Forest Green Rovers defender Liam Shephard feels Northampton Town are a team to watch out for.

Rovers travel to Sixfields today for a 2pm kick off, looking to stretch their unbeaten league start to 13 games.

Northampton are currently 22nd and have found life tough in League Two following relegation but Shephard insists they are a team to watch out for and that Rovers won’t be taking them likely.

“it’s one of those where they are struggling to get results they want and those are the teams you have to look out for,” said the Welshman. “It’s like when we played Macclesfield, they hadn’t won a game and everyone thought it was going to be an easy game but it’s not.

“I go into every match thinking that they’re going to be better than what we actually think they are.

"People will be thinking that it’s going to be like Macclesfield, we’ve got to battle through it and that’s how you win your games and how you get promoted.”

“It’s going to be a battle and we’ve go to win the battle on the day. With the way we play and if we’re at our best we can beat anyone in the league.”

The game at Sixfields will have added personal spice for Shephard. The Cobblers have a rivalry with his former club Peterborough United and the right-back feels despite moving clubs, those rivalries do remain in the mind.

“I can’t wait for the game,” he said. “Last year it was my local derby with Peterborough so hopefully I can get the same result against them again.

“Every club I’ve been at those rivalries always stay with you and it’s always nice when you move on you can go and try and get the win.

“It looks good on you and the fans who supported you at recent clubs as well. When we played Cambridge and I put a tweet fans all the Peterborough fans appreciated it as well.”

Shephard also had personal links against Newport last weekend.

Not only was he facing a Welsh club but it was also the club his father used to play for but that didn’t stop him getting a bit of stick.

“My father used to play for Newport but I still got a bit of stick from the sidelines and I was thinking ‘you used to support my father’ but I still got stick,” he added.

Rovers have won three of their six away games in League Two compared to just one at home.

The 23-year-old feels Rovers aren’t necessarily stronger away from home but feels they need to cut out individual errors which has proved costly, particularly in the draws at home.

“Our mistakes, is really the only reason we’ve conceded goals,” explained Shephard. “We’ve given penalties away, stupid individual mistakes.

“There aren’t many teams that have carved us open, Newport scored a good goal but there haven’t been many good goals against us but we go into games with the same mentality of trying to win and we just need that bit of luck or create it ourselves.”