Stuart Gray was pleased to see the Cobblers turn their dominance into goals as they recorded a 3-1 victory over hosts FC Kleve in their final tour game.

"Kleve are no mugs but I thought we were totally dominant," he said.

"It was our best performance of the pre-season so far. We started off well but out of the blue we conceded a penalty and all of a sudden we were one goal down. We came back well and created a lot of chances but as we got near half time you began to wonder if it was going to be one of those nights until we got a penalty of our own and went on from there.

"A goal is a goal and although it was from the penalty spot it was good for Leon Constantine to get off the mark. We thought he had scored with a header that hit the bar and bounced down over the line a few minutes before that but he showed good confidence to put the penalty away.

"Mark Bunn was virtually redundant for the whole game and I was pleased we added a third goal right at the end, it gave the scoreline a fairer look and it was great for Alex Dyer to score. We will need goals from midfield and Alex is the sort of player who can develop a nice little habit of popping up with goals.

"We left four players out of the game as a precaution. Bayo has a tight calf, Andy Holt has a sore hamstring, Giles Coke jarred his knee in training and Greg Taylor turned his ankle. I think they are all minor problems and we expect them all to train on Monday back at Sixfields.

"This was a step up for us and a few things are beginning to click now. We have shown improvement in each game. I was disappointed to have conceded our first goal of pre-season, but to only have conceded one penalty in four games, whatever the opposition, shows that we are organised and defending well and that is important. We have also created a lot of chances and could have scored a few more goals.

"We started the tour in hot weather but the last couple of days have been wetter and cooler and I think the lads have appreciated that. This was a good way to end the tour and it showed real progress to me."