AIDY BOOTHROYD says having a small squad is going to be the Cobblers’ biggest strength, but also their biggest weakness this season.
Town’s first team squad is currently just 18 players strong, and that includes injured pair Shane Higgs and Nana, although at least two and possibly three additions are expected to be made to that.
But it seems the Town boss is not going to work with a squad of more than 20 or 21 players, and although he admits that is a gamble, he insists it is exactly how he wants it.
The manager has gone for quality rather than quantity in his summer recruitment drive, and he said: “We did a lot of work early on in the summer getting six players in to add to the boys we brought in in January, and also the ones that were here before.
“But getting the right characters is of paramount importance, because we aren’t going to be a big squad, we are going to be a thin squad.
“That is going to be our biggest strength, but also our biggest weakness because we will have better players, but we will have a smaller, more compact squad, so we have to keep the players fit.
“But we are still a couple of players short of where we should be.”
The Cobblers continue their pre-season preparations today with a friendly clash against a Tottenham Hotspur XI at Sixfields, and Boothroyd has confirmed he will make changes to the team which lost 4-3 to Derby on Tuesday.
But with such a small squad, the changes he can make are minimal, and he admits it is all a balancing act as approaches these warm-up games.
“The players are looking very fit, but it’s a fine balance between wanting to win the games, wanting to get the minutes in and getting the team to gel together, but then also wrapping the players in cotton wool,” said the Town boss.
“We are threadbare, which is my choice, because I want to go with quality, and I would rather have what we’ve got now than what was here when I arrived, which is not a criticism, it’s just me.”
Despite disappointing results in pre-season - Town have only beaten local side Novigrad in Croatia and UCL side Cogenhoe United - Boothroyd is happy with the progress being made, and saw things in the defeat to Derby that he admits got him excited.
“We saw something on Tuesday night something that I have known for a little while, and that is that Ishmel Demontagnac can catch pigeons, he is exceptionally quick,” said the Town boss, who is likely to give starts against Tottenham to Adebayo Akinfenwa, Jake Robinson and Ben Tozer, as well as run-outs to trialists Louis Moult and Michael Bryan.
“Alex Nicholls is really quick, Clive Platt is more than just a target man, we have a difference and a variety in how we attack.
“Chris Hackett can play in about 18 positions, he is just one of those players that can play anywhere.
“Ben Harding is getting fitter as well, and in some positions we have the right amount of depth, but in other positions we are a little short as we know.
“We don’t start for a couple of weeks though, so this is where I get my lists out and I start making calls again, and it’s where the chairman starts getting upset with me because my phone bill is so big!”
Kick-off at Sixfields today is 3pm, and our man at the game is report Tom Vickers.
You can follow his live updates on Twitter (@WheresTommyV) and on the Chronicle & Echo Twitter feed (@chronsport), while he will be posting a report and reaction on www.northamptonchron.co.uk after the match.