We caught up with the manager on Saturday to get some immediate post-match reaction:

"Sometimes you find that you are more disappointed with the circumstances surrounding a result than you are with the actual result itself. That's the situation that we find ourselves in today. The fact that you concede a late goal makes it more difficult to accept the draw as a result because you have begun to think that you are going to win.

The draw is obviously not a defeat, it keeps that unbeaten run going and there are positive things to take from it. Northampton lifted their game today and responded to the talking to that they had from their manager, and that made it really tough for us. Our response was to put ourselves in a position where we made sure that we didn't lose the game, although I have a team in the dressing room who now feel that they have lost, because of the manner of the equaliser. That tells me that I've got a good team here, because they don't like to concede goals like that.

The equaliser came from what was a little bit of naivety in my opinion. We were 2-1 up, the board has gone up to show the time added on, and we've got the Northampton left back penned in by his own corner flag. Joe Anyinsah then touches him and a foul is given. Next thing they are up in our half and they've scored. You do have to ask whether we should be giving the ball away, or the foul, when we were up in their corner in the first place. Joe is a young lad who is still learning, and I've spoken to him about it, and it's a lesson for everyone to take away, because we do need to know when to run a game away and see it out. If we have to learn the hard way, which we have today, then that's how it has to be, as long as we do learn from it.

It's nice for us to be getting frustrated about not getting ourselves back to top spot. That means that we're looking at things at the right end of the table. We've got to cope and deal with the different kinds of pressures that it brings, and I think we'll do that. We have to keep it all in perspective. We're fourth in the table with one of the fewest defeats and one of the better goal scoring records. We've got one of the better defensive records, so that tells me that we're not bad at all. I'm not trying to defend anything today, but we've got to make sure that we maintain what we're doing and keep ourselves up there.

I know people will have a grumble at Keiren and their first goal, because it's come from distance and looked like it went underneath him. However, what a save he made later on in the game, and he's been doing that all season. These are young lads, and as long as they use the disappointment at not winning the game to help them to move on, which I know they will, then they will be fine. It's not about what happened, it's about what they do next that really matters. We've drawn today, and I'll look at it purely for knowledge and information to take in to the next game. If the players do that as well then we will continue to improve.

Keiren is a top quality keeper. I could see he was disappointed at half time and I said to all of them: "Put your hand up, any one of you, if you haven't made a mistake during that 45 minutes." None of them did. Keepers and defenders get highlighted if they make a mistake, as does a striker if he misses an open goal, but it's all part of the game. As a professional footballer you have to learn to deal with it, and the best way to do that is to learn from it and kick on.

I took the team sheet in to the officials at the beginning of the game and the Referee seemed fine. He told us that conditions were difficult and that he'd be giving a bit of allowance for that, and suddenly you get a flurry of yellow cards. I think Danny Carlton got booked for kicking the ball away, and that card counts in the same way as it does for the Northampton players who committed some fairly bad fouls. We can't even appeal that, and it doesn't seem to be right to me. The offences don't match in any way at all, but they end up with same end result, a yellow card.

I must admit, if our second goal had been given against us then I'd have been disappointed. The crowd behind me were having a go at me about it, and all I said to them was that it wasn't my fault. I actually agreed with them because I would have wanted that free kick as well. I am biased, but I'm not totally unfair, and I am happy to admit that I would have been screaming for a free kick if it had happened at our end. However, Joe has scored from it for us, so we're happy to take it.

There was another goal for us at 2-1 up. We created a few decent chances and the feeling was that Danny Carlton had run his socks off, so we brought Kev Gall on to add that extra bit of pace. He's the kind of player who can play off the last man, and it causes the other team problems. Danny Graham had a chance when he came on, so we always felt like there was another goal there for us. By bringing Thirlwell on we also thickened things up in the middle, and we were causing them a few scares. We didn't manage to get  the goal and, as I keep saying, we'll learn from what happened.

I've maintained throughout my career that if you have a strong bench then you have a very good side. To have players like Gall, Murphy, Graham and Thirlwell to come on, then it gives you real options. Hopefully we can keep that sort of presence right through the squad. I won't ever make changes for the sake of it, but it is nice to have strong options. These lads have all been first team players themselves, and they are a major part of why we are where we are. There is not doubt in my mind that they will all continue to play a big part as well. I keep telling them that, and some of them may not see it that way, because they all want to play every game. Some of these lads are top quality players, and they'll be back in the first team when they are needed. As I tell all of our players, if the team wins then we all win, and it's my job to make those selections. It's the same for Arnison, Joyce, Smith and the others who we have here, they will all be needed and they are all good players who I can call on,.and that's good to know.

We can talk about Orient being a big game next week, and then you look ahead to the following week and it may be even bigger when we play Swansea. The longer we continue to stay in the top six then the more these types of games will come along. I'm happy to have what you might call a big game every week, because it means we're doing things right somewhere along the line.

I have now spoken to Preston about Joe Anyinsah and reminded them that he goes back to them on the 18th of this month. Whatever happens he has to stay there, he can't go anywhere else, and I have told them that I am interested if they aren't. It takes three parties to be interested to make something happen, so we'll see where we go with it come January. Obviously, with him going back, it does present an opportunity for someone else. He has one more game with us, and I hope he goes out with a bit of a flash and then we can think about who slots in to the team afterwards."