Promotion the aim for Pierre when Cobblers kick off new season

Town still have one game remaining of the current campaign – an away trip to Oldham Athletic on Saturday – but with a mid-table finish now certain, attentions are already turning to the summer and next season.

Following relegation from League One 12 months ago, the Cobblers were expected to push for a top-seven berth this term but they’ve been well short of that having spent the vast majority in the bottom half of the table.

Nonetheless, Pierre is confident better things lie in wait come the start of next season.

“Promotion is definitely the aim next year,” he said. “Everyone wants to get promoted and it’s our job to make sure we do get promoted next season.

“As everybody knows, it’s been disappointing this season. We shouldn’t be where we are based on the players and the individual ability we have here.

“But unfortunately it doesn’t always work like that so we need to regroup for next season and make sure do things properly and we all have an understanding of what the gameplan is from minute one until the end.”

Pierre, generally considered to have been one of the standout performers in a disappointing campaign for the Cobblers, says he’s not sure why this season has not gone to plan.

“I’m responsible as well because I’m part of the squad,” he admitted. “It’s a number of things and I can’t pinpoint anything in particular.

“As individuals and as a team, we haven’t done things properly. We didn’t do things well enough and it showed but we’ve fought back and had some good runs.

“But when you’re on that wave you have to keep going because it’s difficult to get back on it, but we didn’t.”