Northampton Town 0-3 Wolves

Wolves claimed a comfortable victory over the Cobblers this evening as goals from Darren Ward, Andy Keogh and Fredy Eastwood meant another Sixfields friendly defeat for the Town.

In front of a crowd of just over 2,000 at Sixfields, Wolves took the lead on 22 minutes as new signing Darren Ward converted an Andy Keogh cross. Keogh then made it two from the penalty spot ten minutes later and despite good efforts from Bradley Johnson and Joe Burnell, Wolves went on to stretch their lead as Fredy Eastwood hit a low shot beyond Chris Dunn in the Cobblers goal.

So another difficult outing for us as pre-season rolls on but it’s not the result that we should be worrying about at the moment. Teams like West Brom and Wolves are far ahead of League One standard and we have to be glad that we’re at least getting a good warm up against a high standard of opposition.

Next up, though, is a team who we really must feel like we should overcome depending on the strength of our side as we travel to Nene Park on Saturday for the Maunsell Cup.


The pre-season so far:

UE San Jose 1-3 Cobblers
SD Portmany 0-5 Cobblers
Kettering Town 0-1 Cobblers
Cobblers 1-1 Coventry City
Cobblers 1-5 West Bromwich Albion
Cobblers 0-3 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Northampton Town vs Wolverhampton Wanderers...Preview...

The Cobblers welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Sixfields tonight in the final home pre-season friendly, looking to bounce back from the 5-1 hammering dished out by West Bromwich Albion last week.

Mick McCarthy has brought in Southend hitman Fredy Eastwood this summer along with Sunderland’s Steven Elliot, Michael Gray from Blackburn Rovers and Darren Ward from Crystal Palace. All could feature at Sixfields this evening.

For the Cobblers, Chris Doig and Brett Johnson are back in full training but tonight’s game will come too soon for the defensive duo. They may both be able to play some part in Saturday’s Maunsell Cup game at Rushden. Mark Bunn misses tonight’s game as well due to compassionate leave so Chris Dunn will deputise.

That's Howe...for now...

The Cobblers have handed trialist Joe Howe a short term contract following a successful spell in pre-season friendlies and training.

The former MK Dons man can play in defence or midfield and will be handed squad number 20 by Stuart Gray. Howe adds height and power to the squad and his utility could be a bonus as the squad is put together.

So another young hopeful joins the growing list of up and coming youngsters at the club and now all we need is one or two strikers to complete the squad. There's not long left until the big kick off so hopefully some news will be forthcoming soon!

Sundae on the Common

Sundae on The Common

Saturday, August 28th 2007

Crazy weekenders are back! Yes, we headed up to Clapham Common for a much-needed day out on Saturday for the Ben and Jerry’s “Sundae in the Park” festival.

Arriving at around 2pm to incredibly long queues, we brilliantly came across a girl in a horse outfit being reprimanded by police. I have no idea why but I think it’s best left to the imagination as to what the offence was and how the conversation went!

Once inside, we took a quick look around and had the first lot of free ice cream before heading towards the stage where Kate Nash was the first act that we saw. Nash, promoting new single Foundations and playing a quirky set. Her style is very much Lily Allen and despite seeming to pad out one song by repeating “ever, ever, ever, ever” her set suitably warmed up the Saturday afternoon crowd who were relaxing into their day.

Next up we took a quick tour around the various stalls and tents on offer including Toe Wrestling, the Coconut Shy and the Pimms Bus. Of course we had to take a sample of Pimms and relaxed in the shade of the bus while Paparazzi style photographers attempted to catch Jamie off guard.

Up on the main stage next were Brakes, a heavy rock outfit who really got the crowd going and sparked them into life following the ease of Kate Nash’s introduction. With a gritty and loud sound and impressive front man Eamonn Hamilton leading the way, they were the perfect outfit to get the festival rocking and to wake up those who were there just for the promise of free ice cream!

After some more relaxation and beer, The Rumble Strips entered and again impressed as they showed why they were chosen to headline the recent NME New Band Tour. They also integrated a solid cover of The Boys are Back in Town into their set!

The Bees were up next and the Isle of Wight band were a perfect foil for the main act of the night. The Isle of Wight natives ran through their back catalogue in real style and finished with a quite brilliant encore of Chicken Playback where they were accompanied on stage by two chickens. That’s two people dressed as chickens, not real chickens. They must have slipped through the net of the prowling officers.

And so to the headliners. Around a year ago I was sent to Southampton Guildhall for a one day job to work in the kitchen for a gig that night. The Charlatans provided the main act that night but their support was an up and coming act called The Feeling.

I remember serving them dinner and some of the band even offering to do their own washing up so it was pretty surreal to see the same people a year later headlining a summer festival! Led by superb front man Dan Gillespie-Sells, a natural entertainer and performer, The Feeling rattled through all the songs that have made them famous plus a bonus cover of Video Killed The Radio Star! They were thwarted half way through the set as the electronics failed but handled the set back in real style before normal service was resumed. Unashamedly pop/rock, The Feeling are attracting a wide range of fans and if their second album is anywhere near as successful as the first, Twelve Stops and Home, they could be on the brink of becoming big.

So overall a brilliantly value for money event at £8.50 for the day and one to look out for on next year’s calendar!

League One Preview 2007/08...Part Six

We’re now just two short weeks away from the season and teams are putting together their squads for the League One campaign ahead. Today we focus on Oldham Athletic, Port Vale and Southend United.


Oldham Athletic

Nickname: The Latics
Ground: Boundary Park
Capacity: 13,559
Manager: John Sheridan


KEY PLAYERS: Ex-England international Michael Ricketts has signed for the club from Preston North End and if he can rediscover the goal scoring touch that made him famous at Bolton Wanderers he could be a real threat in League One. Former Cobblers target Craig Davies has joined from Verona while experienced stopper Mark Crossley provides a calm head between the sticks.


TRANSFERS IN: Michael Ricketts (Preston) FREE, Mark Crossley (Fulham) FREE, John Thompson (Forest) FREE, Craig Davies (Verona) Nominal, Jean-Paul Kalala (Yeovil) FREE, Mark Allot (Chesterfield) FREE

TRANSFERS OUT: Terry Smith (Southport) FREE, Gareth Owen (Stockport) FREE, Craig Rocastle (Port Vale) FREE, Paul Edwards (Port Vale) FREE, Will Haining (St Mirren) FREE, Chris Porter (Motherwell) FREE, Ritchie Wellens (Doncaster) FREE


SQUAD:

GOALKEEPERS: Mark Crossley, Les Pogliacomi,

DEFENDERS: Neil Eardley, John Thompson, Stefan Stam, Kelvin Lomax, Chris Taylor, Neal Trotman, Marcus Holness

MIDFIELD: Jean-Paul Kalala, Mark Allott, Gary McDonald, Sean Gregan, Michael Pearson, Neil Wood, Andy Liddell, Ashley Kelly

FORWARDS: Craig Davies, Michael Ricketts, Matthew Wolfenden, Deane Smalley, Lewis Alessandra


LAST SEASON: Oldham got off to a dreadful start to the season as they lost five of their opening seven games. But an excellent month of September including wins over Nottingham Forest and Scunthorpe United hauled them back into the top half of the table.

Five wins in a row as Christmas approached helped the Latics to a solid top six place and their impressive 3-0 win over the Cobblers in December followed by three more big victories meant that they were in a good position to challenge for the top two as 2007 began.

A short blip in February, however, as the club lost four in a row meant that they were eventually fighting for a playoff place. This place was confirmed with a final day win over Chesterfield that meant that they would face in-form Blackpool in the playoffs. After defeat in the home leg at Boundary Park, there was no way back and the Tangerines went on to win 5-2 on aggregate.



Port Vale

Nickname: The Valiants
Ground: Vale Park
Capacity: 22,356
Manager: Martin Foyle


KEY PLAYERS: George Pilkington has been a mainstay in Vale’s defence ever since his arrival in 2003 from Exeter City. The Valiants’ forward line is looking strong with former Cobblers man Marc Richards joining from Barnsley. He joins the likes of Leon Constantine and Luke Rodgers in the attack.


