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"We work just as hard in training whether or not we are winning or losing games but what we need to try and do now is to win consistently. We are travelling up on Friday and Preston have been very good in letting us train at their training ground. We are very grateful to them for that and it will help break the long journey up for the lads.
"Nothing surprises me in football, everyone had written Northern Ireland off before they played Spain but they beat them and most people thought they would beat Iceland and they didn't. That is the way football is and that is why nothing should surprise you.
"We have got a way of playing and at times we have passed the ball round really well this season. We have got adaptable players here and we saw that last Friday with Jason Crowe playing at left-back. He defended well against a very good threat but he also did well offensively. Eoin Jess has pushed himself into contention with some excellent performances coming off the bench and he had a great game at Rotherham.
"Jerome Watt is very much in our plans now but we won't rush him. He has still got a lot of learning to do but he has got quality and I have been very pleased with him. He has made a good impact coming on as a substitute and he might do the same if he starts but we will give him his chance when he's ready.
"We have got options but overall I'm quite happy with the squad we've got. We wanted to add one or two bodies but we will only bring players in when we think we are really ready for them. The Carlisle fans have always been unbelievably good to me and the amount of letters, cards and e-mails I had from them when I lost my wife was amazing. I had six great years there which I really enjoyed and the fans have always made me feel very welcome.
"Carlisle are very good at home but I think we can maybe go up there and surprise them. They have lost Michael Bridges and that will be a big loss for them because I think he is a quality player. They have still got Derek Holmes, Karl Hawley and Kevin Gall up front and we know they are all good players. We know how they play but we are ready for that and I think we can handle that well.
"Our away form is good and if I'm honest I think we should have had a couple of home wins on the board as well. Everyone is raving about how well Carlisle are doing but if we beat them on Saturday we will have ten points to their eleven. It is still so early on in the season. We have got Yeovil Town at home next Tuesday and I think if we can get that home win the confidence will really start flying."
Meanwhile 20-year old Cobblers centre-half Luke Chambers commented :
"We haven't lost away from home yet but we have lost all of our three home games and that is disappointing. We wanted to make it a bit of a fortress here this season but that hasn't happened for us yet. Carlisle won the league last year and although they've lost Michael Bridges they have still got a very strong attacking line-up and I think as a back four we are going to have to make sure that we are all on our toes on Saturday.
"I think we have played really well in a lot of the games we've played this season but we just haven't had any luck. We have given the ball away a bit sloppily at times but if we can cut that out I think we will do well. Jerome Watt has settled in really well and he looks a very good player. He is a different sort of player to what we have had here in recent years and he gives us a different option. He hasn't got much experience but I'm sure given the chance he will improve.
"I think we have been a bit unlucky to not have more points on the board than what we've got but things in football can change around pretty quickly, we just need to string a few results together."
The Cobblers have had a somewhat bizarre start to the season after losing all their three league games at Sixfields, while winning two games and drawing one on the road, they did lose away from home at Queens Park Rangers though, going down 3-2 in the first round of the Carling Cup. Town have no real injury problems for the clash, although they do have three players rated at "50-50" for the game, which usually means that they will be all fit on the day of the match. Andy Kirk is suffering with a groin injury picked up at Rotherham which meant he has missed training this week, while fellow Scot Eoin Jess has strained his back in training, Andy Holt's knee injury isn't as serious as first feared though and his participation will be decided following a late fitness test. David Hunt is still working his way back to full fitness following a groin problem although he did play 90 minutes for the Cobblers second-string on Tuesday and looks likely to take a place on the substitutes bench.
The referee for tomorrow is Andy Hall from Birmingham and he will be assisted down the lines by Brian Parry from County Durham and Paul Tierney from Lancashire, meanwhile the fourth official is Russell Tiffin from County Durham.