League Two Preview...30th April...

Spotlight on...Accrington Stanley v Barnet

You know how it goes...”Acccccrington Stanley, who are they?2”...”Exacccctly”

Who’d have thought that those two little lads supping milk would be quoted in years to come not as the slur as was originally intended but ironically instead as the aforementioned club rose to prominence back in the Football League.

It’s not bad playing for Stanley these days and the joke may be on us now because we really need them to continue their emergence as promotion candidates by beating Barnet at the Crown Ground on Saturday afternoon.

It would be a dream finale to the season for John Coleman, who is the modern day Mr Accrington having joined the club way back in 1999 when the club were battling it out in the Northern Premier League. Three promotions later and Stanley had turned into a club quoted more for their football rather than for an 80’s advertisement. Coleman’s form didn’t drop either and he impressively led the club to safety in his first season before ever increasingly finishing in higher league positions each season since their elevation to League Two in 2006.

Lat season’s fifteenth was the best they’ve done but this time around there’s been an improvement that not even the most optimistic Stanley fan could have predicted.

Defeat at the hands of Saturday’s opponents Barnet back December 11th left the club in eighteenth and expectant of just another season trying to improve league form. But the winter break, enforced by the weather, seemed to rejuvenate the side and on their return on New Year’s Day came an astounding turn around. It started with an away win at Morecambe but it was at home where momentum began to pick up.

An eleven game unbeaten run at the Crown Ground is still not over and the 0-0 at Shrewsbury last weekend even kept faint automatic promotion hopes alive. But realistically it’s the playoffs that Stanley are chasing and who would bet against them going all the way with the form they’re in going into the final knockings of the season. A fourth promotion under Coleman would be the biggest of them all.

Barnet have gone the other way in the seasons since they themselves rejoined the Football League in 2005 following a four year hiatus in the Conference. After two mid-table finishes, the club narrowly avoided relegation in the last couple of years and were only safe last season thanks to a 1-0 win over Rochdale on the final day.

They may well need another great escape this time around and with the Cobblers and Lincoln wobbling above them there has been no better time for them to hit form. Martin Allen’s three game reign saw momentum pick up and the failings above them have given them belief that they can do it again.

Allen’s acrimonious departure threatened to knock them off course but last weekend saw them end Gillingham’s long unbeaten run before claiming another points at home to Oxford.

Ending another unbeaten sequence on Saturday would go a long way in setting up yet more last day drama for a club that just does not want to say die.

This weekend’s other games...

Chesterfield will be chomping at the bit to get back to winning ways on Friday night as they travel to Torquay hoping to earn the three points needed to force Bury into a must win situation on Saturday in the title race. The Spireites were promoted thanks to United’s draw with Wycombe last week and can go a long way to sealing the top spot if they put a dent into the Gulls’ playoff hopes. They sit just outside the top seven at the moment and have a chance of piling on the pressure for those around them by earning an early three points.

Bury are looking for Torquay to do them a favour before they host Wycombe on Saturday at Gigg Lane. After that thrilling contest on Monday that saw the gap at the top close to two points, they have a chance to take the battle to the last day. Wycombe are in their own promotion dual with Shrewsbury, who they overtook with a 2-0 home win against Crewe on Monday.

That looks like another contest that’s going to the wire and Shrewsbury are at Cheltenham hoping to turn the tide back in their favour once more. The Robins alleviated any relegation fears with victory at Lincoln and go into the game with most of the pressure on their visitors.

The playoff issues will look a lot clearer after this penultimate weekend of the season and it looks like one from four to join Shrewsbury or Wycombe. That means Gillingham can afford no mistakes in their home game with Macclesfield. In fact, should Torquay lose on Friday, all of the others will be playing for a confirmed pace in the top seven going into their own games on Saturday.

Rotherham and Port Vale are hoping for mass slip ups above them but they first have to win their games at Aldershot and at home to Morecambe respectively.

Stockport’s relegation should be confirmed on Saturday and unless they pull off something of a miraculous score line in both of their final two games then they’ll be gone. They go to Crewe in their final away game knowing that by the end of the day their demotion could well be complete.

Lincoln are shaking and no wins in nine means that they’ve been dragged right back into the race. They need to get something at Oxford to avoid still being involved on the last day of the season, particularly with their dismal goal difference, the second worst in the league after Stockport.

Hereford should still be safe despite only picking up one point from nine ahead of their final home game of the season against Bradford who finally passed the fifty point mark with Monday’s 2-1 win over Aldershot. And Burton have a chance to put their fears well and truly behind them as they go to Southend.

Last home game of the season promises high drama...

Northampton Town v Stevenage
League Two
Saturday, April 30th 2011

The tension is becoming too much. For every podcast and newspaper I come across that discusses the permutations of the next couple of games or recalls last day of the season memories there’s a hint of a sickly feeling entering my body.

Why oh why could this not have been over before the last two games? Why did Aldershot have to score so late to equalise in September? Why did not one of the long drawing sequence in January and February turn into a win? It’s these questions that will haunt us should Stevenage beat us on Saturday, for that will guarantee that one way or another this relegation fight goes to the wire irrespective of what Barnet do at Accrington.

I’ve got a good feeling that Stanley will come good so that would leave us with needing a win to bring it home but there’s not a lot more trickier opposition around than Stevenage when you need three points. They themselves, probably working slightly in the favour of the Cobblers, need a win to strengthen their playoff claims which should see them come out and play a little bit at least.

Graham Westley, love him or hate him, has done a fine job in getting his side into the reckoning and will be just as desperate for the points having come this close and this far.

When Ryan Gilligan scored the only goal in a somewhat surprising and rare away win at Broadhall Way it was meant to be the Cobblers that began a run to the top seven, the start of the regular surge in the second half of the season. But those draws began, Sammo was removed and now Gary Johnson has began a surge of his own, leading us to the brink of the Conference! Time for talking about him is not now and we must trust in the players to unite with the new boss to get this result to at the very least put it in our own hands.

Johnson has been at loggerheads with Westley but stands to lose a lot more should his new band of struggling players not get the job done. Westley and Stevenage, having propelled themselves into sixth place with a much needed 1-0 win over Port Vale last weekend, face a worst case scenario of just missing out on the playoffs while Johnson has a reputation at stake and losing his own battle would mean catastrophe if Barnet come up with the goods.

The problems continue off the field with injuries forcing Byron Webster and Leon McKenzie out for the season and Chris Dunn being rushed back into goal with a protective face mask. Kevin Thornton may return after missing a couple of weeks and Marcus Hall and John Johnson may still give him extra defensive options after recovering from their problems.

With tension at the top and bottom for this one, I spoke to Stevenage fan Matthew Kett about his thoughts on the game. Matt runs popular blog FCBoro and gave his views on his team’s manager and playoff expectations...


You've shot up the league in recent months, what's been the secret?
Consistency. Westley seems to have found a team and a system that has worked and stuck to it. An important player in our last 8-10 games has been Luke Foster as he has allowed the likes of John Mousinho and Michael Bostwick to come out of their shells in midfield. Mousinho in particular has been very influential.

There's been some complaints that Stevenage have been overly physical...is that a fair reflection or is there more to it?
It seems to be the tag line that every opposition manager uses after playing us. I don't see it to be fair. We have some strong players like Ashton, Roberts and Bostwick, but we are not a "big" team. I think the opposition just use the "physical" tag because of our direct style of play. It isn't pretty to watch, but it is effective.

Graham Westley wasn't a hugely popular choice of manager on his return to the club...what's he done to change people's minds?
He's been successful. He was the last person that the supporters wanted to take over back in 2008, but he has built a formidable side that has been winning games consistently for nearly 3 seasons now. You can't argue with that, even though the football isn't the most entertaining.

If you do make it to the Playoffs, who do you fancy coming up against based on this season? And who would you be worried about?
I think the final four play-off positions will consist of ourselves, Shrewsbury, Accrington and Gillingham.

I don't fear any of them, but would rather not have to go to Accrington again. It's an absolute hole.

What's your thoughts on the Playoff Final being played at Old Trafford rather than Wembley? Would it take away any of the magic for you?
It wouldn't take any of the magic away. We've been to Wembley 3 times since it's opening in 2007. We could do with a year off!

Who will be the Cobblers' main threats this weekend?
John Mousinho and Lawrie Wilson. Mousinho has been superb recently in a more attacking midfield position. If he plays well then the team usually follows. Wilson is also in good form and will give Marcus Hall a tough afternoon at left back.

Are you ready for League One?
Yes and no. The table doesn't lie and at the moment we are the 6th best team in this division. However, I think it would be very, very tough in League 1 if we got promoted. That's not to say we wouldn't be able to survive. This team is always learning and improving and some of our players like Ashton, Bostwick and Mousinho could easily play at that level.

