League One might be our home for a few more weeks, so I guess we ought to cover the news here. We’re also doing Championship round-ups now, for those who prefer to look forward, not backwards.
Calderwood demands response from struggling Cobblers
Northampton Town’s inability to recover after conceding first has been highlighted as a major concern by interim boss Colin Calderwood.
Northampton have lost nine consecutive matches, with a recurring pattern emerging in recent weeks. In six of those defeats, they have conceded inside the opening half hour and failed to mount any meaningful comeback, something the interim manager admits must be addressed quickly.
“The first half was a fairly normal performance but the second half is determined by the opening goal and the ease of it is the most irritating thing,” said Calderwood.
“The lads felt and looked a little bit deflated, and they probably were, but they kept going, you can’t say otherwise, but something we need to address going forward is the ability to come back to win games.
“It’s a determining factor in lots of successful teams. Ideally, you score the first goal and you win, but it becomes more and more important as you go up the divisions to be able to recover from conceding the first goal.
“It maybe evens itself out towards the bottom of the league, there’s probably no great disparity between quite a few teams, but the ones who end up doing well show the ability to come from behind and score late goals to win games. Those are big indicators for good teams – you’re able to win games in various states and various ways.”
Their latest setback came against Doncaster Rovers, where they again struggled to respond after falling behind, underlining the psychological challenge facing the squad as results continue to go against them.
Attention now turns to a difficult trip to Cardiff City, with Northampton needing a significant turnaround to avoid a tenth straight defeat against a side that has already secured promotion.
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