League One Preview 2008/09...Part Five...

PETERBOROUGH UNITED

Manager: Darren Ferguson
Ground: London Road
Capacity: 15, 314

Last Season: Peterborough finished second in League Two last season, fulfilling the high ambitions of the new owners to finally progress to the next level. Aaron Maclean hit 33 goals in total last season and will be keen to prove himself in League One.

Players In: Scott Rendell (Cambridge) Undisclosed, Sergio Torres (Wycombe) £150,000

Players Out: Adam Newton (Brentford) FREE


This season: Boro’ will be looking to build on the momentum that saw them promoted last season and Darren Ferguson is slowly learning the trade. Whether they can compete in the higher reaches of League One remains to be seen but the bookies have made them fourth favourites for promotion.


Key Man: Aaron MacLean

Maclean stormed through League Two last season and his pace and power will cause problems at this level as well. There’s already been scouts from even higher leagues having a look at the striker and he’s key to any sort of Posh promotion bid this time out.



SCUNTHORPE UNITED

Manager: Nigel Adkins
Ground: Glanford Park
Capacity: 9,183

Last Season: Scunthorpe were relegated last season, finishing eight points off the pace at the end of the season. After two seasons in the Championship, United suffered and will do well to pick themselves up again after a disappointing campaign.

Players In: Kenny Milne (Falkirk) FREE, Garry Thompson (Morecambe) FREE, Gary Hooper (Southend) £175,000

Players Out: Adam Butler (Huddersfield) FREE, Jim Goodwin (Huddersfield) FREE, Daniel McBreen (York) FREE, Martin Paterson (Burnley) £1 million

This season: Scunthorpe will be looking to bounce straight back up from League One but will have their work cut out without forward Martin Paterson who joined Burnley in the summer. Nigel Adkins will have to pick his troops up from the word go if they are to be in with a chance of returning to the Championship.

Key Man: Paul Hayes

Hayes was prolific in his first few season with the Irons but joined Barnsley and scored just eleven goals in over sixty games. Hayes rejoined Scunthorpe last summer and score eight times in the Championship but may find League One defences more forgiving.



SOUTHEND UNITED

Manager: Steve Tilson
Ground: Roots Hall
Capacity: 12, 306

Last Season: After a storming end to the season, Southend made the playoffs and went into them as one of the form teams of the league. But after a goalless first leg against Doncaster were shell shocked and lost the return 5-1 at the Keepmoat Stadium.

Players In: Ian Joyce (Grays) FREE, Steve Midehall (Yeovil) FREE, Osei Sankofa (Charlton) FREE, Paul Furlong (Luton) FREE

Players Out: Steve Collis (Crewe) FREE, Darryl Flahavan (Crystal Palace) FREE, Charlie Macdonald (Brentford) Undisclosed, Gary Hooper (Scunthorpe) £175,000, Kevin Maher (Oldham) FREE, Zoltan Liptak (Ujpest Dozsa) £60,000, Mark Gower (Swansea) FREE

This season: Steve Tilson has made a lot of changes in the transfer window but still has a squad strong enough to push for another playoff campaign. The loss of goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan will be a massive disappointment though.

Key Man: Adam Barrett

Rock solid at the back and handy on set plays, Barrett is the type of defender that everyone would want in their side. Ever committed and powerful in the air, Barrett forms part of the backbone of the Southend team.



STOCKPORT COUNTY

Manager: Jim Gannon
Ground: Edgeley Park
Capacity: 11,540

Last Season: Stockport saw of plucky Rochdale in the League Two playoff final last season after finishing fourth in the league table. Liam Dickinson was the main man, scoring 21 goals but he’s now joined Derby County.

Players In: John Mullins (Mansfield) Undisclosed, Owain Fon Williams (Crewe) FREE, Peter Thomson (Linfield) £100,000, Carl Baker (Morecambe) £175,000

Players Out: Liam Dickinson (Derby) £750,000, Adam Griffin, David Poole, Adam Proudlock (All Darlington) FREE, Ashley Williams (Swansea) £400,000

This season: Selling two of their key players for big sums won’t help County’s cause and they may struggle if they can’t find a replacement for the prolific Liam Dickinson. Peter Thompson has been brought in from Linfield to try and fill Dickinson’s boots.

Key Man: Owain Fon Williams

The new signing from Crewe could be a busy man this season so he must be ready to be thrown in at the deep end.

League One Preview 2008/09...Part Four...

MILLWALL

Manager: Kenny Jackett
Ground: The New Den
Capacity: 20,146

Last Season: The Lions never recovered from a poor start to last season and manager Willie Donachie paid the price with his job in early October. Kenny Jackett steadied the ship but ‘Wall still finished in a disappointing 17th place.

Players In: Ashley Grimes (Manchester City) Undisclosed, David Forde (Cardiff) FREE, Nadim Abdou (Plymouth) FREE, Tony Craig (Crystal Palace) Undisclosed

Players Out: Gavin Grant (Wycombe) FREE, Chris Zebroski (Wycombe)£20,000, Tom Brighton (St Mirren) FREE, Bas Savage (Tranmere) FREE


This season: Twice in the last two seasons Millwall have lost their managers after poor starts to the season so Kenny Jackett must begin well. Jackett hasn’t been too involved in the transfer market though and will be relying on home form to improve on last season.

Key Man: Gary Alexander

It’s a big season for Alexander after a disappointing first season at the Den that saw him find the net just seven times in the league. His presence is still vital for the Lions though and more support from midfield could see Alexander improve his tally.



MK DONS

Manager: Roberto Di Matteo
Ground: Stadium: MK
Capacity: 22,000

Last Season: The Dons, under Paul Ince, won League Two ahead of Peterborough United on 97 points. They also saw off Grimsby Town in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final to claim a successful double.

Players In: Peter Leven (Chesterfield) FREE, Florian Sturm (FC Vaduz) FREE

Players Out: Lloyd Dyer (Leicester) FREE, Mustapha Carayol (Torquay)Undisclosed, Gareth Edds (Tranmere) FREE


This season: With Paul Ince taking up the chief job at Blackburn, Roberto Di Matteo was swiftly brought in as his replacement. Di Matteo could be seen to be a gamble having no previous experience in a top job but his name alone could be enough to bring better players to Stadium: MK. Many people’s favourites behind Leeds and Leicester for promotion.

