Northampton Town boss Jon Brady expects a tough test tonight against a Barrow side who he feels recruited well in the January transfer window.

The Bluebirds head to the Sixfields Stadium for their rearranged clash with the fifth-placed Cobblers.

Mark Cooper's men, who could include John Rooney for his second debut, are hoping to end a three-game losing run against Brady's promotion-chasers.

And the home manager, who once played under Cooper, believes Barrow will be far from pushovers.

“It will be a tough challenge against Barrow but we are strong at home and we are really looking forward to it,” Brady said.

“I felt on Saturday [a 1-0 win against Salford City] we were back to our best, the tempo and energy was there and that’s two clean sheets in a row.

“We’re in a strong moment. Adding to the group in January has added a real energy in training and it’s important for us to try and get back-to-back wins.

“I played for Mark Cooper when we won the Conference North at Kettering, I know him very well, he is well respected in the game and it will be good to see him.

“Barrow play a very expansive style, they had a fantastic cup run and it will be a tough game. They have made some good acquisitions in January that will really improve them.”

Northampton yesterday added attacker Bez Lubala on loan from Blackpool and striker Louis Appere on a permanent deal from Dundee United.

Lubala made the move for the rest of the season days after being cleared of rape allegations, which related to an incident in 2019.

Brady said: "He has shown tremendous strength of character in what has been a difficult year for him and his family but that is all behind him now, and he is hungry, determined and ambitious to kick on from here and we are delighted to have him on board."

On Appere, he said: "Louis is a player who we believe is on an upward curve in his career and who fits our template and the way we want to play.

"He is also someone who we feel we can work with and develop further moving forward and he fits our profile in that he is very mobile, he works hard for the team from the front and he has many of the attributes in his all round game we are looking for."

Cobblers winger Dylan Connolly, meanwhile, yesterday left the club to join Morecambe.