JAKE ROBINSON has vowed to fight for his future at the Cobblers and says if he leaves the club this summer he will regard his time at Sixfields as a ‘complete failure.’
The former Shrewsbury Town and Torquay United striker failed to score last term and found himself marginalised over the second half of the season to the point where Aidy Boothroyd has told the player he is not in his first-team plans for next year.
But Robinson is determined to return to the club for pre-season training and force his way back into the manager’s thoughts.
“Aidy and I had a one-on-one conversation and you know pretty much what was said in that and we were very honest in that,” he said.
“I agreed with everything he said but I told him I’m coming back in pre-season to fight for a place in the team.
“I’m not coming back here to have another season of sitting on the bench, especially if the team is going to be a lot more successful, I want to be part of that.
“This would be the first season I’ve had in a long time where I’m coming back to do a pre-season where I’m not first choice, I’m not in the manager’s plans.
“So I will have to do something special in every single training session to fight for my place.
“At the moment, I’m not first choice and we’ve made a couple of signings already but I’m not one to let my head go down.”
Robinson arrived as something of a marquee signing 12 months ago but has never really hit form in claret and white, suffering more than most amid the confusion of the Gary Johnson reign and never rebuilding his confidence.
The 25-year-old will accept Boothroyd’s decision if he does oversee his transfer away from Sixfields this summer but admits he wants one final attempt to recover his professional pride with Northampton.
“I’m determined to be a success here,” he said. “If I leave before next season starts then my whole time here would have been a complete failure and that’s not something that sits easily with me at all.
“I want to at least have one more last go at it with Northampton and salvage some professional pride if you like.
“That would make myself a bit happier about my time here and if I don’t get that chance then that’s up to the manager.
“He might think it would be best for both parties for me to move on and we’ll have to deal with that if it happens but I’m 100 per cent committed to staying here.”