Key Man: Keith Andrews

Andrews was the star man in Dons’ midfield last season and at the time of writing has not left the club as expected. If Di Matteo can persuade him to stay, he will be the lynchpin for any success this season once again. Elsewhere, striker Jemal Johnson has bags of pace and could do some serious damage.



NORTHAMPTON TOWN

Manager: Stuart Gray
Ground: Sixfields
Capacity: 7,500

Last Season: The Cobblers struggled early on last term but bounced back with another terrfic second half of the season. Things looked gloomly in December as we went seven games without a win but the seventh game of that sequence, a 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest began to turn things around. We flirted with the playoffs but 9th was a positive improvement on the season before.

Players In: Leon Constantine (Leeds) FREE, Luke Guttridge (Colchester) FREE, Abdul Osman (Gretna) FREE, Liam Davis (Coventry) FREE

Players Out: Joe Burnell (Oxford) FREE, Poul Hubertz (Released)


This season: Holding on to key players out of contract and resigning Adebayo Akinfenwa during the close season was a massive boost for Stuart Gray. Add to that the pacy Liam Davis, holding midfielders Luke Guttridgeand Abdul Osman and striker Leon Constantine and we have, on paper, a better squad than the one that finished last season. We’re desperate for a good start to a season this time around so we can be up there from the start. If that happens, anything is possible.

Key Man: Giles Coke

Many will argue Mark Bunn deserves this title but this could well be Coke’s season. The midfielder started to show glimpses of what he’s all about in the second half of last season and along with Osman, Gutteridge and Jackman we playes willing to hold back and let Coke off the leash. With a full pre-season behind him, we could have a hell of player on our hands.



OLDHAM ATHLETIC

Manager: John Sheridan
Ground: Boundary Park
Capacity: 13,559

Last Season: Oldham made a good late charge and nearly made it into the playoffs but finish 8th in the end, a place and a point above the Cobblers. A final day hammering of Crewe was enough to give their fans hope for this season.

Players In: Kevin Maher (Southend) FREE, Craig Fleming (Gretna) FREE, Keiron Lee (Manchester United) FREE, Chris O’Grady (Rotherham) Undisclosed, Dale Stephens (Bury) Undisclosed, Danny Whitaker (Port Vale) FREE

Players Out: Mike Pearson (Barrow) Undisclosed


This season: Oldham got most of their transfer activity cone early in the summer and signing Keiron Lee from Manchester United on a free transfer could bea good bit of business in the future. Kevin Maher will add depth to their midfield whilst the squad that finished last season will be fancying their chances as dark horses this time around.

Key Man: Danny Whitaker

The signing from Port Vale can turn games from midfield and given better team mates than he had last season at Vale Park could turn him into an even better prospect himself.

Bayo scores in unofficial friendly

Adebayo Akinfenwa scores on his return to action as the Cobblers draw 2-2 with Q.P.R. in a behind closed doors friendly game.

Bayo, who has been struggling to be fit for the new season, played 45 minutes at Rangers' training ground this afternoon and got on the scoresheet in the process. Ian Henderson scored the other goal and Town boss Stuart Gray was happy with the workout.

He said, "Bayo looked strong and got a goal. He played 45 minutes, that was always the plan, and he came through without any problems. This was a big step forward for him."

"We also topped Chris Doig up with 75 minutes and he came through fine as well. In fact, everyone came through unscathed and it was a successful exercise for us."

Guttridge completes Cobblers move

Midfielder Luke Guttridge completes his move to Sixfields following a successful trial period.
Guttridge has signed a two year deal at the club and joins on a free transfer after leaving Colchester United at the end of last season.

The midfielder began his career at Torquay United before moving on to Cambridge United where he stayed until 2005. Joining Southend United, he helped the club to the League One title in the 2005/06 season.

But Guttruidge couldn't hold down a place in the Championship and joined Leyton Orient initially on loan and then on a permanant deal until the end of the 2006/07 season. Colchester signed him that summer but Guttridge spent just one season at Layer Road before becoming a free agent once again.

He has been on trial at Sixfields for the past couple of weeks and impressed Stuart Gray enough to earn a contract.

League One Preview 2008/09...Part Three...

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN

Manager: Stan Ternant
Ground: Galpahrm Stadium
Capacity: 24,500

Last Season: Huddersfield were again below the expectant level of performance last season as their hungry fans were left dissatisfied once again with a mid-table finish. Luke Beckett hit twelve goals with veteran Andy Booth still finding the net with nine but more fire power is needed if the Terriers are to get anywhere near the playoffs.


Players In: Andy Butler (Scunthorpe) FREE, Chris Lucketti (Sheffield United) FREE, Gary Roberts (Ipswich) FREE, Keigan Parker(Blackpool) FREE, Jim Goodwin (Scunthorpe) FREE

Players Out: Frank Sinclair (Lincoln) FREE, Robert Page (Chestefield) FREE, Danny Schofield (Yeovil) FREE, Chris Brandon (Bradford) FREE


This season: Town will be hopeful that new signing Keigan Parker can fire them to the higher reaches of the table. An expectant band of fans will return to the Galpharm with ticket prices reduced in the club’s bid to bring more through the gate and they will be hoping that the ploy works as Stan Ternant looks to deliver the goods.

Key Man: Keigan Parker

The signing of Parker on a free from Blackpool could turn out to be the bargain of the summer in League One. The forward has a proven pedigree at this level and could be the difference between mid-table and the playoffs for his new side.




LEEDS UNITED

Manager: Gary McAllister
Ground: Elland Road
Capacity: 40,204

Last Season: After the fifteen point deduction at the start of last season, Leeds still overturned the odds and managed to sneak into the playoffs. Denis Wise’s departure to Newcastle made them stutter a little mid-season but Gary McAllister steadied the ship eventually and took them to the playoff final where they were beaten by Doncaster Rovers.


Players In: Alan Sheehan (Leicester) FREE, Enoch Showumni (Bristol City) FREE, Robert Snodgrass (Livingston) FREE, Luciano Becchio (Merida) FREE

Players Out: Leon Constantine (Northampton) FREE, Tomi Ameobi (Doncaster) FREE, Anthony Elding (Crewe) FREE, Curtis Weston (Gillingham) FREE, Matt Heath (Colchester) FREE


This season: There’s simply no excuses this season for Leeds- they must win promotion and anything less will be seen as a failure. Most of the squad are still together and they are red hot favourites to be a Championship side this time next season. Without a deduction this time around, Leeds will surely be title contenders.

