Cobblers boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink says his side know the importance of the fixture as he previews Saturday’s game at Fleetwood.
“There is no doubt it’s a big game for both teams,” he said.
“It’s not going to decide anything but it can push one team in the right direction or make things a little bit harder.
“Fleetwood have been hard to beat in their last few matches and they have been a little bit more solid. They have played a different system in their last three games and it’s important we are flexible.
“We have been very stubborn away from home and I want that to continue. We want our away performances to keep going and we need to keep working hard on getting our home form better.
“We didn’t get the three points that we wanted and I felt we deserved against Shrewsbury but overall the performance was very positive and encouraging. It showed the commitment is there but we need that level of performance on a more consistent basis.
“It felt like there was a real unity between the fans and the players on Tuesday night and that’s what we need. We are definitely a lot stronger together and it would have been so nice if we could have got the three points but it gave the players a big boost and I can say to the players now that’s the minimum we need to do.”