Turnbull keen to put Glanford Park defeat right as Cobblers square up to Scunthorpe and Town old boy van Veen

Jordan Turnbull and his Cobblers team-mates will have revenge on their minds when they take on Scunthorpe United in a crucial Sky Bet League Two clash at the PTS Academy Stadium on Tuesday night (ko 7.45pm).
Jordan Turnbull keeps a close eye on Kevin van Veen in the Cobblers' 3-0 loss at Scunthorpe in October (Picture: Pete Norton)Jordan Turnbull keeps a close eye on Kevin van Veen in the Cobblers' 3-0 loss at Scunthorpe in October (Picture: Pete Norton)
Jordan Turnbull keeps a close eye on Kevin van Veen in the Cobblers' 3-0 loss at Scunthorpe in October (Picture: Pete Norton)

And the central defender will also be aiming to keep his old pal and team-mate Kevin van Veen very quiet on his first return to the club.

Town's trip to Glanford Park back in mid-October was a dire one for the Cobblers as they found themselves 3-0 down and out of the game after just 31 minutes.

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To make matters worse, Cobblers old boy van Veen, who was sold back to the Iron last January after 12 months with Town, netted the third and final goal on what was a miserable afternoon for Keith Curle's men.

Kevin van Veen enjoyed scoring against his former club for Scunthorpe earlier this seasonKevin van Veen enjoyed scoring against his former club for Scunthorpe earlier this season
Kevin van Veen enjoyed scoring against his former club for Scunthorpe earlier this season

Van Veen, who has scored 14 goals in all competitions this season, will be desperate to repeat the trick at the PTS on Tuesday, but Turnbull is determined for that not to happen.

"Kev is a big character, and he did well against us last game," said the big central defender.

"He is somebody we need to deal with a little bit better, and we need to put that result right from earlier in the season."

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The loss at Scunthorpe proved to be something of a watershed moment for the Cobblers, who have lost just twice in the 15 league games since, and have pushed themselves on to the fringes of the automatic promotion places.

Turnbull believes what was a very disappointing afternoon in Lincolnshire has ultimately galvanised the Cobblers.

"Ahead of that game at Scunthorpe I think we were a bit inconsistent, we were winning games here and there and getting results, and then we would end up losing," said the former Coventry City man.

"That heavy defeat is something we don't really expect here, and we certainly don't accept it as a team and as a club.

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"We had a big discussion after that game and a few meetings as well, and I think we have turned a corner from then.

"We have picked up some fantastic results and we are on a little bit of a roll.

"We are going to lose games here and there, but the main thing is that we keep on picking up points, and our home form has been absolutely unbelievable.

"Hopefully we can continue that against Scunthorpe."

The Cobblers go into Tuesday's game off the back of their excellent 0-0 draw against Sky Bet Championship side Derby County in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday night.

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Monday night's fifth round draw means that the winners of next week's replay at Pride Park has the juicy carrot of a home date with Premier League giants Manchester United to look forward to, but for now, the attention of Turnbull and his team-mates is all on Scunthorpe United and claiming more league two points.

"We are looking forward to it," said Turnbull. "It is another big game for us in the league and we need to keep picking up points because we are right up there and in the mix at the moment.

"We need to continue that form, and hopefully pick up the three points on Tuesday."

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