Sherring 'put himself on the line' for Cobblers as key players make timely return against Bristol Rovers

Cobblers assistant boss Ian Sampson is hopeful that it was only cramp which saw Sam Sherring limp off against Bristol Rovers on Saturday after the defender had ‘put himself on the line’ to start the game.

The 23-year-old had not played since suffering an injury at Stevenage nearly two months ago but he was straight in from the off against Rovers and played well at centre-half, lasting 77 minutes before hobbling off with a lower leg issue.

Sherring was iced up on the bench after his withdrawal but Sampson, standing in for manager Jon Brady, gave an encouraging update in his post-match interview following Town’s 3-1 win at Sixfields.

"I think it was important that we pushed Sam a little bit and he was prepared to put himself on the line for us and that's great because you need those characters in your team,” said Sampson.

"He had that little mishap before the game at Portsmouth but he came through a couple of training sessions this week. We haven't checked on him yet but I think it was just a bit of cramp so hopefully he'll be OK.”

Sherring’s comeback meant Jordan Willis shifted across to right-back for the visit of Rovers, while there were also welcome returns for Jack Sowerby and Shaun McWilliams, both of whom made second half appearances from the bench.

"Jordan will play anywhere for you,” added Sampson. “Since he's been at the club he has been a real warrior for us and we have no qualms about him playing at right-back.

"It's encouraging to have some lads coming back and getting minutes in their legs. It was really important that Jack and Shaun were able to get on the pitch and obviously Sam as well.

"Hopefully it’s just cramp for Sam and he'll be OK and recover quickly but now it’s about Tuesday and if we can perform against Oxford like we did when we last played them then we'll have a chance."