Curle says '˜we don't take our foot off the gas' as Cobblers prepare for Oldham visit

Matt Crooks scored a 20-minute hat-trick before half-time and Daniel Powell also netted as the Cobblers stormed into a 4-0 lead inside 44 minutes at Moss Rose.

They were in cruise control in the second half and created further chances, with Aaron Pierre scoring a late fifth to complete a wonderful evening for Town, who have now won three of their six games under Curle.

But it’s back to business when Oldham Athletic visit the PTS Academy Stadium on Saturday, and Curle knows his side’s exploits on Tuesday will count for nothing once kick-off rolls around.

“Tuesday was another building block for us,” Curle said.

“It’s a win away from home, a clean sheet, scoring goals and that’s the foundation that we’re trying to put in place for the players.

“But that doesn’t just come with a good away win. We’ll be back in work on Thursday and reset the foundations to make sure the understanding is there.

“We don’t take our foot off the gas.

“The expectation I have is that, yes, going away to beat Macclesfield is a necessity that we want, but it’s not the end of our ambition of where we want to go.”

Having made four changes on Tuesday, Curle faces more selection headaches for the visit of the Latics, who are 12th in Sky Bet League Two after beating Cheltenham Town 2-0 in midweek.

“The players that came in did well,” he added.

“I thought Shaun McWilliams slotted in at right-back and I’ve been desperate to get 90 minutes out of Jack Bridge because he’s done very well every time he’s come on.

“Some players played in their orthodox positions within the back four, but I’ll have a look at Oldham and I have some more ideas in my mind.

“It’s only helped when you see players on the field of play - that’s where they’re assessed and I’ve got to say the attention to detail and attentiveness in training has been excellent.

“Their willingness to express themselves has also been excellent and they’re also prepared to ask questions and ask why.

“As a coach, I will never have a problem with answering a player’s question about why they want to do certain things.

“It’s encouraging when players have that trust in you and there’s no fear to ask questions.”