On a bliseringly hot evening at Eastleigh, No Saints overcame a tougher looking Eagles side than we faced last season. With just the same six players as last week, it was tough going in the heat but Aaron and Jamie had us 2-0 up before a howler from Scott let Eagles back in before the break.
Playing into the sun, we conceded again and for the second week in a row let a 2-0 lead slip. But this time we pulled back into the game as Jamie finished well again for 3-2 before Abib finished things off. Scott hit a low ball up to him and the Senegalese superstar cheekily flicked it between his legs to make it 4-2.
The result leaves us in second place after two games but the league is tighter than ever with only The Eagles without a win so far.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Northampton Town 0-1 West Bromwich Albion
Stuart Gray started with a strong squad against the Premier League new boys but there was still no place for injured Adebayo Akinfenwa. Ryan Gilligan started in midfield with Abdul Osman and trialist Luke Guttridge. Colin Larkin partnered Leon Constantine up front.
Gilligan had the first effort on goal after fifteen minutes with a good strike from distance. The Cobblers continued to press and Mark Hughes went close with a header from a Guttridge corner just a few minutes later.
David Worrell shot over for the visitors before Leon Constantine headed wide but the Cobblers were behind ten minutes before the break. Do-heon Kim lined up a free kick and expertly finished off the inside of Mark Bunn's post from 25 yards.
It was harsh on the Cobblers and we nearly had an equaliser just before the break but Colin Larkin curled a shot just wide in the final action of the half.Colin Larkin nearly brought us level at the start of the second half as we looked for a way back into the game. Substitute Andy Holt did well on the left hand side as his deep cross was headed towards goal by Larkin but stopped on the line by substitute keeper Dean Kiely.
Leon Constantine had a shot deflected just wide before Liam Davis' corner was tipped over by Kiely as we were frustrated again in our search for that illusive goal. We ran out of steam though and it was West Brom who looked the more lively late on with Sherjil Macdonald making a good run and shot in the last real effort on goal.
So in our final friendly we were beaten but made a good account of ourselves against a Premier League outfit. The only worry will now be where the goals are coming from but we have eleven days to now prepare for Cheltenham on August 9th.
Gilligan had the first effort on goal after fifteen minutes with a good strike from distance. The Cobblers continued to press and Mark Hughes went close with a header from a Guttridge corner just a few minutes later.
David Worrell shot over for the visitors before Leon Constantine headed wide but the Cobblers were behind ten minutes before the break. Do-heon Kim lined up a free kick and expertly finished off the inside of Mark Bunn's post from 25 yards.
It was harsh on the Cobblers and we nearly had an equaliser just before the break but Colin Larkin curled a shot just wide in the final action of the half.Colin Larkin nearly brought us level at the start of the second half as we looked for a way back into the game. Substitute Andy Holt did well on the left hand side as his deep cross was headed towards goal by Larkin but stopped on the line by substitute keeper Dean Kiely.
Leon Constantine had a shot deflected just wide before Liam Davis' corner was tipped over by Kiely as we were frustrated again in our search for that illusive goal. We ran out of steam though and it was West Brom who looked the more lively late on with Sherjil Macdonald making a good run and shot in the last real effort on goal.
So in our final friendly we were beaten but made a good account of ourselves against a Premier League outfit. The only worry will now be where the goals are coming from but we have eleven days to now prepare for Cheltenham on August 9th.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Guttridge joins on trial
MIdfielder Luke Guttridge joins the Cobblers on trial and plays in a goalless draw at Luton Town.
Guttridge, formerly of Southend United, played ninety minutes in the 0-0 draw at Kenilworth Road on Saturday and Cobblers boss Stuart Gray was happy with his contribution.
Gray said,
"I thought Luke Guttridge did very well. That is an area of the team we are looking to strengthen and his ball use and ball retention was good and we will be asking him back next week and maybe have another look at him against West Brom."
"Matthew Halliday has recently left Norwich and he has been with us training all week and we will also continue to have a look at him next week."
Guttridge, formerly of Southend United, played ninety minutes in the 0-0 draw at Kenilworth Road on Saturday and Cobblers boss Stuart Gray was happy with his contribution.
Gray said,
"I thought Luke Guttridge did very well. That is an area of the team we are looking to strengthen and his ball use and ball retention was good and we will be asking him back next week and maybe have another look at him against West Brom."
"Matthew Halliday has recently left Norwich and he has been with us training all week and we will also continue to have a look at him next week."
Luton Town 0-0 Northampton Town
The Cobblers draw their latest friendly in a goalless draw against Luton at Kenilworth Road.
