Wembley...Ten Years On...Part Fourteen...Ian Atkins

The Wembley series comes to an end with the focus turning to the man at the top during arguably the greatest day in the club’s history, Ian Atkins.

Akins led the Cobblers to Wembley in two successive seasons in 1997 and 1998 and gave us some of the best memories of recent times during his reign. No one looked happier than the Brummie boss on the final whistle, as he charged onto the pitch to join in the celebrations. A lot has been said about Atkins’ long ball tactics and “ugly” football but you can’t complain about the effectiveness of his management during his time with the Cobblers.

Atkins’ managerial career began in 1990 at Colchester United, where he was in temporary charge for just three games. In 1992, he took over at Cambridge United but spent just six months with the U’s. Atkins joined the Cobblers in 1995 following a stint with Doncaster Rovers and immediately turned around the fortunes of the fledging Town. In his first season with us, Atkins took us to 11th place before taking us to Wembley just one season later.

After the playoff final of 1997, Atkins worked miracles to take us back to the famous stadium just 12 months later in the Division Two (League One) playoff final. Unfortunately, that was as far as Atkins would take us and the following season we were relegated before Atkins’ departure in October of 1999 with the team stuck in mid-table of the basement league.

He quickly returned to management though and joined Chester City for the end of the same season. Atkins then went on to manage Carlisle United, Oxford United, Bristol Rovers and Torquay United.

More recently, he has been co-commentating on BBC Radio Northampton’s coverage of Cobblers home games and was even rumoured to be in the frame to take over at the club again last December following John Gorman’s exit!


Atkins managed the Cobblers for 248 games in total, leading us to 89 victories, 87 draws and 72 defeats.

Henderson signs on busy day for Cobblers

Ian Henderson has joined Colin Larkin in signing for the Cobblers today after agreeing a two-year deal with the club, signing after his release from Norwich City.

Henderson is described as an “attacking utility player” and is a former England under 20’s international. Henderson was on loan with Rotherham United for part of last season and was released by Norwich at the end of last term.

He was a product of the Canaries youth system and made 26 starts at Carrow Road, with a further 42 appearances from the bench. Henderson spent the second half of last season at Rotherham, scoring once in 18 appearances.

So another attacking option for Stuart Gray and it seems like he isn’t done yet, with a midfielder and two strikers said to be still on the shopping list.

Larkin joins Cobblers on free transfer

The Cobblers have today signed front man Colin Larkin on a free transfer from Chesterfield. The 25-year-old can play up front or wide on the right hand side and is Stuart Gray’s second summer signing.

Born in Dundalk, Larkin’s first club was Wolverhampton Wanderers but limited chances at Molineux saw him join Kidderminster Harriers in a loan move where he hit six goals in 31 games.

Larkin then joined Mansfield Town where he spent three successful seasons, scoring 26 times during his time at Field Mill. In 2005, he joined Chesterfield on a free transfer and has since struck 13 times for the club.

So we finally have a new striker on board and Larkin has signed a two year deal at the club. With James Quinn and Andy Kirk the only other out and out strikers already here, it’s a welcome sign that some pace has been added to the squad.

The players will return to pre-season training on Monday.

Another week goes by...

And so another week passes and here comes another quick round up of the fun from this last 7 days! I realised that sometimes I don’t get time to fully give my thoughts on events in the last week on here so I’m thinking of making this a weekly Friday feature for a quick round up!

We were beaten again in 5-a-side on Monday and that’s 4 defeats in a row now but we have a real chance of success next week against the Kickabouts who we beat 12-0 last time out (they did have only 4 men for half the game but we still should give them a good game!).

The rest of the week’s been fairly quiet but Ti and I had a fun and creative evening on Wednesday night as we created a photo montage of all the groups’ fun times over the last six months!

Up in Northampton, there’s been no news of further signings to add to Jason Crowe’s contract signing last week. Rumour has it that Stuart Gray is trying to tempt Simon Cox into a season long loan move here which would be an excellent piece of business. Further rumours are linking us with Shrewsbury Town’s David Edwards but we may not have the funds to pay for such a deal so we’ll see what happens there!

My bank account won’t like me for a few weeks after I pay for numerous things in the next couple of days including the new Scrubs DVD tonight! Excited about the new series coming on TV next week so hopefully I’ll be caught up enough by then! Also paid for my tickets to see Athlete in October down here at Southampton Guildhall woohoo!

Hopefully another fun weekend ahead so happy weekend to one and all!

