Bluebirds preparing 'meticulously' for Northampton test

The return of club football sees Cardiff City travel to Northampton Town on Saturday (15:00 GMT) for a third successive away game in League One.

The Bluebirds will be looking to bounce back from two league defeats in a row on the road against Bolton Wanderers and Blackpool, which have dropped them to fifth in the table.

Cardiff manager Brian Barry-Murphy will be hoping to iron out the inconsistencies of recent weeks, which included a first-round exit at Peterborough United in the FA Cup.

"We have to try and improve all the time. I feel like we are where we should be," Barry-Murphy said.

"In recent weeks we've lost games that we probably should've won. The facts are we are where we are.

"Our intention now is to play the game on Saturday like we know we can and return to the top of the table."

Northampton sit 15th in League One under the management of former Bolton and West Ham United midfielder Kevin Nolan.

The Cobblers have had an up and down season so far but will be looking to win two games on the spin after beating Mansfield Town 2-1 in their last outing.

Barry-Murphy insists his side will not be complacent in their preparations for the trip to Sixfields Stadium.

"Where they are in the table is irrelevant. There's so many different permutations that can impact that, as you saw with Blackpool," he said.

"We've studied them in depth. We are going to prepare for the game meticulously.

"There's a real focus on what we've got to do on Saturday, because we want to be more consistent in our performances to give us a chance to win the game."