Austin accepts need to notch first win but Cobblers boss will not compromise his attacking beliefs

Town have two draws and one defeat from their opening three fixtures of the campaign but there has been a noticeable change of style with Austin looking to adopt a more front-foot, attack-minded mentality compared to his predecessor Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

That approach has yielded several clear-cut chances in each of Northampton’s three games so far and there has also been evidence of the type of passing football Austin wants his team to play – the best example being Matt Crooks’ well-worked goal at Carlisle – but it is of little use if wins continue to elude them.

Cambridge United, who have conceded nine goals in their first thee games but beat Notts County with a dramatic late winner last weekend, are the next visitors to the PTS Academy Stadium on Saturday, and while Austin admits his side are not the finished article, he won’t put unnecessary pressure on his players in their search for a first win.

“We’re a little bit of a work-in-progress because I’m trying to change the dynamic of the team and trying to change the way that we play,” he said ahead of tomorrow’s second home game of the season.

“There’s always room for improvement. I want us to play fast, offensive football and I want us to pass the ball and to entertain the crowd and I want to see our fans go away happy with smiles on their faces.

“But I do understand that the only way of doing that is by winning games of football and that’s what we’re going to try and do. I’ll always be looking to that – I’m not one of those people who will sit back and take draws and this, that and the other.

“I want to win games of football and I believe with the positivity and the positive mentality and the attitude to want to go forward, that will stand us in good stead.”

The lack of a victory so far this season, coupled with the struggles of last term, has created a certain amount of anxiety among supporters, but Austin insists his players are not feeling any extra pressure.

He added: “There’s no restlessness within the group, I can 100 per cent say that. The boys enjoy coming to work every day and they enjoy our training and what we’re trying to do.

“I think the restlessness will come from our fans and I completely understand that. We really need them to help us to strive and to push on and to keep us on the front foot.

“In the immediate term, we need to know what we’ve got to do. My players don’t need added pressure. I put a big amount of pressure on myself but that’s to improve myself as well as to win.

“The environment we’re trying to create is that, OK we want to win games, but we want to have a learning environment where people can push themselves on and we have a very good group that want to do that.”