A draw at Darlington followed by a chance of Walsall at home in round two sets us up for a busy couple of weeks should we see off Darlo in the replay. Not many would have grumbled after a draw at the Reynolds Arena but injuries and suspensions began to grow.
It’s going to take a replay in order for the Cobblers to set up a double whammy against Walsall in late November/early December but as strange as it would be to play the same fixture twice in a row you’ll hear no complaints from Sixfields if that is the case. Darlington away was always going to be a tricky encounter and despite a dull game it sounds like we did well to come away with a replay.
Colin Larkin partnered Poul Hubertz in attack as both Andy Kirk and Brad Johnson were rested. Johnson was called upon early on thanks to Chris Doig’s injury but either way it was a surprised to see both Johnson and Kirk dropped to the bench. Fair play to Colin Larkin though who struck the vital equaliser and set up the replay next week. I fully expect Kirk to be back in the starting line-up on Saturday at Crewe but Larkin could be pushing for another start.
Both Chris Doig and Mark Hughes will be missing at Gresty Road, meaning that a very inexperienced central defensive pairing of Liam Dolman and Brett Johnson could be starting the game. That is unless Stuart Gray can use his contact list to bring in a loan before the end of the week. It’s a shame Alex Pearce has signed for Bournemouth on loan as he would have been a solid replacement.
Giles Coke continued his return from injury with 90 minutes in the reserve game with Peterborough United and may well be back before Christmas with a couple more reserve games under his belt. The midfield is looking a bit lightweight at the moment and Cokes’ return could be a real boost to the side. What we must warn against, though, is hailing the former Mansfield Town man as a messiah in waiting…we’ll only be disappointed when he doesn’t make winding runs and scores from 40 yards as some expect him to come in and do!
Crewe away has been a relative goal fest in recent years, with a 2-2 draw up at Gresty Road in the opening game of last season and a 3-3 draw I recall from a few years before. We’re not scoring or conceding a great deal at the moment though so I expect a little less goal mouth activity this time around.
I’m hoping to make the long journey up from Southampton to Crewe on Saturday, leaving at an ungodly hour of Saturday morning to make a day of it so hopefully it won’t turn out to be an awfully long journey home aboard Virgin trains!
On Tuesday we face the replay against Darlington and a glamorous home tie with Walsall awaits the winners. OK, it’s not the biggest incentive but it’s a winnable game and would be a real chance of making the prestigious Third Round.
Up The Cobblers!
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