Keith Curle chose not to talk too much about the two bookings for Joe Martin as he reflected on Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Crewe Alexandra.
Martin was booked for not taking a free kick quickly enough in the first half when it appeared that Michael Harriman was the man stood over the ball, while in the second half the Cobblers believed Martin had been pushed in to his man when he was adjudged to have committed a foul.
“The players gave a very committed performance, we had a good game plan and for the first 35/40 minutes it was working very well,” he said.
“We didn’t react quickly enough once Crewe started to press and the sending off obviously disrupted us. Even with ten men we defended well and put in some good blocks but I was disappointed with the second goal.
“I spoke to the referee after the game and I appreciate and respect him for taking the time to do that to explain his decisions.
“You can’t appeal a yellow card which I think is wrong. We all make mistakes and the ability to appeal a wrong decision has to be made available.
“Max Dyche joined the squad today on merit and along with Liam Cross they are the next ones to step up. Max has impressed me in training, he’s got a voice and a personality and I know he has done a lot of work on his physicality.
“He’s been a shining example for the academy and I like it when young players take that responsibility.
“We will be a bit short on numbers for Tuesday but it’s another challenge we have to go and embrace."