THE BLUES
Well done Blues for a terrific all round performance on Tuesday and a great three points. A win on Saturday, a Walsall defeat at Cheltenham, and I think we're there, that tables complicated, however Borient can't make it and the Farmers are relegated, I'm sure of that.
Confident talk of an automatic place on the message boards, (two points behind Carlisle after next weekend anyone?), though I'm more than happy with the play-offs considering where we were after the New Year. In-form teams do the play-off business come Spring Bank Holiday and we are that in-form team. (For now!)
Pats on back to men of the match Gower and Barrett, Mr. Southend indeed Thurrock Blue. Adding to dispatches the defensive play of Francis and Mulgrew along with their usual talents, the outrageous flick by Clarke that led to Captain Adam's goal, one of the best I've seen at the Hall, the selfless running of Barnard and Walker, the selfless work of Bailey and McCormack, Flahaven looking as safe as he's done all season, while Black can take a bow as well, he was trying out there.
Well done Blues for a terrific all round performance on Tuesday and a great three points. A win on Saturday, a Walsall defeat at Cheltenham, and I think we're there, that tables complicated, however Borient can't make it and the Farmers are relegated, I'm sure of that.
Confident talk of an automatic place on the message boards, (two points behind Carlisle after next weekend anyone?), though I'm more than happy with the play-offs considering where we were after the New Year. In-form teams do the play-off business come Spring Bank Holiday and we are that in-form team. (For now!)
Pats on back to men of the match Gower and Barrett, Mr. Southend indeed Thurrock Blue. Adding to dispatches the defensive play of Francis and Mulgrew along with their usual talents, the outrageous flick by Clarke that led to Captain Adam's goal, one of the best I've seen at the Hall, the selfless running of Barnard and Walker, the selfless work of Bailey and McCormack, Flahaven looking as safe as he's done all season, while Black can take a bow as well, he was trying out there.
No injuries reported, we've been lucky there, so I'm hopeful the confidence shown in the last four matches, especially the first halves, can carry on. Not my bookie though as I have got the last four results spot on, a nap hand then? Two two nils in a week? Nobble that big bugger up front for them and it's on.
THE OPPOSITION
A welcome 2-1 home win over hapless Luton halted a mini-rot after Northampton's first win in four. Pre-Easter there were thoughts of the play-offs after wins v Swansea and Walsall, now sadly dashed. Not so says manager Stuart Gray who insists he will not allow his side to give up on making the top six until it is mathematically impossible. The Cobblers travel to the home of football on Saturday six points adrift of the play-off zone with just four games remaining, but Gray believes a maximum points haul could see them sneak in. He said: "I don't want people to think we are in a comfort zone. We are in a bit of a no-man's land in the middle of the table but there are 12 points available and I won't allow the players to take their foot off the gas as until it is mathematically impossible for us to not make the play-offs we will try to get in there. But Southend are in great form and if we don't start the game in the right way we will be in for a very tough afternoon." Good man.
Said big bugger is Danish born, 12-goal top scorer, Poul Hurertz, all 6ft5 of him, who grabbed one of Town's goals last Saturday. Cue penalty shouts as he falls over in the box, shame Captain Kirk isn't there to miss them, but I gave Clarkey man of the match in the away game with a masterful performance, they should be making sure he gets back to mark Adam in the box when we win a corner!
Still, there are some Cobblers who believe our supreme form could bite us in the bum, Danny Brothers of the Northampton Rivals site being one of them.
As the gap gets that ever so slightly smaller the optimists of Cobbler land still believe we can make a surge into the playoffs. The pessimists believe it's over for another season despite a home win over Luton but if we can claw anything back on the pack this weekend it would be a magnificent effort against in form Southend. No report I've heard from the Luton game has been too positive as the blustery conditions in the second half meant that our seemingly comfortable 2-0 lead at half time came under threat. Bunny was again the hero with a long line of saves and the ever present goalkeeper is looking a dead cert for the player of the year award.
Luton look doomed now and that's a shame with the other derby days we should be looking forward to next season if we do stay in League One. Boro and MK Dons look set for promotion and Leicester or even Coventry could provide another local game for us should one of those be relegated. From my home in Southampton though, I'm secretly hoping the Saints dip in form again so I get a very local game next season!
But staying positive, Southend gives us a massive test and once again it's a game that could end our season once and for all. They're in storming form at the moment having won eight of their last eleven games, drawing the other three. Considering that two of those draws came against Forest and Swansea it makes the record that bit more impressive!