The Cobblers' squad included former Southend midfield Luke Guttridge in midfield who has joined on trial. Another trialist, defender Matthew Halliday, was on the bench. Danny Jackman and Adebayo Akinfenwa missed the game through injury.
Colin Larkin had the first Cobblers effort of the game but his shot was was blocked by home keeper Dean Brill. Liam Davis also tested Brill five minutes later after Mark Bunn had denied Matthew Spring at the other end.
Former Cobbler Sam Parkin headed wide for the home side in the final major action of the first half.
Just after the break, new signing Abdul Osman forced substitute goalkeeper Kyle Clancy into a good save. From the resulting corner, Mark Hughes had a header beaten away.
Giles Coke and Liam Davis went close as the second half wore on and trialist Matthew Halliday replaced Chris Doig in defence. The last real effort of the game came from Jake Howells who lobbed over the bar.
So another goalless draw fro the Cobblers in pre-season and that means we've only found the net in one official friendly this summer. Next up are Premier League new boys West Bromwich Albion at Sixfields on Tuesday night.
The Cobblers' squad included former Southend midfield Luke Guttridge in midfield who has joined on trial. Another trialist, defender Matthew Halliday, was on the bench. Danny Jackman and Adebayo Akinfenwa missed the game through injury.
Colin Larkin had the first Cobblers effort of the game but his shot was was blocked by home keeper Dean Brill. Liam Davis also tested Brill five minutes later after Mark Bunn had denied Matthew Spring at the other end.
Former Cobbler Sam Parkin headed wide for the home side in the final major action of the first half.
Just after the break, new signing Abdul Osman forced substitute goalkeeper Kyle Clancy into a good save. From the resulting corner, Mark Hughes had a header beaten away.
Giles Coke and Liam Davis went close as the second half wore on and trialist Matthew Halliday replaced Chris Doig in defence. The last real effort of the game came from Jake Howells who lobbed over the bar.
So another goalless draw fro the Cobblers in pre-season and that means we've only found the net in one official friendly this summer. Next up are Premier League new boys West Bromwich Albion at Sixfields on Tuesday night.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Northampton Town 0-1 Q.P.R.
Q.P.R were the first visitors to Sixfields this summer as Stuart Gray named a strong side despite being without Chris Doig and Adebayo Akinfenwa through slight knocks.
Trialist Kevin Watson, formlerly of Colchester United, started in midfield while Leon Constantine started the game up front. Fellow new boys Abdul Osman and Liam Davis started on the bench.
Jason Crowe had the first effort of the game after seven minutes but his shot was blocked and the Cobblers were made to pay with Ranger's first real effort on goal finding its way into the net through Dextor Blackstock following a corner.
Danny Jackman went just wide with a right footed shot before Patrick Ageymang forced Mark Bunn into a good save.
Abdul Osman came off the bench at half time to replace Kevin Watson and Osman started a move that saw Giles Coke narrowly miss the ball with an attempted volley.
With just over ten minutes to play, Leon Constantine could have put the Cobblers level but although he managed to lob Lee Camp in the Rangers goal, the ball didn't quite dip enough.
So it was defeat in our first home friendly of this pre-season but an entertaining game nonetheless.
Stuart Gray confirmed after the game that Kevin Watson's trial period had come to an end with the club deciding against offering the midfielder a contract
Trialist Kevin Watson, formlerly of Colchester United, started in midfield while Leon Constantine started the game up front. Fellow new boys Abdul Osman and Liam Davis started on the bench.
Jason Crowe had the first effort of the game after seven minutes but his shot was blocked and the Cobblers were made to pay with Ranger's first real effort on goal finding its way into the net through Dextor Blackstock following a corner.
Danny Jackman went just wide with a right footed shot before Patrick Ageymang forced Mark Bunn into a good save.
Abdul Osman came off the bench at half time to replace Kevin Watson and Osman started a move that saw Giles Coke narrowly miss the ball with an attempted volley.
With just over ten minutes to play, Leon Constantine could have put the Cobblers level but although he managed to lob Lee Camp in the Rangers goal, the ball didn't quite dip enough.
So it was defeat in our first home friendly of this pre-season but an entertaining game nonetheless.
Stuart Gray confirmed after the game that Kevin Watson's trial period had come to an end with the club deciding against offering the midfielder a contract
No Saints 2-2 Posh
At the start of a new season, we were down to six players as we were pegged back from 2-0 up agonisingly draw.
Abib was awake because he was hungry so was on top form early on with a double strike including another of his famous Aidara flicks. 2-0 up at half time, the game was far from over and Posh got one back with five minutes to go.
After a goal mouth scramble in Posh's box, they broke away and a shot from distance crept into the corner to give Posh a draw in the final attack of the game.
