Interim boss Calderwood hopes to lift Cobblers

Interim boss Colin Calderwood wants to generate some positivity around Northampton Town as they look to avoid relegation from League One.

Calderwood, the club's technical director, was put in charge following the sacking of manager Kevin Nolan after a run of only one win in 16 league games.

He will be involved in the process of choosing Nolan's successor but also has to find a way to quickly improve fortunes on the pitch, assisted by Ian Sampson.

"The pressure of the moment, the pressure of where we are in the league, the pressure of recent results, the pressure of the manager losing his job, all adds up - somehow we've got to free that up and get some positivity, a smile on faces, and an improvement in results," the Scot told BBC Radio Northampton.

"We've got to hang onto the coat tails of those above us minimum. We've got to make sure we are still connected and still fighting for that League One status come the last couple of games.

"We've got to look as if we're a different animal, we're hurt, we're fighting for our survival, we've got to transmit that energy to the fans - and we've got to believe that the fans are still with us, which undoubtedly they are.

"We're playing a bit of catch-up now but we've got nothing to lose really."

Calderwood was previously Northampton manager from 2003 to 2006 and guided them to promotion from League Two.

He was appointed as technical director 14 months ago and leads on all football operations, including overseeing player recruitment.

The 61-year-old said Nolan had been a "big presence" at Sixfields and everyone had let him down, but the commitment of the players had never been in question.

"Margins are small in most sports, the margins recently have probably been a little bit smaller on occasions, but the collection of results is obviously the thing people focus on," he said.

"Attitude and application has been the same since the start of the season, and all the way through pre-season, the lads are a terrific bunch with the club at heart and you can see they are trying.

"They fail sometimes because our quality has not been good enough in certain moments, on other occasions we come up short against good opposition."

Calderwood indicated he was not looking for a return to full-time management but would be comfortable overseeing the team at home to Burton Albion on Saturday.

"I want to be involved in building the club up, trying to get out of the situation we're in at the minute, help recruit the best players that we can for the money we have available," he added.

"The job at the minute for me is to keep the circle moving, absorb these moments as best you can, because it's competition, it's sport, it's life, it's not easy, not easy to score a goal, not easy to win.... (and) be a bit more positive about who we are, in the end whether we win or lose, how we are in these moments is important."