Max Dyche: Defender confident Northampton will go up despite Bradford loss

Max Dyche has made 21 appearances for League Two side Northampton this season

Northampton Town defender Max Dyche is convinced they will win promotion despite having to go to the final game of the season to try and secure it.

The third-placed Cobblers would have gone up on Saturday with a home victory over Bradford City, but lost 2-1.

Now they go to Tranmere on 8 May, knowing that a draw might not be good enough as fourth-placed Stockport have a superior goal difference.

"We've got everything in the changing room to get ourselves up," Dyche said.

"I've no doubt that next week, especially if we play like that, even half of that, we've got no problem."

Dyche is looking to emulate his father Sean, now Everton manager, who was a member of the Northampton side that won promotion from League Two in 2006.

He scored his first goal for the club to level the scores against Bradford, only for Mark Hughes' side to snatch the points at Sixfields with an added-time winner.

"It's a tough one to take," the 20-year-old told BBC Radio Northampton.

"We knew we had to win to go up and as soon as I scored, I thought 'yeah, we've got a big chance here' but a sloppy set-piece at the end has killed us.

Dyche continued: "I think we can be really pleased with our second-half performance, we were all over them. We created so many chances, their keeper has pulled off a couple of worldies.

"We threw the kitchen sink at it and did everything but put the ball in the goal."

They are two points clear of Stockport, but County have a goal difference of 28 to Northampton's 19.

The Cobblers missed out on automatic promotion on goal difference 12 months ago after Bristol Rovers beat Scunthorpe 7-0 in their final game and then lost to Mansfield over two legs in the play-offs.

"We're not thinking about last year, this season is completely different," Dyche added.

"We've got some lads the same but some that are new and they have changed the mix, changed the feel, given us more squad depth.

"We're in a better position currently than we were last season and we should be very confident, we've got all the ability and all the drive and togetherness in the team to go and smash it next week."

Sean Dyche - now Everton manager - played more than 60 games for Northampton

More than 2,000 Cobblers fans will be at Prenton Park next Monday.

"I think we sold out the away end within the first hour of the tickets release," Dyche said.

"The away support has always been unbelievable. I remember going down to Leyton Orient last season, we had 1,800 there and beat them, and that really gives us a boost going into the game [against Tranmere]."