TRANSFERS IN: Marc Richards (Barnsley) FREE, Shane Tudor (Orient) FREE, Craig Rocastle (Oldham) FREE, Paul Edwards (Oldham) FREE,

TRANSFERS OUT: Michael Husbands (Macclesfield) FREE, Rhys Weston (Walsall) FREE, Danny Sonner (Walsall) FREE, Malvin Kamara (Huddersfield) FREE


SQUAD:

GOALKEEPERS: Joe Anyon, Mark Goodlad, Paul Musselwhite

DEFENDERS: Mark McGregor, Colin Miles, Justin Miller, George Pilkington, Luke Prosser, Jason Talbot, Richard Walker, Michael Walsh

MIDFIELD: Joe Cardle, Paul Edwards, Paul Harsley, Robin Hulbert, Craig Rocastle, Shane Tudor, Dan Whitaker

FORWARDS: Leon Constantine, Marc Richards, Luke Rodgers, Akpo Sodje


LAST SEASON: Vale were the early pace setters in League One last time around as they won their opening five games. But a poor month of September ended any hopes of them running away as promotion hopefuls and soon they were down to a mid-table position.

Vale were hammered by Conference side Hereford in the FA Cup Second Round before their league form picked up again over Christmas with four wins on the bounce. It was against the higher placed sides where they were slipping up though and defeats to Forest and Bristol City kept them out of reach of the top two.

Results in the new year were up and down and the highlight of the rest of the season would be a 5-1 win at Rotherham United. Port Vale finished the season in 12th place and will be hoping for a more consistent run of things this time around.



Southend United

Nickname: The Shrimpers
Ground: Roots Hall
Capacity: 12,306
Manager: Steve Tilson


KEY PLAYERS: Following the expected departure of Fredy Eastwood, The Shrimpers will be turning to new signing Charlie Macdonald for the goals this time around. Macdonald joins from Ebbsfleet after he gained a growing reputation in non-league football. Darryl Flahavan is a top quality goalkeeper while defender Peter Clarke was once a target for the Cobblers. Adam Barrett can be dangerous from set pieces when coming up from the back.


TRANSFERS IN: Zoltan Litak (Lombard-Papa) FREE, Charlie Macdonald (Ebbsfleet) FREE, Tommy Black (Crystal Palace) FREE, Nick Bailey (Barnet) FREE

TRANSFERS OUT: Efe Sodje (Gillingham) FREE, Fredy Eastwood (Wolves) £1.5 million


SQUAD:

GOALKEEPERS: Darryl Flahavan, Steven Collis, Joe Welch

DEFENDERS: Simon Francis, Lewis Hunt, Adam Barrett, Peter Clarke, Che Wilson. Zoltan Liptak, Steven Hammell,

MIDFIELD: Mark Gower, Kevin Maher, Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Alan McCormack, Tommy Black, Gary Hooper, Franck Moussa, Nick Bailey

FORWARDS: Ritchie Foran, Charlie Macdonald, Lee Bradbury, Billy Paynter, Matt Harrold, Charles Ademano


LAST SEASON: Southend finished third from bottom in The Championships last season but after looking dead and buried at one point put up a real fight only to be denied late in the campaign.

It was always going to be a struggle for Steve Tilson’s men with a low budget but holding onto Fredy Eastwood always gave them a goal scoring threat. Home form early on was good with wins over Stoke City and Sunderland but form dipped and goals were flowing in the wrong end as the Shrimpers lost three games in a row in September and October, shipping nine goals in the process.

Further defeats to Ipswich, Leeds, Hull and Wolves kept them in the running for relgation but there was some relief as they caused a Carling Cup shock by defeating Manchester United in Round Four. They eventually went out in Round Five to Spurs.

Back to the league and Southend staged a brief revival over the new year as Birmingham and QPR were put to the sword early in 2007. But despite getting off the foot of the table, it just wasn’t enough to stage a great escape and defeats to Barnsley, Plymouth and Luton condemned them to League One.

League One Preview 2007/08...Part Five...

Relegated Luton Town along with Millwall and Colin Calderwood’s Nottingham Forest come into focus in Part Five of the League One preview.


Luton Town

Nickname: The Hatters
Ground: Kenilworth Road
Capacity: 9,975
Manager: Kevin Blackwell


KEY PLAYERS: Former Cobbler Sam Parkin will be looking to score the goals to get Luton back into the Championship at the first attempt. Paul Peschisolido has also signed from Derby and his experience could be valuable. Elsewhere, Ahmet Brkovic and new signing from Ipswich, Darren Currie can provide fire power from midfield.

TRANSFERS IN: Paul Peschisolido (Derby) FREE, David Edwards (Shrewsbury) FREE, Alan Goodall (Rochdale) FREE, Darren Currie (Ipswich) FREE

TRANSFERS OUT: Warren Feeney (Cardiff) FREE, Peter Holmes (Rotherham) FREE, Russell Perrett (Bournemouth) FREE, Michael Leary (Barnet) FREE, Adam Boyd (Orient) FREE


SQUAD:

GOALKEEPERS: Zach Barrett, Dean Brill, Marlon Beresford

DEFENDERS: Ed Asafu-Adjaye, Leon Barnett, Chris Coyne, Sol Davis, Lewis Emmanuel, Kevin Foley, Alan Goodall, Marcus Heikkinnen, Paul Underwood

MIDFIELD: David Bell, Ahmet Brkovic, Darren Currie, David Edwards, Richard Langley, Steven O’Leary, Steve Robinson, Matthew Spring

FORWARDS: Sam Parkin, Paul Peschisolido, Calvin Andrew, Drew Talbot


LAST SEASON: Luton got off to a good start to their season with victories over Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday before tasting their first defeat at Norwich. The League Cup took them to the third round where they were beaten by Everton convincingly at Goodison Park.

Back in the league, the Hatters went on an awful run of seven straight defeats including reverses at Ipswich, Preston and Southampton that led to their fall down the Championship table.

Manager Mike Newell was in the news for sexist remarks directed at the referee’s assistant Amy Rayner following the club’s 3-2 home defeat to QPR. Newell’s future was in doubt from the moment he hit the headlines with his comments and, coupled with bad form, led to his departure in March.

Kevin Blackwell took over and his first game was a 0-0 draw at Burnley. Despite that point, Blackwell couldn’t turn the form around and four defeats in a row condemned the Hatters to the drop.



Millwall

Nickname: The Lions
Ground: The New Den
Capacity:20,146
Manager: Willie Donachie


KEY PLAYERS: Millwall will be looking to improve on last seasons’ mid-table finish and the experience of players such as Richard Shaw, Neal Ardley and Darren Byfield could be vital. Gary Alexandra has signed from London rivals Leyton Orient and will be hoping to bring his scoring record across the capital with him.

TRANSFERS IN: Gary Alexandra (Orient) FREE, Danny Spiller (Gillingham) FREE, Scott Barron (Ipswich) FREE, Andy Frampton (Brentford) FREE, Ryan Smith (Derby) £150,000

TRANSFERS OUT: Adam Cottrell (Welling) FREE, Tony Craig (Crystal Palace) FREE


SQUAD:

GOALKEEPERS: Lenny Pidgeley, Chris Day, Preston Edwards

DEFENDERS: Andy Frampton, Paul Robinson, Zak Whitbread, Alan Dunne, Scott Barron, Richard Shaw, Andrew Callaghan

MIDFIELD: Danny Senda, Danny Spiller, Ryan Smith, Chris Hackett, Dave Brammer, Ali Fuseini, Neal Ardley, Marvin Williams

FORWARDS: Gary Alexandra, Neil Harris, Darren Byfield, Tom Brighton, Ben May,


LAST SEASON: Millwall turned their season around after a disastrous first stage of their 2006/07 campaign.

An early hammering, 5-1, at Chesterfield wouldn’t have been great for confidence and the Lions remained in trouble in the opening months. September included a 1-0 home defeat by the Cobblers as loanee Mitchell Cole grabbed the only goal. Nigel Spackman was sacked following that defeat and Willie Donachie was installed as the new boss.

Donachie led ‘Wall to ten points from his first four games in charge before a dip in form meant that they remained in trouble over Chistmas. A fine start to the new year including 4-1 wins over Brentford and Gillingham and a 4-0 victory against Rotherham set them up nicely for a move in the right direction as 2007 kicked in.

Wins over Yeovil, Chesterfield and Oldham gave them a brief glimpse of the playoffs but a heavy home defeat to Leyton Orient (2-5) brought them right back down to earth. The playoffs were just out of reach in the end and the Lions finished the season in 10th place.



