Cobblers boss Keith Curle previews Saturday's home game against promotion contenders Mansfield Town.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to show how we can compete against a side that is vying for automatic promotion,” he said.
“Mansfield are where we need to be and we can have a real look at what gaps we need to bridge in order to get there.
“They have got a style of play that they like to play but it’s important we go and impose ourselves on the game.
“Every game is a challenge and we need to make sure that everything we get we earn.
“Mansfield are beatable but we need to pay good attention to our roles and responsibilities and make sure we play the game how we want to play it.”