Next week we take on The Eagles and hopefully our first win of the season.
Abib was awake because he was hungry so was on top form early on with a double strike including another of his famous Aidara flicks. 2-0 up at half time, the game was far from over and Posh got one back with five minutes to go.
After a goal mouth scramble in Posh's box, they broke away and a shot from distance crept into the corner to give Posh a draw in the final attack of the game.
Next week we take on The Eagles and hopefully our first win of the season.
Friday, July 18, 2008
No Saints 7-3 Posh
No Saints finished the season in style with a win over Posh following 5 goals in the opening few minutes shocked our opponents.
Posh struck three to give the game our usual nervous standing but late goals sealed a fine win.Third place was confirmed and we now focus on the new season which begins next week with Posh the opponents once again!
Other sides in League Three include a newluy introduced team plus relegated Real Manuel. The usual faces of Kashima Antler, Posh and The Eagles will make this a competitive league next season and hopefully we can press on!
Posh struck three to give the game our usual nervous standing but late goals sealed a fine win.Third place was confirmed and we now focus on the new season which begins next week with Posh the opponents once again!
Other sides in League Three include a newluy introduced team plus relegated Real Manuel. The usual faces of Kashima Antler, Posh and The Eagles will make this a competitive league next season and hopefully we can press on!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Vihren Sandanski 0-0 Northampton Town
The Cobblers record a second successive goalless draw in pre-season as we begin the Germany training camp with a stalemate.
Vihren Sandanski were the opposition for the first test of the pre-season camp as most of the squad got a run out including Adebayo Akinfenwa and Jason Crowe, both of whom missed the draw with Brackley Town last week.
It was a strong looking starting eleven that took to the field for the Cobblers and Andy Holt, another to miss the Brackley game, had the first effort on goal with a blocked header before Ian Henderson shot wide just before the break. Holt had a goal ruled out for a foul in the last action of note of the half.
Danny Jackman cleared the ball off the goalline at the start of the second half while at the other end Leon Contastine went close but his shot was blocked before Constantine was replaced by Adebayo Akinfenwa. Akinfenwa had the last shot of the game with a late volley but the ball was stopped on the line and the game ended goalless.
Vihren Sandanski were the opposition for the first test of the pre-season camp as most of the squad got a run out including Adebayo Akinfenwa and Jason Crowe, both of whom missed the draw with Brackley Town last week.
It was a strong looking starting eleven that took to the field for the Cobblers and Andy Holt, another to miss the Brackley game, had the first effort on goal with a blocked header before Ian Henderson shot wide just before the break. Holt had a goal ruled out for a foul in the last action of note of the half.
Danny Jackman cleared the ball off the goalline at the start of the second half while at the other end Leon Contastine went close but his shot was blocked before Constantine was replaced by Adebayo Akinfenwa. Akinfenwa had the last shot of the game with a late volley but the ball was stopped on the line and the game ended goalless.
Cobblers arrive in Germany
The Cobblers have arrived on their pre-season training camp in Germany where the players will play two friendlies.
Tonight see the first game of the tour take place following the arrival in Dusseldorf over the weekend. The team will face Virhen Sandanski at 6pm before playing a further friendly later on in the week.
Stuart Gray said he was looking for more progression on the tour following the goalless draw with Brackley in our opening friendly last week.
Gray, on arriving in Germany, said,
"The main objective is to peak for the Cheltenham game. In the first game of the tour we need to pass the ball and create more chances then we did against Brackley. I want to get some confidence from this trip, score some goals and get through without any injuries."
"There is no point peaking now but playing games still beats training. Playing gives you a sharpness that training can't and that is why pre-season games are so important."
Tonight see the first game of the tour take place following the arrival in Dusseldorf over the weekend. The team will face Virhen Sandanski at 6pm before playing a further friendly later on in the week.
Stuart Gray said he was looking for more progression on the tour following the goalless draw with Brackley in our opening friendly last week.
Gray, on arriving in Germany, said,
"The main objective is to peak for the Cheltenham game. In the first game of the tour we need to pass the ball and create more chances then we did against Brackley. I want to get some confidence from this trip, score some goals and get through without any injuries."
"There is no point peaking now but playing games still beats training. Playing gives you a sharpness that training can't and that is why pre-season games are so important."
Thursday, July 10, 2008
No Saints 2-6 Saints and Sinners
Despite a very good effort last night, we succombed to a classy Saints and Sinners outfit and must now get a point in our final game to clinch third place.
After Saints and Sinners took an early lead, Will scored to level the game for a while. But the league leaders hit back to lead 2-1 at the break and extended the lead to 6-1 with goals in quick succession. Aaron grabbed a late consolation but we couldn't get a way back into things.