Nottingham Forest

Nickname: Reds
Ground: The City Ground
Capacity: 30,602
Manager: Colin Calderwood


KEY PLAYERS: Colin Calderwood has spent a lot of time in the transfer market this summer and the biggest capture was Neil Lennon who joins the club from Celtic. The front line will again be promising a lot at the City Ground with Nathan Tyson, Grant Holt, Junior Agogo and Aaron Davies all a threat. Luke Chambers will be hoping for more first team action in his first full season with the club while Kris Commons’ ability in midfield makes him one of the most dangerous players in the league.

TRANSFERS IN: Neil Lennon (Celtic) FREE, Matt Lockwood (Orient) FREE, Aaron Davies (Yeovil) FREE, Chris Cohen (Yeovil) FREE, Kelvin Wilson (Preston) £300,000

TRANSFERS OUT: Gary Holt (Wycombe) FREE, Jack Lester (Chesterfield) FREE, John Thompson (Oldham) FREE, Spencer Weir-Daley (Notts County) FREE, John Curtis (QPR) FREE


SQUAD:

GOALKEEPERS: Paul Smith, Dale Roberts

DEFENDERS: Kelvin Wilson, Luke Chambers, Matt Lockwood, Wes Morgan, Ian Breckin, James Perch, Chris Cohen, Alan Power, Brendon Maloney, Julian Bennett

MIDFIELD: Kris Commons, Felix Bastians, Sammy Clingan, Lewis McGugan, Neil Lennon,

FORWARDS: Nathan Tyson, Junior Agogo, Grant Holt, Scott Dobie, Aaron Davies


LAST SEASON: Forest were one of the pre-season favourites for promotion and began their season in style, winning six of their opening seven games before suffering their first defeat at home to Oldham Athletic.

Their first home defeat came live on Sky Sports as they were hammered by future champions Scunthorpe United 4-0 at the City Ground. They bounced back though and won their next four games. Forest remained in a strong position for automatic promotion until a mid-season dip in form allowed Scunthorpe to run away with top spot and Bristol City to overtake them in second place.

A final day of the season draw with Crewe Alexandra wasn’t enough for them to get back into the top two and Forest had to settle for a place in the playoffs where they would face Yeovil Town. They won the first leg at Huish Park 2-0 and it seemed like a formality by the time the teams met again in the second leg at the City Ground. But Yeovil fought back brilliantly and won 3-1 in 90 minutes before incredibly finishing the job in extra time, eventually running out 5-2 victors and 5-4 aggregate winners!

So Forest again face a season in League One and it’ll be a nervous time for our friend Mr Calderwood as he must surely get it right this time!

Northampton Town 1-5 West Bromwich Albion

The Cobblers suffered their first pre-season defeat this evening and it came in spectacular fashion as West Bromwich Albion ran riot at Sixfields.

From the moment Jonathon Greening hammered the visitors in front on 14 minutes, hitting a low shot against the post that rebounded off the back of Mark Bunn, it was one way traffic.

With ten minutes to go to half-time, Felipe Teixeira curled a spectacular second before Mark Hughes scored an own goal just before the break. Teixeira grabbed a second goal in the second half before Kevin Phillips made it five just a minute later.

The one consolation for the Cobblers was Ian Henderson’s late goal, driving in a low shot from the edge of the area past Dean Kiely but it was too little too late.

So a disappointing night overall at Sixfields and the home pre-season run comes to and end with Wolverhampton Wanderers the visitors on Tuesday evening.

The pre-season so far:

UE San Jose 1-3 Cobblers
SD Portmany 0-5 Cobblers
Kettering Town 0-1 Cobblers
Cobblers 1-1 Coventry City

Cobblers 1-5 West Bromwich Albion

Old School Dream Team...the teams revealed...

***For info on how this game came about and the rules, see two posts below....(did someone say post?)**

So here we are, the line-ups for the brilliant new game, Old School Dream Team, are revealed....

In the blue corner, Team Shoesmith:

GK: Neil Sullivan

DEF: David Busst, Steve Gould, Ugo Ehiough, Peter Fear (above)

MID: Paul Rideout, David Batty, Nii Lamptey, Danny Wallace

FOR: Brian McClair, Paul Furlong

And in the claret corner, Team Brothers:

GK: Tim Flowers

DEF: Paul Parker, Keith Curle, Carlton Palmer, Barry Venison (left)

MID: Stuart Ripley, Ian Taylor, John Collins, Lee Sharpe

FOR: Uwe Rosler, Mike Newell


Let battle commence!!

Calderwood in for Bunn?

It’s with a bit of surprise that we hear of Mr Calderwood’s latest plans as this week it has emerged that he may be following up his capture of Luke Chambers by putting in an offer for Mark Bunn.

How strange that after leaving Bunn on the bench for most of his managerial reign that CC suddenly wants him at Forest. Does he now see the error of his ways or does he just want Bunny to again be a backup goalkeeper? If the latter is true, I can’t see Bunn going anywhere near the City Ground. For three years Bunn waited patiently for a chance under Calderwood and time and again Lee Harper remained in place except for the odd pre-season friendly or Football League Trophy game.

Fair enough if Calderwood sees Bunn as first choice goalkeeper and if he comes up with a substantial bid (I’m talking at least £500,000-not the £200,000 being banded about at the moment) we would certainly have to listen to the offer. For Bunn himself, he has to think about his own personal future. If the right offer comes in for him we can not stand in his way.

But if Mr Calderwood wants him to again warm his bench, I can’t see us losing our player of the year just yet.

Northampton Town vs West Bromich Albion...Preview...

The Baggies are in town tonight as we continue our pre-season with another tough test against Championship opposition.

West Brom were beaten by Derby County in the Championship playoff final last season and are once again being tipped to stake a claim for a Premiership place this term. The Baggies have held on to most of their key players ahead of next season with John Hartson, and Kevin Phillips remaining to lead their attack.

Phillips is hoping to return from injury tonight while new £600,000 signing Felipe Teixeira could also feature if international clearance is granted in time.

Chris Doig is still yet to start in pre-season and will again be a doubt, giving Liam Dolman another chance to impress.

Got....Got....Got....NEED!

In a game that has seen many footballing names from the depths of the old football sticker albums reappear, Jamie quite brilliantly created "Old School dream team" last night.

Quite concerning was the fact that the brainwave came about while Jamie was in the toilet but still, a grand idea nonetheless.

The premise was built as we made our Sun Dream Teams for next season and not fully satisfied from the maths of trying to fit in £50 million worth of players into eleven positions, the idea came about of an old school dream team game.

The rules: We had to choose a team of ex-Premiership players that MIGHT get on Sky Sports News or Match of The Day/Match of the Day 2 this season. We weren't allowed any ex-pros that consistantly appeared on these programmes such as Matt Le Tissier, Gary Linekar or, dear lord, Graeme Le Saux.

So for a good half hour we pondered over our line-ups (it took me slightly longer) before deciding on a squad of eleven plus one manager that may appear on SSN or MOTD/2 in the coming months. The rules are that if we see the ex-pro once, we score a point and they are then removed from the game (we can't count the same player twice, to avoid controversy if one of them gets a high profile job and is always on).

Somehoe we didn't manage to both name the same player though Stan Collymore was ommitted from my team by the use of our "one veto each" rule. I will reveal the teams later....

League One Preview 2007/08...Part Four...

The season preview rolls on and in Part Four we head to Yorkshire to focus on Huddersfield Town and Leeds United before moving to London to see how Leyton Orient are preparing for the new season.

Huddersfield Town

Nickname: The Terriers
Ground: Galpharm Stadium
Capacity: 24,500
Manager: Andy Ritchie


KEY PLAYERS: Huddersfield Town always seem to boast a strong forward line and this season is no different with the likes of Andy Booth and Luke Beckett still at the club. Former Everton star Danny Cadamarteri is also in the squad while former Cobblers loanee Paul Rachubka is an impressive goalkeeper.


TRANSFERS IN: Frank Sinclair (Burnley) FREE, Malvin Kamara (Port Vale) FREE, Danny Cadamarteri (Leicester) FREE

TRANSFERS OUT: Gary Taylor-Fletcher (Blackpool) FREE, Adnan Ahmed (Tranmere) FREE, Mark Hudson (Rotherham) FREE, John McCombe (Hereford) FREE


SQUAD:

GOALKEEPERS: Paul Rachubka, Simon Eastwood, Matt Glennon

DEFENDERS: Martin Mcintosh, Nathan Clarke, David Mirfin, Frank Sinclair, Joe Skarz, Tom Clarke, Malvin Kamara

MIDFIELD: James Berrett, Chris Brandon, Michael Collins, Andy Holdsworth, James Hand, Aaron Hardy, Danny Racchi, Danny Schofield, Jonathon Worthington, Matthew Young

FORWARDS: Andy Booth, Luke Beckett, Lucas Askins, Danny Cadamarteri, John McAliskey,


LAST SEASON: In a below-par season by the expectations of the club, Town finished in 15th place last season, just one place below the Cobblers.

