Boss Edinburgh happy to be facing a Cobblers selection headache

And that is exactly the way he wants it.

This week’s double capture of midfielder Matt Crooks for an undisclosed fee from Rangers as well as former Wycombe Wanders central defender Aaron Pierre means the Town first team squad is now up to 24 in number, with more to come.

Edinburgh still intends to sign two more players, and they will be a goalkeeper and an attacker.

Once the duo are snapped up, that means the Town boss will have 26 players at his disposal, and although one or two of the younger members could be sent out on loan, it will still be a very healthy squad.

There are going to be at least two players vying for every position, and that means Edinburgh is going to have to upset plenty of players every time he names his match-day 18.

“It is going to be tough, but that is the way we want it,” said the Cobblers boss.

“I don’t think it was tough enough last season, and I certainly feel we have greater dynamics to the team now, and more variation.”

The Cobblers continue their pre-season preparations on Saturday when they take on Kettering Town in the NFA Maunsell Cup Final.

The match has been switched to Wellingborough Town’s Dog & Duck ground, with a 3pm kick-off.

David Cornell will once again start in goal against the Poppies, and although Edinburgh has made no secret of the fact he wants to sign another shot-stopper, he also had words of praise for the Welshman.

“David is doing really well, so that position is not a worry for me as we have a very, very good goalkeeper in the building,” said the Town boss.

“David has got himself into a really good condition, and I am pleased with him.”

The Maunsell Cup is seen as a competitive game, so the Cobblers will only be able to use three substitutes, meaning eight players are going to get through 90 minutes.

And the Town manager said: “As we hit the weekend the 90 minutes start kicking in, and that’s when players gain a real rhythm and start to get fluency into their game.

“Now it’s where we start to look at the results, and the style of play.

“This is where the players are now looking to nail down a place in the team, and from now on it is about competition for places.

“It’s about the style, the system, and we will really start to look at that.”