Jon Brady is under no illusions about how tough Saturday’s trip to Sutton United will be.
“Sutton are riding a crest of a wave at the moment but we feel we have improved a lot since our game earlier this season and we are really looking forward to the challenge on Saturday,” he said.
“I was at their game on Tuesday night and they are a good side. They play at a high energy, the players know their roles inside out and they are physically strong.
“They play a way that suits them, the purists might not like it but they are highly successful in what they do. They are very organised, good on set pieces and overall they are a good strong side.
“We learnt a lot from our game against them earlier in the season and I feel we have improved a lot as a group since then.
“We are facing teams that are in form at the top of the table at the minute but I think it’s good timing for us.
“It’s an old cliché but we just have to focus on one game at a time.”
Brady has meanwhile confirmed Benny Ashley-Seal has returned to training
“Benny is back training with the group which is good and we look fit and strong at the moment.”
Finally, the Cobblers boss responded to speculation about defender Ali Koiki being linked with other clubs.
"We have an option on Ali's contract that we can take up at any time of our choosing," he said.
"Ali has to keep his form strong and continue to play well and just focus on that.
"We want to build foundations to a really strong side here and Ali is certainly in those plans for the future.
"He has done really well so far and he's a big asset to our team because he really impacts games, both defensively and offensively."