Hands up if you saw that one coming?! Swansea City, top of the table, destined for promotion, were humbled in 22 of the most incredible minutes Sixfields has seen in a very long time. With the playoff carrot still dangling after seven superb points from our last three games it gets no easier over Easter but a certain Mr Calderwood can’t be sleeping well ahead of his sides’ trip on Friday night.
So how much better can this season get? The big question now as the Cobblers defy the odds yet again to now be in with a genuine shout of a playoff place with eight games remaining. Swansea were shell shocked on a quite amazing day at Sixfields. The atmosphere was superb as Hoobs stooped to volley home the first and we never looked back. An own goal and a penalty later and we were in dreamland!
Sixfields was rocking, the Swans didn’t know what had hit them. But then came the inevitable goal for the visitors to sit us back down again. It was then a case of hanging on until half-time, and there’s not been a more welcome end to a half all season as City looked dangerously like getting back in the game.
If Mark Bunn’s miss kick had led to a second goal for Swansea early in the second half the game could have gone a completely different way but fortunately the impressive Jason Scotland couldn’t finish this time. Jackman’s fourth was one of the goals of the season and well deserved after his transformation from unsure defender to storming midfielder.
Cobblers fans are surely the only ones in the country who can be 4-1 ahead with twenty minutes to play and still be as nervy as they are with a 1-0 lead! The atmosphere was one of “it’s not over yet” and I think it takes a 5 or 6-0 lead for our fans to be fully comfortable with getting three points!
Full credit to Swansea for continuing to play good football but their second was too late to cause any further threat. It really was a real step up for Stuart Gray’s side and four more points over Easter would mean we’d be really in contention!
Brighton were on a real roll until last night when they were beaten at Huddersfield and they made no further push up the table, keeping them in touch. We must now hope for Port Vale to pull a real rabbit out of the hat by beating Tranmere tomorrow if we’re to know that a Friday night win would take us to the heady heights of sixth!
Even a point against Forest wouldn’t be the end of the world as it keeps us well in touch even if results go against us on Saturday. A win, though, and the belief really does begin to grow!
With Colin Calderwood desperately needing the win as well as he faces mounting pressure it’ll be a fascinating game and the evening kick off will add to the atmosphere for a game that could mean so much come the final reckoning.
Up The Cobblers!
Danny
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