We do owe them one at Roots Hall, (now, now), though after our previous visit back in 2005 when the controversial Freddie Eastwood penalty saw us off in the League Two playoff semi-finals. Any result like that agonising day a couple of years ago and once again we'll be coming away from Southend with a season finished. Yet Cobblers Law states that any team in that sort of form could come a cropper against us and it's strange to say but I would prefer them to be in this rich vein of form coming into our meeting rather than having lost five in a row!
There should be a healthy turn-out by the seaside as we traditionally travel well towards the end of the season when a beach is in the offering and it should be a good one if we can contain them for long enough. Poul Hubertz has suddenly found his shooting boots again and could be the key while the energy of Ryan Gilligan could prove a major plus as he returns from suspension.
So all is set for a grand day up in the Essex sun and hopefully this time we won't be hanging our heads after exiting Roots Hall.
We shall see young Danny, we shall see.
THE MATCHES
Played 108: WON 40 DRAWN 24 LOST 44
A fairly even history that all started on Oct. 23 1920 with a 1-2 home defeat, Whalley the scorer, so no repeat of that scoreline on Saturday lads!
Since then we've been playing them regularly over the decades with the odd break when we were in a higher division, and a war, so no game between Jan. 90 and Oct. 97 for a start.
This will be the 7th match at Roots Hall since that 97 restart and we've won the last three though only once in the league. That was on Oct. 30 04 when Gower and Gray scored in a 2-1 win. The LDVR3 on Nov. 30 04 brought a 2-0 win, Dudfield and Pettifer. Finally the play-off semi final leg two on the afternoon of May 21 05 and a Freddie penalty led to Cardiff and glory. (sorry Danny).
The very last time we met was on Nov. 3 last year which brought a 1-0 victory and another Barrett header from a corner following his double two years earlier, put your money on Clarkey then this time round.
THE TOP HALF (Or Where's Borient?)
| 1 | Swansea | 42 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 33 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 41 | 20 | 36 | 83 |
| 2 | Carlisle | 42 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 37 | 13 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 79 |
| 3 | Doncaster | 42 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 30 | 18 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 29 | 20 | 21 | 73 |
| 4 | Southend | 42 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 33 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 33 | 33 | 15 | 71 |
| 5 | Nottm Forest | 42 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 33 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 24 | 19 | 27 | 70 |
| 6 | Leeds | 41 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 28 | 19 | 30 | 64 |
| 7 | Tranmere | 42 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 31 | 16 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 19 | 26 | 8 | 62 |
| 8 | Walsall | 41 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 24 | 20 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 23 | 17 | 10 | 60 |
| 9 | Brighton | 42 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 35 | 23 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 17 | 24 | 5 | 60 |
| 10 | Oldham | 42 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 28 | 20 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 22 | 22 | 8 | 58 |
| 11 | Northampton | 42 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 34 | 20 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 19 | 31 | 2 | 58 |
| 12 | Leyton Orient | 42 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 23 | 27 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 21 | 28 | -11 | 56 |
(There they are, just, for now.)
THE FIXTURES
Friday, 11 April 2008 Doncaster v Swindon, 19:45
Saturday, 12 April 2008 (all 15.00 unless stated) Bournemouth v Bristol Rovers, Cheltenham v Walsall, Gillingham v Swansea, Hartlepool v Millwall, Leeds v Carlisle (12.15), Luton v Brighton, Oldham v Leyton Orient, Port Vale v Huddersfield, Southend v Northampton, Tranmere v Nottm Forest, Yeovil v Crewe
Tuesday, 15 April 2008 (both 19.45) Huddersfield v Leeds, Walsall v Bristol Rovers.
THE HISTORY
Northampton Town was founded in 1897 after meetings between the town's schoolteachers and local solicitor A.J. Darnell. At the time schoolboy football was strong in the county due in part to the enthusiasm of the local teachers. They were however dissatisfied with the current arrangement of arranged friendlies between schools preferring to teach the boys through practical examples and they felt this could be done by forming a town team. At the same time A.J. Darnell travelled to Leicester with the local Rugby team and whilst there witnessed an exhibition football match between Leicester Fosse and Notts County. This gave him the desire to start his own club in Northampton. Mr Darnell and the local schoolteachers came together through their shared aims and on March 6 1897, at the Princess Royal Inn on the Wellingborough Road, Northampton Football Club was formed. Following objections from the town's rugby club the team were forced to adopt the name of Northampton Town to avoid trouble. The club gained permission to play home matches at the county ground, home of Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, providing that no games were scheduled between May and September, and this was to remain their home for the next 97 years.