Season in Review 2006/07...December

The look back on the 2006/07 season continues as we head into a very eventful December, a month that saw the worst performance of the season, a managerial exit, a Cobblers legend taking the reigns and a controversial Sixfields abandonment.

The month began at Underhill and the FA Cup Second round tie with League Two side Barnet. The Cobblers went in as clear favourites to reach the promised land of the Third Round but this tag once again worked against us. Despite Scott McGleish heading us into the lead on the stroke of half-time, we suffered an almighty collapse in the second half as Barnet hit back with four to wreck our cup dreams for another season! Adam Burchall began the rout with an equaliser before Dean Sinclair put the Bees in front. It was then down to two ex-Cobblers to put the final nails in the coffin as first an Ian Hendon penalty and then a Magno Viera strike put us out of the competition.

The following Tuesday night and we were back on the road, this time travelling to Chesterfield in a goalless draw that did little to lift the spirits after the Underhill defeat just days before.

Back at Sixfields and we entertained Doncaster Rovers, looking to steer the home form around. But Rovers had different ideas and late goals from Paul Heffernan and Lewis Guy gave the visitors a 2-0 win and all three points, pushing us closer and closer to the drop zone as Christmas approached.

It was our away form that was keeping us afloat and above the relegation places and another decent away point followed the disappointment of the Doncaster defeat. A visit to the Galpharm Stadium to face Huddersfield Town started well as Joe Burnell fired the Cobblers into a 16th minute lead but a Danny Schofield equaliser in the second half gave Huddersfield a deserved point.

The next home game would see the end of the line for John Gorman. After Paul Conner gave fellow strugglers Leyton Orient a 1-0 win at Sixfields, Gorman resigned, citing “personal reasons” for his departure. Though results hadn’t been great, it was still an unexpected announcement from the former Swindon Town and Wycombe man. It was maybe too soon for Gorman to return to such a high profile and stressful position following the sad loss of his wife and his departure from Wycombe. He is now employed at Southampton as a scout and we wish him all the best in his new role.

Back to the season and the Cobblers were now on the lookout for a new man at the helm. Ian Sampson and Jim Barron would oversee the Christmas fixture list while David Cardoza began the search for the new boss. Sammo’s name was in the frame and was an obvious and popular choice from the fans’ point of view while other names being banded about were the likes of Phil Parkinson, Andy Ritchie and even Ian Atkins!

Sammo and Barron’s first game in charge was the tough trip to Oldham and we were totally outplayed and beaten by first half goals from Gary McDonald and Chris Porter plus a second half strike by Andy Liddell in a 3-0 reverse.


There was, however, some Christmas cheer at last when Cheltenham Town came a visiting on Boxing Day as two goals from Scott McGleish (one a penalty) gave us the double over one of our bogey sides of the past few seasons.

2006 ended in controversy, rain and some very angry Londoners. I remember on the way up to Northampton from the south for the home game with Millwall and starting out by thinking what a nice day it was. As we got closer to Northampton the rain began though and it was clear that the sunny weather would not be returning. There were doubts about the game from the second it started as the pitch increasingly looked unplayable. Paul Hubertz fired ‘Wall in front but this cued the gutsiest and battling performances from the Cobblers we’d seen all season. We got to half-time still a goal down but the passion and effort shown by the team was encouraging enough for fans to sing for Sammo as the manager full time!

The game went on and the rain went on as the Cobblers were frustrated at every attempt. With Millwall still 1-0 up, the game was suddenly abandoned on 68 minutes, sparking angry scenes from the south stand as the usually hot headed ‘Wall supporters grew even more agitated. The game would be replayed later in the season.

So 2006 came to an end with the Cobblers hovering just above the drop zone and without a manager. In a shock move, chairman David Cardoza put all three forwards on the transfer list ahead of the January window and a cloud of uncertainty hung over Sixfields as 2007 approached.

Luckily, the sun was about to come out on the season…

Wembley...Ten Years On...Part Thirteen...Jason White...

As the Wembley series gears towards its conclusion, we take a look this week at the final member of the squad who made it onto the hallowed turf, Jason White.

Tall, quick(ish) and with an eye for goal (sometimes), Jason White was in and out of the team in the 1996/97 season. He ended up on the bench for the Wembley showpiece with Ian Atkins going for his trusted “big man, little man” front two of John Gayle and Neil Grayson instead.

