'Stressed' Brady reveals 'five players got off their sick beds' to play for Cobblers against Salford

Up to five players ‘got off their sick beds’ to feature in the squad for Cobblers’ 1-0 defeat against Salford City at Sixfields on Saturday.

Illness has plagued Jon Brady’s preparations for each of the past three fixtures, starting at Swindon Town last weekend when three players pulled out at the last minute before further problems arose against Walsall and Salford.

Top goalscorer Sam Hoskins missed the trips to Swindon and Walsall and was far from 100 per cent despite playing the full 90 minutes against Salford, while Max Dyche and Josh Eppiah have also been on and off their sick beds over the past week. The illness has since spread around the group with goalkeeper Lee Burge and Louis Appéré the latest to be infected, among one or two others.

Injuries are only compounding Brady’s headache too with Shaun McWilliams, Tyler Magloire and Aaron McGowan all currently sidelined. Appéré also missed out completely on Saturday. The extent of the problem with illness and injury goes some way to explaining Town’s under-par performances in their back-to-back 1-0 defeats to Walsall and Salford.

"It’s been awful to spin plates,” admitted Brady. “On Saturday we had five players who got off their sick beds to play. They haven’t been in training but they have gone out there and played. No-one knows the context behind it sometimes.

"Louis Appéré is now ill so this bug keeps going around the group at the moment. Josh is still ill and Burgey hadn’t been in the building since Tuesday because he’s also been unwell. He got out of bed to play.

"Sam is still recovering. I played him 90, which I probably shouldn’t have, but you can’t take your top goalscorer off when you need a goal and you’re hoping he gets a chance.

"It’s been hugely tough and very stressful and we just hope now that we over the worst of it and nothing else comes up.”