After a decent start to the season with seven points from the first four games, The Terriers fell into an almighty run of inconsistency and never really got going into a run that would help them to challenge the playoff places. The inconsistent run of form was highlighted in October when they gained a good away win at Port Vale before falling to a 3-0 home defeat to Brighton just a week later.

Town were dumped out of the FA Cup in the first round by Blackpool while there were also first round exits in the League Cup (0-2 to Mansfield Town) and the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy (1-2 to Doncaster).

Being hammered 5-1 at Forest at the beginning of March was arguably the point where any playoff hopes faded before a poor end to the season meant that Huddersfield finished in the bottom half of the table.


The fans view...Huddersfield fans from downatthemac.com give their views on the coming season...

The views of “JackoGod”...

What was your season like in 06/07?
Disappointing, lost our local hero manager due to mid table obscurity.

Which summer signing you are looking forward to seeing the most?
Malvin Kamara, however a young lad Mitchell Bailey has been playing well in our pre season friendly "Barry Horne" esque!


What are the expectations at the club for 07/08?
Promotion, preferably automatic, however my head says 5th.


...And from fellow member “SN0W”...

What was your season like in 06/07?
Disappointing, due to empty promises and politics.

Which summer signing you are looking forward to seeing the most?
We only have two to date, but they both show promise.

What are the expectations at the club for 07/08?
Ritchie got us playing some nice football when he took the reins at the season’s end. If we get more of the same (and I don’t see why not) then we should be up there.



Leeds United

Nickname: United
Ground: Elland Road
Capacity: 40, 204
Manager: Dennis Wise

KEY PLAYERS: Despite the worries over the future of the club, Leeds head into the League One campaign with a wealth of experience at a higher level. Tore-Andre Flo is perhaps the biggest name on the team sheet having gained Premiership experience at Chelsea and Sunderland. American Eddie Lewis adds pace and width to the midfield.

TRANSFERS IN: None

TRANSFERS OUT: Sam Hird (Doncaster) FREE, Neil Sullivan (Doncaster) FREE, Kevin Nicholls (Preston) FREE, Stephen Crainey (Blackpool) FREE, Robbie Blake (Burnley) £250,000, David Healy (Fulham) £1.5 million


SQUAD:

GOALKEEPERS: Jonathon Lund

DEFENDERS: Fabian Delph, Matt Heath, Rui Marques,

MIDFIELD: Sebastian Carole, Shaun Derry, Jonathon Douglas, Gylfi Einarsson, Eddie Lewis, Ben Parker, Frazer Richardson, Danny Rose, Ian Westlake

FORWARDS: Jermaine Beckford, Richard Cresswell, Tore-Andre Flo, Tresor Kandol, Jonathon Howson, Tom Elliot


LAST SEASON: Leeds were troubled from the off last season and ended up with a ten point deduction that ultimately sealed their fate.

After a slow start to the season, Leeds sacked Kevin Blackwell in mid-September following a 1-0 defeat to Coventry City. John Carver stepped in for a month but his reign was a disaster and the club lost four games in a row including a 4-0 defeat at home to Stoke City and a 5-1 reverse at Luton Town.

In came Dennis Wise and despite winning their first game under the former Chelsea man against Southend, form continued to slip and they lost three of the next four games including a 3-0 home defeat to Southampton. As the new year beckoned, United were in deep trouble and despite good wins over Hull City and Crystal Palace, defeats were still following.

There was a brief spell of hope in March as the club went five games unbeaten but it turned out to be too little too late. A draw with Ipswich on the penultimate weekend of the season meant they were three points from safety with a game to go but the small hope of survival vanished as the club went into administration and were forced into a ten point deduction meaning that they will start next season in League One.



Leyton Orient

Nickname: The O’s
Ground: Brisbane Road
Capacity: 13,842
Manager: Martin Ling


KEY PLAYERS: Martin Ling has added impressively to his playing staff over the summer and signed some good quality players to add to the side that kept them afloat last term. The capture of powerful front man Wayne Gray is a notable addition. Gray scored eleven times for Yeovil last season following a previously successful spell at Southend United. Paul Terry, brother of John, can score goals from midfield while winger Wayne Corden always causes problems.


TRANSFERS IN: Wayne Gray (Yeovil) FREE, Stephen Purches (Bournemouth) FREE, JJ Melligan (Cheltenham) FREE, Tamika Mkandawire (Hereford) FREE, Paul Terry (Yeovil) FREE, Stuart Nelson (Brentford) FREE, Sean Thornton (Doncaster) FREE

TRANSFERS OUT: John Mackie (Brentford) FREE, Glynn Garner (Shrewsbury) FREE, Adam Tann (Notts County) FREE, Craig Easton (Swindon) FREE, Gary Alexandra (Millwall) FREE, Derek Duncan (Wycombe) FREE, Luke Gutteridge (Colchester) FREE, Matt Lockwood (Nottingham Forest) FREE


SQUAD:

GOALKEEPERS: Glenn Morris, Stuart Nelson

DEFENDERS: Donny Barnard, Adam Chambers, Jason Demetriou, Clayton Fortune, Tom Kemp, Tamika Mkandawire, Aiden Palmer, Stephen Purches, Alton Thelwell

MIDFIELD: Sean Thornton, Wayne Corden, JJ Melligan, Phil Mulryne, Jack Page, Brian Saah, Sololman Shields, Michael Simpson, Paul Terry,

FORWARDS: Efe Echanomi, Wayne Gray, Jabo Ibehre, Lee Steele,


LAST SEASON: Following their promotion with the Cobblers in 2006, Orient were one of the favourites for the drop but managed to escape the clutches of relegation by just four points and one league place.

The O’s were being kept away from danger early on by some good home form, with a London derby win over Millwall at Brisbane Road setting them off. It was indifferent form, however, that put them down in relegation trouble in mid-season and despite a superb win at the City Ground against Nottingham Forest followed by a win at Sixfields, Orient were pulled back into the dog fight in the new year.

Heavy defeats at Bournemouth (0-5) and at home to Brighton (1-4) meant that they were looking over their shoulder as the end of the season approached. In a nervy April, The O’s lost out at home to the Cobblers before defeat at Yeovil and a draw at home to Doncaster meant that the game with fellow strugglers Bradford City could make or break their season.

Orient won the game 2-0 thanks to Gary Alexandra and Adam Tann goals and meant that despite losing their final two games, they were safe for another season.

League One Preview 2007/08...Part Three

Part Three in the League One preview takes a look at Doncaster Rovers, Gillingham and newly promoted Hartlepool United.

Doncaster Rovers

Nickname: The Rovers
Ground: Keepmoat Stadium
Capacity: 15, 213
Manager: Sean O’Driscoll

KEY PLAYERS: Neil Sullivan provides a wealth of experience between the sticks for Donny. The signing of Blackpool midfielder Ritchie Wellens is also a notable capture from the summer transfer activity at the Keepmoat Stadium. Up front, Paul Heffernan is always a danger while James Hayter has signed for the club following a successful eleven years at Bournemouth.

TRANSFERS IN: Martin Woods (Rotherham) FREE, Neil Sullivan (Leeds) FREE, Sam Hird (Leeds) FREE, Ritchie Wellens (Blackpool) FREE, James Hayter (Bournemouth) £200,000

TRANSFERS OUT: Jon-Paul Pittman (Crawley) FREE, Jan Budtz (Hartlepool) FREE, Sean Thornton (Orient) FREE, Liam Green (Released), Adam Brown (Released)


SQUAD:


GOALKEEPERS: Neil Sullivan, Benjamin Smith, Barry Richardson

DEFENDERS: James O’ Connor, Gareth Roberts, Graeme Lee, Adam Lockwood, Sean McDaid, Sam Hird, Matt Noble

MIDFIELD: Stephen Roberts, Kevin Horlock, Brian Stock, Mark Wilson, Anthony Griffith, Martin Woods, Paul Green, Jason Price, James Coppinger, Craig Nelthorpe, Ritchie Wellens

FORWARDS: Lewis Guy, Paul Heffernan, Mark McCammon, Bruce Dyer, James Hayter,


LAST SEASON: Doncaster gained a creditable top half finish in a season where they swapped the old Belle Vue stadium for the brand new Keepmoat Stadium.