Before joining the Cobblers, White was a trainee at Derby County but never made an appearance for the Rams. His career kicked off when he joined Scunthorpe United in 1991. Spending just over two years with the club, White hit 18 goals, before being released on a free transfer and joining Scarborough in December 1993.

Hitting 20 goals in 60 league starts for the club, White alerted the attention of Ian Atkins, who paid £35,000 for his services in 1995 to bring the front man to Sixfields. I remember White not as a spectacular player or a big talent but he got the job done, put himself about and scored the odd crucial goal for us. He was exactly the type of player Atkins wanted at the club and it was a bit of a shame that White, like Larry, never really got a chance at the higher level.

White initially left the club on a month long loan deal as the arrivals of David Seal and Chris Freestone the following season pushed him down the pecking order at Sixfields. The loan took him to Rotherham United and after a successful period with the Millers, he joined them permanently in a £25,000 deal.

White spent three seasons at Millmoor but when they reached League One by finishing in second place (a place above our good selves) in 2000, he was again denied the opportunity to play in the higher league. White was released and joined Cheltenham Town but made just 8 starts before ending his career with a loan spell at Mansfield Town.

White reappeared in town for the Andy Woodman benefit match a couple of weeks ago.

Next week we tie up the Wembley series with the focus turning to manager Ian Atkins!

Post or Toast...? Week Two...

An interesting weekend in Post or Toast as Jamie snuck into a 2-1 lead as Monday came to an end. On Saturday, he cleverly shouted for the Post while I was still asleep. Usually this would be against the rules but because Ti was awake and heard the cry, he gained a point to make it 1-1.

On Monday morning, I put some toast in and made a schoolboy error by getting in the shower while it toasted. Minutes later, I emerged from the shower to find Jamie pointing at my popped up toast and shouting "toast".

Bugger.

However...this morning I wasn't so foolish and put my toast in before sitting in the living room. The anticipation was immense and you could cut the atmosphere in the room with a big atmosphere cutting device. Two minutes later and the toast popped up...and I JUST got in there first to level the scores at 2-2!

Brothers 2-2 Shoesmith

Random weekly round-up

So Week One in the new place has gone swimmingly and we’ve fully settled in. It’ll take a while to get sorted with some furnishings but the basics are in (including a mattress that now occupies my floor). The bed needs to be complete once we get on to Ikea for the missing pieces while I also need a wardrobe but apart from that it’s great to be so settled now. We had our first official gathering last night with Pizza and Top Gun so that was a good way to officially welcome us in. I must point out that Pizza and Top Gun are not names of our friends; rather we ate pizza and watched Top Gun the movie.

The fixtures have given us a nice start to the season but having to wait until 2008 to visit Elland Road was a bit disappointing, especially as it’ll be changed to a Tuesday night should one of us reach the F.A. Cup Third Round! The big trip to Carlisle falls on a bank holiday but could be worked into my busy schedule depending on what I’m doing at the time.

The fixtures coming out combined with the positive Crowe news has put me in very high spirits about next season. Stuart Gray and David Cardoza are obviously saying all the right things in order to keep Crowe, Bunn, Doig and the Johnsons while Danny Jackman sounds like a decent buy as well. Everything coming out of the club is good at the moment and I can’t remember a more anticipated start to a season for many a year. We still have two long months to wait but hopefully it’ll be worth it!

I’m at a free music festival down here in Southampton tomorrow so hopefully it’ll be sunny enough to enjoy to the full!

Crowe signs new deal to stay at Sixfields

Jason Crowe has ended all speculation about his future by signing a new two year deal with the Cobblers. The defender was heavily linked with a move to Nottingham Forest but today put pen to paper on a deal that keeps him with the club until 2009.

Crowe joins Mark Bunn, Chris Doig and Brad Johnson in signing a new deal and Stuart Gray’s influence once again pays off after it looked all the way as if he would leave for the City Ground. Chairman David Cardoza only said yesterday that he was “99% sure” that Crowe would leave!

Crowe, who began his career at Arsenal, signed for the Cobblers in 2005 having previously spent time with Crystal Palace, Portsmouth, Brentford and Grimsby Town.

Swindon first up for Cobblers in 20007/08

The fixtures are out and the Cobblers will begin next season at Sixfields against newly promoted Swindon Town.

The first away game takes us to Brighton and Hove Albion, with the Carling Cup tie with Millwall sandwiched in between. Other big dates to look forward to are January 5th as we make the trip to Leeds United, October 13th when we visit local rivals Luton Town and December 15th’s trip to Nottingham Forest.