Key Man: Jermaine Beckford

Beckford took League One by storm last season and he will once again be the focal point of Leeds’ attack. If they can hold onto him through the two transfer windows, United will be spearheaded by arguably the most dangerous striker in the league.




LEICESTER CITY

Manager: Nigel Pearson
Ground: The Walker Stadium
Capacity: 32,500

Last Season: In a desperate season last time out, Ian Holloway couldn’t keep his troops in the Championship and they were relegated on a dramatic last day of the season. With Southampton’s game against Sheffield United going this way and that, Leicester were holding onto a 0-0 draw at Stoke. But the point wasn’t enough as Southampton grabbed the win they needed to jump above the Foxes and send them down. Holloway was duely shown the door and ironically ex-Saints boss Nigel Pearson was installed as boss.


Players In: Karrea Gilbert (Arsenal) Loan, David Martin (Liverpool) Loan, Nicky Adams (Bury) FREE, Lloyd Dyer (MK Dons) FREE, Michael Morrison (Cambridge) FREE, Aleksander Tunchey (CSKA Sofia) £375,000

Players Out: Alan Sheehan (Leeds) FREE, Rab Douglas (Dundee) FREE, Louis Dodds (Port Vale) FREE, Gareth McAuley (Ipswich) FREE, Richard Stearman (Wolves) FREE, Iain Hume (Barnsley) £1.2 million


This season: Nigel Pearson managed to steer Southampton out of trouble last season and Leicester could have the man in charge they need to take them back into the Championship. The Foxes will be big favourites with Leeds to win promotion at the first attempt and they should be challenging for the top two.

Key Man: Matt Oakley

The former Southampton and Derby midfielder has bags of experience in the top two divisions and that extra bit of quality in the middle of the park could be the difference this season.




LEYTON ORIENT

Manager: Martin Ling
Ground: Brisbane Road
Capacity: 13,842

Last Season: Orient had an incredible start to the 2007/08 season with the club belittling any pre-season predictions about them by storming to top spot early on. It took until mid September for the O’s to suffer their first defeat but it was a mid-season slide that really did the damage to any promotion hopes. Orient slipped to mid-table by the end of the season, sliding away from the playoffs in the final few months.


Players In: Simon Dawkins (Spurs) Loan, Andrew Cave-Brown (Norwich) FREE, Jamie Jones (Everton) FREE, Danny Granville (Colchester) FREE, Ryan Jarvis (Norwich) FREE

Players Out: Jabo Ibehre (Walsall) FREE, Clayton Fortune (Darlington) FREE


This season: Orient once again need a good start to put pay to any lingering hangover from last season’s end of term slump. Ryan Jarvis should add real quality to the midfield while Danny Granville’s experience will be vital. The O’s have managed to keep hold of the nucleus of their squad and have added well so another good season should be ahead for Martin Ling’s side.

Key Man: Sean Thornton

The classy midfielder can turn a game on his day and is a danger from set pieces. With bags of experience and a good right foot, Thornton has the quality to really cause problems at this level.

League One Preview 2008/09...Part Two...

COLCHESTER UNITED

Manager: Geriant Williams
Ground: Weston Homes Community Stadium
Capacity: 10,000


Last Season: After shocking everyone in their first seaon in the Championship, Colchester were found out in the “difficult second season” and they didn’t have enough to stay in the league, finshing bottom of the table and a massive fifteen points from safety.

Players In: Matt Heath (Leeds) FREE, Matt Lockwood (Nottingham Forest) FREE, Paul Reid (Barnsley) FREE, David Perkins (Rochdale) FREE, Steven Gillespie (Cheltenham) £400,000

Players Out: Jamie Guy (Oxford) Loan, Kevin McLeod (Brighton) FREE, Danny Granville (Leyton Orient) FREE, Karl Duguid (Plymouth) FREE, Aiden Davison (Released), Teddy Sheringham (Released)

This Season: The U’s have a brand new stadium welcoming them back into League One but it will be tough to adjust to their new surroundings while having the pressure of bouncing back straight away to the Championship. Geriant Williams has done well in the transfer window, snapping up striker Steven Gillespie for £400,000 and he could provide much needed fire power.

Key Man: Dean Hammond

Hammond will be looking to run the midfield for Colchester following the departure of Karl Duguid and Kevin McLeod and his presence in the middle of the park could be crucial to supply the impressive looking forward line of Kevin Lisbie and Steven Gillespie with ammunition.



CREWE ALEXANDRA

Manager: Steve Holland
Ground: Grest Road
Capacity: 10,046


Last Season: Crewe survived the moving upstairs of Dario Gradi and the long term injury to striker Nicky Maynard to just avoid relegation on the final day of the season. Bournemouth’s draw with Carlisle United sent the Cherries down instead despite Crewe being beat 4-1 at home to Oldham.

Players In: Adam Legzdins (Birmingham) FREE, Joel Grant (Aldershot) £130,000, Calvin Zola (Tranmere) £200,000, Steve Collis (Southend) FREE, Anthony Elding (Leeds) Undisclosed,

Players Out: Owain Fon Williams (Stockport) FREE, Nicky Maynard (Bristol City) £2.25 million, Ben Williams (Carlisle) FREE

This Season: Losing striker Nicky Maynard for over 2 million pounds is a massive blow for The Alex. The prolific front man scored fifteen times last season despite breaking his leg on the opening day of the season. In his place, the impressive Joel Grant has signed from Aldershot and he should provide ammunition for fellow new signings Anthony Elding and Calvin Zola. It’ll still be tough for the Railwaymen but they should have enough to stay up again.

Key Man: Anthony Elding

Signed from Leeds United in the summer after not getting a look in at Elland Road. Before he joined Leeds though, he scored goals in 38 games at Stockport County so he will be looking to fill some of the void left by Maynard’s exit.




HARTLEPOOL UNITED
Manager: Danny Wilson
Ground: Victoria Park
Capacity: 7,629


Last Season: After promotion in 2007, Hartlepool, under Danny Wilson, made steady progress to achieve a mid-table finish. Richie Barker once again found the net on a regular basis, scoring sixteen times.

