Cobblers boss Dean Austin took plenty of positives during the opening day defeat to Lincoln City, Matt Green’s 48th–minute header proving decisive at the PTS Academy Stadium.
“It’s a disappointing result but I was delighted with how the boys played,” he said.
“I felt we were the better team but unfortunately we didn’t get the result our performance deserved.
“There were a lot of positives for us out there today but there are certain things that we know we need to do better.
"We need to work the ball a little bit quicker and if we can do that I think we are going to have a lot of joy.
"Once Lincoln scored it was never going to be easy and there is no doubt that they are going to be up there this season but based on our performance today there is nothing for us to fear.
“The boys are gutted but we’ve got to dust ourselves down, re-group and get ready to go again. We have to keep working hard, keep progressing and keep believing in what we are doing.
“There are going to be ups and downs this year and it is not always going to go our way but I believe we have the quality."
On the injury to Shaun McWilliams, Austin added:
“Shaun will go for a scan on Monday where we will find out the damage. Shaun has been excellent and losing him is a blow but we will just have to wait and see before we can assess the situation.”