Roberts feels 'privileged' to be a Cobbler and aims to improve further after his shot-stopping heroics

Goalkeeper Liam Roberts hopes something ‘special’ might be brewing at the Cobblers this season after his shot-stopping heroics helped clinch a third straight win.

Town maintained their 100 per cent record with a gutsy 1-0 victory away at Colchester United on Saturday, surviving Fraser Horsfall’s red card and a late barrage of pressure.

Roberts was the star of the show, producing two superb match-winning saves from Brendan Wiredu and Freddie Sears in the second-half, and he was as pumped as anyone come the full-time whistle when letting out a roar of delight in front of the jubilant travelling supporters.

The 26-year-old had only ever been with Walsall prior to his move down the M1 earlier this summer, but he is now loving life at Sixfields.

“I can’t thank Walsall enough for the time I had there, but I’m here now and it’s a great club to be at and you just can’t beat that winning feeling,” said the goalkeeper.

“There’s a great team spirit and a strong togetherness and I think we can do special things. We just can’t get carried away, we have to take it game by game and see how the season progresses.

“We can be honest with ourselves as well because we know we can still be better, but we created chances in the second-half and if we put them away, we go clear in the game.

“There are still things to work on but to be able to grind out a win like that is a positive sign for us.”

Horsfall’s comical red card coupled with Town’s slender advantage made for a manic finish to Saturday’s game as Colchester applied wave after wave of late pressure.

But Roberts refused to be denied a second clean sheet in as many games, thwarting both Wiredu and Sears and coming out to relieve pressure on his defence by claiming crosses.

He added: “It does get a little bit frantic but you’ve got to try and flip it and try and stay as calm as you possibly can.

“I try to be that calming presence around the rest of the team and look to settle things down because it does get frantic.

“They’re chasing the game and they obviously had to score to get a point but we needed to stay calm and I think the lads deserve a lot of plaudits because they were outstanding defensively.

“We can improve, certainly on the ball in the second-half, but I think it shows the real togetherness that we have in the changing room here.

“Being part of this squad is special. With the team ethos we have in the changing room, it’s a privilege to be a part of.”

Roberts’ position as Jon Brady’s number one goalkeeper appears secure for the foreseeable future after his heroics in Essex, but that does not mean he will rest on his laurels.

“Jonny (Maxted) could come in and play the next game – you never know what the gaffer’s thinking,” he said.

“You have to do it day in, day out and that’s part of showcasing yourself on a Saturday, but me and Jonny have a really good working relationship.

“We work hard and we push each other and I still think there are definitely things to improve.

“My performance on Saturday, I think I was a lot better at coming for crosses and that needs to be more consistent.

“But as a goalkeeping union, we’ll have a look at the game and see where we can tweak it and improve because there’s always room for improvement.”