Cobblers plot to work past physical Stevenage

The rough and tumble reputation that Stevenage are getting for themselves may be a bit over the top at times but Gary Johnson needs to figure out a way of dealing with a big physical test this weekend.

Graham Westley has led his side impressively to the top seven in the last few weeks and though it’s not a style that’s going to please everyone, it’s getting the job done. The Cobblers can identify – last season’s playoff push was built heavily on the back of Bayo Akinfenwa’s fitness and the long ball game up to the big man meant it was route one for a lot of the run-in.

So we can have no complaints if Stevenage come and do the physical job on us on Saturday and instead have to forge our way and think our way past them to try and survive. Matching them probably isn’t going to work so we’ll have to rely on the pace in the side rather than attempting to go man for man. Liam Davis’ fitness could be crucial in that case but it’s hard to tell just yet whether he’ll be available for the crunch game.

It’ll be tough to focus on trying to play a passing game with the stakes so high but with a victory at Broadhall Way earlier in the season the players will be confident of pulling off a league double that would mean we would be safe should Barnet lose at Accrington.

The fans will be crucial. With a big game feel, there’s set to be an increase in Cobblers support as the town unites to get behind their team. Attitudes are changing in that we’re all beginning to battle through now and analyse later which can only be a good thing. The time for talking is in the summer and for now, no matter how, we need to send Stevenage off with nothing!

Dunn ready to return

Chris Dunn may be forced to play through the pain and return this weekend between the sticks for the crucial home game with Stevenage. Dunn has had his stitches removed after a painful collision during the home game with Bury threatened to end his season.

But with Steve Collis taken off on Saturday, Dun looks likely to return wearing a protective mask a la Petr Cech to help his side in the bid for safety. Paul Walker, who came on at Edgeley Park, is available but it would be a bit like throwing him to the lions in a game that the Cobblers desperately need to win to protect their league status.

Leon McKenzie’s latest injury looks like keeping him out for the season and could well end his time with the Cobblers with his contract set to expire in the summer.

Another draw as County leave it late

Stockport County 2-2 Northampton Town
League Two
Monday, April 25th 2011

The Cobblers were never going to be the most popular team yesterday with the rest of the country appearing to will Stockport on to a big win that would create the most unlikely of chances to save their skins. All the talk was that the Great Escape would be back on should the Hatters win at Edgeley Park but, in another roller coaster of emotions, the Cobblers recorded a third straight 2-2 draw to keep the nerves jangling and the run of winless games going to eighteen.

Barnet’s draw, by the same score line, means it’s as you were apart from the fact that Lincoln are a bit closer to the drop following another defeat, this time at he hands of Cheltenham who are now surely safe.

Gary Johnson had to make changes once again with Byron Webster added to the injury list and Ben Tozer coming in at the back rather than midfield as he started Friday’s game. Paul Rodgers began at the back meaning Guillem Bauza was pushed to the right hand side of midfield and Leon McKenzie started up front with Shaun Harrad.

Bauza would give the Cobblers the dream start. Only two minutes were on the clock when a cross from McKenzie was bundled home by the Spaniard and after falling behind in a dreadful first half on Friday, it was a crucial moment in getting our noses in front.

The first half continued cagily and County would slowly get into it, creating a couple of half chances before equalising mid-way through the half. Adam Griffin found space to get on the end of a cross and Paul Rodgers, scorer of another own goal on Good Friday, was unlucky again to be credited as Griffin scored via the former Arsenal man.

The Cobblers were on the back foot and only the offside flag denied Anthony Elding an equaliser a couple of minutes later. Leon McKenzie then had to leave the game after half an hour through injury, Andy Holt replacing him. It’s not know whether McKenzie will play again this season and with his contract up we have to hope that it’s not his final game for the club.

Half-time came at a good time for Town and a regrouping was definitely in order.

The break freshened up County as well though and soon after James Walker shot side and Steve Collis had to match a good effort from Matt Mainwaring and tip the ball over the bar.

The tide turned again though. Bauza volleyed over before Harrad struck the post. It was anyone’s game and the nerves of everyone present and listening at home were stretched to their limits.

But with ten minutes to go, we thought we had it. Andy Halls brought down Guillem Bauza in the area. As the last man he was lucky to only see yellow but at the time our thoughts were solely on the upcoming spot kick. Harrad confidently stepped up and blasted the ball home. 2-1 and all we had to do was hang on and we would be sealing that first win in eighteen.

We had to do it without Collis, who had been hauled off (another injury victim to add to the list) and Paul Walker was brought on for his debut in goal, a baptism of fire if ever I heard of one

Cure more drama and a significant moment in the season. County were relegated as things stood. But they somehow earned a stay of execution when substitute Greg Tansey produced a goal of the season candidate with a scorching effort from all of 35 yards that beat Walker. The young keeper had no chance. The Cobblers had to settle for another draw.

Barnet’s lives are hanging in the balance just as much as ours and their draw at home to Oxford keeps them tight on our heels, just a point behind. As long as we match their results for the two remaining games then we’re safe but to go to a final day would be absolutely agonising. Shrewsbury in ‘93 will more than likely come up in the next week should Stevenage prove too tough on Saturday and we may yet need the same sort of luck that saw Pat Gavin’s backside become thing of folklore.

The spirit is there, that’s for sure and we now need to match that with defensive quality because scoring goals isn’t the problem. Harrad, Bauza and McKenzie, if he returns, all have goals in them but if we can just shore up at the back for two games then we’ll be safe.

Sounds easy, but something tells me that this time next week we’ll be talking about another painful last day of the season ahead.

D-Day at Edgeley Park

Stockport County v Northampton Town
League Two
Monday, April 25th 2011

Just when we were all jumping around lording pitch invasions led by a fan in a wheel chair and everything was right with the world, along came Stockport, Barnet and Burton to pile on the pressure once more. Of course, the two longest unbeaten records in the league were ended by the Cobblers’ rivals.

Gillingham were not only beaten but confidently seen off by Barnet at the Priestfield by a side that look back to full confidence after last week’s defeat at Bury. Izale McLeod is worryingly on fire and his hat-trick could have been four had he not gone for cheek rather than class when taking his second penalty of the game.

Burton’s victory ended the second longest unbeaten run in the league by winning 2-1 at the EBB Stadium. Calvin Zola’s winner means they move up to seventeenth and are suddenly looking like strong favourites to survive after picking up seven points from three games in the past week.

But it’s perhaps the Cobblers’ opponents on Monday, Stockport County, who would cause the biggest stir. Seemingly down and out thanks to Liam Davis’ late equaliser on Friday night, the Hatters beat Port Vale at Vale Park and closed the gap to six points on Town going into a game of extraordinary significance tomorrow.

County will be relegated if we end the seventeen game winless run at Edgeley Park. But if, God forbid, they come out on top then it puts them three points behind us and no matter what Barnet do at home to Oxford it would be a nightmare scenario going into the final two games. It’s set to be the biggest game for both County and the Cobblers for many a year.

It makes it no easier a game with the fact that Sale Sharks played on the Edgeley Park pitch on Friday and it’s sure to be a rough and tumble affair, frantic to the end and the Cobblers need the spirit of Friday’s second half to roll over and not only that but we need warriors and warhorses.

Andy Holt, who came off the bench on Friday, is crucial and to me should start if fully fit. Holty is one of the only men you could truly pick out of this squad and know that you’re getting just what you need for a battle like this one. If anyone else proves to be similar then I would love to see it because with three games of this epic battle to go there’s no room for anything else.

So in around twenty four hours we will know a hell of a lot more than we did before this weekend. With all games kicking off at 3pm it has the feel of the final day of the season. It could be the end of the road for Stockport but it could just as easily be a disaster for Northampton Town.

If anyone has any finger nails left after yesterday then they need to grow back pretty damn quickly. I don’t think I can take much more!

Keep believing!

Late drama, pitch invasions and wheelchairs

Northampton Town 2-2 Rotherham United
League Two
Friday, February 22nd 2011

Relief. Utter, utter relief. I’m fortunate enough to have never truly felt what relegation to non-league, or the threat of it, feels like. When I first starting going to the old County Ground we were in a similar position to this with the only difference being that the players on our books weren’t expected to be promotion candidates. I was too young to truly feel the emotions of the dog fight back then but around eighteen years on and a goal against Rotherham in the last seconds saw me let out a groan out that made my fiancé believe that we’d conceded again and not equalised.

