The Cobblers boss ahead of Sunday's trip to Sileby Rangers
The Cobblers kick off their pre-season campaign at Sileby Rangers on Sunday (KO 3pm) with boss Chris Wilder looking forward to getting underway.
“We’ve got a really good relationship with Sileby and we are really looking forward to the game,” he said.
“There was a fantastic surface there last year and it was a really good opener for us. The game was played in the right temperament and in a good atmosphere.
“We have to get into good habits and we have to do things at the right time whether we are playing a local team or a Championship team here in pre-season or we draw a Premier League team in the FA Cup.
“We don’t want to pick up any injuries but we want to be competitive and that mentality is key. We want to do well and we want to win.
“I know that every player wants to be playing in the first game of the season and competition has to be fierce.
“In a way pre-season is an individual sport because players are trying to play their way into a first team place but they have to drive each other on. That is determined by the character of the player and we feel we’ve got a lot of good characters in this group.”