Upbeat boss Wilder looking forward to exciting run-in for Cobblers

Town have 11 games left to play and are 10th in Sky Bet League Two, five points off the play-off places and with back-to-back home games against Tranmere Rovers and Carlisle United next on the schedule.

Wilder’s squad has started to look a little stretched, with leading goalscorer Marc Richards out for up to eight weeks with an Achilles injury and influential midfielder Joel Byrom halfway through a two-game suspension.

But he is confident his team can generate plenty of excitement in the final furlong of the season.

“We’re in that little 11-game league now and we’ve got it all to play for, as have a lot of other teams,” he said.

“There will be twists and turns through Saturdays and Tuesdays and we’ve got to try to be as consistent as possible.

“We’re taking two points a game over what has been arguably the most difficult period of our season, and with losing key players like (Chris) Hackett and Marc Richards.

“If we’d have gone under at Plymouth that would have disappointed us but we kept fighting and made sure they had to work hard to beat us. We pushed them all the way.

“I think it bodes well for the rest of the season and it’s going to be an exciting and interesting last 11 games.”

Wilder has signed James Gray on loan from Accrington to help cover Richards’ absence but he is also hopeful of an enhanced contribution from Billy Bodin, who played for half an hour at Plymouth and will get some fitness-boosting minutes in a practice match this week.

“I think we saw on Saturday a little cameo performance of what he can give us and he will play in a reserve game on Tuesday,” he said.

“He floats about in good areas, he suits the way we want to play and he’s a goal threat as well.

“He hasn’t played any football for a long time so to perform the way he did at Plymouth on Saturday in a difficult game was pleasing for us.”