Boxing Day will see us travelling north to Doncaster Rovers while the first game of 2008 brings Millwall back to Sixfields. The Cobblers will end the season with a home game with Tranmere Rovers.

For the full fixture list, see www.ntfc.co.uk

Post or Toast...?

A new game has been devised in the new flat as, for the first time this morning, me and Jamie woke up at the same time for work. I had placed some bread in the toaster at a similar time as you might expect your post to arrive. Returning to the living room to take in the morning sports news, we heard a “kerchunk” noise coming from somewhere…but where?

But where??

Jamie thought it was the letter box whereas I was sure it was the toaster due to both the noise of the toaster popping up and the noise of the letter box sounding very similar…try them out one after the other…you’ll be amazed!

Anyway, I went off into the kitchen while Jamie went to check the mail…I was right and a lovely burnt piece of toast had popped up. There was no mail. So we shall call this game…Post or Toast…I will keep you informed of the scores.

Post or Toast score line: Brothers 1-0 Shoesmith

Cobblers draw Millwall in Carling Cup

The Cobblers have been drawn at home to League One rivals Millwall in the first round of the Carling Cup. First Round ties will take place on the week commencing 13th August.

Last season we completed a double over the Lions- Mitchell Cole’s winner at the New Den followed up by our 3-0 win at Sixfields. The home game was rearranged after the original tie was abandoned with Millwall leading 1-0!

Our most recent meeting in the Carling Cup came at Sixfields back in 1997 when the Cobblers came from behind to win 2-1. Kim Grant put Millwall in front before John Gayle and David Seal turned it around for the Cobblers.

The move is complete!

And so as one chapter ends, another begins as me and Jamie finally made the long awaited move into the new place this weekend.

Everything went pretty much according to plan except for a disaster with the beds bought from Ikea last weekend. With the help of my parents and Dave we put up the two beds in decent time but then both got to a point where we had to stop- because there was a middle piece missing from both! Apparently you’re supposed to know when visiting Ikea that there’s some secret extra parts to buy that aren’t advertised or made clear about in the basement where you pick up the parts. So having crammed both beds into Jamie’s car last weekend we’re now left with two beds that are only half complete!

Barring that though everything went well and we’re now fully moved in and already the atmosphere of the place is pretty damn good! It still feels like a holiday at the moment as we settle in but long may that continue. The night was spent in the Frog and Frigate- the home of any celebration in Southampton.
So home sweet home it is and as the summer months are upon us we can fully enjoy the middle part of a grand year so far!

Wembley...Ten Years On...Part Twelve...Dean Peer

One of two Cobblers substitutions late on at Wembley was workhorse midfielder Dean Peer. As we move on in the big day celebrations, Peer becomes the focus of discussion this week!

Dean Peer didn’t look like a footballer in any shape or form. Ambling around the midfield, he just didn’t look at home on the pitch. But despite that, he did become something of a cult figure at Sixfields and played his own part in the Wembley success, even narrowly missing the chance to equalise against Grimsby Town a year later under the twin towers!

Peer was another one of the Birmingham influx at Sixfields during Ian Atkins’ reign at the club. Starting his career at St Andrews in 987, Peer went on to make over 100 appearances for Birmingham City, scoring twelve times.

Peer then moved to city rivals Walsall in 1993 and spent two seasons at the Bescott Stadium before joining the Cobblers on a free transfer in August 1995. An ever present in the Cobblers squad, he helped us in the transition season of 1995/96 to a top half finish before the two seasons that culminated in Wembley appearances. Peer came on as a 79th minute substitute in 1997 and was probably brought on to add some energy as extra time loomed!

Gladly though, we didn’t need an extra half hour and the job was done in breathtaking fashion by John Frain’s left foot!

A year later, Peer returned to Wembley with the Cobblers and missed a glaring opportunity late on. With Grimsby Town 1-0 up and the game coming to an end, Peer blazed over from just a few yards out. He stayed at the club until 2000 when he joined Shrewsbury Town on a free transfer and ended his career at non-league Moor Green.
The last sighting of Peer was at Andy Woodman’s benefit game against West Ham a couple of weeks ago.

To Shirley, To Shirley…he was saying goodbye to Shirley….

Yes, the time has come to finally remove ourselves from the wonderful world of Shirley as tomorrow morning Jamie and I will become roomies once again. We move into our new place after getting the keys in the morning and my room is now a sea of Ikea bags, boxes and unwanted clothes just waiting to be taken to the charity shop.