The guilt I feel at not being at the games these days is in a way justified by the fact that I still feel things so much and have to suffer from radio commentary or rolling score tickers that will tell me whether my team are going to be still in the league next season. It’s a kind of punishment that I’m more emotionally attached to the club than ever before despite being away from the games themselves but nothing could prepare me for that moment last night.

Overdramatic you might say this is but I genuinely was close to letting out a tear of relief when Davis’ goal went in. Relegation from any league is horrible but from this one it’s double that of the panic running through me when we drifted out of League One at Elland Road. I have real sympathy for Stockport fans heading to Port Vale today knowing that if they don’t win they’re the first to fall through the trap door and it’s all because of this one moment at Sixfields.

After a first half where the Cobblers were second best, Nicky Law’s shot deflecting heavily enough off Paul Rodgers for it to be called an own goal and Ryan Taylor doubling the lead in stoppage time, it seemed all hope was lost. It wasn’t that Rotherham seemed particularly impressive but more that the Cobblers were just not up to matching them.

Cue Gary Johnson throwing caution to the wind. On came strikers Leon McKenzie and Michael Uwesu for defender Byron Webster and unfortunate midfielder Rodgers. The gung ho approach took time to get going but when it did, Claret and White Night ignited with it.

Shaun Harrad fired over from ten yards but soon after the deficit was halved as McKenzie prodded the ball home following a goal mouth scramble and it was game on. With the Cobblers’ recovery from two down in the reverse fixture back in November, the Millers must have been anxious that their playoff hopes would be hit by another turn around.

It didn’t seem like their fears would be realised as corner after corner, attack after attack rained down on Jamie Annerson’s goal. The Millers’ defence cleared off the line and despite a hearty and admirable effort from the Cobblers home support it just didn’t look like coming.

Then it happened. Deep into stoppage time, the ball somehow found its way to Liam Davis. The ground held their collective breaths and Davis smashed the ball home. Emotions poured out of the stands and onto the pitch as a mini pitch invasion was sparked. A legend in the making led the charge with an unknown fan in a wheel chair joining the celebrations on the hallowed turf. Twitter instantly woke up with #ntfcwheelchairfan tweeted double the amount of #ntfcfightback or #liamdavis.

There was no time for much more and the Cobblers had another point towards the ultimate target of safety. If it means we continue this sequence to twenty games without a win (it’s now seventeen) by the time the season ends then as long as we’ve got enough points to survive then I really don’t mind one jot.

Ironically it’s now over to last season’s hero Bayo Akinfenwa whose Gillingham side meet Barnet at the Priestfield today. If the Gills lose that one then the Cobblers’ result last night looks less impressive with a Bees win taking them to within a point of us. So Bayo, do your business big man!

We also have to keep an eye out on Burton of course as they slipped below us. The Brewers are at Aldershot tomorrow so we’re hoping for the league’s two longest unbeaten runs, the Gills’ and the Shots’, to continue. If they don’t then the fears will double up again ahead of the crunch game at Stockport on Monday. County can prolong their stay in the Football League by winning at Vale Park today and that would mean that they’ll be even more up for Monday’s tussle. We wait and see what comes out of this Saturday but either way it’s going to be another nervy one.

You get the feeling that all is far from over and that something else is bound to happen this afternoon so for now it’s recovery time for everyone at the club. It would be nice to have a week’s break now but it’s straight back into it unfortunately and I’ll be very surprised if my hands contain any finger nails at all by close of play this Monday!

Good Friday? We really hope so!!

Northampton Town v Rotherham United
League Two
Friday, April 22nd 2011

Judgement weekend is upon us then as the Cobblers face two games that could change the course of our history should they go the wrong way. A first win in seventeen games this evening against a Rotherham side still coming to terms with the recent dip in form that’s taken them away from the playoff places would be the ideal start to the Easter weekend.

It’s vital that we go into Stockport away, a potentially dangerous fixture particularly after a rugby match played at Edgeley Park this afternoon, with some momentum and there can be no more room for error. Despite Barnet losing Martin Allen, Giuliano Grazioli’s first game in charge was at high flying Bury so we can ill afford to be counting chickens that they will be o the slide from here on in.

A couple of months ago this would have been a real toughie against one of the better sides in the league but the backlash from Ronnie Moore’s exit has been lasting and the Millers are in grave danger of ending a season that started so brightly with the goals of Adam Le Fondre flying in once more with nothing to play for.

They have, at least, got a new man in charge in former Brentford boss Andy Scott and his first game in charge ended in a stalemate at home to Hereford on Saturday. That result meant that they were four points off a playoff place going into the Easter weekend and Scott will be desperate for his charges to recreate the form of their only win in their last ten games, a 6-0 victory at Lincoln.

But the Cobblers are beginning to show spirit on and off the pitch and finally it seems that it’s clicked with the Sixfields faithful that we need them more than ever to put everything else aside and get behind the team. A Friday “Claret and White Night” should do the trick before hand and if an atmosphere gets going then there may yet be a chance of that illusive win.

It’ll feel like a cup final win once we do get it and relief would be overwhelming on a final whistle should three points come our way. We must stay positive and remember the stunning fightback at the Don Valley Stadium in the team’s last meeting, the 2-2 draw in November.

Guillem Bauza has declared himself fit for the game after an injury scare at Wycombe but John Johnson and Kevin Thornton are still struggling. There appears little need to change what was a strong side at Adams Park and it’ll certainly be nice for Gary Johnson to name an unchanged line-up.

Rotherham are waiting on the fitness of striker Ian Thomas-Moore and keeper Andy Warrington but Adam Le Fondre is expected to return to the starting line-up after sitting on the bench for the last couple of games.

We need this more than ever, get right behind the team tonight and let’s bring home that win. Team Positive!!

League Two Easter Preview: Part 1

Focus on...Oxford United v Chesterfield...

The Kassam Stadium in Oxford will be awash with blue and white this weekend as Chesterfield expect to clinch the League Two championship after months of running away with a promotion bid that’s never seriously been threatened. The Spireites have been odds on favourites since Christmas to return to League One and have steadily picked up points while all below them struggled to keep up with their blistering pace.

As with Brighton in League One, there can be no doubting that Chesterfield are the rightful winners and only a ridiculous run of results can now prevent them from lifting the title, something they can do tomorrow afternoon with a single point at the Kassam.

They will return to League One after four years out with a fresh look in their new B2Net Stadium, the 10,500 seat venue that has had the best possible christening in its first season as the Spireites’ home. It’s almost destiny that after flirting with the playoffs during the final three seasons at Saltergate (the club finishing 8th, 10th and 8th again) that as soon as they moved into their new home everything fell into place.

John Sheridan had led the club to the brinks of the playoffs last season, his first in charge, and although the season wouldn’t end with a spot in the top seven, there would be a fitting farewell to the old ground when an injury time winner from Derek Niven saw off already promoted Bournemouth. Following two pitch invasions, it was time for the change to come and what a job Sheridan has done over the last twelve months.

Craig Davies joined on a year long deal in July and after scoring the first ever goal at the B2Net Stadium and also becoming the first to be sent off there, hit eleven goals in the opening thirteen games as his new side became the early pace setters. Nothing has stalled since then either and Davies’ tally has risen to twenty four goals. Add to that the fifteen from Jack Lester, fourteen from Danny Whittaker and eleven from Oldham loanee Deane Smalley and it’s not difficult to tell why the club are not only runaway leaders but also the top scorers in League Two with eighty goals.

Since the turn of the year, they’ve opened up a huge gap between not just themselves and the chasing pack in the playoffs but also second place as they aim to wrap up the title and promotion in quick succession. The last two away games have produced unexpected wobbles at relegation threatened Barnet (2-2) and Hereford (0-3) but two home successes steadied the ship to make it five straight home victories as they close in on that promotion.

Oxford, then, will be relieved that the game will be on their home turf, the still three sided Kassam Stadium, as they cling on to what is now a very much outside chance of the playoffs.

After winning a place back in the Football League following a 3-1 Conference pPlayoff Final against york City in May last year, the U’s have equipped themselves well and have been around the edges of the top seven all season.

That’s a testament to the steady progress of rookie manager Chris Wilder who is slowly making a name for himself in this division, his first as a manager in the league.

Wilder cut his managerial teeth at Alfreton Town before moving on to Halifax Town just after they were relegated from the league in 2002. Staying there until 2008 when the club went into liquidation, Wilder joined old pal Alan Knill at Bury and became his assistant manager. Six months later and he was on the move again though as Oxford came calling in December 2008. After missing out on the playoffs in that season, Wilder led the side there in his first full campaign and sealed it with that fine win over York.

While not making huge waves it’s still a fine achievement for Wilder and co to finish in the top half and the season, whatever happens from here on in, will be seen as an important stepping stone to the next level.

