McCormack can see similarities between dressing rooms at Cobblers and Hatters

Heads up: Alan McCormack was back on the pitch at the weekend.

The Irish midfielder was coming off successive promotions with Luton Town, first out of League Two in 2017/18 before playing 23 times last season as the Hatters topped League One, when he found himself a free agent in the summer.

It was only McCormack's mixed injury record that led to his exit from Kenilworth Road but his experience, quality and knowhow made it a matter of time until he found a new club and so it proved as Curle quickly came along with a one-year deal in early June.

The first two months of his time at the PTS Stadium didn't quite gone to plan, either individually or from the team's perspective, but if anyone knows how quickly things can change, it's McCormack.

Speaking prior to recent wins over Salford and Carlisle, the 35-year-old said: "It's early in the season and you certainly don't win the league at this stage of the season.

"I don't even look at the table most weekends. I just find out who I'm playing the coming weekend and get ready for that game because you can only take one game at a time."

Despite his injury problems, McCormack was an influential figure in the dressing room throughout his time at Luton, who finished second in League Two and then followed it up by blowing away all before them in the division above.

It's a path that the Cobblers would dearly love to follow, and whilst they remain a long way off at this stage, McCormack can see some similarities between his time at Kenilworth Road and the PTS Stadium.

"In the dressing room I can," he said. "I think we've got a great dressing room here.

"I know there was a lot said about the dressing room last year and some people and players who were here hadn't quite got the club at heart.

"I don't see that this season. I see a group that's very close in terms of friendships in the dressing room and everybody gets on.

"We've got no bad eggs in the dressing room. Everyone works and pushes themselves but for me it's about the collective unit on the pitch - driving, pushing and not letting standards drop.

"Those are the little things that matter. If you add one or two per cent from every player in every game, that's a huge difference to your overall performance. That's what we need to get right."