Northampton Town v Bradford City: Cobblers' Cup shock could benefit City

The 57-year-old was on Merseyside to check on the opposition his Bradford City side are due to face today in League Two so was delighted that the Cobblers players had been condemned to another draining 30 minutes of action.

Northampton went on to cause one of the upsets of the season by knocking the Premier League club out on penalties.

The result has earned the League Two minnows headlines all around the world but Taylor is hoping Northampton's midweek exertions can help his Bantams side maintain their own upturn in form.

Taylor said: "I was at the game and Northampton played very well. To be fair to Northampton, they fully deserved to win. There was nothing fortunate about it at all.

"It wasn't just that Northampton worked really hard, they played some very good football as well. Liverpool could have no complaints.

"Liverpool did rest a lot of players but Roy (Hodgson) was still able to pick a strong side. Five of the team had even played at the World Cup in the summer.

"I am sure it will mean they start lively against us, they will be on a high so it is only natural.

"But, hopefully, extra time will have taken it out of them.

"I couldn't exactly cheer, due to being sat at Anfield at the time. But, put it this way, I wasn't too disappointed when the game went into extra ime.

"It is still going to be a really tough game because Northampton showed what a good side they can be. But our recent form has been getting better so it is up to us to continue that."

City claimed a first win in six attempts last weekend when a late goal from Steve Williams was enough to beat Gillingham at Valley Parade.

Following on from the previous week's draw at Stockport County, the win and performance represented a further step forward for a side who struggled in the early weeks of the season.