Northampton Town: Jon Brady must heed Leyton Orient, Wrexham warnings for Saturday - View | OneFootball

Winger was central to Orient success last time out against Cobblers.

Key Takeaways

Northampton Town face Leyton Orient in a crunch fixture at Sixfields this Saturday.

Orient and Northampton have had indifferent starts to the season, sitting 19th and 20th, having stayed up together last season after both won promotion to League One the season before.

Both clubs are in similar moments under managers Jon Brady and Richie Wellens, setting up a high-pressure affair on Saturday.

Leyton Orient sit a place above the Cobblers in 19th on goal difference, having played a game more than Northampton, with both sides searching for much-needed points to reflect their early season progress.

The two sides contested a 2-2 draw at Sixfields as well as a 4-3 home win for Orient when they met last season and have been on a similar trajectory with many closely contested encounters in recent years.

Wide battle will be key for Northampton

Northampton's left-back position has been under scrutiny recently after injuries have ravaged their options.

Luke Mbete, Ali Koiki and Patrick Brough have all been ruled out long-term with injuries, leaving new arrival Nesta Guinness-Walker as Town's only recognised left-back.

Liam McCarron started in the role in Cobblers' most recent league encounter at Wrexham, who ran riot down Northampton's left.

Ryan Barnett assisted two efforts from Wrexham's right and James McClean scored two and assisted another on the opposite flank. The pair linked up for the opener only eight minutes after kick-off.

Cobblers right-back Aaron McGowan was hooked on 41 minutes, with what appeared to be an injury, and left-back, McCarron, was swapped at half-time for Nesta Guinness-Walker.

Northampton conceded eight goals in a week, having fallen to four against Bolton at Sixfields earlier in the week.

Brady has confirmed further injuries to Jordan Willis and Aaron McGowan, leaving Cobblers without the option to transition to a three.

Guinness-Walker is lacking full-match fitness, having only played 45 league minutes in his cameo against Wrexham, but benefited from some much-needed game-time in the midweek EFL Trophy encounter with Notts County.

It looks increasingly likely that Guinness-Walker will make his full league debut this weekend, but Orient will still be looking to their right-hand side to be the difference against a fractured Cobblers rearguard.

Orient's Ollie O'Neill has warned Cobblers previously

Brady's left-back dilemma is emphasised by the threat Orient possess on their right with winger Ollie O'Neill.

O'Neill has already made his threat clear to Cobblers after scoring and assisting in a 4-3 triumph for the home side at Brisbane Road last season.

The former Derry City man has been playing off the right for Orient and a repeat of his previous performance against Cobblers could make for an interesting match-up against Guinness-Walker on the flank.

The 21-year-old signed for the O's on a permanent deal from Fulham last January and has impressed in East London, scoring five and assisting three in 13 starts to conclude last season.

O'Neill has been void of any contributions this season so far, but has been key to good Orient showings and could cause Brady's defence real problems if Town's week off hasn't settled the defensive unit.

If Brady hasn't solved Cobblers' defensive woes before the arrival of Orient, Saturday could be damning for Town in a crucial fixture.