Upbeat Edinburgh sees lots of positives after Cobblers edge out Rams

Marc Richards scored the only goal of the game when he applied the finishing touch to a flowing move in an impressive first-half showing from Town.

They had to show their resilient side in the second period when Derby dominated possession and exerted pressure but, despite some ragged moments, Edinburgh's men dug deep to keep a clean sheet and earn a notable victory, much to his delight.

"I'm extremely pleased," he said afterwards. "I've been disappointed with the last two performances but it was a different scenario tonight.

"We saw less of the ball but we looked very solid defensively and deserved the clean sheet against a very good side who moved the ball well.

"The players have worked hard and that gave us a good gauge of the level of fitness and where we're at right now.

"It was quite incredible to see how many fans turned out, just short of 3,000, and I think they were entertained. There were a lot of new players and new faces and I thought there were some really promising performances, certainly with the three centre-halves and then Regan Poole coming on in the second-half to make it four.

"Both wing-backs were outstanding so there were some real positives, and the biggest one is the clean sheet."

With so many players vying for starting spots across the pitch, Edinburgh knows he faces several selection headaches come next week's opener at Shrewsbury.

He added: "There'll be some tough decisions to make but that pleases me, and at times last season I didn't feel I had that.

"We need to keep everyone fit. If we can do that there'll be some real tough decisions but I look forward to them because I'd rather have those decisions to make than them be made for me."