10th December 2005. A seemingly meaningless 1-0 away win at Barnet saw Scott McGleish fire home a penalty to win the game and set one new Cobblers fan on the start of a run that was very much unexpected at that point. On that fateful day back in the promotion season of 05/06, I had persuaded my housemate in Southampton, Jamie, to come to his first ever football league game. Coming from a Chelsea supporting background (and from the less glamorous days at the Bridge I must add), the trip to Barnet in a basement league battle would be a massive shock to his system.
Fortunately the day was a big success and the Cobblers came away with a 1-0 win on a chilly afternoon and Jamie’s Cobblers supporting career had began. Since then, the transition from the heights of watching the Premier League elite to seeing players like James Quinn and Gavin Johnson play their trade, took him to the running tracks of the Withdean, through treacherous crowds at Millwall, two draws at Bournemouth, a last day Doctor’s day at Doncaster (via Worksop) and back to Barnet again for an FA Cup drubbing. Last season the loyalty was tested at Yeovil as we arrived late and suffered a final second defeat while a couple of Sixfields draws were also attended.
There’s a common theme with all of the above games as some statto Cobblers fans may have noticed. None of those games since the initial Barnet game had featured a Cobblers win and now nearly three years on from that and many miles travelled for my long suffering housemate and our latest adventure was due.
The trip to Edgar Street was plotted when the fixtures came out and it was a big one for me as well with a new ground to add to the “92 List”. After missing an early train I needed for an appointment in Reading, I rearranged and waited for Jamie to arrive, finally spotting him coming out of WH Smiths on the other platform with five minutes to go until the train left. Like a Dickens-esque Fagin lumbering his newly found treats (a can of Red Bull and The Times), he ascended the steps to join me on what turned out to be a long trail north towards Wales.
We arrived in good time and with a couple of hours to spare before kick off, a pint was in order and eventually we came across a nice little place on the edge of the ground. Perfect! The time flew by and with a chill in the air we joined the rest of the hardy souls in the away end that were shivering whatever bits they had left off in the chilly breeze of Hereford.
Edgar Street is dilapidated to say the least but it has a rare character not seen in today’s football grounds. Hereford were surely not expecting their double promotion of recent seasons and the ground will surely be redeveloped at some point but it was a great throwback moment for me to times of the old Division Three and the scene was set for the afternoon.
The game began with few chances for either side but with the Cobblers in control of proceedings. Scott McGleish had started up front with Leon Constantine, who seemed to have a cult following in the away end. It was Constantine who had the first real chance of the game with a header sailing over the bar after good work by Danny Jackman. Loanee right back Kyle Walker was showing true class and was the main talking point of the first half, making a couple of terrific runs from the back.
Steve Guinan had the home sides’ best effort of a poor first half when he tested Frank Fielding just before the break while Constantine had a shot deflected over the bar at the other end. At half time, we were comfortable without being overly imposing on the home defence but the second half saw Stuart Gray’s men come to life.
Just a couple of minutes in and the Cobblers won a free kick just outside the Hereford area and Danny Jackman and Luke Guttridge stood over the ball. It was Jackman who struck it and hit it perfectly, curling the ball over the wall and past Matt Murray in the Hereford goal to give us a vital lead.
We had just finished celebrating when number two followed just a few minutes later. Ryan Gilligan pounced on a lucky deflection in the Hereford area and controlled the ball neatly before tucking away a tidy finish past Murray and giving the travelling faithful room to breathe that little bit easier. In truth, we had no need to worry as the home side barely threatened with Dean Beckwith’s header from a free kick that was brilliantly saved by Fielding their only real opening.
It was the Cobblers who threatened to add to the goals more and Kyle Walker was unlucky to see his cross shot hit the bar in the dying stages but two goals were enough and the Cobblers had recorded only their second away win of the season, leaving on travelling supporter overjoyed at what may well turn out to be just another away day for most. Football is special in that way, in that every game around the country will mean different things for different people and a meaningless match for some may just be an unforgettable one for others.
We celebrated with a quick drink on the way back to the station but missed the connection in Newport so had to hang around there for an hour, taking in the Aston Villa-Man United game with a group of Welsh rugby fans in a nearby Walkabout. We eventually arrived back in Southampton just after 10pm having spent a very nice day indeed on the edge of Wales.
As for the Cobblers, it’s Leeds up next on Tuesday night, this time in the league and we must get at least a little closer to them than we did last Monday! For now, we will celebrate a small victory for the next couple of days and I will tick another name off the 92...
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