones, which can be frustrating but I'm well looked after."

Eppiah was impressive against Bradford, Oldham and Harrogate but took his game to a whole new level at Brisbane Road.

And with not long left on his contract at Leicester, some Cobblers fans will be hoping his loan becomes permanent in the summer.

"Right now, my focus is just on trying to get this team promoted,” he added. “Cobblers are a family to me, especially with the supporters.

"The fans were behind us on Saturday and having that is a good feeling and it gives your confidence a boost seeing their support.

"It was a great moment to celebrate with the fans and just to see smiles on people's faces because that's the most important thing.

"It's like anything in life, if you make someone smile, you feel good about yourself, and that's how me and the team felt.