Players In: Ritchie Jones (Manchester United) FREE, Alan Power (Nottingham Forest)

Players Out: None

This Season: Having kept together most of their squad from last season and added the defensive nouse of Forest’s Alan Power, United should be a decent unit in League One once again. The signing of Ritchie Jones from Manchester United could prove to be a masterstroke. Wilson’s experience should put any relegation worries on the back burner.

Key Man: Richie Barker

Barker’s goals could well be the difference between a relegation battle and a shot at the top of the table for Danny Wilson’s men. Fellow striker James Brown has also been reportedly attracting the scouts from the Premier League.




HEREFORD UNITED
Manager: Graham Turner
Ground: Edgar Street
Capacity: 8,843


Last Season: Hereford were promoted in third place last season in League Two, punching well above their expected weight. Graham Turner did a magnificent job in charge at Edgar Street, a job made even more impressive by the fact that he had just fourteen professionals on the books at this stage last summer!

Players In: Toumani Diagouraga (Watford) FREE, Craig Samson (Dundee) Undisclosed, Matt Done (Wrexham) FREE

Players Out: Michael ingham (York) FREE, John McCombe (Port Vale) FREE, Wayne Brown (Bury) FREE

This Season: The season looks nothing short of a struggle for Hereford and they will have to get off to a good start if they are to stand any chance of falling behind the rest. Home form will be vital at the univiting Edgar Street, somewhere that the likes of Leeds and Leicester certainly won’t feel comfortable!

Key Man: Matty Done

The former Wrexham midfielder, 19, signed for United this season and his pace and skill could be vital for his new side. Done came through the ranks at Wrexham but turned down a new contract at the Racecourse Ground to move into League One.

League One Preview 2008/09...Part One...

BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION

Manager: Mickey Adams
Ground: Withdean Stadium
Capacity: 6,960


Last Season: Albion were on the brinks of playoff contention going into the last month of the season but they didn’t quite have enough to stage a late charge into the top six. Manager Dean Wilkins stepped down as boss at the end of last season despite a good finish in seventh but Mickey Adams has now returned to try to break into the playoffs this time.

Players In: Adam Virgo (Celtic) FREE, Dave Livermore (Hull) FREE, Colin Hawkins (Coventry) FREE, Kevin McLeod (Colchester) FREE

Players Out: None

This Season: Hopes will be high at The Withdean this season following a decent league finish last time out. Mickey Adams being back in the hot seat will fuel that expectation and their home form could be the major factor in determining how far they can go. The signing of Adam Virgo on a free transfer could be key to sturdying their defence while Kevin McLeod will bring a lot of experience to the midfield after making over thirty starts int he Championship with Colchester.

Key Man: Nicky Forster
The former Reading man hit fifteen goals last season and will once again need to hit the net to propel Albion up the table. The up and coming Dean Cox will support him from midfield and keeping these two fit will be key for the Seagulls.



BRISTOL ROVERS

Manager: Paul Trollope
Ground: The Memorial Stadium
Capacity: 11,916


Last Season: Rovers will be most remembered for their F.A. Cup run last season where they saw off Fulham and Southampton en route to the Qaurter Finals. Rovers’ league formed dipped after thei cup exploits though and they finished well down in the bottom half. Consolidation was the key last season following promotion but the Gas will be looking ti push on this time around.

Players In: Jeff Hughes (Crystal Palace) FREE, Darryl Duffy (Swansea) £100,000

Players Out: Richard Walker (Shrewsbury) Loan

This Season: Paul Trollope will be looking to improve Rovers’ league form this season as they try to turn last season’s cup form into a top half finish. They have a tough start though with Carlisle, Brighton and Leeds all to play in the first month of the season. Darryl Duffy will provide a much needed presence to the forward line and will score goals at this level.

Key Man: Rickie Lambert
Lambert is one of the best players in the bottom two leagues and on his day can turn a game. The former Rochdale midfielder has an eye for goal and was one of the key men during Rovers’ cup run last season. If they can keep him fit, Rovers have a massive player on their hands.


CARLISLE UNITED

Manager: John Ward
Ground: Brunton Park
Capacity: 16,651


Last Season: Carlisle were beaten in the playoff semi finals last season as Leeds stole through with a ninetieth minute goal to break their hearts. John Ward’s side were in the top two for much of the season but dropped into the playoffs late on before falling to Leeds. The Brunton Park fans will be hoping for more of the same this time out.

Players In: Josh Gowling (Bournemouth) FREE, Ben Williams (Crewe) FREE, Michael Bridges (Hull) Loan

Players Out: Steve Hidmarch (Shrewsbury) FREE, Paul Arnison (Bradford) FREE, Joe Garner (Nottingham Forest) £1.1 million, Keiron Westwood (Coventry) £500,000, Kevin Gall (Lincoln) Loan

This Season: Losing both goalkeeper Keiron Westwood and striker Joe Garner will be massive blows for the Cumbrians and it will be interesting to see how they cope with losing two of their biggest names as well as trying to bounce back from the playoff defeat. Michael Bridges has returned to the club on loan from Hull and John Ward will be praying that Bridges can bring his magic back to the side he won promotion with two seasons ago.

Key Man: Michael Bridges
Bridges was the star man as Carlisle won promotion from League Two in 2006 and he will be returning to Brunton Park with unfinished business to try and fill the void left by Joe Garner’s departure. Bridges spent some brief time in Australia with Sydney F.C. last season after being left out at Hull but will be wanting to reintroduce himself in style to the Carlisle fans.




CHELTENHAM TOWN
Manager: Keith Downing
Ground: Whaddon Road
Capacity: 6,550


Last Season: Cheltenham survived by the skin of their teeth to climb to safety on the final day of the season, denying Doncaster automatic promotion in the process. Keith Downing worked wonders to keep the Robins up for the second season in a row on a tight budget and will more than likely be facing a relagation fight again.

Players In: Alex Russell (Bristol City) FREE,

Players Out: Steven Gillespie (Colchester) £400,000

This Season: Steven Gillespie’s departure for League One rivals Colchester United is a massive blow for the Robins and they will do extremely well to avoid another relegation dog fight, particularly with the money bags of Peterborough and MK Dons both coming up from League Two. Damian Spencer will be looking to fill Gillespie’s boots but a new forward is surely needed if Town are to stand any chance of survival.

Key Man: Alex Russell

The former Bristol City midfielder, who spent a brief spell on loan at Sixfields last season, will bring bags of experience to the middle of the park for Cheltenham and his wise head and calming presence will be in great demand this season.

