Proud Pierre feels privileged to captain the Cobblers

The imposing centre-back, initially handed the armband against Carlisle United last month, skippered Town for the sixth successive game on Saturday when he also scored in a 1-1 draw with Lincoln City at Sincil Bank.

David Buchanan and Ash Taylor had previously shared captain duties this season but manager Keith Curle revealed on Saturday that he felt handing the responsibility to Pierre would help him become more of a ‘leader’ while also improving his performances on the pitch.

And the 25-year-old echoed those views when asked about his new role in the wake of Saturday’s draw. “I love it,” he said. “I think it’s everyone’s dream to be a captain at some stage of their career and I’m fortunate enough to get it here.

“I think it’s brought a lot out of me and I feel like I’m now more demanding, more vocal and that just comes more with experience and game-time I guess. It’s a role that I have to do because people rely on me a little bit more than maybe when I wasn’t the captain.”

Curle is encouraging as many of his players as possible to become ‘leaders’ on the pitch, whether they are wearing the armband or not.

“It’s about being a leader,” Pierre agreed. “Everyone was a leader at Lincoln, everyone showed leadership and everyone showed determination but, for me, it’s more about encouraging people and making sure things are done properly.

“I think it’s helped my performances as well and put more demands on me, making sure I do my job properly and I set an example, on a personal scale and for the team. Hopefully I’m doing that well and people are seeing that I’m improving my game and I’m trying to help other players.”