Next week we take on Posh, with third place in League Two up for grabs!
After Saints and Sinners took an early lead, Will scored to level the game for a while. But the league leaders hit back to lead 2-1 at the break and extended the lead to 6-1 with goals in quick succession. Aaron grabbed a late consolation but we couldn't get a way back into things.
Next week we take on Posh, with third place in League Two up for grabs!
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
No Saints vs Saints and Sinners Preview...
No Saints face a tough test tonight as we look to bounce back from last weeks' 6-2 defeat to The Unwelcome Inn.
We take on top club Saints and Sinners who are tied on points with Unwelcome Inn with two games to go. No Saints need one win from the final two games to finish third in the table but come up against nearest rivals Posh in next weeks' final game of the season.
We are without the mecurial talents of Abib and Phil while Dave remains out long term. So we're down to five or six this evening as we look to cause a massive upset in the rain.
We take on top club Saints and Sinners who are tied on points with Unwelcome Inn with two games to go. No Saints need one win from the final two games to finish third in the table but come up against nearest rivals Posh in next weeks' final game of the season.
We are without the mecurial talents of Abib and Phil while Dave remains out long term. So we're down to five or six this evening as we look to cause a massive upset in the rain.
The Midweek Review...09/07/08...
With another new signing on board and the first friendly due to take place tomorrow evening, we're getting ready for the tour to Germany as the season is now just a month away!
Last week's signing of Leon Constantine was a bit of a surprise and the fact that we got him on a free transfer was a bonus. A couple of years ago he was scoring goals for fun in an average Port Vale side so with the right sort of service he could well be a top signing.
Constantine's friendhip with Adebayo Akinfenwa should work wonders and you can see them as the first choice strike pairing.
Last season we started against Swindon on the opening day with this side:
Bunn, Crowe, Hughes, Doig, Jackman, Henderson, Brad Johnson, Gilligan, Holt, Larkin, Kirk
This season's first fixture could see something like this for the starting eleven:
Bunn, Crowe, Hughes, Gyepes, Doig, Davis, Osman, Jackman, Coke, Akinfenwa, Constantine
The latter is a much improved side on paper and I for one can't wait for the big kick off against Cheltenham Town in just a few weeks time.
Tomorrow will see our first friendly take place at Brackley Town. These early pre-season games are never great on the eye but it will be a good run out for most of the squad. The first few games are all about fitness and nothing should be taken from the result. Unless we win 10-0.
It's the time of year where nothing is going on football wise and the agony of the four week wait begins. Euro 2008 did a lot to keep us in the mood but now is the time for people to start making predictions, buying the new kits and preparing their away day weekends.
The count down is well and trul under way!
Up The Cobblers!
Danny
Last week's signing of Leon Constantine was a bit of a surprise and the fact that we got him on a free transfer was a bonus. A couple of years ago he was scoring goals for fun in an average Port Vale side so with the right sort of service he could well be a top signing.
Constantine's friendhip with Adebayo Akinfenwa should work wonders and you can see them as the first choice strike pairing.
Last season we started against Swindon on the opening day with this side:
Bunn, Crowe, Hughes, Doig, Jackman, Henderson, Brad Johnson, Gilligan, Holt, Larkin, Kirk
This season's first fixture could see something like this for the starting eleven:
Bunn, Crowe, Hughes, Gyepes, Doig, Davis, Osman, Jackman, Coke, Akinfenwa, Constantine
The latter is a much improved side on paper and I for one can't wait for the big kick off against Cheltenham Town in just a few weeks time.
Tomorrow will see our first friendly take place at Brackley Town. These early pre-season games are never great on the eye but it will be a good run out for most of the squad. The first few games are all about fitness and nothing should be taken from the result. Unless we win 10-0.
It's the time of year where nothing is going on football wise and the agony of the four week wait begins. Euro 2008 did a lot to keep us in the mood but now is the time for people to start making predictions, buying the new kits and preparing their away day weekends.
The count down is well and trul under way!
Up The Cobblers!
Danny
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Football League Update...08/07/08...
The first of a series of blogs looking at the goings on in the Coca Cola leagues...if you're not into that sort of thing, do join us anyway...it's a magical land of goalmouth scrambles and ageing old footballers looking for a last pay packet. I'll buy you a Toffee Crisp if you come along for the ride...good, thanks for joining me. You look very nice today.
It's all going on in the Championship as Colin "Tinkerman" Calderwood plays a genius master stroke. Gone from The City Ground are the likes of the pacy Junior Agogo along with bullish front man Grant Holt. Rob Earnshaw could provide a few goals but Cole's signing stinks of a desperation move. He could prove me wrong but with the influential Kris Commons gone from the squad we could learn a lot about Calderwood as a manager this season as he takes charge of a side that isn't going to walk a league that easily.