Northampton joined the Northants League and spent two seasons there before moving on to the Midland League. Only two seasons later they joined the Southern League in the 1901-02 season. In the 1908-09 season manager Herbert Chapman helped the Cobblers to be crowned champions of the Southern League, and they later faced Newcastle United in the Charity Shield at The Oval where they lost 2-0. Herbert Chapman left to manage Leeds City in 1912, and went on to win the league championship four times: two at Huddersfield Town, and two at Arsenal. (Not bad, was he?)
In 1910, Northampton bought Walter Tull from Tottenham Hotspur. Tull was the second professional black footballer in English football, and stayed with Northampton Town until the outbreak of the First World War, when he volunteered for the British Army. Tull was killed in action in 1918 and the road which leads to the modern Sixfields Stadium (where Northampton play) is called "Walter Tull Way", in his honour.
From the 1930s to the 1950s Northampton Town had attempted to rise from the regional Third Division South, but rose only twice and were immediately relegated. The creation of the Fourth Division spurred a brief substantial rise that culminated in the only season (1965-66) of their existence in the top division of English football. In 1970, they lost 8-2 to Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round. Six of the goals conceded were scored by George Best, who received the match ball (signed by Northampton players) as a reward for his performance.
Northampton Town Supporters' Trust was formed in January 1992, as a result of a large public meeting attended by over 600 fans. This meeting was called by a group of ordinary supporters, including Rob Marshall, editor of the fanzine What a Load of Cobblers, in response to a financial crisis at the club and a series of misleading statements issued by the then chairman.
The club was reluctant to send representatives to the meeting, but relented at the last minute, and the situation disclosed by them was a debt approaching £1.6 million, representing more than two years' turnover for the club. As the Trust subsequently discovered, the rot had set in some time before, and unpaid bills stretched back several years, to the time of the previous regime at the club.
The crisis, however, had been precipitated by the club's failure to pay the previous two months' players' wages, which amounted to about £64,000. The Professional Footballers' Association had had to cover this, and so it too had now become a creditor of the club.
This unproductive atmosphere must have helped the team finished bottom of the Football League's new Division Three in 1993-94, only avoiding relegation to the Conference because Kidderminster Harriers did not have a satisfactory stadium to join the Football League. Manager John Barnwell was sacked soon afterwards to make way for Ian Atkins, and the club began to move forward.
In 1996-97 they won promotion to Division Two, thanks to a playoff final victory at Wembley over Swansea City, and almost made it two successive promotions the following season - but were beaten 1-0 by Grimsby Town in the Division Two playoff final. The club went down a year later and Atkins resigned, but promotion was earned at the first attempt under new manager Kevin Wilson.
Kevin Wilson was sacked in November 2001 to make way for his assistant Kevan Broadhurst, who steered the Cobblers to Division Two survival. But Broadhurst was sacked in January 2003 with Northampton struggling at the foot of the division, and was briefly replaced by Terry Fenwick, who in turn left after just seven weeks to make way for Martin Wilkinson. Wilkinson lasted little longer, being dismissed in October 2003 in favour of former Scotland and Tottenham Hotspur defender Colin Calderwood.
Calderwood led Northampton to the play-offs in his first season, where they were knocked out in the semi-finals by Mansfield Town after a penalty shoot-out. In the 2004-05 season, Northampton finished 7th, again in the play-offs, where they were defeated by THE BLUES!!!!!! Following this, the manager made substantial changes to the squad, and they enjoyed a successful 2005-06 league season. On April 29, the Cobblers clinched promotion to Football League One for 2006-07, with a 1-0 win at home to Chester City. On May 30 2006, Northampton announced that Calderwood was leaving to join Nottingham Forest as their new manager, and was replaced by John Gorman on June 5.
On December 20, Gorman resigned due to "personal issues" with the side 18th in the table, with Ian Sampson and Jim Barron briefly taking care of first team affairs. He was replaced by former Southampton boss Stuart Gray on January 2, 2007.
Gray is enjoying a successful spell at Northampton, making encouraging signings in his first few weeks. The club looks to have stabilised, finishing 14th at the end of the 2006/07 season, 12 points clear from the relegation zone and are 11th at present, eight points off the play-off zone. Gray made radical changes selling Bradley Johnson and allowing Andy Kirk to leave on a free transfer to Yeovil. It appears the clubs finances are also going from strength to strength, with the club and the local council now firm allies things are looking bright for the club and the area with the new sixfields drawing ever closer.
(Thanks to the usual suspects for their help with this article.)