Bury haven't '˜become bad players overnight' warns Cobblers boss Page

Out-of-sorts Bury will turn up at Sixfields on Saturday off the back of a wretched run of form.
Cobblers boss Rob PageCobblers boss Rob Page
Cobblers boss Rob Page

Monday’s 2-0 home defeat to Bolton Wanderers in front of the Sky Sports cameras was the Shakers’ sixth in a row in all competitions, and a fifth straight loss in Sky Bet League One.

Dave Flitcroft’s team haven’t claimed as much as a point since they won 3-1 at MK Dons on September 27 - a result that at the time was their sixth straight victory!

It seems they are very much a boom or bust kind of team, and Cobblers manager Rob Page is certainly one who won’t be reading too much into Bury’s current run of dismal form.

“Saturday is a tough game, against a team that had an unbelievable start to the season,” said Page, who saw his own team end a run of five games without a win with last Saturday’s 4-2 triumph at rock-bottom Shrewsbury Town.

“Bury are still in the top half and Monday night was their sixth defeat on the bounce, so that goes to show the start they had was fantastic.

“They are a good group and don’t become bad players overnight, so we have to respect that and what they are all about.

“But like I said after the game (at Shrewsbury) last Saturday, you could have put anybody in front of us and we would have come out as winners in my opinion, so it is about replicating that.”

As a fellow manager, Page sympathises with Bury boss Flitcroft’s plight, and said : “We have had a couple of games and results that haven’t gone our way, and every team will go through that.

“The team we are playing on Saturday is certainly going through it at the minute, and it is one of those things you have to work hard at to put right.”

Cobblers are boosted by the return of midfielder Matt Taylor, who has now served his three-match ban for his sending-off at Scunthorpe, but top-scorer Alex Revell is missing as he is banned for one-match after collecting five bookings.

There are no injury concerns for the Town squad, which Page says is ‘fighting fit’.