Alan McCormack, Joe Martin, Scott Wharton and Reece Hall-Johnson have all returned to field-based training this week, Cobblers boss Keith Curle has confirmed.
“We have got players coming back who are now field based training,” he said.
“Alan, Joe, Scott and Reece are all back out training on the grass which is good but there is a return to playing protocol that they need to follow because of the time they’ve missed and gone are the days when a player declares himself fit and he’s straight back in the team. Everything is monitored and we need to make sure the players get back up to the right levels before moving them forward to the next stage.
“The game on Tuesday was a good opportunity for some players to get some game time, we’ve bought Andy Fisher in as direct competition for David Cornell and it was a good opportunity for him to come in an impress in a game that counts.
“We have got some players missing through injury at the minute but the squad is still competitive.
“The loan window closes on Monday but you can still pick up players after that who are out of contract. There are some good players who haven’t been able to get themselves fixed up yet.
“We are continually identifying players but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, and especially in the light of what has happened this week, we need to show good housekeeping.
“We’ve seen this week what happens if a football club is miss-managed, everybody knows football clubs run at a deficit but you have still got to be able to pay your way.
“We are doing a lot of work to make sure this club is sustainable and a well-run business, that shows good leadership, good organisation and a good understanding of the industry.”