No Saints 4-2 The Eagles

On a bliseringly hot evening at Eastleigh, No Saints overcame a tougher looking Eagles side than we faced last season. With just the same six players as last week, it was tough going in the heat but Aaron and Jamie had us 2-0 up before a howler from Scott let Eagles back in before the break.

Playing into the sun, we conceded again and for the second week in a row let a 2-0 lead slip. But this time we pulled back into the game as Jamie finished well again for 3-2 before Abib finished things off. Scott hit a low ball up to him and the Senegalese superstar cheekily flicked it between his legs to make it 4-2.

The result leaves us in second place after two games but the league is tighter than ever with only The Eagles without a win so far.

Northampton Town 0-1 West Bromwich Albion

Stuart Gray started with a strong squad against the Premier League new boys but there was still no place for injured Adebayo Akinfenwa. Ryan Gilligan started in midfield with Abdul Osman and trialist Luke Guttridge. Colin Larkin partnered Leon Constantine up front.

Gilligan had the first effort on goal after fifteen minutes with a good strike from distance. The Cobblers continued to press and Mark Hughes went close with a header from a Guttridge corner just a few minutes later.

David Worrell shot over for the visitors before Leon Constantine headed wide but the Cobblers were behind ten minutes before the break. Do-heon Kim lined up a free kick and expertly finished off the inside of Mark Bunn's post from 25 yards.

It was harsh on the Cobblers and we nearly had an equaliser just before the break but Colin Larkin curled a shot just wide in the final action of the half.Colin Larkin nearly brought us level at the start of the second half as we looked for a way back into the game. Substitute Andy Holt did well on the left hand side as his deep cross was headed towards goal by Larkin but stopped on the line by substitute keeper Dean Kiely.

Leon Constantine had a shot deflected just wide before Liam Davis' corner was tipped over by Kiely as we were frustrated again in our search for that illusive goal. We ran out of steam though and it was West Brom who looked the more lively late on with Sherjil Macdonald making a good run and shot in the last real effort on goal.

So in our final friendly we were beaten but made a good account of ourselves against a Premier League outfit. The only worry will now be where the goals are coming from but we have eleven days to now prepare for Cheltenham on August 9th.

Guttridge joins on trial

MIdfielder Luke Guttridge joins the Cobblers on trial and plays in a goalless draw at Luton Town.

Guttridge, formerly of Southend United, played ninety minutes in the 0-0 draw at Kenilworth Road on Saturday and Cobblers boss Stuart Gray was happy with his contribution.
Gray said,

"I thought Luke Guttridge did very well. That is an area of the team we are looking to strengthen and his ball use and ball retention was good and we will be asking him back next week and maybe have another look at him against West Brom."

"Matthew Halliday has recently left Norwich and he has been with us training all week and we will also continue to have a look at him next week."

Luton Town 0-0 Northampton Town

The Cobblers draw their latest friendly in a goalless draw against Luton at Kenilworth Road.

The Cobblers' squad included former Southend midfield Luke Guttridge in midfield who has joined on trial. Another trialist, defender Matthew Halliday, was on the bench. Danny Jackman and Adebayo Akinfenwa missed the game through injury.

Colin Larkin had the first Cobblers effort of the game but his shot was was blocked by home keeper Dean Brill. Liam Davis also tested Brill five minutes later after Mark Bunn had denied Matthew Spring at the other end.

Former Cobbler Sam Parkin headed wide for the home side in the final major action of the first half.

Just after the break, new signing Abdul Osman forced substitute goalkeeper Kyle Clancy into a good save. From the resulting corner, Mark Hughes had a header beaten away.
Giles Coke and Liam Davis went close as the second half wore on and trialist Matthew Halliday replaced Chris Doig in defence. The last real effort of the game came from Jake Howells who lobbed over the bar.

So another goalless draw fro the Cobblers in pre-season and that means we've only found the net in one official friendly this summer. Next up are Premier League new boys West Bromwich Albion at Sixfields on Tuesday night.

Northampton Town 0-1 Q.P.R.

Q.P.R were the first visitors to Sixfields this summer as Stuart Gray named a strong side despite being without Chris Doig and Adebayo Akinfenwa through slight knocks.

Trialist Kevin Watson, formlerly of Colchester United, started in midfield while Leon Constantine started the game up front. Fellow new boys Abdul Osman and Liam Davis started on the bench.
Jason Crowe had the first effort of the game after seven minutes but his shot was blocked and the Cobblers were made to pay with Ranger's first real effort on goal finding its way into the net through Dextor Blackstock following a corner.

Danny Jackman went just wide with a right footed shot before Patrick Ageymang forced Mark Bunn into a good save.

Abdul Osman came off the bench at half time to replace Kevin Watson and Osman started a move that saw Giles Coke narrowly miss the ball with an attempted volley.

With just over ten minutes to play, Leon Constantine could have put the Cobblers level but although he managed to lob Lee Camp in the Rangers goal, the ball didn't quite dip enough.
So it was defeat in our first home friendly of this pre-season but an entertaining game nonetheless.

Stuart Gray confirmed after the game that Kevin Watson's trial period had come to an end with the club deciding against offering the midfielder a contract

No Saints 2-2 Posh

At the start of a new season, we were down to six players as we were pegged back from 2-0 up agonisingly draw.

Abib was awake because he was hungry so was on top form early on with a double strike including another of his famous Aidara flicks. 2-0 up at half time, the game was far from over and Posh got one back with five minutes to go.

After a goal mouth scramble in Posh's box, they broke away and a shot from distance crept into the corner to give Posh a draw in the final attack of the game.

Next week we take on The Eagles and hopefully our first win of the season.

No Saints 7-3 Posh

No Saints finished the season in style with a win over Posh following 5 goals in the opening few minutes shocked our opponents.

Posh struck three to give the game our usual nervous standing but late goals sealed a fine win.Third place was confirmed and we now focus on the new season which begins next week with Posh the opponents once again!

Other sides in League Three include a newluy introduced team plus relegated Real Manuel. The usual faces of Kashima Antler, Posh and The Eagles will make this a competitive league next season and hopefully we can press on!

Vihren Sandanski 0-0 Northampton Town

The Cobblers record a second successive goalless draw in pre-season as we begin the Germany training camp with a stalemate.

