Cobblers wary of making additions to ‘fantastic’ squad

GO AGAIN - Chris Wilder has led the Cobblers to eight wins in their past 10 games

Town head to Plymouth Argyle on Saturday in red-hot form but with injury doubts over their leading goalscorer Marc Richards and with midfielder Joel Byrom beginning a two-match suspension for 10 bookings.

At least one youth-team player will again be in the matchday squad but while Wilder accepts his small squad is being stretched at the moment he is wary of signing any players before the March 26 loan deadline.

“We don’t want to change the winning formula that we’ve got and the habits that we’ve got into,” he said.

“And we’ve got to be respectful to the lads that are on the bench that are working hard to get in the side.

“Billy Bodin is there and he’s desperate to get a game; we’ll look to give him some time on the pitch for the reserves next week.

“But we have to be mindful of the fact that we might get injuries and while we don’t want to change the 18 at the moment, there is always a chance you will lose players to injuries or suspension.

“So we’re mindful of that and I think you’ve always got to be looking at players that can come in.”

As well as having the playing staff in place that he wants, Wilder is also appreciative of the value of the team spirit he has fostered at Sixfields.

A run of eight wins in 10 games has taken Northampton to within three points of the play-offs and while the manager is excited about the run-in, he also knows how quickly momentum can shift.

“We’re enjoying life at the moment - we’ve got an outstanding group of players and I’m enjoying watching them play,” he said.

“The recipe for success is always enthusiasm and hard work and you always have to live in the present.

“I don’t want to crush anyone’s dreams, whether that be the players, the supporters or the chairman, but it was only a couple of months ago we were talking about getting to 50 points.

“Now the gap (to the top seven) has gone from eight points to three and we’re keeping our season alive.

“We want to keep it as tight as possible for as long as we can, and then see what happens.”