So the fixtures have been announced, the cup draw has been made and the new kit is revealed to contain a strip of gold down both sides. It’s all go at Sixfields and the excitement is building already.
The Carling Cup draw paired us with Millwall once again, only this time we will travel to the New Den. Last seasons’ Sixfields win over The Lions in the first round was followed by a dismal league outing in London and few will fancy the trip after last season’s late coach, early injuries and an awful performance in a 2-0 defeat.
But the game again gives us the chance to join some bigger clubs in Round Two and the efforts of the likes of Cardiff and Barnsley in cup competitions last season gives hope to anyone who fancies a shot at Premier League opposition. No-one will be happy with the draw but we have to get on with it and see what we can do.
Monday was a bigger day as the league fixtures were announced. I remember school days when we got access to PC’s in some classes and hoping that the I.T. lesson would fall at 10am on fixtures day so we could be among the first to know who we would be playing. The, the two or three Cobblers fans in the school would gather at lunch time to discuss how we could possibly go to Hull and Lincoln in one Easter weekend or overcome Macclesfield Town away on the opening day!
Those days are long gone though and the likes of Leeds United and Leicester City fill up our League One list, most intriguingly the trip to Elland Road falling on the final day of the season. If there’s anything at all riding on it there will be a manic rush for tickets and we would surely ask for more than last season’s allocation.
On top of that there’s the derbies and the return of Peterborough to the same division gives us something to really look forward to. It seems an age since Scotty’s single goal at London Road sent 3,500 terraced Cobblers into delirium en route to promotion from League Two in 2006 and we again visit them late in the season.
The first away game gives us another derby, and a new one at that, as we make the short trip to Milton Keynes. There will be fans that refuse to go on principle of giving money to the franchise but it will still be some atmosphere of over 3,000 away fans in the new Stadium: MK.
Throw in a double header against Leicester, a trip to Colchester without the shoddiness of Layer Road and the old friends of Hereford and Scunny into the mix and it should be a memorable season.
As for new blood, Abdul Osman looks like brining some more energy to a midfield that is already looking dangerous and we’re now just a couple of forwards and maybe a back up midfielder and defender away from being complete for 2008/09.
Jamie Ward is still being looked at and if Gray can capture the much sought after forward it will again show great intentions.
All eyes on the start of the season now though and once June is through and that Euro 2008 thing is over we can start to count down the days until Cheltenham at home. It’s a winnable first game but they will probably be thinking the same so there’ll be no room for complacency.
August 9th will come around soon enough and by then we will be hungry for football again, enough to make the Dons sit up and take notice of who the premier team in Northants still is.
Up The Cobblers!
Danny
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