Vihren Sandanski were the opposition for the first test of the pre-season camp as most of the squad got a run out including Adebayo Akinfenwa and Jason Crowe, both of whom missed the draw with Brackley Town last week.

It was a strong looking starting eleven that took to the field for the Cobblers and Andy Holt, another to miss the Brackley game, had the first effort on goal with a blocked header before Ian Henderson shot wide just before the break. Holt had a goal ruled out for a foul in the last action of note of the half.

Danny Jackman cleared the ball off the goalline at the start of the second half while at the other end Leon Contastine went close but his shot was blocked before Constantine was replaced by Adebayo Akinfenwa. Akinfenwa had the last shot of the game with a late volley but the ball was stopped on the line and the game ended goalless.

Cobblers arrive in Germany

The Cobblers have arrived on their pre-season training camp in Germany where the players will play two friendlies.

Tonight see the first game of the tour take place following the arrival in Dusseldorf over the weekend. The team will face Virhen Sandanski at 6pm before playing a further friendly later on in the week.

Stuart Gray said he was looking for more progression on the tour following the goalless draw with Brackley in our opening friendly last week.

Gray, on arriving in Germany, said,

"The main objective is to peak for the Cheltenham game. In the first game of the tour we need to pass the ball and create more chances then we did against Brackley. I want to get some confidence from this trip, score some goals and get through without any injuries."

"There is no point peaking now but playing games still beats training. Playing gives you a sharpness that training can't and that is why pre-season games are so important."

No Saints 2-6 Saints and Sinners

Despite a very good effort last night, we succombed to a classy Saints and Sinners outfit and must now get a point in our final game to clinch third place.

After Saints and Sinners took an early lead, Will scored to level the game for a while. But the league leaders hit back to lead 2-1 at the break and extended the lead to 6-1 with goals in quick succession. Aaron grabbed a late consolation but we couldn't get a way back into things.

Next week we take on Posh, with third place in League Two up for grabs!

No Saints vs Saints and Sinners Preview...

No Saints face a tough test tonight as we look to bounce back from last weeks' 6-2 defeat to The Unwelcome Inn.

We take on top club Saints and Sinners who are tied on points with Unwelcome Inn with two games to go. No Saints need one win from the final two games to finish third in the table but come up against nearest rivals Posh in next weeks' final game of the season.

We are without the mecurial talents of Abib and Phil while Dave remains out long term. So we're down to five or six this evening as we look to cause a massive upset in the rain.

The Midweek Review...09/07/08...

With another new signing on board and the first friendly due to take place tomorrow evening, we're getting ready for the tour to Germany as the season is now just a month away!

Last week's signing of Leon Constantine was a bit of a surprise and the fact that we got him on a free transfer was a bonus. A couple of years ago he was scoring goals for fun in an average Port Vale side so with the right sort of service he could well be a top signing.

Constantine's friendhip with Adebayo Akinfenwa should work wonders and you can see them as the first choice strike pairing.

Last season we started against Swindon on the opening day with this side:

Bunn, Crowe, Hughes, Doig, Jackman, Henderson, Brad Johnson, Gilligan, Holt, Larkin, Kirk

This season's first fixture could see something like this for the starting eleven:

Bunn, Crowe, Hughes, Gyepes, Doig, Davis, Osman, Jackman, Coke, Akinfenwa, Constantine

The latter is a much improved side on paper and I for one can't wait for the big kick off against Cheltenham Town in just a few weeks time.

Tomorrow will see our first friendly take place at Brackley Town. These early pre-season games are never great on the eye but it will be a good run out for most of the squad. The first few games are all about fitness and nothing should be taken from the result. Unless we win 10-0.

It's the time of year where nothing is going on football wise and the agony of the four week wait begins. Euro 2008 did a lot to keep us in the mood but now is the time for people to start making predictions, buying the new kits and preparing their away day weekends.

The count down is well and trul under way!

Up The Cobblers!

Danny

Football League Update...08/07/08...

The first of a series of blogs looking at the goings on in the Coca Cola leagues...if you're not into that sort of thing, do join us anyway...it's a magical land of goalmouth scrambles and ageing old footballers looking for a last pay packet. I'll buy you a Toffee Crisp if you come along for the ride...good, thanks for joining me. You look very nice today.

It's all going on in the Championship as Colin "Tinkerman" Calderwood plays a genius master stroke. Gone from The City Ground are the likes of the pacy Junior Agogo along with bullish front man Grant Holt. Rob Earnshaw could provide a few goals but Cole's signing stinks of a desperation move. He could prove me wrong but with the influential Kris Commons gone from the squad we could learn a lot about Calderwood as a manager this season as he takes charge of a side that isn't going to walk a league that easily.

Down south, Southampton are set to get a big windfall from any possible sale of Peter Crouch from Liverpool to rivals Portsmouth. They could get a figure as high as £500,000 to make Crouch's move more bearable for Saints fans. In a time of rebuilding under new boss Jan Poortvliet it's all change. Letting go of Inigo Idiakez will alert several Championship sides.

Crystal Palace have netted what could be one of the free transfers of the summer in signing Daryl Flahavan from Southend. The goalkeepers helped the Shrimpers into the playoffs and is a rock solid stopper with a good few years in him yet at the age of 29.

Everyone likes the return of an old head to start their weeks with and Ipswich have added the legend of Panini sticker albums Chris Kiwomya to their backroom staff as a reserve team development coach. It's good to see old boys returning to their roots and at least Kiwomya doesn't want to play again. Yet.

QPR are fast becoming this season's Manchester City as they sign unknowns from around the globe for their new revolution. Argentines and Italians have arrived already with more expected. The influx of new faces worked for Sven last season right away but there will be quesiton marks from R's fans as to whether it's going to work for them.

Wolves have been in the news (well the bbc website news anyway, if you look close enough) as they've dropped their reserve team for next season. It seems a bit of a silly move to deny a lot of players the chance to play football but it could well open the floodgates in loan requests for their talented reserves. Daniel Jones and Mark Little were on loan with Northampton last season and they did enough to prove to us at least that they can be lethal weapons at League One level.

The new boys in the Championship are trying to mould their sides to be able to compete next term. Doncaster are most people's tips for relegation straight back down with Forest and League One champions Swansea City likely to try and "do a Bristol City" and compete in the top six. There's plenty of good quality coming down from the top flight this time around though and the usual suspects should be about to show the new sides what the Championship is all about.

