What can be said that we’ve not said already, as we face that Cobblers team for the third time in as many weeks?  Plenty, methinks.

This time out the Cobblers have a couple of injury problems and suspensions (influential players Crowe and Bradley-Johnson), and together with cup-tied loan players we’re likely to face quite a different team this time out.  In our favour, this should mean a weaker team - there’s been little depth at Northampton for some time, as they’re still recovering from John Fashanu’s buyout attempt.

Despite the low, low prices (copyright Lidl, 2007 ad nauseam) the crowd won’t be turning up in force from their end.  At home they’re rather small and quiet, and despite this being their first away game at Banks’s in over 7 years all we’re likely to get on the supporters’ coaches are the dregs from St. Giles’ graveyard and the overspill from the Racecourse, banned from the tote for swearing at the turf accountant.

Northampton is famous for being England’s third-largest mafia town, and despite this there’s still no investment in a local football money-laundering scheme, although it’s been championed at certain larger clubs.  This means that they’re only famous for being the town where Darren Bazeley was born rather than anything more substantial.

One hopes the replay cash in the bank is worth the drain on the players, but I don’t see us having to step out of second gear against Northants.  It would be nice to reverse their biggest victory over us (10-0) but we might have to settle for equalling ours over them (8-0).  A draw, and us crashing out after penalties it is then!