Surrendering a 2-0 lead at home to Wycombe a couple of weeks ago will probably be seen as the end of the playoff hopes with a draw last weekend at Accrington seeing them drop to seven points behind Gillingham and the playoffs.

They’ll still be eager to prevent a party in their ground though as Chesterfield search for that point they need to become the second Football League side promoted this season. The U’s will also take heart from the victory at the B2Net Stadium earlier in the season when they came from a goal down to win 2-1. If they have their way, the Spireites might just have to wait a little longer to start the party!


Elsewhere in League Two...

Bury will be hoping to keep the pressure on Chesterfield but a victory against Lincoln on Friday will also go a long way towards their own automatic promotion hopes. The Shakers have seen off the Cobblers and Barnet at Gigg Lane in the last couple of games and will be looking to make it a triple victory over relegation threatened sides at home. Lincoln are poised just above trouble but they’ll be looking over their shoulder until they get another win under their belts. Gigg Lane probably isn’t the best place to go when you need that though!

There’s also a massive game at Plainmoor on Friday as Torquay play Shrewsbury with both sides gunning for the top three. Shrewsbury, in fourth, are four points ahead of their hosts but United know that victory would not only close the gap on them but also edge them closer to the automatic promotion places before Saturday’s games.

Another team in sight and level on points with Torquay are Stevenage who will want to get an early run on the other playoff chasers behind them as they travel to Southend tonight. Graham Westley’s side have risen from the depths of mid-table to join the elite for the final stages and will be bitterly disappointed if they lose that place now.

Crewe and Morecambe are in the “nothing to play for” category but the Shrimps are looking to extend a three game unbeaten run at Gresty Road as they aim to overtake Dario Gradi’s men and finish in the top half.

The pick of Saturday’s other games sees Gillingham defend their seventeen game unbeaten run as they welcome Barnet to the Priestfield for a game with massive importance. Gillingham remain in a playoff place thanks to a late Cody McDonald leveller last weekend and the on loan Norwich man is proving to be the difference between the Gills holding on to that spot and ending up outside the playoffs. Barnet are of course on our tails and should the Cobblers fail to win on Friday night they’ll have a huge incentive going into their game.

Hereford have given Jamie Pitman a new two year deal to remain as manager after the former physio led the Bulls to the brink of safety. Pitman’s charges host promotion chasing Shrewsbury looking to follow up excellent results against Wycombe, Chesterfield and Rotherham in the last couple of weeks.

It’s near enough last chance saloon for Stockport and Port Vale as the two meet at Vale Park. Vale are one good result from getting right back in the payoff mix but more seriously for Stockport is that the Hatters would be as good as down with defeat.

Accrington are just a couple of goals away from the top seven and will be favourites to see off a shaking Bradford side. Peter Jackson’s men still aren’t safe and won’t be relishing a trip to a ground where no away team has won in ten games.

Macclesfield have gradually pulled away from danger and can overtake Cheltenham if they beat them at Whaddon Road. The Robins were beaten at Burton last weekend but have Andy Gallinagh available after his ban was overturned from that game.

Burton used their last game in hand to overtake the Cobblers and they are finally level on games with everyone else as they prepare to face Aldershot and attempt to end the Shot’s ten game unbeaten run.

The Run Ins!

It’s a race that’s set to go right to the wire at the foot of the Football League and although there are other who could be dragged into the battle, four teams, one of them the Cobblers, are quaking in their boots as they are set for four of the biggest gamin their histories.

Looking at the ruin ins, there’s a couple of names popping up like Port Vale and Accrington who play two teams involved in the scrap and they will have a massive say on who will join them next season if they are to stay in League Two themselves.

The Cobblers have two tough home games against Rotherham and Stevenage but trips to Stockport and Morecambe are winnable despite a lousy record on the road for Gatry Johnson’s men.

Rock bottom County will have to win on Saturday if they’re to stand any chance of clawing away at us on Monday with a genuine hope of survival. They visit Port Vale in preparation for a game in which we could conceivably relegate the Hatters. If they have any last gasp hopes after that they will rest on a visit to Crewe and a home clash with Cheltenham.

Barnet’s short run that sparked their season back into life was halted last week when Martin Allen defected to League One Notts County and the team lost on the pitch 2-0 at Bury. That was a baptism of fire for new caretaker boss Giuliano Grazioli and Saturday’s trip to Gillingham isn’t much more appealing. On Monday the Bees at home to Oxford before travelling to Accrington on the penultimate weekend. But they finish at hom and you wouldn’t bet against them having something to fight for when Port Vale come to Underhill on the last day.

Burton, meanwhile, off the back of four points gathered in the last two games, take on Aldershot this Saturday at the EBB Stadium and return home for a clash with promotion chasing Torquay on Monday. Then it’s Southend away before they host Accrington on May 7th.

So who’s your money on? To me Stockport are near enough gone with a massive task ahead of them and though I take no joy out of the thought, I have a feeling the the Cobblers will play a role in sealing their fate on Monday. I hope and pray that I’m right with Barnet as well simply because their momentum is seemingly gone along with their saviour to be. Unless Mr Grazioli can steer his men to at least four points this weekend then I reckon it could be curtains for them.

I wouldn’t like to hold those predictions up too much though as I just know it could come back to haunt me but I still believe that it could go to the last day. After the last few weeks though, anything can happen, anyone can be dragged in and there’s bound to be another twist or two along the way. Hopefully, for our sake, not too big of a twist!

Bradford City 1-1 Burton Albion

As tremblings at the bottom of the table continued last night, Burton and Bradford played out the final game in hand to leave the Cobblers looking on relatively happily despite slipping a place. There was a period of time last night when Burton rose up the League Two table into 17th place as they led at Valley Parade.

That goal just before half time for the Brewers came through a John McGrath header and had the travelling support dreaming of overtaking not just the Cobblers but Bradford, Hereford, Macclesfield and Lincoln into what would have been, psychologically at least, a fine position going into the final four games.

But Bradford would have the final say and thankfully levelled the game when a long throw wasn’t dealt with by the visiting defence and Jake Speight swooped to earn his side a point. That should make City fans themselves breathe a little easier ahead of an Easter weekend fixture list that will surely be the defining weekend of the season.

Every League Two team plays twice over this weekend and by the end of it things will be an awful lot clearer at both ends of the table.

Last chance for Brewers at Valley Parade

Bradford City v Burton Albion

After four months of trying, the games in hand will be done after tonight and League Two will finally be equal in terms of everyone playing the same amount of games. Following the meeting of Bradford City and Burton Albion at Valley Parade, we will all have four games to play and the run in will well and truly begin.

For Albion, a result of any kind would lift them above the Cobblers and morale has been restored slightly following a 2-0 home win over Cheltenham Town on Saturday. But it’s away from the Pirelli Stadium where Paul Peschisolido’s men have fallen down this season having won just twice in twenty attempts on the road, one of those being at Sixfields.

Peschisolido was charged with misconduct today after his protests over Sam Winnall’s sending off at Bury last Tuesday landed him in hot water with the FA. But there will be no appeal from the former Derby striker as he focuses on the final game of Albion’s rearranged list that stretched back to Christmas time. Victory tonight would see them go above opponents Bradford who are wobbling again after a decent start under Peter Jackson.

Victories over Rotherham and Morecambe in the early days of Jackson’s reign have long been forgotten and since then they’ve won once in six games including heavy defeats in their last two, at home to Torquay (0-3) and away at Southend last Friday (0-4).

The Bantams were missing seven players at Roots Hall but have recalled Omar Daley from his loan spell at Rotherham and the winger goes straight into the squad for tonight.

For both these sides one win could really change the outlook of the final four but defeat would keep those lingering fears in the minds as the trap door remains wide open. I’m thinking a Bradford win would be best for us and not the draw some are hoping for. I would imagine City will have enough anyway and I wouldn’t really like to picture the scene tomorrow morning of the Cobblers being just one place above the bottom two.

Lots riding on this one then...and after that it’s down to a straight race to survive!

Spireites on the brink!

League Two Round Up
15th-16th April 2011

Chesterfield were given a scare by Macclesfield but eventually edged to the brink of League One with a 2-1 win at the B2Net Stadium. Only a ridiculous swing of goal difference can stop the Spireites now and they could have wrapped up the title by the end of the Easter weekend. Lewis Chalmers gave Macc a surprise lead on the stroke of half time from the spot but Craig Davies netted one of the goals of the day to equalise before Danny Whittaker netted the all-important winner.