The season began with mixed results and an inconsistent run of form that was highlighted by a run of five draws from six games in September and October. Luck would soon turn though and take Rovers up the table as three straight wins eased any early fears of relegation. Rovers went well in all the cup competitions, especially the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy where they reached Cardiff following an epic 6-5 aggregate win over Crewe Alexandra. They would go on to win the competition at the expense of Bristol Rovers who they defeated in extra time at the Millenium Stadium.

Back in the league, Rovers just weren’t good enough to gain a playoff place and though they did manage a victory at Nottingham Forest, form slipped and defeats to Oldham, Cheltenham Town and Bristol City meant their season would end with a mid-table position.



Gillingham

Nickname: The Gills
Ground: Priestfield Stadium
Capacity: 10,952
Manager: Ronnie Jepson

KEY PLAYERS: With a small squad, the Gills will be needing all of their main men fit through the season. Efe Sodje signed from Southend and is always a danger from set pieces while Delroy Facey has a good goal scoring record in the lower leagues.

TRANSFERS IN: Efe Sodje (Southend) FREE, Simon Royce (QPR) FREE, Craig Armstrong (Cheltenham) FREE, Aaron Brown (Swindon) FREE, Delroy Facey (Rotherham) FREE, Barry Cogan (Barnet) FREE, Simon King (Barnet) £200,000

TRANSFERS OUT: Danny Jackman (Northampton Town) FREE, Danny Spiller (Millwall) FREE, Matt Jarvis (Wolves) FREE, Leon Johnson (Wycombe) FREE, Michael Flynn (Blackpool) FREE


SQUAD:

GOALKEEPERS: Kelvin Jack, Simon Royce

DEFENDERS: Aaron Brown, Sean Clohessy, Ian Cox, Andrew Crofts, Duncan Jupp, Simon King, Efe Sodje

MIDFIELD: Craig Armstrong, Mark Bentley, Barry Cogan, Luis Cumbers, Dean McDonald, Nicky Southall, Craig Stone

FORWARDS: Delroy Facey, Gary Mulligan, Guylain Ndumbu-Nsunga, Andy Pugh


LAST SEASON: Despite a win on the opening day of the 06/07 season against Huddersfield Town, the Gills then lost five of their next six games. Goals were being shipped at the wrong end and they conceded four goals at Oldham, three at Orient and another four at Crewe.

Following an FA Cup exit at Bristol City, Gillingham lost games at Port Vale and Yeovil but turned their form around with a Christmas double win over Tranmere and Orient. Despite the Christmas bonus, form slipped once again and three defeats over the new year period took them back down to the nether reaches of the league.

Towards the end of the season the club were in relegation trouble but late wins over Bristol City, Chesterfield and Port Vale kept them in League One for another season.



Hartlepool United

Nickname: Pools
Ground: Victoria Park
Capacity: 7,629
Manager: Danny Wilson

KEY PLAYERS: Joel Porter was a key figure in Hartlepool’s promotion from League Two last season and his goals will again be needed as the Monkey Hangers look to make their mark at a higher level. Ritchie Barker scored nine times in eighteen appearances after signing in early January and will also be looking to prove his worth in League One. Former Cobbler Ali Gibb also features for Hartlepool.

TRANSFERS IN: Jamie McCunnie (Dunfermline) FREE, Jan Budtz (Doncaster) FREE

TRANSFERS OUT: Michael Proctor (Wrexham) FREE, John Brackstone (Darlington) FREE, Demitrious Konstantopolous (Coventry) FREE, Eifion Williams (Wrexham) FREE, Darrell Clarke (Salisbury) FREE, Phil Turnbull (York) FREE


SQUAD:

GOALKEEPERS: Jim Provett, Jan Budtz

DEFENDERS: Mickey Barron, Ben Clark, Graham Low, Michael Nelson,

MIDFIELD: Willie Boland, Lee Bullock, Ali Gibb, Ritchie Humphreys, Gary Liddle, Michael Maidens, Jamie McCunnie, Andy Monkhouse, Matty Robson, Antony Sweeney, Stephen Turnbull

FORWARDS: Ritchie Barker, James Brown, David Foley, Joel Porter, Michael Rae


LAST SEASON: Hartlepool gained promotion by finishing second to Walsall in League Two last season.

With no wins in August, ‘Pool didn’t really hit any sort of form until December where they won seven games in a row to put them back in the hunt for promotion. Huge victories over promotion rivals Swindon Town (1-0) and Walsall (3-1) helped them to climb to the summit of the table before the run-in.

Hartlepool were level on points with Walsall going into the final game of the season but a home defeat to playoff chasing Bristol Rovers combined with Walsall’s draw at Swindon meant that they had to settle for second place.

Cobblers 1-1 Coventry City

Andy Kirk was back in the goals yesterday, albeit from a spot kick as the Cobblers drew 1-1 with Coventry City.

From most reports I've heard it seemed to be a poor first half with Leon Best hammering City in front before we picked up in the second half and got a deserved draw from the Championship side. Joe Howe's shot was handled on the line by Elliot Ward and Kirk stepped up to score from the spot.

So we remain unbeaten in pre-season with West Bromich Albion in town on Tuesday evening. The lack of a real goal threat is still worrying claret-hearted fans but hopefully Mr Gray has something up his sleeve in the coming weeks to cure the worried faces surrounding Sixfields when we attack.

The pre-season so far:

UE San Jose 1-3 Cobblers
SD Portmany 0-5 Cobblers
Kettering Town 0-1 Cobblers
Cobblers 1-1 Coventry City

League One Preview 2007/08...Part Two...

Carlisle United, Cheltenham Town and Crewe Alexandra come into focus in the latest League One preview as the 2007/08 season grows ever closer!


Carlisle United

Nickname: The Cumbrians
Ground: Brunton Park
Capacity: 16,651
Manager: Neil McDonald


KEY PLAYERS: The loss of Karl Hawley to Preston could hit Carlisle as they prepare for the coming season. The likes of Kevin Gall and Danny Graham, a free transfer from Middlesbrough, will be expected to bag the goals. Meanwhile, Chris Lumsden is an important figure in midfield having made over 100 appearances for the club.

TRANSFERS IN: Danny Graham (Middlesbrough) FREE, Danny Carlton (Morecombe) Nominal fee, Marc Bridge Wilkinson (Bradford) FREE

TRANSFERS OUT: Karl Hawley (Preston) FREE, Anthony Williams (Wrexham) FREE, Kevin Gray (Chesterfield) FREE, Paul Murray (Gretna) FREE

SQUAD:

GOALKEEPERS: Keiran Westwood, Adam Bradley, Chris Howarth

DEFENDERS: David Raven, Zigor Aranalde, Danny Livesey, Paul Arnison, Dan Kirkup

MIDFIELD: Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, Chris Lumsden, Paul Thirlwell, Luke Joyce, Jeff Smith, neale McDermott, Simon Hackney, Shaun Vipond

FORWARDS: Kevin Gall, Danny Graham, Danny Carlton, Steve Hindmarch


LAST SEASON: After winning the League Two title in 2005/06, Carlisle started out with a first day win over Doncaster Rovers. Their home form would remain impressive and it took until October before Millwall became the first side to take all three points from Brunton Park.

The away form was holding them back from a serious playoff challenge though and a 5-1 reverse at Crewe at the end of September was a low point. Carlisle bowed out of the FA Cup in Round One at Swindon and again conceded five on the road at Swansea in December.

The second half of the season saw an improvement on their long travels with good wins at Brighton, Doncaster, Cheltenham, Tranmere and Port Vale keeping them in with an outside chance of the playoffs. But United lost their final three games of the season to promotion chasing sides and remain in League One after a solid season.



Cheltenham Town

Nickname: The Robins
Ground: Whaddon Road
Capacity: 6,550
Manager: John Ward

KEY PLAYERS: Former Cobblers Jerry Gill still fills the right-back slot at Whaddon Road and his solid assurance is a big plus for Cheltenham. David Bird has been a major player since coming through the Robins’ youth academy and has now made over 100 league appearances for the club. Up top, the Robins have yet to replace Kayode Odejayi but Damian Spencer’s pace can cause problems while Steven Gillespie also has an eye for goal.

