Cobblers boss Keith Curle praised the defensive organisation of his side as he reflected on Saturday’s 1-0 away win at Crawley Town, Kevin van Veen’s second half penalty securing the three points.
“It was a good penalty from Kevin and you are always happy with a clean sheet away from home,” he said.
“I thought we had some good opportunities again but our decision making needs to be better.
“Our understanding needs to be better at times and we need a bit more quality in the final third.
“We need to pass and move with the ball quicker and that is something we definitely need to work on.
“I still need to see a little bit more from the players, they are growing in confidence and I see it in training but I just need them to come out of their shell a little bit more on a Saturday.
“The back five and the goalkeeper gave us a solid platform to build on but we need to take fewer touches with the ball and move it quicker.
“We were organised and disciplined today and that’s the backbone we want. We’ve got that platform but now we need the players to start believing in themselves a bit more.”