Skipper Richards pleads with Cobblers supporters to '˜stay positive'

BITTER PILL - a stunned Marc Richards leaves the field following the FA Cup defeat at Stourbridge

Town were beaten 1-0 by the part-timers from the Northern League Premier Division, and the 400 travelling supporters showed their displeasure with the performance at the end.

Richards fully understands the frustration, and admitted the loss to the Glassboys was a ‘big blip’ in the club’s season, but he wants the fans to ‘stay positive’ and get behind the team, starting with Saturday’s Sky Bet League One showdown against Rochdale at Sixfields (ko 3pm).

“We would ask the fans to stay positive,” said Richards. “We are down and we are out of the FA Cup, but the league is our bread and butter and we want to be succesful in that.

“So I would ask them to carry on backing us as they have done because they have been brilliant this season.

“They sold out all the tickets for the match at Stourbridge, and you can’t complain about them, we are gutted for them.

“We need to go back to the drawing board now and make sure that Saturday is a positive result for us.”

And he added: “There is enough experience in the dressing room to dust ourselves down and to get on with it.

“This is blip in our season, a big blip, but we will get on with it because it is what it is.

“We will look forwards now and make sure we are right in the league, and we have the likes of Alex Revell and Matty Taylor who won’t let heads drop.

“I am sure training will be bright, and I am sure the gaffer will get the foot to the floor and make sure we put things right.”

Reflecting on the defeat at the War Memorial Ground on Tuesday, Richards said: “On Saturday (against Port Vale) we created a lot of chances, but on Tuesday we just weren’t good enough in the final third.

“Stourbridge did the ugly things really well, and we couldn’t get the ball down, didn’t keep the ball well enough, and in the final third we didn’t create many chances to go and win the game.”

And he added: “This season it is all about consolidating, staying in the division and seeing how far we can go.

“We are out of the FA Cup and we are gutted about that, the gaffer has had a go at us, but we have a big game on Saturday and we have to look forward and focus on that.”