Cobblers boss Dean Austin says his squad is ready and prepared as he previews the season opener against Lincoln City at the PTS Academy Stadium on Saturday.
“Everybody is chomping at the bit and ready to go,” he said.
“We’ve had a good pre-season, everything went according to plan and we are where we need to be.
“We had a good finish to last season and we had a right go in a very difficult situation but the first game of a new season is always a little bit of a step into the unknown.
"We know exactly what to expect on Saturday and there has been no stone left unturned in terms of our preparation.
“Danny and Nicky Cowley have done exceptionally well and we know we have a very tough game on our hands.
“We respect the opposition a lot but we know what we need to do, how we need to play and the weaknesses in the opposition we need to try and exploit.
“Hopefully we will get a great crowd in and I know the fans will be right behind us from the start. I have felt a lot of love from the people here and that’s a big reason why I took the job.
“I’ve got a fantastic group of lads and I know that they will work their socks off and give absolutely everything.
“I’m very happy with the squad I’ve got and I’m very fortunate to have a fantastic Chairman and a board that have supported me very well in the summer.
“We’ve improved the squad in areas where we felt we needed to, we are going to have more than 50 games this season and you need a squad to be able to cope with that.
“We have got a very good mix in terms of age and experience and we have the adaptability to be able to change our personnel and our structure in any game.
“I want to win games of football and I have that expectation on myself so I don’t think the expectation from the outside is any higher than what I put on myself.
“We know what we are going into this season and we know it’s going to be tough but if our attitude is right and the desire is there together with the ability I think we will be competitive.”