'The guys never give in' - Brady says Cobblers' last-gasp strikes are no fluke

Louis Appere struck in the seventh minute of stoppage time to seal a dramatic 3-2 Sky Bet League One win at Charlton on Tuesday night, and it is far from the first time Town have left it late this season.

It follows points-gaining last-gasp strikes against the likes of Lincoln City, Peterborough United, Carlisle United and Oxford United, and the Cobblers boss says it is a habit that is no surprise to him, as he knows his players will always play to the bitter end.

"We have done that over the past two or three years, and you can see that the guys never give in," said the Cobblers boss.

"They show great resilience and they keep working to the very end, and the amount of late goals and the amount of points we have got late on, we would be right up there with a lot of teams for that in this league.

"Sometimes it is a grandstand finish, and you don't always want it that way, but I will take it."

The winning goal was a real quality finish as far as the Cobblers were concerned, with Mitch Pinnock picking up possession midway inside the Charlton half, drawing in two defenders and then slipping the ball to the unmarked Appere.

The former Dundee United striker then kept his cool to pick his spot and sidefoot a clinical finish past Charlton goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer.

Brady was suitably impressed, and is hoping the goal will inspire Appere to go on a scoring streak.

"For Mitch to drive through and show the bit of skill he did, and to then have the composure to slip Louis in, and for Louis to slip it in the near corner was great," said the delighted Town manager.

"And I am really pleased for Louis because he has fought back from injury and has been struggling, but hopefully that will boost his confidence."

Town's win at The Valley saw them climb back up to ninth in the league one table, and the gap between them and the play-off places is now down to nine points, with sixth-placed Oxford united losing 1-0 at home to Barnsley.

The result has had some sections of the Cobblers supporters dreaming of a push for promotion to the Championship, but Brady was quick to downplay that scenario.

Instead, he will be concentrating on the club's main priority this season, ensuring they stay in the third tier for a second season, with the gap now a whopping 14 points between the Cobblers and the bottom four.

Asked about a possible tilt at the play-offs, Brady said: "Let's not get carried away.

"We will take the three points tonight but we have still got a long way to go, I feel."

The Cobblers were backed by an excellent away following of just shy of 700 supporters at Charlton.

Brady was thankful of their backing in south east London, and he is now hoping those same fans can help spread the word what his team is producing - and get Sixfields packed to the rafters for Saturday's date with Shrewsbury Town.

"I appreciate the support on Tuesday, it was fantastic and they were very loud in that stand," said the Cobblers boss.

"The scenes at the end were great, and it was just such a good feeling to give our fans that result, and they can go away happy.

"Hopefully they will talk about it and tell everyone and they can get down to Sixfields on Saturday and sell it out."