In League One, all the talk is about the arrival of Roberto Di Matteo to the MK Dons. Di Matteo must have thought he was going somewhere vibrant when he talked about the move. You can imagine "Stadium:MK" to sound appealing and he must have got a hell of a shock when he turned up to simply find an Ikea and a shopping centre as all Milton Keynes has to offer.

Colchester have smashed their transfer record to bring in talented Cheltenham Town striker Steven Gillespie for £400,000. Gillespie was a bit hit at Whaddon Road and it's understandable for him to depart for the challenge at Colchester, one of my tips for promotion. The money will help Cheltenham sign two or three players though and we'll see what they do with that.

Here at Northampton, things are going swimmingly with the signing of Leon Constantine on a free transfer. Constantine should compliment big Adebayo Akinfenwa in our attack and we're not just a few players short of being a dark horse. Whisper that quietly though...any signs of optimism at Sixfields is a bad sign!

One of the hot targets for League One sides is Wolves defender Charlie Mulgrew. The left sided player turned down a move to Swindon this week so this could open the door for Southend to move in. Mulgrew was on loan at Roots Hall last season and may now fancy a return, particularly with Wolves' reserve now non existant.

Not a lot going on with the whiners at Leeds. They're fifteen point deduction not being in place this season will have them down as odds on favourites for the title this time round but their latest signing of Enoch Showumni, a free from Bristol City may show more signs of where they are and what type of player they need for League One.

The left sided problem has returned to London but it's not England this time. Leyton Orient are madly hunting for a replacement for Wayne Cordon who left a couple of months ago. I hear Stuart Downing's your man for these types of problems.

Fans of Leicester will have had a shock this week as it was announced that Shakespeare was joining the club! Unfortunately it's not everyone's favourite playwright but Craig Shakespeare who left his post at West Brom to hold talks with The Foxes. Meanwhile new boss Nigel Pearson says he wants to play "winning football" at Leicester...maybe that was why Southampton only just avoided the drop last season if he wasn't trying that tactic!

Finally, down in League Two and Bury's new signing Efe Sodje reckons his new side can make the playoffs this season. He wins this week's "Kiss of Death of the week" award. You just watch them struggle now.

One of the new hits of league football could come from Rochdale's new striker Jon Shaw. Shaw scored twenty goals in thirty eight starts last season for Halifax and with the gap between Conference and League Two football closer than ever he shouldn't take too long to adjust. Dale just missed out on their first promotion since the war times last season and coul make it next time around with a proven goalscorer.

Another side that missed out on promotion was Darlington and their shrewd move for Stockport's Adam Proudlock could help their attempts to break into League One this time around.

Two parties are battling to invest in Chesterfield...a game of pass the parcel is due to take place at Saltergate this week to decide which party is better. The musical chairs challenge ruled out the Monster Raving Loony Party in the preliminary round.

Bournemouth are thankfully moving out of administration and it's good to see. If their ten point deduction didn't come into play last season they would have been well safe and it was a shame to see them go into the basement league again. Bourmeouth is a favourite away day of mine and hopefully we'll be returning very soon.

Brentford have moved to sign Marvin Williams from Yeovil in one of the best moves of League Two's tranfer window so far. Williams has a good talent to get behind defences and will score a lot of goals in that league. Expect the Bees to be challenging for promotion this time around with Adam Newton another handy capture from Peterborough.

Bradford are another side set for big things in League Two this season and the signing of Paul McLaren from Tranmere will be very useful, McLaren was Tranmere's player of the year last term and turned down a new deal at Prenton Park to drop down a division.

Meanwhile, The Chuckle Brothers will be trembling in their boots as their beloved Rotherham United must wait another two weeks to see if they are to start next season with a points deduction. The Millers are in trouble again and could face a similar minus points start to that of a couple of seasons ago when they were relegated from League One after starting on minus 10.

Finally, my dark horse tip for next season in League Two are Shrewsbury Town...the double signing of Grant Holt and Richard Walker from Nottingham Forest and Bristol Rovers respectively will stand them in very good stead.


More from the land of the Football League next week!

No Saints 2-6 The Unwelcome Inn

An aggressive opponent and a fightback prevented us from recording four straight wins for the first time in our history as The Unwelcome Inn put pay to any plans of us finishing in the top two this season.

No Saints went 2-0 up through a free kick from Aaron and a volley from Nathan, a shot he claims occured after he "tripped"! But we couldn't keep the pressure on and The Unwelcome Inn hit back to lead at the break. Further second half goals ended any hope as we tired and the game was marred by a throat grab by one of their players, causing havoc on the outside of the pitch.

No action was taken for the foul on Phil despite Lee being blue carded for much less a few weeks ago and we were well beaten. We must now try to hang on to third place and it looks like the game against Posh on the final day of the season will decide that position.

Cobblers capture front man Constantine

Stuart Gray has made his third summer signing by snapping up Leeds striker Leon Constantine on a free transfer.

Constantine played with new team mate Adebayo Akinfenwa during a stint at Torquay United in 2004 following previous spells with Southend United and Peterborough United.

The front man moved to Port Vale in November 2005 and went on to score over thirty goals for the club. Leeds snapped him up on a free contract following his time at Vale Park but a broken arm limited his appearances in his first season. A loan spell with Oldham last season saw Constantine score twice in seven games and he joins the Cobblers despite a lot of interest from other clubs.

Constantine has been handed the number eight shirt at Sixfields.

No Saints vs The Unwelcome Inn Preview...

All hands to the pump tonight as we take on second placed Unwelcome Inn. We're six points behind them in third and face a tough task if we're to break into the top two with just three games to go.

But the spirit is back and we'll fight to the death as we look for a fourth straight win. Jamie is out while Dave is still a long term injury but other than that we have a healthy squad raring to go! Lee will join us as Jamie's stand in and will be hoping to stay on the pitch this time following a blue card last time out!

The Midweek Review...02/07/08...

So the players are back in training, the European Championships are over and our first friendly is just over a week away...the countdown is well and truly on for season 2008/09...

Stuart Gray and his troops returned to Sixfields on Monday as we prepare ourselves for the start of the pre-season fixture list. Every player has gone through an intense few weeks of fitness and dieting and will all be assessed on their return.

