Cobblers shake off ring-rustiness

Northampton Town played their first pre-season fixture on Saturday The Cobblers lost out 1-0 to Brackley in the Maunsell Cup Final in a game that manager Gary Johnson used to look at his new signings in action for the first time. “I’m happy where we are at the moment but we won’t know how well we’re doing until we get into the games,” Johnson told the Chronicle & Echo prior to the match. “They’re not all about fitness. “They are about getting sharp to an extent, but it’s also about getting a togetherness and getting your philosophy across to the players so they start realising what we want from them."