Cobblers boss Boothroyd keen on overseas pre-season training camp

Last summer the squad spent a week in Croatia, training three times a day and playing three friendly matches against local opposition.

Previous years have seen the club spend time in Austria, Spain, Portugal and the United States as part of their preparations for new seasons.

Manager Aidy Boothroyd is a big fan of the merits of such experiences, but is adopting a ‘wait and see’ attitude to any potential trips this year.

“We haven’t got anything arranged yet but we are trying to sort something out because I think it is very important,” he said.

“When you’ve got 46-plus games and your cup competitions it is very important that you get a lot of the work done in the five-and-a-half weeks you get in pre-season.

“Ideally we will get away somewhere but it’s not always possible so we might have to wait and see on that one.”

The Cobblers begin their pre-season friendly schedule at United Counties League side Sileby Rangers on July 13, and are certain to have made a number of new additions to the squad by then.

Boothroyd now faces the task of ‘selling’ Northampton Town to potential new players and said: “It’s the same sort of speech that I was giving to players when I first got here.

“It’s got a lot of potential but the difference now is that it’s a much happier place.

“I really enjoyed last season apart from the last game, which was a very poor ending to a very good campaign.

“We got people believing again and we got people in Northampton smiling again.

“I think overall it was a good season but we wanted something at the end of it to make it memorable and one that people look back on.

“To do that this season we have to look at our systems and our processes as a football department and we’ve got to get the right players in to complement the ones we’ve got.

“I’ve buried my head in a load of stats to see where we were good and where we fell short and then come up with a formula to make us a team that is better, more mobile, keeps more clean sheets and can win away from home.

“Sometimes, though, when you’re involving yourself with all of that you can throw the baby out with the bath water and I don’t want to do that because I think we’ve got a lot of good things here.”