TRANSFERS IN: Andy Lindegaard (Yeovil) FREE, Aaron Ledgister (Bristol City) FREE, Ben Gill (Watford) FREE, Lee Ridley (Scunthorpe) FREE

TRANSFERS OUT: JJ Melligan (Orient) FREE, Craig Armstrong (Gillingham) FREE, Steve Guinan (Hereford) FREE, Shane Paul (Halesown) FREE, Kayode Odejayi (Barnsley) £200,000


SQUAD:

GOALKEEPERS: Shane Higgs, Scott Brown

DEFENDERS: Jerry Gill, Shane Duff, Gavin Caines, Lee Ridley, Michael Tonwsend, Michael Wylde

MIDFIELD: John Finnigan, Scott Brown, David Bird, Ben Gill, Adam Connolly, Andy Gallinagh, Sam Foley, Sosthene Yao, Andy Lindegaard

FORWARDS: Damian Spencer, Steven Gillespie, Paul Connor, Ashley Vincent


LAST SEASON: After promotion from League Tow via the playoffs, Cheltenham were always outsiders to stay up but following a relegation scrap survived by seven points.

The Robins began with two impressive wins, at Swansea and at home to Tranmere Rovers. In fact, they won four of their first six games and stood in the higher reaches of the table early on. But a mid-season slide pulled Town into a relegation battle following ten defeats from eleven games in one desperate period.

The league double over Swansea was completed in February but consistency was a problem and it wasn’t until late on when The Robins finally eased fears of the drop straight back to League Two. Taking the points at Oldham in a 1-0 Boundary Park win just about sealed their safety.




Crewe Alexandra

Nickname: The Railwaymen
Ground: Gresty Road
Capacity: 10046
Manager: Steve Holland

KEY PLAYERS: Taking over from the irreplaceable Dario Gradi is a massive task for new boss Steve Holland. Despite the £2 million move by top scorer Luke Varney to Charlton Athletic, The Alex can still boast a strong forward line with Nicky Maynard starring last season. Steven Schumacher can score goals from midfield and his signing from Bradford could turn out to be an excellent purchase.

TRANSFERS IN: Steven Schumacher (Bradford) Nominal fee, Chirs McCready (Tranmere) FREE, Eugen Bopp (Rotherham) FREE, Billy Jones (Exeter) £65,000

TRANSFERS OUT: Darren Moss and Darran Kempson (Both Shrewsbury) FREE, Billy Jones (Preston) FREE, Jon Otsemobor (Norwich) FREE, Paul Bignot (Kidderminster) FREE, Michael Higden (Falkirk) FREE, Luke Varney (Charlton) £2,000,000


SQUAD:

GOALKEEPERS: Stuart Tomlinson, Owain fon Williams

DEFENDERS: Julian Baudet, Cavell Coo, Neil Cox, Adam Dugdale, Chris McCready, Danny Woodards,

MIDFIELD: Eugen Bopp, Mark Carrington, Lee Bell, Chris Flynn, Gary Roberts, Antony McNamee, Michael O’ Connor, Ben Rix, Steven Schumacher, David Vaughan

FORWARDS: Rodney Jack, Ryan Lowe, Nicky Maynard, Lee Matthews, Shaun Miller, Tom Pope, Pavol Suhaj, Mat Bailey


LAST SEASON: Crewe finished in 13th place last season, just one place above the Cobblers in the final standings. Their season started against us in an entertaining 2-2 draw at Gresty Road. Alex had to wait until the end of August to claim their first victory but when it came it was emphatic- a 4-1 win at Brighton.

Their League Cup campaign saw the Railwaymen claim the scalp of Premiership side Wigan Athletic before bowing out to Manchester United.

It was an up and down season and inconsistency kept them away from the playoff chase. The shock announcement that Dario Gradi would retire at the end of the season after 24 years at the club stunned the clubs fans but it was a decent end to Gradi’s career as he guided his side to finish in a comfortable position in League One.

A new era now beckons for Crewe Alexandra and it’ll be interesting to see how things are different as Steve Holland takes the reigns.

Kettering Town 0-1 Cobblers

Andy Holt’s impressive pre-season campaign continued as The Cobblers came out on top against neighbours Kettering Town last night.

After disallowed goals from Andy Kirk and Ian Henderson, Holt stooped to nod home a Sam Aiston cross just before the hour mark. It was Holt’s third goal in three friendly games and the left sided player seems to be enjoying his new attacking role.

The Cobblers dominated the game and in the later stages, substitutes were rolled on and included Colin Larkin, Joe Howe and Shaun Goodall.

Next up in pre-season are three home games with Championship opposition, starting with Coventry City at Sixfields on Saturday afternoon.

The pre-season so far:

UE San Jose 1-3 Cobblers
SD Portmany 0-5 Cobblers
Kettering Town 0-1 Cobblers

Town ready for Kettering test...

The Cobblers travel to Rockingham Road tonight for their first pre-season friendly on home soil. The now traditional friendly with Kettering Town kicks off at 7:45pm.

Last seasons’ encounter saw a goalless draw being played out in front of a decent size crowd and another good turnout is expected tonight as Town fans get their first glimpse of new signings Colin Larkin, Ian Henderson and Danny Jackman. Giles Coke is still recovering from the injury that’s kept him out of action since January while Jason Crowe and Chris Doig will be hoping to get their first action of the pre-season.

Meanwhile, Fred Murray has joined The Cobblers’ League One rivals Leyton Orient on trial.

The pre-season so far:

UE San Jose 1-3 Cobblers
SD Portmany 0-5 Cobblers

No Saints...the end of another season and a purple eye...

Last night we were soundly beaten by league winners Pete F.C. but finish a comfortable 4th place in the table. Jamie was away while Stewart and Sean also missed out but new boys Craig and Nathan slotted in.

I went in goal for the first half and as soon as I came out of goal I went in for a 50/50 challenge with their goalkeeper who proceeded to smack me in the face with his boot! The referee didn't see it but I couldn't see a lot out of my right eye for a while and the morning after it's a lovely shade of purple!

So that brings to an end another season of 5-a-side antics from No Saints and all in all it's been a positive run of games, espcially after the run of defeats in Season One! We managed four wins out of ten this time around so it's an improvement as we look towards an even better time next season...that starts next week!

Post or Toast...? Update...

It's been a while since a Post or Toast update so I'll inform of just my latest plot in the ongoing saga. Jamie's away on international duty this week, visiting Anna's parents in Romania so he thought that with a quick "toast" before his departure he was in front at 8-7.

However, he didn't bank on the latest twist as the night before I commendered his digital camera, set it up by the toaster and shouted the lovely "toast" call...it's all on film and I got a text today from Jamie saying "Just found the toast clip...you barstard..."

So that confirms an 8-8 standing until he returns...

Meanwhile there's been talk of "Post or Toast: The Musical"...watch this space is all I can say...it's gonna be huge...huge I tells ya!

Happy Birthday A Load Of Cobblers!!

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of me setting up this blog...something that U=I only realised today! I was pretty surprised to find that I'd been doing this blog for so long, 1 because I initially thought I'd get lazy with it and, 2, because so much has happened in the last year that is seems pretty incredible that it all took place within 12 months!

I remember writing a review of 2006 back at Christmas and saying that 2007 has a lot to live up to if it is to beat the magic of 2006. But ever since the Ladle shouting antics of New Years' Eve, it's been a blast and I've gained so many more memories.

On the football front, the Cobblers had a good season in the end and things are looking solid for next term.

On the personal front, I have no idea where to start other than saying that I had no idea that I would be the person I am today when I started writing this blog. It sounds weird to say it but I've changed a lot over the last 12 months, partly maybe to do with finally starting to "grow up" (though some friends and family may argue that point!) but also a lot to do with finding strength that I never knew I had. Things like my one man jaunt to Wales I would never even have thought of doing 12 months ago.

The one big change has been meeting Ti back in December and although I may sound extremely cheesey, her strength to make me believe in myself and think of myself in a completely new way has been amazing. It's crazy how she's as random and silly as me and although it's only been a couple of months since we started going out it really does feel like so much longer!

So I'll close with the memories of the last year behind me as I look forward to my second yer of blogging!

Season in Review 2006/07...April and May...

In the final part of the season review, we look back on April and May and a satisfying end to an up and down season as the Cobblers fans stage a protest march, we defeat the champions and end up all looking very smart in doctors coats!