Down south, Southampton are set to get a big windfall from any possible sale of Peter Crouch from Liverpool to rivals Portsmouth. They could get a figure as high as £500,000 to make Crouch's move more bearable for Saints fans. In a time of rebuilding under new boss Jan Poortvliet it's all change. Letting go of Inigo Idiakez will alert several Championship sides.
Crystal Palace have netted what could be one of the free transfers of the summer in signing Daryl Flahavan from Southend. The goalkeepers helped the Shrimpers into the playoffs and is a rock solid stopper with a good few years in him yet at the age of 29.
Everyone likes the return of an old head to start their weeks with and Ipswich have added the legend of Panini sticker albums Chris Kiwomya to their backroom staff as a reserve team development coach. It's good to see old boys returning to their roots and at least Kiwomya doesn't want to play again. Yet.
QPR are fast becoming this season's Manchester City as they sign unknowns from around the globe for their new revolution. Argentines and Italians have arrived already with more expected. The influx of new faces worked for Sven last season right away but there will be quesiton marks from R's fans as to whether it's going to work for them.
Wolves have been in the news (well the bbc website news anyway, if you look close enough) as they've dropped their reserve team for next season. It seems a bit of a silly move to deny a lot of players the chance to play football but it could well open the floodgates in loan requests for their talented reserves. Daniel Jones and Mark Little were on loan with Northampton last season and they did enough to prove to us at least that they can be lethal weapons at League One level.
The new boys in the Championship are trying to mould their sides to be able to compete next term. Doncaster are most people's tips for relegation straight back down with Forest and League One champions Swansea City likely to try and "do a Bristol City" and compete in the top six. There's plenty of good quality coming down from the top flight this time around though and the usual suspects should be about to show the new sides what the Championship is all about.
In League One, all the talk is about the arrival of Roberto Di Matteo to the MK Dons. Di Matteo must have thought he was going somewhere vibrant when he talked about the move. You can imagine "Stadium:MK" to sound appealing and he must have got a hell of a shock when he turned up to simply find an Ikea and a shopping centre as all Milton Keynes has to offer.
Colchester have smashed their transfer record to bring in talented Cheltenham Town striker Steven Gillespie for £400,000. Gillespie was a bit hit at Whaddon Road and it's understandable for him to depart for the challenge at Colchester, one of my tips for promotion. The money will help Cheltenham sign two or three players though and we'll see what they do with that.
Here at Northampton, things are going swimmingly with the signing of Leon Constantine on a free transfer. Constantine should compliment big Adebayo Akinfenwa in our attack and we're not just a few players short of being a dark horse. Whisper that quietly though...any signs of optimism at Sixfields is a bad sign!
One of the hot targets for League One sides is Wolves defender Charlie Mulgrew. The left sided player turned down a move to Swindon this week so this could open the door for Southend to move in. Mulgrew was on loan at Roots Hall last season and may now fancy a return, particularly with Wolves' reserve now non existant.
Not a lot going on with the whiners at Leeds. They're fifteen point deduction not being in place this season will have them down as odds on favourites for the title this time round but their latest signing of Enoch Showumni, a free from Bristol City may show more signs of where they are and what type of player they need for League One.
The left sided problem has returned to London but it's not England this time. Leyton Orient are madly hunting for a replacement for Wayne Cordon who left a couple of months ago. I hear Stuart Downing's your man for these types of problems.
Fans of Leicester will have had a shock this week as it was announced that Shakespeare was joining the club! Unfortunately it's not everyone's favourite playwright but Craig Shakespeare who left his post at West Brom to hold talks with The Foxes. Meanwhile new boss Nigel Pearson says he wants to play "winning football" at Leicester...maybe that was why Southampton only just avoided the drop last season if he wasn't trying that tactic!
Finally, down in League Two and Bury's new signing Efe Sodje reckons his new side can make the playoffs this season. He wins this week's "Kiss of Death of the week" award. You just watch them struggle now.
One of the new hits of league football could come from Rochdale's new striker Jon Shaw. Shaw scored twenty goals in thirty eight starts last season for Halifax and with the gap between Conference and League Two football closer than ever he shouldn't take too long to adjust. Dale just missed out on their first promotion since the war times last season and coul make it next time around with a proven goalscorer.
Another side that missed out on promotion was Darlington and their shrewd move for Stockport's Adam Proudlock could help their attempts to break into League One this time around.
Two parties are battling to invest in Chesterfield...a game of pass the parcel is due to take place at Saltergate this week to decide which party is better. The musical chairs challenge ruled out the Monster Raving Loony Party in the preliminary round.
