'These are the games that we will be judged by' - Jon Brady previews Fleetwood Town visit

Cobblers boss Jon Brady is well aware of the fact that his side’s fate this season will be decided by games such as Saturday’s against struggling Fleetwood Town.

Northampton’s three-game winning run was brought to a shuddering halt last weekend when well beaten 3-0 by league leaders Portsmouth. However, if that was something of a free hit given Pompey’s lofty league position and obvious quality, the same certainly can't be said when Lee Johnson’s Fleetwood visit Sixfields tomorrow.

Cobblers have won five of the six games they’ve played against teams in the current bottom eight so far, and they’ll need another on Saturday to maintain a safe distance between themselves and the dreaded dotted line.

"There will be highs and lows during the season at this level because you might come up against a cluster of very good sides and that period could be tough,” said Brady. "But we have to be trying to pick up points in those games against teams around us in the table. We will be judged by those games over the course of the season.

"Our objective is to keep pushing on. Fleetwood are down in the bottom four at the moment and these are teams that we have to get results against, but it's not a given and we'll have to be at our very best to get a result.”

Brady insists there will be no difference in approach against Fleetwood compared to Portsmouth, especially given the quality the visitors possess with the likes of Ryan Broom, Jayden Stockley, Danny Mayor and Brixworth boy Jack Marriott in their ranks.

"No one is treated especially differently,” Brady added. “Our approach tactically might be different but in terms of our approach mentally to go out and win the game, it doesn't change.

"When you look at their side on paper, it's a team who should be up there pushing towards the play-offs and I think a lot of people would have expected that before the season started.

"We saw with ourselves how quickly it can change and how winning three games in a row can really jump you up. At this level you're conscious that if you don't keep picking up points and you're not consistent, you can be back down there again because it is very tight.

"It won't be until later in the season when things become clearer but right now you have to focus on the next game and set out the right way and try and get three points.”