The first game in April took us to another one of our relegation rivals. Victory over Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road would further distance us from any fears of the drop. And victory it was. Simon Cox opened his Town account with a classy finish early on before an own goal from Aiden Palmer just before half-time sealed a massive win for the Cobblers, just over a year since we had won a League Two promotion six pointer on the same ground!

Bank Holiday Monday followed and it turned out to be arguably the most memorable day of the 2006/07 season for those who were a part of it. In the build up to the game against league leaders Scunthorpe United, Cobblers fans marched in mass from the Guildhall to Sixfields in protest at the lack of progression in the Sixfields redevelopment saga. On the pitch, Scunny were looking for the win that would confirm their promotion. Thankfully, we had other plans. Alex Pearce headed home his first goal for the club since joining on loan from Reading before Billy Sharp’s second half equalizer made for a tense finale. In stoppage time, Bradley Johnson swooped to send Sixfields barmy as his right footed winner sealed a fantastic victory for the Cobblers.

By the end of the Scunthorpe game, we were in a comfortable enough position to be sure that any result at in-form Blackpool would be a bonus and defeat wouldn’t be the end of the world. It was pretty good fortune that we weren’t expecting a lot as despite a first half effort from Cox, the Tangerines stormed back with four in the second half. Chris Brandon grabbed a brace while the other goals came from a Wes Hoolahan penalty and a Sean Dyche own goal!

Back to Sixfields and we knew we would be assured of safety with a win over Chesterfield and although the game won’t be remembered for much, Simon Cox’s late goal meant that we would be playing League One football again in 2007/08- something that looked particularly unsure at times.

The final two games were cause for celebration for different reasons. In the final game of April and the last home game of the campaign, Ian Taylor brought his professional playing career to an end in an emotional farewell-coming off the pitch to a standing ovation mid-way through the second half and throwing his boots over his shoulder upon arrival of the bench! The result, a 1-1 draw with Huddersfield Town, saw Andy Holt give the Cobblers the lead before David Mirfin hit a leveler in the 75th minute.

As we celebrated the final day of the season at Doncaster, a genius idea was constructed on Sixfields Boys (http://www.ntfc.org.uk/) as fans organised “White Coat Day” in tribute to the good doctor, Kenny Deuchar who would be playing his final game in a claret shirt. Deuchar featured as a second half substitute with the Cobblers 2-1 down thanks to Craig Nelthorpe and Gareth Roberts goals either side of Jason Crowe’s response for the Town. Deuchar’s presence paid immediate dividends as Mark Hughes found space in the area to head home a long throw-in and draw us level at 2-2 and to round off the season in a good manner.

And so the 2006/07 season drew to a close and after a rocky spell before Christmas and the uncertainty surrounding the future of Sixfields, it turned out to be a positive second half of the season as Stuart Gray came in and turned everything around for the better. Player of the season quite rightly went to the excellent Mark Bunn, whose constant man-of-the-match showings kept us in many a game.

And so what for the 2007/08 season? What will we be writing about and debating come this time next summer? With Stuart Gray given an entire summer and a full season ahead it could be a very interesting campaign and one that’s been anticipated more than a lot of the previous seasons. The signings of Danny Jackman, Ian Henderson, Colin Larkin and Giles Coke seem positive while hanging on to players like Jason Crowe, Brad Johnson and Mark Bunn shows real ambition from the club.

There’s under four weeks to go now…bring it on!

League One Preview...Part One...

We’re just four weeks away from the big kick off and NTFCUnofficial now brings to you the first of seven special preview articles as we look at all of the Cobblers’ opponents for next season in detail and check out who are the players to watch in League One. We start off with AFC Bournemouth, Brighton and Hove Albion and new boys Bristol Rovers.

AFC Bournemouth

Nickname: The Cherries
Ground: The Fitness First Stadium
Capacity: 9,600
Manager: Kevin Bond

KEY MEN: Former England international Darren Anderton has a wealth of experience under his belt and it could well be needed as the Cherries look to avoid another battle against the drop. Jo Kouffor’s free transfer from Brentford could be key, especially with the popular James Hayter leaving for Doncaster Rovers for £200,000.

SQUAD:

GOALKEEPERS: Neil Moss, Ryan Pryce, Gareth Stewart

DEFENDERS: Karl Broadhurst, Sean Cooper, Warren Cummings, Josh Gowling, Callum Hart, Shaun Maher, Russell Perrett, Neil Young

MIDFIELD: Darren Anderton, Marcus Browning, Stephen Cooke, James Coutts, Stephen Foley, Danny Hollands, Tareq Khalil, Josh McQuoid, Michael Standing

FORWARDS: Curtis Allen, Jo Kouffor, Steve Fletcher, Brett Pitman, Conal Platt, Sam Vokes

Transfers In: Russell Perrett (Luton Town) FREE
Jo Kouffor (Brentford) FREE

Transfers Out: James Hayter (Doncaster Rovers) £200,000
Stephen Purches (Leyton Orient) FREE
Eddie Howe (Released)


Last Season: In 2006/07, Bournemouth struggled to make any sort of impact on League One and were dragged into the relegation fight, only surviving late on in the season with a 19th place finish.

The season began in dismal fashion as The Cherries lost 3-0 at home to Chesterfield, with Cobblers new boy Colin Larkin included in the scorers on that day for the Spireites. The home form would improve though and they won their next three home games. But it was on their travels where Bournemouth were really struggling, having to wait until the return game with Chesterfield in February before picking up their first away win! This win was followed by a bumper 5-0 thrashing of Leyton Orient at The Fitness First Stadium but inconsistent form including a 3-1 Sixfields defeat kept them in the running for relegation.

The three games following defeat to the Cobblers proved to be the key to keeping the Cherries in League One as they defeated Millwall, Tranmere and fellow strugglers Rotherham United in March. Despite picking up just three points from their final six games, Bournemouth breathe again in League One.


The fans’ view on next season, with AFC Bournemouth Mad’s Andy Burton….

What was your season like in 06/07?

That's easy - largely rubbish with some truly dreadful football being played at times! Some of the dross served up was more deserving of non-League football and not League One!

Which summer signing are you most looking forward to seeing?

We've only made one signing so far - Perrett on a free from Luton Town. So will have to wait and see who else we get in.

What are the expectations for the 1007/08 season?

Another relegation scrap!


Brighton and Hove Albion

Nickname: The Seagulls
Ground: The Withdean Stadium
Capacity: 6,960
Manager: Dean Wilkins

KEY MEN: Nicky Forster should add some fire power to Brighton’s attack after his £75,000 move from Hull City. The former Reading man hit five Championship goals last season and his pedigree could be a major part of Albion’s season. Young Jake Robinson also poses a threat with his pace whilst Paul Reid can pull the strings in midfield.

SQUAD:

GOALKEEPERS: Richard Martin, Michael Kuipers, John Sullivan

DEFENDERS: Andrew Whing, Georges Santos, Sam Rents, Kerry Mayo, Joel Lynch, Adam El-Abd, Guy Butters, Chris Breach, Adam Hinshelwood

MIDFIELD: Alexis Burton, Scott Chamberlain, Dean Cox, Tommy Elphick, Wes Fogden, Tommy Fraser, Alexandre Frutos, Dean Hammond, Doug Loft, Charlie Oatway, Paul Reid

FORWARDS: Nathan Elder, Nicky Forster, Joe Gatting, Gary Hart, Alex Revell, Jake Robinson, Bas Savage

Transfers in: Andrew Whing (Coventry) FREE
Nicky Forster (Hull) £75,000

Transfers Out: Paul Hinshelwood (Torquay) FREE

Last Season: Brighton had a topsy turvy time of things last season and only sealed their safety with a 2-0 win at Sixfields late on in the campaign.

Starting with seven points from their opening three games, the Seagulls then had a steady run up until September where four defeats in a row plunged them into the bottom half. There followed a spell of Albion taking 13 points from a possible 15- the only dropped points being the dour 1-1 draw with The Cobblers at the Withdean.

Brighton reached the FA Cup Third round after a huge 8-0 win over Northwich and a 3-0 victory over Stafford but were beaten by the previous seasons’ winners West Ham United in round three. The rest of the season saw a brief flirtation with relegation but the Seagulls were just good enough to escape the claws of League Two.


