Jon Brady praised his side following their hard fought 1-0 win over Cheltenham Town.
Kieron Bowie’s penalty midway through the second half proved decisive as the Cobblers kicked off the new year with a win, their third victory in four games over Christmas.
“We had to stay in the game today and we knew it was going to be one hell of a fight,” he said.
“To get nine points from twelve over the Christmas period with the injuries we’ve had is a terrific effort.
“We’ve had to change the backline a lot and we’ve really had to manage the group.
“Tyreece Simpson lead the line superbly today and if you run hard the fans here will love you. When you are low on confidence its hard but he has turned things round with sheer work rate and effort.
“I never stopped believing in him, he’s got the ability and if he keeps working hard he will keep improving.
“Seven wins from ten has put us in a good place but we don’t look any further ahead than our next game.
“We are still waiting on news about the fitness of Sam Hoskins and Sam Sherring but hopefully we will know more later this week.
“We’ve got a little break now until our next game and that gives us a chance to have a little reset. It wasn’t the prettiest today but we showed another side to our game today and thanks to the fans for sticking by us.”