Northants still 'believe' they can avoid relegation ahead of must-win Middlesex showdown

But he accepts that Monday's trip to Middlesex is a must-win clash for the struggling County.

It is second-from-bottom hosting rock-bottom at Merchant Taylor's School in Northwood, as two sides with just three wins between them this season go head to head.

Northants currently sit bottom of the pile with just 39 points gleaned from seven matches, with Middlesex one place and 12 points better off.

Eighth place and safety is now 33 points away from Sadler's side following their disappointing innings defeat at the hands of fellow strugglers Kent last week, but they do have a game in hand on the Canterbury side who currently sit third bottom.

With the white ball now put away for a few weeks, Northants can concentrate on the Championship with three matches to be played before the start of the One Day Cup campaign in August.

Middlesex are the only team that Northants have beaten in four-day cricket this term, way back in mid-April, and asked if Monday's match is also must-win, Sadler said: "Well it is, but they will be saying the same won't they? So we won't be taking this lightly.

"We know that with a full team that we can beat anybody, but we have to play well, and we are still fighting to stay in this division.

"We have got seven games left and there is a long way to go."If we can get a couple of wins then the table looks very different, and if we can win three or four games between now and the end of the season we will be there or thereabouts."

The Middlesex trip is followed by a home clash with fifth-placed Somerset (July 19) and then a trip to Old Trafford to play seventh-placed Lancashire (July 25), and Sadler is confident his players can up their game and compete.

"We know we are still in this division, and we know we can still play some good cricket," said the head coach.

"We know we can put teams under pressure, and it is up to the lads to go out and put some performances together.

"But we absolutely believe we can still stay in this division."

Northants don't have any injury worries ahead of Monday's match, with Sadler having a full squad to pick from.

What may be of concern though is the performance of some of the team's key batters in the second team's heavy 10-wicket defeat to Worcestershire IIs at Geddington this week.

In reply to Worcester's first innings of 392 for eight declared, Northants were bowled out for 155 and then, following on, rolled over for 254 Worcester eased to 20 without loss to secure their win.

The match featured Ricardo Vasconcelos, Hassan Azad, Lewis McManus and Justin Broad, with Vasconcelos dismissed for three and 28, and McManus also falling cheaply in both innings scoring 11 and 14.

Azad and Broad, who were both out for low scores in the first dig, made half-centuries in the second innings, with Broad's 69 from 141 balls the top score, but it wasn't enough.

The match also featured all-rounder James Sales, who made 27 and 15 with the bat as well as taking one for 36 from 17 overs, and left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan, who claimed two for 97 from 37 overs in Worcester's first innings.