With two wins in a row behind us, Yeovil’s visit to Sixfields can’t come soon enough as we look to break back following a disappointing start to the season.
A slow September saw us languishing in the bottom four but the vital win at Crewe shot us out of that particular worry and back into the game. The home game against Hartlepool was scrappy to say the least but there’s always an element of luck and grinding out of the results every season. You can look at any side finishing as champions or in the playoffs and it’s a pretty much dead cert that at some point in the season they’ve scrapped out a 1-0 win or two.
Promotion from League Two was full of this type of win for ourselves and it’s part and parcel of any successful team. Of course we would all love to win every week by playing attractive football and using one touch with every pass. But the reality is that we must fight it out in this league for every single point.
The league table is looking as close as it has for years and the supposed “runaway leaders” Leeds ad Leicester are still being held back by Scunthorpe who top the table well on merit. The rest of the table beneath them are fighting for position and that will surely continue as the winter chill sets in. The Cobblers have as good a chance as any of being in the top half but it’s getting to the next stage that will be the problem for Stuart Gray.
We’re still not quite there in terms of playoff chasing quality but “getting there” is an appropriate analysis of 2008/09 so far. Giles Coke, one of the promising lights of the end of last term, is yet to get a good run in the side while top scorer Adebayo Akinfenwa is still ambling along. He will probably never be fully fit but he has to be on the pitch for his presence alone.
Karl Hawley signing on another month loan is a boost for Gray with the Preston man adding another dimension to the front line. Coming here as an advertised pacy forward we’ve seen some good hold up play from Hawley and it’s problem solved for no as far as attacking is concerned. A deal to bring him in on a permanent basis would be gratefully received in January!
At the other end, Frank Fielding has taken over as number one from Chris Dunn and he kept his first clean sheet last Friday. With Chris Doig also on the way back, it’s encouraging to see us going back in the right direction on the pitch.
Yeovil are struggling this season and are there for the taking at Sixfields on Saturday afternoon. Whether e can make it three in a row or not remains to be seen but there won’t be many better chances than this to complete that particular feat any time soon.
Hopefully we’ll fill Sixfields a little better but with the financial situation as it is and with Yeovil not the largest of pulls for home fans we could be looking at another 4-5,000 gate on Saturday. Another scrappy win will do for now with result more important at this point so we can get in a good position come Christmas and the half way point.
Up The Cobblers!
Danny
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