Cobblers boss Keith Curle says he is still very much hurting following the weekend defeat to Port Vale.
“Myself, the staff and the players still haven’t forgotten the disappointment and frustration from Saturday and we are very much in work mode to try and improve,” he said.
“It’s clear that we are lacking in certain areas and that wasn’t just on Saturday, it’s been in previous games as well. Some of our game understanding and decision making is still not as it should be and some of the fundamentals are still not in place.
“We are trying to create a culture at the football club of development and improvement and that hasn’t changed. It has probably irked some of the players that they have been in at 9am every day this week and working long hours but it’s important we work hard on all areas of our physical, tactical, technical and mental development.
“All those areas are key and we need improvement in all four areas.
“The players have been quiet; they are disappointed and frustrated because they know themselves they didn’t perform.
“The pressure for a footballer comes at the end of July when they haven’t got a contract but at the minute they are all still under contract and getting paid. They need to perform and they need to perform on a daily basis.
“Hopefully the players still want to put in performances that will either continue their journey here or earn them a contract elsewhere.
“When things are going well and players are performing you can allow them the time off but when things aren’t going well it is important to stop negativity and myself and the coaching staff need to be with the players more to try and spread the message.
“As soon as the players arrive at the ground they are in work mode and they are here to develop and improve. It doesn’t matter if it’s the 3rd of August or coming in to April every day is an opportunity to improve.”