Northampton Town manager Kevin Nolan believes his side are getting better and better, despite picking up just one point from their opening four games.
The Cobblers welcome Exeter City to Sixfields tomorrow on a run of three successive defeats in all competitions and having failed to score in four. The latest result saw them go down to a solitary Freddie Draper strike against Lincoln City on Tuesday night, leaving them within the bottom four.
The Imps were the better team for the opening 30 minutes or so on their trip to Northamptonshire, but the pendulum swung as the game wore on. Northampton dominated almost the entirety of the second half but came up against an inspired George Wickens in the Lincoln goal to eventually fall to defeat.
Nolan Sees Improvement In Goal-Shy Squad
The latest result was a frustrating one for Nolan, who felt that his side deserved at least a point from the exchange. Still, he admits that his team haven’t been clinical enough in front of goal, but is pleased with the improvements they are showing. Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s game, the former Notts County boss said:
“We have to look at ourselves and what we do but what I’m seeing at this moment in time is a team getting better and better as the games go by. We’re just not executing in the final third.
“There was loads of positive stuff that we took from Stevenage and put into Tuesday and that helped us. I thought we were a bit tentative at the start of the game and we weren’t relaxed or calm enough, but it was actually when they scored that we became a better team.
“We got our foot on the ball and took control of the game and I think everyone inside the ground knows we should have taken something, but that’s the cruelty of football and that’s where we’re at.
“There are moments where we can hold onto it for longer or put it in the box earlier or make better decisions, but we’ll look at all of that with the analysts this week and we’ll just keep getting better. If we continue to improve, we’ll get to where we want to be. If we weren’t improving, I’d be a bit worried, but we’re not far off.”
Writer’s View
Few will argue that Northampton were the better team against Lincoln on Tuesday night, but their efforts in front of goal are a concern. They have just the one goal to their name so far this season and if they can’t put the ball in the net, they are in trouble. Still, it’s early days and the new members of the squad are still gelling. However, League One is an unforgiving division and this isn’t something that they can wait much longer to click into gear.