The price I’ll be paying for rent is going up but it’s certainly worth it to finally be in a solid home. As much fun as living with students has been I think it’s ran its course and I’m sure the brilliantly immature events and man humour will be more than enough to keep me entertained over the coming months.

Since Jamie moved back here in late 2006, there’s always been the possibility and talk of moving to a “Joey and Chandler” style place and although there’s no sign of a chick or a duck (not yet anyway), this looks likely to be my most exciting move yet. Man nights will be hosted as Dave and later in the year, his brother Phil who’s moving down here join the fun of Flat 18 of Oakley House. I’m sure we’ll also host many fun group nights while the Cowherds looks a likely replacement for the Brass Monkey as our “local”.

So we leave all the chavs, early drinkers and endless men on bikes behind to start the next chapter in our personal lives. Chelsea and Northampton Town coloured throws have been bought for the sofa, beds are ready to be assembled and we have a healthy band of merry men and women willing to lend a hand tomorrow.

Now all that’s left to do is to complete the move…photos and reports should be up some time next week!

Crowe set to decide on future...

Jason Crowe is the final out of contract player to still decide on his future but hopefully this weekend will see him sort out where he wants to be next season.

Crowe was a key figure in last seasons’ fight for League One survival and scored one of the biggest goals of the season in the 1-0 win over fellow strugglers Brentford live on Sky Sports.

The right-wing back has attracted interest from elsewhere and it’s no secret that former Cobblers boss Colin Calderwood wants to join up with Crowe again at Nottingham Forest. Crowe himself had officially until June 16th to decide on his future but Stuart Gray is now back from his holidays and hopes to get an answer some time in the next few days.

The Cobblers are also said to be chasing Oxford United’s Andy Burgess and former trainee Richard Butcher, currently with Peterborough United. Now that Gray has returned from his holidays deals should begin to take shape.

Elsewhere, the Carling Cup First Round draw will take place next Wednesday, 13th June at 10am with the new league fixtures released a day later!

Season in Review 2006/07...November

After a trawl through the draws in October, November included just four games for the Cobblers, with only two of these being league games. The FA Cup campaign got under way and we faced all northern sides in this month!

First up on the calendar was a home game with Blackpool. After the previous’ month’s frustrating stalemates, the draw was once again the result. The Tangerines took the lead on 20 minutes through former Coventry man Andy Morrell but Eoin Jess struck his only goal of the season to give us a point just after the hour mark.

Next up was the start of the FA Cup proper and Grimsby Town were the visitors to Sixfields, looking to avenge the fact that we played a part in them staying in League Two with a last day draw last season. The difference in leagues wasn’t a factor though and The Mariners held us to a dull 0-0 draw and took the tie to a replay.

The following weekend and we were at Scunthorpe, already strong contenders for promotion to The Championship at this stage. We held out for 86 minutes and looked like we were on for a very good point but yet another penalty decision went against us and Andy Crosby hammered home the spot kick to give Scunny all three points.

The reward for the winner of the Tuesday night FA Cup replay at Grimsby was a trip to Barnet and a real chance for progression into Round 3 (or so we thought!). On the eve of my university graduation, we gathered around the computer to listen in to Cobblers World as an own goal by Justin Whittle and Joe Burnell’s first for the club sent us to Spotland.

We would soon learn to regret that we’d ever made it to the second round…

Wembley…Ten Years On…Part Eleven…Neil Grayson...

As the Wembley…Ten Years On series continues, this week we take a look at the man who was pretty much responsible for getting me hooked on the Cobblers. Neil Grayson’s never say die attitude, rapport with the fans and numerous goals were massive drawing factors as I first joined the Claret army!

Larry was a mainstay of the Town’s fight for promotion and I still find it shocking how he was dumped in the few months after he led the line at Wembley. He may not have fired on all cylinders in a higher division but he should have at least be given a chance to test himself. Fortunately for Grayson, he’d already left a legacy to be proud of with the Cobblers and will forever be a hero to the fans.

Neil Grayson started out his career with the brilliantly named non-league side Rowntree Macintosh in 1989 but made himself known with a jump to league football with Doncaster Rovers. Larry hit seven goals in twenty one starts for Rovers but was released in his first season. He struggled to find a settled club, spending time with York City, Chesterfield, Gateshead and Boston before finally moving to Sixfields in June 1994. Larry found his feet and his goals and went on to make over 100 appearances for the Cobblers, scoring 33 goals in his time here.

