Northampton Town (A) 3rd August, 3pm

Match Centre 24/25 Match Centre 19/20
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"If you be out, sir, I can … cobble you"

(Shakespeare)

So we start another football season, and bearing recent developments in mind there is evidently more optimism around than might otherwise have been the case. Darrell Clarke’s squad have had an extensive work-out and pre-season schedule, and the final pieces in his jigsaw would appear to be in the striker department although the League 2 programme looks like starting with “what we’ve got”.

Northampton Town has significant relevance to me - the first game I saw at Fellows Park was on 4th April 1955, we walloped Northampton Town 6-1 and I was hooked. The fact that we finished bottom-but-one in Division 3 (South) was actually an improvement on the previous three seasons where we had ended up rock bottom … but we kept on being re-elected to the League, largely because of our healthy attendance figures (usually averaging well into 5 figures).

The Cobblers have had broadly similar results to ourselves in their pre-season activities:-

July 16th Sheffield Wednesday (H) Lost 0-4
July 20th Sheffield United (H) Lost 0-2
July 23rd Brackley Town (A) Lost 1-0
July 26th M K Dons (H) Won 2-1

Can’t see any ex-Saddlers in their current squad, but three ex-Saddlers have filled the managerial position in Northampton … Kevin Wilson, John Barnwell and Kevan Broadhurst.
Last season Northampton Town finished 15th in League 2, but were notable for having a higher number of drawn games than any one else (19 out of the 46 played).

In addition to the 6-1 game I witnessed as a 10-year old, there have been other games between us where the final score merits a second glance … in 1927 Northampton Town established their record League score by winning 10-0 against us, but in 1947 we got some measure of revenge by going to their ground and winning 0-8 !!

Although Darrell Clarke may yet sign a player or two between now and Saturday that would leave precious little time to successfully integrate him/them into the squad, so we shall have to see what Elijah Adebayo and Josh Gordon can produce in the rough-and-tumble of League 2.

Prediction? In view of the Cobblers’ drawn games recent history coupled with a perceived lack of class strikers on our part, it was tempting to put this down as goal-less. But possibly the novelty of a sell-out in the away accommodation may inspire us, so how about a narrow 0-1 win, with the only goal of the game coming late on from the head of Darrell Clarke’s namesake!

UTS

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I never knew that, but given that away clubs had a share of the gate receipts then, it would make sense. Seems incredible now, doesn’t it?

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0-0 for me , strong defence lack of goals.

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Having seen us at notts County and tranmere I will go with Welsh 1-0 to the saddlers. Adeybayo on the scoresheet in injury time to send the packed away end into wild celebrations. UTS.

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Great preview @Welsh_Saddler, the atmosphere should be electric in the sold out away end ( feels great writing that) I believe it’s going to be a tense affair with very few chances, I was myself going to go for draw before this weeks antics. But like yourself I will go for 1-0 win with flash opening his account for the season. With a solid defensive display and man of the match performance from stuart Sinclair.

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Missing a lot upfront but our defence is perfectly fine.

Northampton Town 0-0 Walsall.

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0-0 for me unless we sign a proven goalscorer before saturday, you never know? i certainly couldn’t have said that last week :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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DC picked out the Cobblers,Plymouth,Bradford City and Mansfield with much bigger budgets than us when he met supporters on Monday. With that in mind 1-1 would be a good result and that is what I predict.

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Heart tells me 0-2 win to us, head tells me draw at best. UTS!!!

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Kevin Wilson was at the Alfreton game to watch us. He runs a players agency these days.

Hard to predict what we’ll do as we’ve not seen an XI (+3) go the distance in any game so far, the starting line-up is not as easy to predict as it was only a week or so ago - and might be further muddied before Saturday, and even the formation/tactics are anyone’s guess.

Will be happy with a draw, happier with a win, happiest of all of we play a bit more entertaining football than most of last season (regardless of result).

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Really hard game to call result wise. What I will say though is i expect this to be a physical battle. And With DC seemingly being a Horses for Courses kind I’ve manager I expect us to play some of our more robust men in Scarr and Liddle for this one and possibly even Jules. Could be a game for ya tin-hats !!

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Gutted I’m missing this

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Same here… Got a bloody family wedding to attend… I mean who gets married on the 1st day of the season :thinking::rage:

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First time I went to Northampton , it was played on the cricket pitch.
Christ knows how the groundsman coped .

Think I was stood at silly mid on.

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I was at Northampton for a game a couple of years ago (not against us). Was in the main stand bar and a group of folks next to me happened to be talking about Walsall. ‘Didn’t Kevan Broadhurst go to Walsall?’ ‘Oh yeah, they screwed him over, good manager Kevan’. I didn’t say anything…

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I can remember Walsall fans signalling 4 or 6 when the ball went out on that side. Bet all away fans did that ,and thought they were the first to think of it.

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Start as we mean to go on. 1-0 Walsall win.

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I predict a draw which is a little disappointing. I’d have hoped the striker position was sorted as a priority immediately after Cook left. In that time we have signed, I think, 6 defenders (Jules, Pring, Sadler, Clarke, Liddle, Facey) and 2 defensive midfielders (Sinclair, Guthrie) but only one Striker who is seen as something of a prospect. I’d have certainly prefered that was prioritised over getting players like Holden, Hardy and Kiersey.

But even so, I feel the result, win lose or draw, will pale in comparison to the atmosphere amongst the fans who have been waiting for this day for so very long. I’m looking forward to this match more than any in recent memory.

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I’ve never seen us win in my 4 or 5 visits to Northampton, so hopefully my absence for this one will ensure a Sixfields (or whatever name that 3 sided money disappearing stadia goes by now) win.

I’m with the early majority here, head says solid dull draw, unless either side turns clinical for a moment or two. Any pre-noon Friday signing may provide that. Bookies really fancy Northampton this season, but it’s the first game for both teams and they usually don’t offer any insight into how teams will fair going forward.

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Got my ticket ordered yesterday, really looking forward to the season starting now.

2-1 Scarr and Adebayo