Northampton boss Jon Brady is calling for the Cobblers fanbase to fully get behind their team with crunch promotion fixtures still to come, in an interview with The Northampton Chronicle and Echo.
Jon Brady’s men find themselves in 2nd spot at the time of writing, three points clear of nearest challengers Stockport, Carlisle and Stevenage all directly below the Cobblers.
Northampton’s recent form, however, could be seen as a cause for concern especially as the League Two season begins to wind down.
After going the entirety of March unbeaten – only conceding one goal in a draw away at Hartlepool – Jon Brady’s side were convincingly beaten 3-0 at Newport on Good Friday courtesy of two Omar Bogle strikes.
They responded to that setback in Wales with a narrow 2-1 victory over Gillingham at home, William Hondermarck scoring his first ever goal for Northampton late on to secure the vital three points.
Although recent matches suggest some nerves kicking in for Northampton Town, Jon Brady’s men have only lost four matches in League Two in the entirety of 2023.
Injuries down at Sixfields in recent weeks have been crushing for The Cobblers, resulting in Jon Brady having to call upon the likes of his extended squad to fill in for notable absentees.
Crucial individuals such as Ben Fox and Tyler Magloire have already been ruled out for the rest of the season, with The Cobblers having to continue to dig deep over the next few weeks to ensure promotion to League One is secured.
Speaking with the Northampton Chronicle and Echo, Cobblers boss Jon Brady praised his team for continuing to perform in spite of the injury list stacking up.
He said: “I get a lot of stick on social media but it’s about taking the pressure off these players because we have no divine right to win a game at this level at any time, let alone with so many injuries.
“To win games with 10 plus players out consistently, it’s just testament to the players and their belief and their mindset and now we have five more games to go.”
The Australian born manager also called out moaning supporters, actively telling disgruntled fans to ‘go away’ if they’re not willing to get 100% behind their team during the promotion run-in.
He said: “Whoever gives this team stick, I don’t want them here. Everyone needs to get behind this group because we need the people who are behind this town and behind this football club really roaring us on and helping us that way.
“They can be the 12th man. But if you want to moan, go away, I don’t want to know you.”
Writer’s View
When the going gets tough and the season begins to wind down to the make-or-break matches, any team in that situation needs the unwavering full support of their fanbase to get them over the line.
Frustrations over the injuries piling up at Sixfields is understandable from the Cobblers support, but the players who do feature in their final five League Two matches need all the backing they can get.
It’s commendable to see Jon Brady call out detractors and he’ll hope this message of getting behind the team will translate to passionate atmospheres and brilliant victories to secure automatic promotion out of the fourth tier.