Larry made himself a star here and after so many clubs threw away the chance to sign him up after departing Doncaster, we should certainly feel lucky that he chose the Cobblers to settle down with! Grayson hit the fastest ever hat-trick seen at Sixfields in a league game against Hartlepool in January 1997, the promotion season. He’ll also be remembered for his infamous “snow dive” after scoring in a game that saw the outside of the pitch covered in snow and Larry taking the chance to nosedive into it after his goal!

Following Wembley, Grayson was transferred to Hereford United and remained in the basement leagues following a £25,000 move. Hitting eleven goals in nine league games alerted Cheltenham Town and the Robins snapped him up a year later for £15,000. Grayson spent four years at Whaddon Road and even came back to haunt us, scoring for Cheltenham in a 3-2 Cobblers win! After his time with Cheltenham, Larry signed for Conference side Forest Green Rovers, again banging in the goals until a 2004 move to Stafford Rangers.

Larry is still playing and still scoring goals at the age of and good luck to the man! Great to see him still in the game and when he finally does retire, the sport will have lost a true character.

No Saints 1-3 The Legends

A real battle tonight as No Saints' gallant efforts weren't enough to stop the Legends from taking home all three points.

The Legends took an early lead before Aaron finished well to equalise before half time. In an evenly matched second half, both sides had chances to win the game but it was the Legends who managed to put away a late double to win the game.

It was, despite the defeat, an enjoyable game to play in and it showed how far we've come as a team to keep up a battle like that right to the end. The night was made complete when Ti surprised me by turning up unexpectadly to support us :)

Next up is a game against the high flying Pete F.C. in a late kick off net Monday!

Ikea debut!

Finally, after 22 years and 8 months of my eventful life, i set foot in an Ikea store yesterday as preparations for next weekends' move sparked into life!

Having never been to the Swedish superstore before I had no idea what to expect but found a glorious adventure and even managed to get myself a new bed for the new place for a bargain £69! We crammed the flatpacks of dreams into the back of Jamie's car and just about managed to get it all in before heading back to Southampton, avoiding the enormous delivery charges!

Elsewhere, No Saints were beaten last week as only 4 players turned up in a 12-0 drubbing. Tonight we return with hopefully 5 men at least as we look to get back into the top two in League Two.

Season in Review 2006/07...October

October was a baron month for goals and entertainment as the Cobblers held firm their position just above the bottom four. As frustrations grew with successive draws, relief was finally at hand in the final game of the month…

The month began with a Friday night trip to Bournemouth, and a local game to get to from my Southampton location. We booked up a night in a hotel and raced down to the seaside after work to take in the game. Despite the final result, a 0-0 draw, it was an entertaining game and the Cobblers were unlucky not to get anything from it. Scott McGleish’s header that scraped the post was the closest we would come.

It was a similar story the following Friday night as Bradford City were the visitors to Sixfields. Ian Taylor had the best chance of the game within just three minutes but scuffed his shot wide when clean through on goal. But for the second week in a row, despite a dominant performance, we came away with just a point.

Our Johnstone’s Paint Trophy campaign came and went when Brentford beat us 4-2 on penalties following another goalless game. The new rules in the competition meant that any game ending in a draw went straight to spot kicks and we were eliminated.

The following weekend and we were back on the South coast for more beach action and the expensive trip to Brighton and Hove Albion. At £21 a ticket, we were praying to be entertained but unfortunately that wasn’t the case in arguably the worst game of the season! Jake Robinson scrambled the home side in front on 39 minutes before James Quinn took advantage of slack marking from a throw in to level late on. All in all though it was a dire game and one to instantly forget…summed up by the fact that the biggest cheer of the day was for Ryan Gilligan and Brett Johnson being escorted from the bench due to the lack of room!

The Brighton game also saw a significant event off the pitch. Lee Harper, the Cobblers number one for many a season decided to stay at home after being told he was being dropped to the bench to be replaced by Mark Bunn. Harper would later be transferred to the MK Dons.

Back on the pitch and the month ended with the Cobblers finally getting that illusive first win of the season at Sixfields. In a tight game, we had an unlikely hero as Luke Chambers pounced in the 55th minute to volley home a David Hunt throw in. Leon Britton was sent off late on to compound the Swans’ misery and we had three massive points to round off October.
So all in all a moderate month with three draws out of four in League One. The Swansea victory set us up though and we could look forward to the winter campaign!