Bury saw off Barnet 2-0 at Gigg Lane and boosted their own promotion hopes as well as sending Barnet three points away from Burton at the bottom. Giiuliano Grazioli was in caretaker charge for the Bees but he couldn’t prevent Bury from securing a fourth straight win to keep them second.

Shrewsbury took advantage of Wycombe dropping points as they beat Stockport at the New Meadow. Tom Bradshaw and Nicky Wroe saw the Shrews to a comfortable victory but for Stockport it’s a result that all but seals relegation as they surely now can’t make up an eight point gap with four games left to play.

Meanwhile, Torquay will be happier with their goalless draw at home to Port Vale than their visitors following a tight contest at Plainmoor. United are now eight unbeaten and remain in fifth, almost winning the game when Chris Zebroski struck the post.
Stevenage were also held in their promotion bid with Aldershot who are now ten without defeat following an entertaining encounter. Alex Rodman turned the game around after Darius Charles had put Stevenage ahead but they would have to settle for a point when Luke Foster equalised with just under twenty minutes to go.

Gillingham clung on to their playoff place with a late goal providing them with a draw at home to Morecambe who looked to have won the game through a Phil Jevons penalty. But Cody McDonald was on target once more to keep his side in seventh place.
That’s because Accrington couldn’t find a way past Oxford at the Crown Ground in a goalless draw that keeps them outside the playoffs on goal difference. Stanley were looking for nine consecutive home wins but Oxford held out well in a good defensive showing.

Another 0-0 came at the Don Valley Stadium as Andy Scott’s first game in charge of the Millers didn’t end with the right result to send them back into playoff contention. With the teams above them drawing it could prove vital that they couldn’t get past Hereford who hit the post through Joe Colbeck.

Lincoln ended their losing run with a draw at Crewe. Paul Green gave them the lead but Crewe levelled things with a penalty from top scorer Clayton Donaldson late on. The Imps are now six points clear of the relegation zone and should be on their way to securing league status for another season.

On Friday night, Bradford were hammered 4-0 at Southend and now face a nervy Tuesday night meeting with Burton Albion as they try to shake off their worries. Albion will go above the Bantams on goal difference should they win at Valley Parade. Southend, on the other hand, made it seven games unbeaten at home with that convincing win.
Burton were winners today and set up that crunch game on Tuesday with a 2-0 win over ten man Cheltenham. Greg Pearson put them in front in odd fashion on the half hour mark. Pearson rode a challenge from Andy Gallinagh and scored but the referee brought the game back and sent off Gallinagh before Pearson score the penalty. The lead was doubled by Jacques Maghoma with a close range effort late on.

There will be no more games in hand following Tuesday’s game and it’ll be a straight four games to go for everyone as we come to a big close in yet another tight league. The Cobblers aren’t safe yet, but have today taken one small step for man.

Vital point earned at Adams Park

Wycombe Wanderers 2-2 Northampton Town
League Two
Saturday, April 16th 2011

A point before this game, had it been offered, would have been gratefully received by all connected with the Cobblers but having been two goals to the good against a promotion chasing Wycombe Wanderers you can’t help but be shattered by a late equaliser that turned three points into one. The efforts, however, along with the positive energy coming from the Cobblers fans en route to Adams Park means that it was a pivotal moment in the season.

Attitudes on the road from the hearty and vocal Cobblers support are always going to be right behind the team and in the current plight it’s perhaps away from the boo boys that are sometimes present at Sixfields where we’ll pick up the points needed for survival.

We’re, of course, not over the line yet and with Burton Albion picking up a big victory over Cheltenham Town today we will drop down a place should the Brewers get a result at Bradford on Tuesday night. Barnet, beaten at Bury, are now three points away and with the Cobblers boasting a better goal difference we’ll all sleep a little easier this Saturday night than last.

Steve Collis came in for this one and should be in between the sticks for most of the remaining games this season after Chris Dunn’s injury last week. Dean Beckwith returned in defence whilst Paul Rodgers came in on the right hand side of midfield. Michael Jacobs also started after recovering fully from illness.
Against a side battling to gather enough points for a swift return to League One, it was expected to be a backs to the wall experience but the Cobblers came storming out of the traps and were rewarded with a twentieth minute penalty after Rodgers was fouled. Shaun Harrad stepped up and converted for his fifth goal in Town colours and suddenly there was hope of an extraordinary result to drag us out of the mire.

Guillem Bauza was impressing alongside Harrad and after sending a header into the side netting, incredibly made it 2-0 ten minutes before half time. Josh Walker played the Spanish striker in and he fired in a sweet left footed effort that beat in form Wycombe keeper Nikki Bull. Bull pulled off a good save a few minutes later to deny Bauza again and we didn’t want the break to come when it did such was the momentum.
Harrad and Bauza are becoming the key to our survival and it was Harrad again just after half time that tested Bull with a close range effort that could have ended the game as a contest. But it was Wycombe who, crucially, scored the next goal and that would be the boost they needed to battle back from two goals down for the second week in a row.

Scott Donnelly coolly made it 2-1 on the hour to set up the most nervous of endings but for the Cobblers it just wasn’t to be and despite a gutsy effort including a couple of outstanding stops from Collis that eased Town fans’ minds about him taking Dunn’s place for the next few games we would end up taking home just one point from the game. With eight minutes to play, Leon Johnson rose highest from a corner to head home the leveller and end the hopes of a major upset.

The Cobblers could still have won it in a frantic finale when a break away ended with Abdul Osman scuffed a shot perhaps out of panic more than anything and we ended the game continuing this run of what is now sixteen games without a win.

But what came from this game could yet be the rejuvenation that the Cobblers need and we could do with a bumper crowd on Good Friday when Rotherham United are the visitors. A club that are going through changes of their own and ending the season far less impressively than they started are certainly not as big a threat as they once were and if we can create an ounce of an atmosphere with positive support at Sixfields then we have a chance of getting that illusive win that would mean so much.
If anyone doubted that the spirit and togetherness of this Cobblers squad was drained then this afternoon’s events were a very welcome surprise!

League Two Weekend Preview 15th-16th April 2011

Spotlight on...Torquay United v Port Vale

The story of the last month in the history of Torquay United and Port Vale represents a shining example of how quickly things can change in football. On 8th March, United were undone at Aldershot, becoming the first side to lose to the Shots in ten games. On the same day, Vale pulled off a fine result in a 2-2 draw at Shrewsbury that kept them well in the hunt for the top three. The league table saw the Valiants in sixth, seven points clear of Torquay with the two sides having played the same amount of games.

Fast forward just seven matches and how the tables have turned. During a 3-0 defeat at Accrington just two games later, Vale midfielder Exodus Geohaghon was involved in ugly scenes with the travelling support after receiving increading levels of abuse that culminated in the player confronting some of his detractors. Striker Marc Richards would call the comments from his own support as “not acceptable,” and “harsh”. There was more fall out from that game with manager Jim Gannon, snuck out of the Crown ground “for his own safety,” shown the door permanently in the aftermath.

Step forward Mark Grew and Geoff Horsfield to take temporary charge, Horsfield the man who had that famous bust up with Gannon just a few weeks prior to his sacking whilst on the team bus to Aldershot. The incident that saw both Gannon and Horsfield leave the bus before arriving in Hampshire is one of the more bizarre stories of the past couple of years in the Football League but the former striker stayed on and is now assisting Grew in his attempt to steer the club back towards the playoffs.

Horsfield has hinted that there may be changes to the starting line-up coming this week with Louis Dodds, Sean Rigg and Lewis Haldane all starting for the reserves in a 1-0 defeat to Bradford on Tuesday and staking their claims for a place in the first team at Plainmoor.

With four teams above Vale all three points clear of them, it’s a must win game for a club that earlier in the season had much loftier ambitions.

Their opponents on Saturday are headed in the opposite direction and having started in record breaking fashion are now finally getting back to the heights of those early days of the campaign.

Having kicked off the season passing a record breaking run of ten clean sheets over the end of the previous campaign and the start of this one, the mood at Plainmoor was jubilant and early signs of a promotion push were beginning to show. Winning their first four games saw the Gulls as the pace setters in League Two but, despite some fine individual results including wins at Oxford and Wycombe, by the start of the calendar year they were outside the playoff places following a draw at Hereford.

Indeed it had been draws that had been keeping the club at bay for the most part but after a fiery FA Cup Fourth round defeat at home to Crawley Town in a game that could have seen them get through to a best ever run in the competition United started to turn the corner.

An unbeaten four game run kicked things off but it was really the 5-0 hammering of Shrewsbury Town in March that got everyone’s attention. Jake Robinson, on loan from the Shrews, scored twice that day against his parent club and the win was a catylist for a seven game run without defeat that continued at Bradford last weekend in a mightily impressive 3-0 victory.