BRISTOL ROVERS

Nickname: The Pirates/Gas Heads
Ground: The Memorial Ground
Capacity: 11,916
Manager: Paul Trollope

KEY MEN: Rickie Lambert, a £200,000 signing from Rochdale in August of last year will always be a danger if Rovers keep him fit. Lambert hit ten goals last term from midfield and will be looking to make his name in the higher league. There’s also the threat of two ex-Cobblers players in the Rovers’ line-up with Chris Carruthers and Richard Walker both looking to make a mark against us.

SQUAD:

GOALKEEPERS: Steve Phillips, Mike Green

DEFENDERS: Ryan Green, Jo Jacobson, Craig Hinton, Steve Elliott, Byron Anthony

MIDFIELD: Sammy Igoe, Stuart Campbell, Rickie Lambert, Chris Carruthers, David Pipe, Andy Sandell, Chris Lines, Sean Rigg, Craig Disley, Aaron Lescott, James Palmer

FORWARDS: Richard Walker, Andrew Williams, Lewis Haldane, Josh Klein-Davies

Transfers In: David Pipe (Notts County) £50,000
Joe Jacobson (Cardiff City) FREE
Andrew Williams (Hereford United) FREE

Transfers Out: Scott Shearer (Wycombe) FREE

Last season: Rovers were promoted last season via the playoffs following a 3-1 Wembley victory over Shrewsbury Town. Despite losing three of their opening three games including a 4-1 opening day reverse at Peterborough United, Rovers steadied themselves in the opening few months of the season before staging an almighty rise up the League Two table in the second half of the season.

Following an appearance at Cardiff’s Millenium Stadium in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Final (2-3 defeat in extra time to Doncaster Rovers), the Pirates really started to move up the league and finished the season with an eight game unbeaten run.

Victory over Lincoln City on the final day of the season meant that Rovers would play them again a week later in the playoff semi-finals and a convincing 7-4 aggregate victory confirmed their place in the final. Shrewsbury Town would be their opponents and despite an early Stuart Drummond goal for the Shrews, Rovers proved too strong and Richard Walkers’ double strike along with a late third from Sammy Igoe meant that Bristol Rovers join League One next season.


The fans view…a look ahead to next season with “Wembley_Gas” of the brfcreturn.com website…

- What was your season like in 06/07?

Did not look like being great for the first few months..then we got an inkling of what we could achieve in November when we went on a 6 game winning streak (4 league and 2 Cup). By morning of Saturday 17th March it looked like all we had to look forward to was a trip to Cardiff in the JPT as we were lying 17th in League 2 with 11 games left.

We won 3 and lost 1 prior to Cardiff, then after putting up a great show at the Millenium but losing in extra time by the odd goal in 5 the players seemed to decide that they liked the big match atmosphere and wanted another one. April 2nd saw the appointment of a new chairman (from within) and he was to remain unbeaten in his new job as we completed 5 more wins and two draws to steal into one of the play off places. Even then we were 4 mins (+injury time) away from finishing 8th before tucking away the goal that confirmed Hartlepool would finish L2 Runners-up and we would extend our season.

After being the only home winners in the first leg of the divisional play-offs we were treated to top-drawer fare at Sincil Bank where Lincoln played just as much blinding football as we did but a) our defence was slightly more assured than theirs and b) big holes opened up late in the game as they had to chase the game. So having invaded Cardiff we were able to complete our tour of national stadia with an appearance against the Shrews at the new Wembley. They had 3 major performers missing from their line up whilst we could not play one of the squad that got us there which may well have contributed to the outcome. Yet in all honesty they were much nearer their peak than we were near ours but they had no finisher on the end of their moves and we had Richard Walker.

Thus we completed our 6th straight win …cue 40,000 in Blue and White having a party with a hi-ho silver lining in North-West London.

- Which summer signing are you looking forward to seeing the most?

Of the new arrivals I'd have to say Andy Williams because it has been a long protracted process getting him in - clearly the management have seen something they like. However, the key signings of the summer were that both Steve Elliott and Richard Walker were able to resist the temptation of pastures new.

- What are the expectations at the club for 07/08?

The management do not just want to make up the numbers and there has been significant investment to improve the contracts of several players and bring in new recruits that cost a fee.

Most fans view the early part of the season as crucial. It will be hard to play catch-up after Christmas on a "foreign field" so to have points on the board and confidence in the tank come January is the priority.

Certainly on paper we are not automatic promotion material and sneaking into the play-offs again may be a bridge too far this time round - but we'll be aspiring to those aims otherwise what is the point of being there at all? At the start of last season I expect Bradford, Chesterfield, Brentford and Rotherham were all setting their sights higher than the bottom 4!!!!

SD Portmany 0-5 Cobblers

The Cobblers have gained a second win out of two games in Ibiza as they last night comfortably saw off SD Portmany by a convincing 5-0 scoreline.

New boy Ian Henderson was amongst the goals while Andy Holt, Liam Dolman, Andy Kirk and youth team forward Shaun Goodall completing the scoring. Following the 3-1 win over UE San Jose on Tuesday night it turned out to be a positive start to pre-season for the lads who now return to England to prepare for next Wednesday night’s game with neighbours Kettering Town.

Jason Crowe and Chris Doig once again sat out of the game but will be hopeful of a return at Rockingham Road. Fred Murray again came through 45 minutes as he eases back into action.

Season in Review 2006/07...March...

After a strong end to February, it was full steam ahead as the Cobblers headed into March in a strong position to survive the drop back down to League Two.

Following the Cobblers’ good run of form at the end of February, our first game of March saw us visit promotion chasing Bristol City at Ashton Gate. But just as at Nottingham Forest a month before, we just came unstuck against a side looking to book a place in The Championship. Kevin Betsy scored the only goal of the game on 19 minutes in a 1-0 City win.

It was back to Sixfields a week later and another bottom of the table battle with AFC Bournemouth. Jordan Robertson earned a start against the Cherries and rewarded Stewart Gray’s faith in him by scoring the opening goal. Mark Wilson equalized in the second half but late goals from Kenny Deuchar and Andy Kirk gave us a valuable 3-1 win and took us once again away from the teams trying to bring us down into the relegation scrap.

And so to Swansea City and to the new Liberty Stadium, an impressive new ground to replace the Vetch Field. In the build up to the game, Stuart Gray had brought in Simon Cox on loan from Reading and he was on the bench for the visit to South Wales. This game saw what was arguably the Cobblers’ goal of the season as Bradley Johnson powered a free kick into the top corner within just six minutes of the game. We played some good football and looked comfortable until a sucker punch from big Dennis Lawrence just before half-time turned the game around. Just seconds after the restart and with some Town fans still finishing off their half time beverages in the concourse, Swansea broke and Andy Robinson fired home what turned out to be the winning goal.

The final game of the month came at home to Brighton and Hove Albion, with both clubs moving in the right direction away from trouble. It was Albion who took the three points back to the south coast though with a second half quick fire double from Bas Savage which was followed by a moonwalk from the striker!

Despite the two defeats at the end of the month, there was still plenty of breathing space for the Cobblers as the busy Easter period drew near.

Larkin nets in Town friendly win...

The Cobblers have won their opening game of the San An Cup with a 3-1 victory over UE San Jose. The game saw Colin Larkin score in his first game for the club while Sam Aiston and Andy Holt also found the net.

Sam Aiston gave us the lead on 26 minutes after a lengthy spell of attack before Larkin netted his first goal for the club, volleying the ball home following an Andy Holt cross that caused confusion in the San Jose defense. Holt was on the score sheet himself just before the break.

Fred Murray made his long awaited comeback and played as a second half substitute- his first game for over two years!

San Jose pulled a goal back in the second half but in the end it was a comfortable start to pre-season for the Cobblers who will now go on to play SD Portmany on Thursday before returning home from Ibiza.

Whaooo...we're going to Ibiza....

The Cobblers have landed in Ibiza for their week long training camp which will include two friendly games designed to build up the players’ fitness ahead of their return to England for the rest of the pre-season.

The only players missing from the squad that traveled out are Giles Coke and James Quinn. Coke is still recovering from an injury picked up in January while Quinn picked up a knock in training before the team departed. Trialists Ramon Manak and Joe Howe will join the squad in a bid to impress Stuart Gray.

Tonight sees the first game of the trip take place as the Cobblers face UE San Jose in the first of two matches in the San An Cup before Thursdays’ meeting with SD Portmany. Both games take place in the SD Portmany Stadium.

Chris Doig will sit out of tonight’s’ game after injuring himself yesterday in training but apart from that, Stuart Gray will look to use most of the squad.