More to come from Cobblers, says Curle

KEITH Curle is convinced there is more to come from his in-form Northampton side who are unbeaten in five after victory at Crewe.

Goals from Daniel Powell and John-Joe O’Toole inside four first-half minutes ensured the Cobblers got a firm grip of the game so that Crewe’s late flurry, during nine minutes of stoppage time, proved irrelevant.

Crewe have been impressive at Gresty Road, but succumbed to back-to-back home defeats after struggling to combat the physicality of Powell, O’Toole and Marvin Sordell.

Curle admitted it had been his game plan to suffocate the hosts’ passing game.

“It was a game that if we had come here and stood off Crewe, then we could have been in for a very difficult afternoon,” said Curle.

“But we stopped Crewe from playing, nullified their threat and proved we can score goals away.”

Curle, appointed back in October when the Cobblers were struggling, is coy on mounting a play-off push, but stresses his changes are taking effect at the club.

“There is still more to come from us,” said Curle.

“We’re still putting down foundations to implement the culture we need to have at the football club.”

Curle’s side made their first-half dominance count, overpowering Crewe at a corner for their first after 28 minutes, with Sordell’s shot bouncing up off the turf, before Powell made no mistake with a close-range header.

The second saw Powell deliver expertly to the near post where O’Toole raced in and volleyed into the roof of the net just after the halfhour mark.

The visitors could have had more when Charlie Goode, whose head injury and eventual substitution contributed to the lengthy injury-time, seeing a shot on the roof of the net.

Crewe’s best chance was blazed over from close range by Jordan Bowery in the opening minutes, although Callum Ainley’s late effort was well saved by David Cornell, who excelled further when turning Chris Porter’s blockbuster over the crossbar.

Crewe boss Dave Artell said: “If Chris scores that chance there’s nine minutes left, but we don’t want to be coming from behind at home.

“Let’s not kid ourselves those chances were too little too late for me. It was a hugely poor display.”