STEVE COPPELL referred to the gospel according to Venables before sending Town's players out to face Northampton today.

The new first team coach spent much of yesterday's training session trying to improve Town's shocking dead ball delivery.

One of Coppell's first initiatives was to switch the session from Wanborough to the County Ground. The former Crystal Palace and Brentford boss said there was nothing quite like rehearsing on the stage where the performance would take place.

He said: "It's something I have always done.

"You might have a training ground pitch with exactly the same dimensions as your ground but it is different. If you can clip balls in on the stage where the match takes place then that has to be to your advantage.

"One of the many people I have worked with in football is Terry Venables, who was with me at Crystal Palace.

"He always said that practice doesn't make perfect, it makes permanent.

"Let's hope the good free kick routines we worked on on Friday are successful on the day against Northampton."

But while Coppell led the training ahead of today's game, the buck stops with Andy King.

The Town boss has repeated his plea for the County Ground ground not to turn on his players.

He said: "The players involved in the incident at Cheltenham have made sincere apologies. Turning on your own players just hands an advantage to Northampton.

"But if you have to vent your anger, don't vent it at individual players. I'm the manager, I pick the team, so vent it at me. Some fans have never taken to me. When I came back at Christmas they were chanting 'King Out'. But I turned some of those around and I'll have to turn them round again.

"But obviously I hope the crowd gets behind the team, starting against Northampton."

King knows his decision to bring in Steve Coppell has sent the rumour mill into overdrive. He does not care. Three points today is his only concern.

He said: "Myself, Steve and the rest of the coaching staff are judged on results.

"If we win then people will say his input has been good. I know his input has been good, whatever the result. I just hope the two of us working together, in the different styles that we do, can bring about a change of results and get the players performing in the way they are capable of.

"As for my own position, I repeat, I will only walk away when I feel I have lost the players. I don't believe I have."

Earlier this week, Town chief executive Mark Devlin said the board would not be afraid to make difficult decisions in the best interests of the club but that the 'panic button' would not be pressed.

Tickets are on sale for the trip to Luton Town next Saturday. Prices are: £15 (adults) and £8 (concessions). This game is all-ticket.