Versatility will be a big strength for Cobblers in League One, says boss Jon Brady

Jon Brady believes the ability to be versatile is going to be crucial for the Cobblers if they are to have a successful season in League One, although he admits his squad might take a few weeks to fully hit their straps.

Northampton have had to plot their way through pre-season with meticulous precision due to the fact that so many important first-team players are coming back from long-term injuries, including captain Jon Guthrie and second-in-command Aaron McGowan.

But whilst five players will miss the start of the new campaign, Brady seems to have reached Saturday’s opening game against Stevenage with most of his squad available, even if one or two are not quite at 100 per cent.

"You always would like a bit more time but it is what it is and we have to find a way – but that's something we've always managed to do during my time at the club,” said Brady. "Potentially we might need to stagger players for the first couple of weeks but we'll have to see. Players will be earmarked and one or two will be a bit protected but that's the situation we're in.

"We'll play in the moment but more than anything we are trying to play the long game throughout the whole season to make sure we keep the squad fit and healthy. We might have to find different ways during the game and shuffle the pack around because we need to make sure the players are not too fatigued.

"It'll be what it'll be, possibly for the first couple of weeks, but we need to get over that and make sure we get results along the way."

Brady has signed five players this summer – Tyreece Simpson, Manny Monthé, Patrick Brough and returning loanees Kieron Bowie and Marc Leonard. He believes those additions, allied to the players already at the club, give him the option to play different styles and formations, something that will be key as Town take on League One.

"I think we have real versatility within the squad,” added the Cobblers boss. “It's something we’ve always liked to have in our time here – that ability to be versatile and adaptable – and we’ll need it this season.

"I feel that's important in football, especially nowadays, not to be too one-dimensional, and we're certainly not that way. Ultimately we'll play the best way we can to win the game on the day, whether that's us passing the ball or playing another way. We're good at being adaptable and finding a way to win and you've seen that over the last two and a bit years.”