Boothroyd’s Cobblers selection for MK Dons trip is ‘straightforward’

Town are without the three players that missed the Bristol Rovers game - Danny Emerton, Joe Widdowson and Ian Morris - plus striker Roy O’Donovan, who serves a one-game suspension.

That means Boothroyd is likely to make very few changes to the team that started in Bristol as he prepares his team for a very difficult assignment, against a Dons side currently sixth in Sky Bet League One.

“The game between us earlier in the season was tight and hard-fought, it was a very competitive game and you don’t expect anything else against a side like that,” he said, referring to the Cobblers’ 2-1 defeat to the Dons in the Capital One Cup last month.

“We haven’t got much to move around so our team will be pretty straightforward. If we can get a good run in this tournament that gives you momentum and helps galvanise your season.

“A positive result could get us up and running and we’ll work hard against a team that’s in the top six of the division above us.”

Considering the Cobblers’ recent form, a game in the much-maligned JPT is probably more of a distraction than anything else at the moment, but Boothroyd is looking forward to another cup competition and the potential financial benefits it brings.

“The league is the most important thing for us and it always will be but we want to have a run in the cups for several reasons,” he said.

“It allows the players to compete against players from a higher level and it brings revenue into the club and that can be used to take the club forward in a variety of ways.

“It all goes towards making it more of a professional outfit here.”