Top scorer Elliot Benyon moved to Swindon in January but that’s only made the likes of Billy Kee, Gavin Tomlin (on loan from Dagenham) and Chris Zebroski step up to the plate. Tomlin and Kee both netted at Valley Parade and the result keeps them in a playoff place that they’ve had to really battle to regain over the last few months.

The four point gap between themselves and Wycombe could well have been closer as well if Torquay hadn’t hit the woodwork a massive 27 times this season, more than anyone else in League Two!

For them, it’s a case of holding on to a place in the top seven immediately but still having a cheeky look up just in case something happens at Adams Park involving the Cobblers and that coveted first victory in an age! For Vale, all thoughts are on the playoffs and this could be one of their final chances to end the season with something to play for.


Elsewhere in League Two this weekend...

This week’s Friday night action sees Southend host Bradford at Roots Hall with both suides playing for pride alone. The Shrimpers have fallen away from a playoff bid and are now eleven points away from the top seven despite a decent draw at port Vale last time out. Bradford are just about safe but will be wanting to make it absolutely sure because Peter Jackson’s positive start as manager has slightly fallen by the wayside in recent weeks. A 3-0 home defeat to Torquay last weekend moved them to within six points of the bottom two but they should have enough to hold off the sides below them, especially with a game in hand.

On Saturday, Bury against Barnet is the pick of the games that affect both ends of the table. The Shakers crept past Burton on Tuesday night but will have to go without the suspended duo of Damien Mozika and Efe Sodje after both saw red against the Brewers. Barnet are now just a couple of goals away from overtaking Burton in the table but even a defeat for the Bees could see them go above Albion should they lose by a heavier margin! Bury are seven points away from Chesterfield at the top and know that they still have to play them so might yet have eyes on the title.

Chesterfield can seal promotion to League One should they see off Macclesfield and Shrewsbury don’t pick up maximum points. The Spireites were stunned at Hereford last weekend but will be desperate to clinch promotion and ease any worries of being caught by Bury in the race for the title. Macc’s point at home to Accrington last Friday night was their first in five games but that late, late equaliser was vital to steady their own fears of being brought into the relegation battle. They’ll be wanting one more win to be sure but it’ll have to be a monumental effort to see of a team on the brink of celebration.

Stockport may yet be able to stake a claim for a dramatic survival thanks to the failings of Burton to pick up points from their games in hand and following a 2-2 draw with Stevenage last weekend they face another massive test at fourth placed Shrewsbury. After a 3-0 reverse at Aldershot, it’s a massive game for the Shrews to attempt to claw back ground on the top three and they’ll see it as a must win game in terms of their automatic promotion ambitions. Craig McAllister is back in contention for them after missing over two months following a hernia operation.

Top of the League Two form table are Stevenage with five wins and a draw from their last six games and they’ll be slight favourites to continue a run that’s taken them to fifth as they host Aldershot. The Shots are now in the top half though having put together nine games without defeat including that terrific result against Shrewsbury last weekend. Something has to give here with two teams that have shot up the table in recent weeks.

Gillingham complete the playoff positions and following a 4-0 trouncing of Lincoln last weekend will be determined to win again due to the fact that they’re one of four teams all on 64 points going into the weekend. The Gills are now fifteen games unbeaten with their last defeat coming way back in January against Chesterfield. Opponents Morecambe are improving again just at the right time and are up to fifteenth in the table. Veteran striker Paul Mullin will play no further part for them though as he announced his retirement this week. The former Accrington man’s final goal came during the 3-3 draw with the Cobblers in February.

Meanwhile, Accrington will feel unfortunate to have dropped out of the top seven last weekend having succumbed to that late goal at Macclesfield and they are another side on 64 points as they prepare to welcome Oxford to the Crown Ground. United are still six points from the playoffs despite back to back wins and they will see this as a massive chance to get back into the mix.

Burton face Cheltenham at the Pirelli Stadium having blown most of their chances to escape the relegation fight. With just one goal now between themselves and Barnet they can afford no slip ups against the Robins. Town restored some pride last weekend by holding Rotherham after losing 8-1 at Crewe seven days earlier and will be aiming to top last season’s points total, something they need just one more to achieve.

Lincoln are a side in real trouble once again after five straight defeats. Steve Tilson has insisted that the streak needs to end as they travel to Crewe tomorrow. Tilson will be without leading scorer Ashley Grimes though as the Millwall loan man is suspended following his tenth booking of the season during the defeat to Gillingham last week. Crewe are looking to put defeat at Barnet behind them but it still looks a long shot for them to gatecrash the playoff party.

And former Brentford manager Andy Scott will take charge of Rotherham for the first time tomorrow after joining the Millers on a three year deal on Thursday. His first test comes at home to Hereford and with his new troops four away from the top seven Scott will need maximum points from that one. The Bulls’ win over Chesterfield was one of the shocks of the season and they’ll be full of confidence for the trip to the Don Valley.

So with ‘permutations’ the key word you’re likely to hear all weekend long, we wait to see if Chesterfield can become the first team promoted from League Two and how much the other issues are shaken up. With just four games to go after this round of fixtures, there really is no margin for error at all!

Toughest test at crucial stage as Town travel to Wycombe

Wycombe Wanderers v Northampton Town
League Two
Saturday, April 16th 2011

There aren’t a lot worse games than we could face when on a run of fifteen games without a win than Wycombe Wanderers away from home. The Chairboys are deservedly in the top three and are three points clear of fourth in their bid to return to League One at the first attempt. Gary Waddock’s rebuilding of the squad in January of last year came too late to save them from the drop but the former Aldershot man has helped Wanderers to within a few games of an instant return.

A draw at Sixfields in August was seen as a real positive in our stuttering start to the season and that shows what an uphill task we face coming up against a confident Wycombe side that came from two goals down in the M40 derby last weekend to draw 2-2 at Oxford and make it five games without defeat. The last four league meetings between Wanderers and the Cobblers have ended in draws and a fifth in that sequence would be a fine result despite this frustrating and worrying run of winless games.

If we’re to get anything then ex Posh striker Scott Rendell and veteran Gareth Ainsworth will both have to be stopped. Rendell has struck sixteen times this season, including the first at Oxford, whilst Ainsworth has been on fire since joining the club just over a year ago. The 37-year-old has shown no signs of letting up from his slick, skilful ways and has ran rings around defenders half his age this season! Ainsworth is a doubt but could well make the bench. At the other end, Wanderers have kept an impressive fifteen clean sheets this term, so the form of Shaun Harrad and Guillem Bauza is crucial to the cause.

Bauza and Byron Webster, signed new deals at the club this week and are with us now until the end of the season so both are available tomorrow. Chris Dunn needed fourteen stitches in his head after the collision early in the Bury game and will be missing for a couple of weeks at least. Michael Jacobs only played a half last weekend but is fully fit once again after recovering from illness but John Johnson and Andy Holt are still doubtful.

So with both side so desperate for the win that could save one side or lift the other, it’s a crunch game with permutations ringing out at both ends of the league no matter what the result! It would take one hell of a performance to finally end this winless streak but stranger things, most certainly, have happened!

Nine man Shakers down Cobblers rivals

Bury 1-0 Burton Albion

So all those games in hand are now down to just one for a Burton Albion side that came away from Gigg Lane with nothing but an extra suspension and increasing worries of relegation. As we head into the weekend, even Stockport County will be looking at it and thinking that they might yet escape after the promising position the Brewers let slide.

It was always going to be tough against a Bury side hoping for the win that would put them into second place and just seven points off Chesterfield but there were plenty of twists and turns on another nervy night even for the teams and fans not involved.


The fun and games started just before half time with the dismissal of Bury’s Damien Mozika for a poor challenge on Tony James and you thought the balance might shift to the visitors. But Albion were also reduced to ten in the second half when Sam Winnall took down Steven Schumacher and was given his marching orders. Tom Lees headed the home side in front as the team numbers were levelled abut the drama wasn’t over yet. Efe Sodje became the third player to see red, the second for Bury, and there was an anxious wait for the final whistle. But it did eventually come and Albion weren’t able to fight back against the nine men.

That means that Burton are separated from Barnet by a single goal going into this weekend but Bury have a real platform now to go on and reach League One. The Shakers play Barnet on Saturday so can really help us out again before taking on Lincoln, the side one place above us, in their next fixture. Burton are at home to Cheltenham next and will be praying that their form returns in a game where they will be targeting as one that they can get a result from.

As last night proved, one game can capture the attention of three or four sets of players, supporters and staff and that’s what this stage of the season is all about. Not sure if my nerves can take much more!

