Cobblers boss Keith Curle said he did see signs of progress in his team as he reflected on the Boxing Day draw against Swindon.
“We started the game very well and it was a great ball in from Kevin van Veen for Andy Williams,” he said.
“We made Swindon look very ordinary in the first half and if we get that second goal I think it’s a different story.
“Their goal came from a poor clearance from our throw and there are still things to work on.
“We are starting to be a bit more expressive and expansive in our play but we still need the understanding that you just need the simple pass when sometimes we go for the killer ball.
“We looked solid in the first half and moved the ball well but as the game wore on we became very excited on the counter-attack and we became a bit too open.
“Our passing became a bit sloppy and we need to make sure that we keep our shape. There were a lot of positives though and we just need to make sure that when we go 1-0 up and we are on top we get that second goal.”