Jon Brady says Laurie Walker will be a good addition to the Brackley squad – after acquiring the services of the former Kettering goalkeeper.
Saints boss Brady swooped to sign Walker after the player cancelled his contract with the Poppies earlier this week.
The stopper was not paid by the troubled Southern League Premier Division club and stated enough was enough.
He will now link up with a Brackley side flying high in the Blue Square Bet North after nine wins from 11 games.
“I’m pleased to get hold of him,” said Brady. “He will be a good addition to the squad and he’s a good, young goalkeeper.
“We’re trying to go a bit younger at the club and he will be one for the present and the future.
“I’ve only seen him a couple of times but I got good recommendations and I needed to get a keeper in.”
Meanwhile, Brady believes last weekend’s 6-1 Harrogate hammering was a ‘good lesson’ for his side.
And he has urged them to get back to basics in a bid to ensure the run of two successive defeats comes to an end against Gainsborough on Saturday.
The Saints have conceded 10 goals in their past two games, losing 4-3 at Arlesey Town in the FA Cup third qualifying round, before being hit for six at Harrogate last weekend.
That defeat will have sent shockwaves around the Blue Square Bet North, a league Brackley still sit pretty in after claiming nine wins from their first 11 games.
And Brady has urged his men to rediscover their best form when Gainsborough, who have won four of their 10 games to date, come calling this weekend.
“We were brought back down to earth with a bump last weekend,” said Brady. “We were nowhere near good enough and it’s a good lesson for us.
“We’ve got to get back to keeping clean sheets now and getting back to playing as well as we had done for the first eight or nine weeks of the season. When we do that, we gel as a team and we’ve got to start doing the simple things right.”
The Saints were never really in the game at Harrogate last weekend, with Brady admitting the opposition put in a sterling shift.
Brackley were 4-1 down at the break, with just a Glenn Walker strike to their name, and it got worse after the break as they shipped two more goals.
And the Saints boss said: “Nine out of out first 11 just not at the races and Harrogate were exceptional.
“You’ve got to give them credit, and every single player was right at the top of their level.
“We’ve had a good start to the season but when you’re up at the top of the table you’ve got to be stronger, be better and work harder.”
KETTERING TOWN
Doyle sets Monday deadline for Poppies
Alan Doyle believes there needs to be “decisive action” at Kettering Town by Monday.
And the caretaker-manager believes “that will be it” for the Poppies if the situation at Nene Park shows no sign of improvement before the start of next week.
The club has hit new depths of despair this week after it was confirmed they had failed to pay the £3,000 owed after missing payments on their Company Voluntary Arrangement.
The Poppies were told to pay that sum by Monday this week but failed to do so and it could now see the club’s creditors approached about a new action to wind up the company.
Laurie Walker became the latest player to cancel his contract with the club while a third successive game – the Red Insure Cup home tie with Arlesey Town – was postponed.
There is still no electricity at Nene Park after that was cut off due to unpaid bills while the club also remains under a registration embargo from the Southern League, who are still refusing to comment further on the situation despite numerous requests.
The talk of potential investors coming in seems to have quietened, despite it being rumoured that today could be the key day for at least one on the alleged interested parties to make their decision.
But the eerie silence is concerning Doyle with the next competitive match due to be at home against St Neots Town on Saturday week.
And in his usual honest manner, Doyle said: “If nothing is sorted out by Monday then I think that will be it.
“I was quite enthusiastic about things last weekend, it seemed there was some realistic hope but it is worrying that things have gone so quiet.
“I am just doing what I can do to keep things going from the playing side of things.
“But the issue we have now is that we only have four players officially left with the club. They are Phil Ifil, Jamie Griffiths, who is injured, Michael King and Will Muzvimbiri.
“I had been hoping to keep Ben Farrell here but I believe he is heading to Arlesey Town. What can I do? It’s not as if I can offer him anything.
“Laurie had gone this week and Warren Byerley’s 14-days notice ran out last week.
“We had a practice game last Saturday and there were half-a-dozen who impressed me and there are other boys who have been recommended.
“So we will have a look at them at Rothwell tonight and see what they can do. There isn’t a great deal more I can do.
“The situation needs to be resolved one way or another and that means getting the electricity switched back on and the CVA money being paid. If people are serious about coming in and helping then those things should be sorted out.”
CORBY TOWN
Plummere says pressure is on for FA Cup clash
Chris Plummer knows all the pressure is on his Corby Town team when they take on Hendon for a place in the first round proper of the FA Cup on Saturday.
The Steelmen head into the clash at Steel Park on the back of a heavy 5-2 home defeat to Altrincham in the Blue Square Bet North last weekend.
But Plummer’s team will be heavy favourites to book a spot alongside the npower League One and Two clubs in the live televised draw on Sunday lunchtime as they take on a Hendon team who are struggling at the wrong end of the Ryman League Premier Division.
However, the Corby manager is remaining cautious and he knows his team cannot afford to take their opponents lightly.
“I would agree that they are coming here with nothing to lose,” Plummer said.
“They are the lower ranked team and they have picked up a couple of very good results recently in the FA Cup and in the league.
“We have all the pressure on us and it is crucial that we don’t take them lightly. I certainly don’t expect that attitude from our boys.
“It is going to be a tough, tough game. But, at the same time, if we are at our best then we will have an excellent chance of going through.
“It is a huge incentive to progress through this round. To get into the first round with the Football League clubs would be fantastic and I know that is what has happened here for the past two seasons.
“It is a big opportunity for both clubs and we have to do everything we can to make sure it is us who go on.”
Should the Steelmen progress on Saturday, the draw for the first round proper, which will include Northampton Town, is being screened live on ITV at 1.30pm on Sunday.
 |  |