Brewers face tough task in latest game in hand

Preview for tonight's all important game as Bury host Burton Albion...

And so the battle for survival goes on and either way there’s going to be significant movement this evening. Burton go to the Cobblers’ weekend conquerors Bury knowing that a defeat by more than two goals would mean that they drop into the bottom two below Barnet with just one of their games in hand left to play.

Psychologically that could be the Brewer’s downfall because after going for so long using their games in hand as a back up that’s meant on paper they shouldn’t be in trouble, they would be staring relegation in the face for real for the first time.

Back on February 1st, Albion were in the same league position and had just had their excellent FA cup run ended by Championship side Burnley. After defeat to Shrewsbury, in what was a rare league game at that stage, left them on 25 points alarm bells were still far from ringing. For after a winter of sparse games in League Two, it was assumed that they would make use of six games in hand to ease themselves out of the troublesome position they found themselves in. Since then, though, the extra games along with the normal league games played yielded just sixteen points from seventeen games, all crammed into hectic Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday schedules.

The final game in hand comes next week away at Bradford and sandwiched in between is a home clash with Cheltenham so it’s a massive seven days in which the Cobblers and Barnet will only play once.

Bury’s promotion bid continues though and they can go second tonight if they pick up all three points. Even a draw would take them there but victory might yet have Chesterfield looking over their shoulders at a seven point gap rather than ten as it currently stands. The two sides also meet at the B2Net Stadium on Easter Monday.

Ryan Lowe and Nicky Ajose caused havoc at Sixfields on Saturday and we’ll be hoping for more of the same tonight (well it’s only fair!) from a strike partnership that’s produced 37 goals this season. One man who won’t be there is Chris Holroyd who was recalled from his loan spell by parent club Brighton this week.

Not that the strikers seem to need any help but Robbie Fowler has joined the club for a week to work with the prolific attack and hopefully will have a big effect as the Shakers battle the other two prime candidates sitting between the Cobblers and relegation. Richie Barker has won both games handsomely since he took caretaker charge and scored seven goal in the process so Burton could be in for a rough ride having won just twice on the road all season, one of those at Sixfields of course!

Bury are less prolific, in terms of points gained, at home but you still wouldn’t choose it as the first place to go when in desperate need of something as Burton are tonight. Cobblers fans are set to be Shakers for the night as another chapter is written in this intriguing survival battle.

Another twist in the tale as Allen takes County job!

There might yet be hope. We have to take what we can but the news coming in this lunch time is that Martin Allen has left Barnet after just three games in charge to take the reins at League One Notts County. Allen had led the Bees to within goal difference of safety but has now been appointed as County boss leaving them in limbo after only joining them on a non contract basis!

County have lost their last seven games and are in the League One relegation zone so chairman Ray Trew is obviously thinking that Allen can work his magic once more. As for Barnet, it’s back to the drawing board and we have to hope in a morbid way that this dents their chances of staying up.

Off the back of a 2-1 home win over Crewe at the weekend, they travel to Bury and Gillingham next, two promotion chasers. But they could be lifted out of the bottom two should Burton lose by two or more goals at Bury tomorrow night.

The drama of this relegation scrap goes on and on!

Bury defeat leaves Town with nightmare finish

Northampton Town 2-4 Bury
League Two
Saturday, April 9th 2011

I woke up in a cold sweat on Sunday morning. Whether or not it had anything to do with the events of Saturday and the impending end of season run that could see the Cobblers become a non-league side had anything to do with it I don’t know but going downstairs to watch a repeat of the Football League Show in the early hours brought it all back and twice flashed up a league table I’ve not seen the likes of since my first games at the old County Ground. That was 1993 and now eighteen years later we’re in a similar predicament.

The heroics that kept us up at Gay Meadow, Shrewsbury in a come from behind, off Pat Gavin’s behind, win prompted everyone involved to think “never again”. But now in 2011 we’re poised just two points above the relegation zone with five games to go thanks to a relentless Bury side who showed no signs of compassion at all for our predicament by slamming home four goals before the hour mark at Sixfields.

The Shakers tore a fragile defence apart and never was there a worse time to come up against League Two Player of The Year Ryan Lowe and strike partner Nicky Ajose. Gary Johnson had the team prepare in the East Stand dressing room in a bid to freshen up the lead up to the game but Bury were having none of it and eased into the automatic promotion places.

Lowe was the first to strike, with a neat close range finish past substitute Steve Collis. Chris Dunn had left the pitch on a stretcher early on and we’re yet to know the full damage from his brave block on the advancing Damien Mozika.

Ajose got in on the act a few minutes later, racing on to a through ball to finish well past the Cobblers second choice stopper, whose debut was not going to be a memorable one in the slightest. A deflected shot that gave Collis no chance from Mozika's shot made it three before the break and the gloom surrounded Sixfields once more.

Ajose would strike again early in the second half for 4-0 and with Barnet leading at Crewe and Hereford starting an excellent trouncing of Chesterfield it meant that we were staring down the barrel.

Shaun Harrad provided relief for the few that stayed behind after the fourth goal went in by providing a glimpse of what he’s capable of when put through on goal. First, a fine finish just seconds after the Bury killer strike and then a lovely lob over the keeper to make it 4-2. The second came in stoppage time though and was far too late to give renewed hope to a recovery of Newcastle v Arsenal proportions.

It means we’re in the mire again and the point in midweek becomes even more important. Burton’s games in hand are running out and defeat by two or more goals to this Bury side on Tuesday will see them replace Barnet in the bottom two following the Bee’s 2-1 home win over Crewe. They’re the ones on form, the team looking every bit like survivors. It could well come down to who’s more up to the fight between ourselves and Burton, both sinking to a dreadful conclusion.

Bury have a lot to say in this relegation matter because after Burton on Tuesday they meet Barnet on Saturday while the Cobblers face the most daunting of trips to Wycombe.

It’s starting to feel ominously like the last relegation, from League One at Elland Road, where no-one thought it was possible that we could go down in the position we were in. As hard as that was to take, if we are to go into the last day at Morecambe knowing we need to win to stay up, it will undoubtedly be the most nervous day I’ve ever had supporting the Cobblers. For those at Shrewsbury in ’93 who said they never wanted to see it again, it could be their worst nightmares returning. For everyone else, the unthinkable may yet provide us with a repeat of dark, dark days.

League Two Preview (8th and 9th April 2011)

Focus on...Stockport County v Stevenage...

With the Cobblers embroiled in a fight to keep away from Barnet and their “mad dog era, mark 2” it’s easy to forget that there’s a side even worse off. A proud member of the Football League as a continued member since 1905 are on the brink of losing their place and you would have to have a heart of stone to not feel for Stockport County. The story of the last few years at Edgeley Park is one of a slow descent that looks certain to culminate in the ultimate demotion.

April 2009 saw the club go into administration whilst in League One and they eventually only survived on the final day of the season. Not so lucky a year later though, County were relegated and there started a campaign to get the club back to where they came from. Gary Ablett, the man who oversaw just five wins in all of the relegation season, was sacked and in came Paul Simpson with the backing of the “2015 Group” consortium.

But just as things looked set to reignite, everything went wrong once again. Simpson was sacked in January with the club just four points clear of the relegation zone and Peter Ward didn’t fare any better with just two wins in twelve. Ray Mathias is now charged with the “worst job in football” and faces a race against time to keep the Hatters in the league. Brief hope came from a rare win a couple of weeks ago in a last gasp effort against Southend but it was back to earth last weekend in a 2-0 reverse at Wycombe and Mathias’ side are six points away from Burton who of course still have two games in hand.

At the other end of the scale and the other side of the pitch tomorrow are Stevenage, a side on opposite parallels to their opponents. Since promotion at the umpteenth attempt in 2010 they’ve spent little time in getting acclimatised to the surroundings that they were denied access to in 1996 due to insufficient facilities.

A positive first half of the season kept them in the running on the back of excellent home form but it was the combination of that with some improving away performances that have propelled the club to within a few games of a second successive promotion. Impressive wins at Crewe, Port Vale, Wycombe, Burton, Oxford and Macclesfield – six in a row on the road – have moved them up to fifth place, a position cemented by a 2-1 home win over Bradford last week and it’s not just the playoffs on the radar with just three points separating them with third place Shrewsbury, the last side to beat them on their travels.

Having taken several, agonising years to get to this stage, could it be that Stevenage are about to elevate themselves again in the quickest of fashions? Or is there a most surprising sting in the tale from a team desperate to salvage a league status that’s been theirs for 115 years?!

Elsewhere in League Two...