Bournemouth are thankfully moving out of administration and it's good to see. If their ten point deduction didn't come into play last season they would have been well safe and it was a shame to see them go into the basement league again. Bourmeouth is a favourite away day of mine and hopefully we'll be returning very soon.
Brentford have moved to sign Marvin Williams from Yeovil in one of the best moves of League Two's tranfer window so far. Williams has a good talent to get behind defences and will score a lot of goals in that league. Expect the Bees to be challenging for promotion this time around with Adam Newton another handy capture from Peterborough.
Bradford are another side set for big things in League Two this season and the signing of Paul McLaren from Tranmere will be very useful, McLaren was Tranmere's player of the year last term and turned down a new deal at Prenton Park to drop down a division.
Meanwhile, The Chuckle Brothers will be trembling in their boots as their beloved Rotherham United must wait another two weeks to see if they are to start next season with a points deduction. The Millers are in trouble again and could face a similar minus points start to that of a couple of seasons ago when they were relegated from League One after starting on minus 10.
Finally, my dark horse tip for next season in League Two are Shrewsbury Town...the double signing of Grant Holt and Richard Walker from Nottingham Forest and Bristol Rovers respectively will stand them in very good stead.
More from the land of the Football League next week!
It's all going on in the Championship as Colin "Tinkerman" Calderwood plays a genius master stroke. Gone from The City Ground are the likes of the pacy Junior Agogo along with bullish front man Grant Holt. Rob Earnshaw could provide a few goals but Cole's signing stinks of a desperation move. He could prove me wrong but with the influential Kris Commons gone from the squad we could learn a lot about Calderwood as a manager this season as he takes charge of a side that isn't going to walk a league that easily.
Down south, Southampton are set to get a big windfall from any possible sale of Peter Crouch from Liverpool to rivals Portsmouth. They could get a figure as high as £500,000 to make Crouch's move more bearable for Saints fans. In a time of rebuilding under new boss Jan Poortvliet it's all change. Letting go of Inigo Idiakez will alert several Championship sides.
Crystal Palace have netted what could be one of the free transfers of the summer in signing Daryl Flahavan from Southend. The goalkeepers helped the Shrimpers into the playoffs and is a rock solid stopper with a good few years in him yet at the age of 29.
Everyone likes the return of an old head to start their weeks with and Ipswich have added the legend of Panini sticker albums Chris Kiwomya to their backroom staff as a reserve team development coach. It's good to see old boys returning to their roots and at least Kiwomya doesn't want to play again. Yet.
QPR are fast becoming this season's Manchester City as they sign unknowns from around the globe for their new revolution. Argentines and Italians have arrived already with more expected. The influx of new faces worked for Sven last season right away but there will be quesiton marks from R's fans as to whether it's going to work for them.
Wolves have been in the news (well the bbc website news anyway, if you look close enough) as they've dropped their reserve team for next season. It seems a bit of a silly move to deny a lot of players the chance to play football but it could well open the floodgates in loan requests for their talented reserves. Daniel Jones and Mark Little were on loan with Northampton last season and they did enough to prove to us at least that they can be lethal weapons at League One level.
The new boys in the Championship are trying to mould their sides to be able to compete next term. Doncaster are most people's tips for relegation straight back down with Forest and League One champions Swansea City likely to try and "do a Bristol City" and compete in the top six. There's plenty of good quality coming down from the top flight this time around though and the usual suspects should be about to show the new sides what the Championship is all about.
In League One, all the talk is about the arrival of Roberto Di Matteo to the MK Dons. Di Matteo must have thought he was going somewhere vibrant when he talked about the move. You can imagine "Stadium:MK" to sound appealing and he must have got a hell of a shock when he turned up to simply find an Ikea and a shopping centre as all Milton Keynes has to offer.
Colchester have smashed their transfer record to bring in talented Cheltenham Town striker Steven Gillespie for £400,000. Gillespie was a bit hit at Whaddon Road and it's understandable for him to depart for the challenge at Colchester, one of my tips for promotion. The money will help Cheltenham sign two or three players though and we'll see what they do with that.
Here at Northampton, things are going swimmingly with the signing of Leon Constantine on a free transfer. Constantine should compliment big Adebayo Akinfenwa in our attack and we're not just a few players short of being a dark horse. Whisper that quietly though...any signs of optimism at Sixfields is a bad sign!
One of the hot targets for League One sides is Wolves defender Charlie Mulgrew. The left sided player turned down a move to Swindon this week so this could open the door for Southend to move in. Mulgrew was on loan at Roots Hall last season and may now fancy a return, particularly with Wolves' reserve now non existant.
