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Northampton Town striker Shaun Harrad is expecting to get a new lease of life after the arrival of Adebayo Akinfenwa.

The 29-year-old frontman .

"I'm looking forward to a fresh start and knocking in goals with the big man," Harrad, , told .

"I was really excited when Bayo signed. Two defenders were marking him [against Burton], it frees up someone like me,"

Akinfenwa scored 37 times in 88 league games over 18 months for Northampton before heading to Gillingham last summer, where he found the net a further 11 times.

Harrad, 26, hit 22 goals for Burton in 2009/10, and notched 19 last season, eight of which were for the Cobblers.

He has yet to score in pre-season after playing for an hour in Northampton's 2-2 draw at Oxford City and half-an-hour in the 1-0 defeat by Brackley Town.

"We want to win games but it's not the be-all and end-all," he added.

"It would be nice to get a goal out of the way but the most important thing is to get your fitness and sharpness."

Harrad faces competition from and potentially Tadhg Purcell for a starting place, although .

"We all know there'll be stiff competition because we've got a good squad."