Accrington Stanley may be on absolute fire at home despite not being paid this month but it’s away from the Crown Ground that could end up testing them to full potential if they’re to keep their playoff place. Stanley have won just three times on the road all season and will be looking to improve that stat and move closer to the top three in Friday night’s trip to Macclesfield. The Silkmen are without a win in four at home and have collected more points away from Moss Rose this season but relegation is surely still a distant worry for Gary Simpson.

On Saturday, Hereford, fresh from their three point deduction and subsequent drop back into the dog fight, host leaders Chesterfield who are still a massive thirteen points clear of fourth place and within two wins of promotion. The Spireites could clinch promotion as early as next weekend should all results go their way and that inevitable “P” next to their name will surely be there sooner rather than later.

There’s a massive M40 derby at the Kassam Stadium as Oxford, still harbouring outside playoff dreams, face second placed Wycombe. Over 9,000 tickets have been sold for what is regarded as the biggest game of the season for U’s fans and after a goalless draw early in the season at Adams Park it promises to be another tight one tomorrow. Wanderers will be weary of Bury’s threat with their game in hand and need to keep their form up with the likes of Stevenage and Accrington closing in.

Third placed Shrewsbury travel to Aldershot with their own place in the top three under threat. But since a 5-0 defeat at Torquay a few weeks back it’s been full steam ahead for the Shrews who went on to draw with Wycombe and then win their next three games, culminating in a 4-1 demolition of Macclesfield last Saturday. No Football League side has drawn more games than Aldershot this season and they made it seventeen tied matches in their last outing against Southend.

Meanwhile, Torquay were deducted a point yesterday but still remained in the top seven and their recent run of six games without defeat is tested with a home game against a Bradford side coming off the back of a Tuesday night victory at Macclesfield. The Bantams had started to fall back down the table in the games before that but are now surely out of danger.

Gillingham were knocked out of the playoff places due to Accrington’s win in the week and having been the only side in the promotion chasers to drop points last weekend they will want to get back on track in their game at Lincoln. They’ll have to do it without Dennis Oli though as the winger has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury. The Imps are without a win in five games since Steve Tilson oversaw a victory over his former club Southend and are just above the Cobblers in the table.

Barnet are rejuvenated under Martin Allen and following a last gasp draw with Chesterfield and a hammering of Burton they’ll be full of confidence going into their home game with Crewe. The Alex hit eight in their last game against Cheltenham at Gresty Road but they’re less efficient on the road with just four wins away all season.

Burton’s draw with the Cobblers on Tuesday night wasn’t enough to take them much further away from danger and they go to Morecambe. The Brewers will be given hope from the fact that their hosts have lost their last three at home but Albion have lost three and drawn one of their four away games since winning at Sixfields.

Cheltenham look to recover from that shocker of a day when they host Rotherham at Whaddon Road. The Millers are now tenth having fallen out of the playoff places with back to back defeats. Coming up against a wounded Robins outfit won’t have been top of their list of games that they would have wanted and there could well be a backlash for them to face.

And Port Vale, overtaken by the surge of Stevenage and Accrington in the last few games, welcome Southend to Vale Park. The Shrimpers’ playoff hopes all but evaporated after defeat at Accrington on Tuesday night but they will still be looking for a strong finish. Vale will be without striker Tom Pope who returned to parent club and fellow promotion chasers Rotherham this week.

Final furlong arrives with six games to go

Northampton Town v Bury
League Two
Saturday, April 9th 2011

The final six games are upon us. If we put this in terms of Saturday's Grand National, we would be looking at the final furlong as four or five horses battle for the finish line. As it is, six games will decide the fortunes of nervy relegation threatened sides and ambitious clubs fighting for promotion. Team on both ends of the scale will be on show tomorrow afternoon as the Cobblers, five points above the drop zone, host Bury, a point away from third place and the automatic promotion places.

After Tuesday night’s massive six pointer at Burton, it’s a game that starts a three game run against sides gunning for promotion in way or another. Wycombe follow this game for the Cobblers while Rotherham visit Sixfields on Good Friday, three games that on paper we shouldn’t take a lot from but in reality that we really have to.

First up are the Shakers, manager less but no less seeking their ultimate goal of reaching League One for the first time since 2002 when they were relegated in the same season as entering administration for financial irregularities. Helping them along their way is Ryan Lowe, who netted his twenty fifth goal of the season during the 3-0 win over Oxford United last weekend.

Lowe, in total for Bury, has notched up an impressive forty two goals in seventy eight appearances for the club and was named League Two Player of The Year at the Football League awards a couple of weeks ago. Not bad for a man who arrived on a free transfer from Chester City in 2009 and his goals eclipse any of his team mates’ efforts this season. To say Lowe is the danger man tomorrow afternoon is the understatement of the season so far!

In the dugout in the absence of a full time boss is Richie Barker, the former Rotherham United striker and it was announced yesterday that Robbie Fowler will help out the management team for a week starting from next Tuesday. Barker will be hoping that his side will be able to match their last four league away games, in which Bury have kept clean sheets in all four.

The Cobblers have to end that particular stat but still have some injury concerns rolling over from Tuesday night. John Johnson is struggling with a thigh problem while Michael Jacobs is touch and go after falling ill this week.

So as those final six games commence and a run of three incredibly tough fixtures kicks off at Sixfields, there’s no room for error for two sides with very different aspirations.

Points deduction for Hereford and Torquay

The Cobblers have moved up a place in League Two after Hereford United were docked three points and fined for fielding an illegible player during their game with Torquay United on 1st February. Torquay have also been deducted one point for playing Jake Robinson during the same game in which neither player registered for in time. There was a deadline of 12pm on the day before the game and because both were registered after that time, both teams are punished leaving the top and bottom of the table looking slightly different.

In Town’s favour, it add Hereford to the relegation battle once again as they join us on 43 points, just five above the drop zone. The Bulls also face leaders Chesterfield, Rotherham and Shrewsbury in their next three games so are right back in the dog fight.

At the other end, Torquay remain in the playoffs on goal difference despite losing that point but it could still come back to haunt them come the final knockings. It leaves the Gulls five points off an automatic promotion place.

Why the points deduction is different is still unclear though Hereford are considering an appeal considering that their paperwork is said to have been received earlier than Torquay’s did for Robinson.

I don’t think we’ve heard the last of this one but the affects are instant and gives us another rival in the fight to survive.

Town draw in biggest game of season

Burton Albion 1-1 Northampton Town
League Two
Tuesday, April 5th 2011

So in the end we’re still neither here nor there. A frantic finish to the first half was the ultimate deciding factor last night as the Cobblers and Burton cancelled each other out in quick fire fashion to leave both side teetering just above the drop zone and the lurking Bees of Barnet. The point will be celebrated more by Burton thanks to their two games in hand but away games against Bury and Bradford in those two games won’t be too forgiving.

As for Town, it’s a straight race for the final six games now and with the promotion chasing Shakers to play on Saturday ourselves the nerves will not go away just yet. More injury news that forced Gary Johnson into changes last night are also set to play their part in the conclusion of this season, with John Johnson (thigh), Michael Jacobs (ill)and Michael Uwesu (hamstring) all ruled out of a game that was billed as the biggest for the club for many, many years.

Such a game felt like it should have a winner either way but after a dramatic few minutes at the end of the first half a point apiece seemed frustratingly fair. Shaun Harrad, against his old club, went close twice in the first twenty minutes but it was his strike partner that opened the scoring. Just moments after Burton’s Jimmy Phillips had been denied by Chris Dunn, Josh Walker cleverly set up Guiillem Bauza who curled the ball home for his second in Cobblers colours.

Those celebrations were soon over though as Burton levelled within minutes. A Scott Malone free kick wasn’t cleared and Aaron Webster converted from close range to undo all the hard work of the Cobblers in the early going.

So all to do again in the second half as Albion started brightly. Jacques Maghoma, a half time substitute, sent in a dangerous cross/shot that Dunn had to be alert to before John McGrath shot wide.

The nerves seemed to be kicking in as the game turned into a real cat and mouse affair, end to end without any real chances. That was until ten minutes to go when Harrad so nearly got his moment. It seemed like fate for him to score and when the former Burton man sent in a left footed effort that beat the keeper all ends up it looked like the winner until the ball agonisingly crashed off the angle of post and bar!

Burton nearly won it as well with Malone going for goal instead of setting up the better placed Webster and a free kick deep into stoppage time also threatened the already shattered nerves of everyone involved backing Town.

But a draw it was and the trap door is only slightly closed for now. The last six games are going to provide heart stopping action and I just really hope that come the Morecambe game we’re not all putting radios to ears once again in the hope of slip ups elsewhere.

With what lies beneath that trap door, we cannot afford to slow down yet.