Not a lot going on with the whiners at Leeds. They're fifteen point deduction not being in place this season will have them down as odds on favourites for the title this time round but their latest signing of Enoch Showumni, a free from Bristol City may show more signs of where they are and what type of player they need for League One.
The left sided problem has returned to London but it's not England this time. Leyton Orient are madly hunting for a replacement for Wayne Cordon who left a couple of months ago. I hear Stuart Downing's your man for these types of problems.
Fans of Leicester will have had a shock this week as it was announced that Shakespeare was joining the club! Unfortunately it's not everyone's favourite playwright but Craig Shakespeare who left his post at West Brom to hold talks with The Foxes. Meanwhile new boss Nigel Pearson says he wants to play "winning football" at Leicester...maybe that was why Southampton only just avoided the drop last season if he wasn't trying that tactic!
Finally, down in League Two and Bury's new signing Efe Sodje reckons his new side can make the playoffs this season. He wins this week's "Kiss of Death of the week" award. You just watch them struggle now.
One of the new hits of league football could come from Rochdale's new striker Jon Shaw. Shaw scored twenty goals in thirty eight starts last season for Halifax and with the gap between Conference and League Two football closer than ever he shouldn't take too long to adjust. Dale just missed out on their first promotion since the war times last season and coul make it next time around with a proven goalscorer.
Another side that missed out on promotion was Darlington and their shrewd move for Stockport's Adam Proudlock could help their attempts to break into League One this time around.
Two parties are battling to invest in Chesterfield...a game of pass the parcel is due to take place at Saltergate this week to decide which party is better. The musical chairs challenge ruled out the Monster Raving Loony Party in the preliminary round.
Bournemouth are thankfully moving out of administration and it's good to see. If their ten point deduction didn't come into play last season they would have been well safe and it was a shame to see them go into the basement league again. Bourmeouth is a favourite away day of mine and hopefully we'll be returning very soon.
Brentford have moved to sign Marvin Williams from Yeovil in one of the best moves of League Two's tranfer window so far. Williams has a good talent to get behind defences and will score a lot of goals in that league. Expect the Bees to be challenging for promotion this time around with Adam Newton another handy capture from Peterborough.
Bradford are another side set for big things in League Two this season and the signing of Paul McLaren from Tranmere will be very useful, McLaren was Tranmere's player of the year last term and turned down a new deal at Prenton Park to drop down a division.
Meanwhile, The Chuckle Brothers will be trembling in their boots as their beloved Rotherham United must wait another two weeks to see if they are to start next season with a points deduction. The Millers are in trouble again and could face a similar minus points start to that of a couple of seasons ago when they were relegated from League One after starting on minus 10.
Finally, my dark horse tip for next season in League Two are Shrewsbury Town...the double signing of Grant Holt and Richard Walker from Nottingham Forest and Bristol Rovers respectively will stand them in very good stead.
More from the land of the Football League next week!
Thursday, July 03, 2008
No Saints 2-6 The Unwelcome Inn
An aggressive opponent and a fightback prevented us from recording four straight wins for the first time in our history as The Unwelcome Inn put pay to any plans of us finishing in the top two this season.
No Saints went 2-0 up through a free kick from Aaron and a volley from Nathan, a shot he claims occured after he "tripped"! But we couldn't keep the pressure on and The Unwelcome Inn hit back to lead at the break. Further second half goals ended any hope as we tired and the game was marred by a throat grab by one of their players, causing havoc on the outside of the pitch.
No action was taken for the foul on Phil despite Lee being blue carded for much less a few weeks ago and we were well beaten. We must now try to hang on to third place and it looks like the game against Posh on the final day of the season will decide that position.
No Saints went 2-0 up through a free kick from Aaron and a volley from Nathan, a shot he claims occured after he "tripped"! But we couldn't keep the pressure on and The Unwelcome Inn hit back to lead at the break. Further second half goals ended any hope as we tired and the game was marred by a throat grab by one of their players, causing havoc on the outside of the pitch.
No action was taken for the foul on Phil despite Lee being blue carded for much less a few weeks ago and we were well beaten. We must now try to hang on to third place and it looks like the game against Posh on the final day of the season will decide that position.
Cobblers capture front man Constantine
Stuart Gray has made his third summer signing by snapping up Leeds striker Leon Constantine on a free transfer.
Constantine played with new team mate Adebayo Akinfenwa during a stint at Torquay United in 2004 following previous spells with Southend United and Peterborough United.
The front man moved to Port Vale in November 2005 and went on to score over thirty goals for the club. Leeds snapped him up on a free contract following his time at Vale Park but a broken arm limited his appearances in his first season. A loan spell with Oldham last season saw Constantine score twice in seven games and he joins the Cobblers despite a lot of interest from other clubs.
