Boothroyd: Don’t panic! Our strikers are better than Bayo

Akinfenwa left Sixfields over the summer after his two-year contract came to an end, and three other forwards - Jake Robinson, Louis Moult and Lewis Wilson - also departed.

Only JJ Hooper has been signed in that department, although Liam Dickinson - who injured a hamstring in a friendly match while on trial - is still on the club’s radar.

But Boothroyd has stressed his happiness with the squad at present and insists he will not make any panic signings.
“One of the supporters asked me before the MK Dons game asked me who we’re going to bring in to replace Bayo and I told them we’ve got better strikers than Bayo at the club now,” he said.

“I love Bayo and he’s brilliant but in order for us to be where we want to be we can’t rely on one man and I’ve been saying that for 18 months.

“The whole team has to be able to score goals and I take responsibility for that.

“I’m not going to be panicking and if I sign someone it’ll be someone that I want to sign and that I think will improve us.

“It may be a young one or it may be a senior one and within that I’ll be working within the budget and within financial fair play.

“I think about what we do and I’m trying to make us better for longer. I’ll bring a player in when I want to, not when anybody else wants to. I’m in charge.”

Boothroyd gave debuts to six players in the team’s opening game at York City and a seventh - Hooper - had a full debut in the Capital One Cup defeat to MK Dons on Tuesday night.

It has led to a feeling of great change of Sixfields, but Boothroyd insists that was necessary to enable the club to progress from their sixth-placed finish last season.

“As far as I’m concerned, there’s no big panic,” he said.

“It would have been easy to keep the team from last season but if we’re going to play the way I want us to play then the team from last season had to be dismantled and started again.”