Northampton Aiming for Top-Half Spot

Last updated : 24 November 2014 By County Ground

The trip to Southend United on Saturday provides an opportunity for Chris Wilder and his side to continue their upward progression of recent weeks.

"It’s two wins out of three in the league with two clean sheets and we can go to Southend next week now in good heart," said the manager after a hard-fought victory against Stevenage at the weekend was secured by Marc Richards' early goal.

The return of Richards has been a major plus and Wilder also praised Kelvin Langmead for his display on his first start since March 2013. The 29-year-old defender agreed with his manager that the performance against Stevenage was secondary to the three points that were ground out by the home side.

Southend go into the game on the back of a victory at Tranmere, boss Phil Brown saying afterwards: "We were professional in the way we saw them off and it's now three wins on the bounce. I'm really pleased with my players and we can all – including the travelling support – go home happy!"