Constantine has been handed the number eight shirt at Sixfields.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
No Saints vs The Unwelcome Inn Preview...
All hands to the pump tonight as we take on second placed Unwelcome Inn. We're six points behind them in third and face a tough task if we're to break into the top two with just three games to go.
But the spirit is back and we'll fight to the death as we look for a fourth straight win. Jamie is out while Dave is still a long term injury but other than that we have a healthy squad raring to go! Lee will join us as Jamie's stand in and will be hoping to stay on the pitch this time following a blue card last time out!
But the spirit is back and we'll fight to the death as we look for a fourth straight win. Jamie is out while Dave is still a long term injury but other than that we have a healthy squad raring to go! Lee will join us as Jamie's stand in and will be hoping to stay on the pitch this time following a blue card last time out!
The Midweek Review...02/07/08...
So the players are back in training, the European Championships are over and our first friendly is just over a week away...the countdown is well and truly on for season 2008/09...
Stuart Gray and his troops returned to Sixfields on Monday as we prepare ourselves for the start of the pre-season fixture list. Every player has gone through an intense few weeks of fitness and dieting and will all be assessed on their return.
Adebayo Akinfenwa has had his steel rod removed from his leg and it will be very interesting to see how he’s progressing. We only had a reportedly 80% fit Bayo at the end of last season and he scored seven times in fifteen games so who knows what he can bring to the table with 100% fitness!
Liam Davis and Abdul Osman joined their new colleagues for pre-season training and will hopefully fit in well to their new team. The squad is pretty much the same as it was when the season ended and this should mean that the team spirit can get going right away. Stuart Gray has done a shrewd job in getting players out of contract to sign up early and hopefully the lack of a massive change in ranks will work in our favour.
Further signings are still to be revealed but July will be the time that managers and players return from holidays and we should see more activity than in the last few weeks. A striker to accompany Bayo will still be the main target but loan signings may well be used again as well.
One loan signing could be Mark Little. Wolves have scrapped their reserve side this season and this will see a massive dip in first team football chances for the younger and fringe players in Mick McCarthy’s squad. Little is down the pecking order at Wolves and talk is of an offer being made to the defender to bring him back here for a season long loan spell. It would certainly build up competition at the back with the likes of Chris Doig, Mark Hughes and Gabor Gyepes already in place and Liam Dolman still waiting in the wings.
Still no word on any outgoings and Mark Bunn remains at Sixfields for the start of pre-season, something that is more baffling than anything. Whether we’re asking for a price that’s out of range for any possible suitors I don’t know but it’s still incredible that no more firm offers have been put on the table.
With the first game of pre-season on July 10th at Brackley, we await with high anticipation the first glimpses of the new faces and the fitness of the returnees!
Up The Cobblers!
Danny
Stuart Gray and his troops returned to Sixfields on Monday as we prepare ourselves for the start of the pre-season fixture list. Every player has gone through an intense few weeks of fitness and dieting and will all be assessed on their return.
Adebayo Akinfenwa has had his steel rod removed from his leg and it will be very interesting to see how he’s progressing. We only had a reportedly 80% fit Bayo at the end of last season and he scored seven times in fifteen games so who knows what he can bring to the table with 100% fitness!
Liam Davis and Abdul Osman joined their new colleagues for pre-season training and will hopefully fit in well to their new team. The squad is pretty much the same as it was when the season ended and this should mean that the team spirit can get going right away. Stuart Gray has done a shrewd job in getting players out of contract to sign up early and hopefully the lack of a massive change in ranks will work in our favour.
Further signings are still to be revealed but July will be the time that managers and players return from holidays and we should see more activity than in the last few weeks. A striker to accompany Bayo will still be the main target but loan signings may well be used again as well.
One loan signing could be Mark Little. Wolves have scrapped their reserve side this season and this will see a massive dip in first team football chances for the younger and fringe players in Mick McCarthy’s squad. Little is down the pecking order at Wolves and talk is of an offer being made to the defender to bring him back here for a season long loan spell. It would certainly build up competition at the back with the likes of Chris Doig, Mark Hughes and Gabor Gyepes already in place and Liam Dolman still waiting in the wings.
Still no word on any outgoings and Mark Bunn remains at Sixfields for the start of pre-season, something that is more baffling than anything. Whether we’re asking for a price that’s out of range for any possible suitors I don’t know but it’s still incredible that no more firm offers have been put on the table.
With the first game of pre-season on July 10th at Brackley, we await with high anticipation the first glimpses of the new faces and the fitness of the returnees!
Up The Cobblers!
Danny
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