Adebayo Akinfenwa has had his steel rod removed from his leg and it will be very interesting to see how he’s progressing. We only had a reportedly 80% fit Bayo at the end of last season and he scored seven times in fifteen games so who knows what he can bring to the table with 100% fitness!

Liam Davis and Abdul Osman joined their new colleagues for pre-season training and will hopefully fit in well to their new team. The squad is pretty much the same as it was when the season ended and this should mean that the team spirit can get going right away. Stuart Gray has done a shrewd job in getting players out of contract to sign up early and hopefully the lack of a massive change in ranks will work in our favour.

Further signings are still to be revealed but July will be the time that managers and players return from holidays and we should see more activity than in the last few weeks. A striker to accompany Bayo will still be the main target but loan signings may well be used again as well.
One loan signing could be Mark Little. Wolves have scrapped their reserve side this season and this will see a massive dip in first team football chances for the younger and fringe players in Mick McCarthy’s squad. Little is down the pecking order at Wolves and talk is of an offer being made to the defender to bring him back here for a season long loan spell. It would certainly build up competition at the back with the likes of Chris Doig, Mark Hughes and Gabor Gyepes already in place and Liam Dolman still waiting in the wings.

Still no word on any outgoings and Mark Bunn remains at Sixfields for the start of pre-season, something that is more baffling than anything. Whether we’re asking for a price that’s out of range for any possible suitors I don’t know but it’s still incredible that no more firm offers have been put on the table.

With the first game of pre-season on July 10th at Brackley, we await with high anticipation the first glimpses of the new faces and the fitness of the returnees!
Up The Cobblers!
Danny

No Saints 5-2 The Eagles

Revenge was gained last night as No Saints eased past The Eagles to make a mockery of the score line last time out.

Abib and Will were working well in tandem early on and our first three efforts on goal produced goals for them both. A barren spell of missed chances followed with the score kept down because of near misses and shoddy finishing. Phil got a fourth after The Eagles has hit back and Will grabbed the fifth and final of our goals, toasting Scott’s new born baby with the “baby cradle” celebration.

A late goal from The Eagles gave them some pride and kept our goal difference down but all in all it was a positive third win in a row and job done before next weeks’ showdown with second placed Unwelcome Inn. We currently sit in third place but still six points behind the top two with three games to go.

The Midweek Review...25/06/08...

As games are switched, transfers are talked of and players return to training, there’s a lot to ponder this week as we move to within six weeks of the new season.

The changing of games from a Saturday to a Friday night is an inevitable feature of the early fixture changes and one that seems unavoidable. We’re more than likely to get more switches once the Saints have their way but for now it’s just the three changes to the schedule.

Most annoying reason for change was the problem that England play on a Saturday at the same time as we were due to kick off against Hartlepool United at Sixfields. Fair enough in a circumstance where something lies on the England game but when it’s a home game against Borat’s countrymen Kazakhstan you start to wonder what the big deal is.

Yes, a lot of Cobblers fans are big followers of England but I fail to see that they would prefer to watch England steamroller the minnows of Kazakhstan on a Saturday afternoon then see Town play a home game. Personally, I certainly wouldn’t have minded missing this international game if our game stayed put, particularly now I will more than likely miss the Cobblers game because it’s on a Friday night and I know there’s plenty that would feel the same that come from a distance to home games.

The Hartlepool away game, along with Bristol Rovers away have also been changed to Fridays, though the trip to Bristol is now on Good Friday at 3pm.

As transfer talk hots up we look to be biding our time in the transfer window and not trying to rush things. Managers and players getting back holiday in the next week or so should see an increase in activity as we continue the search for someone to work up top with Bayo.

One player who could make a surprise return to Sixfields is Mark Little after Wolves announced that they would not be having a reserve team next season. Little was outstanding at the end of last season and seemed to be happy enough at the club so Stuart Gray may take loan action again with the new set up at Molineux. You wouldn’t want to call the race for starting places in central defence though if that came off with Little, Chris Doig, Mark Hughes and Gabor Gyepes vying for three spots.

Stuart Gray has hinted that the loan market is something he may well use again later on in pre-season and he’s right to wait for that with managers still undecided on their first team squads.

The players return to training this week and begin the intensive six week period before the season begins. Adebayo Akinfenwa, Gabor Gyepes and Giles Coke will all benefit from the pre-season programme and hopefully come August 9th we will have a squad that is ready to go and hungry for success.

Up The Cobblers!

Danny

NO SAINTS 3-1 KASHIMA ANTLERS

Two goals from Will and one from Abib saw off a plucky Antlers side in a closely fought contest as we made it two wins in a row for the first time in a very long time!

Kashima began the game with just four men and No Saints took advantage with Will scoring the opener early on.

Antlers went up to five men plus a sub as two latecomers joined the fray but Abib made it 2-0 before half-time.

Antlers hit back to halve the deficit but Will’s second of the night made it 3-1 and we held on for another good win.

The Midweek Review...18/06/08...

So the fixtures have been announced, the cup draw has been made and the new kit is revealed to contain a strip of gold down both sides. It’s all go at Sixfields and the excitement is building already.

The Carling Cup draw paired us with Millwall once again, only this time we will travel to the New Den. Last seasons’ Sixfields win over The Lions in the first round was followed by a dismal league outing in London and few will fancy the trip after last season’s late coach, early injuries and an awful performance in a 2-0 defeat.

But the game again gives us the chance to join some bigger clubs in Round Two and the efforts of the likes of Cardiff and Barnsley in cup competitions last season gives hope to anyone who fancies a shot at Premier League opposition. No-one will be happy with the draw but we have to get on with it and see what we can do.

Monday was a bigger day as the league fixtures were announced. I remember school days when we got access to PC’s in some classes and hoping that the I.T. lesson would fall at 10am on fixtures day so we could be among the first to know who we would be playing. The, the two or three Cobblers fans in the school would gather at lunch time to discuss how we could possibly go to Hull and Lincoln in one Easter weekend or overcome Macclesfield Town away on the opening day!

Those days are long gone though and the likes of Leeds United and Leicester City fill up our League One list, most intriguingly the trip to Elland Road falling on the final day of the season. If there’s anything at all riding on it there will be a manic rush for tickets and we would surely ask for more than last season’s allocation.

On top of that there’s the derbies and the return of Peterborough to the same division gives us something to really look forward to. It seems an age since Scotty’s single goal at London Road sent 3,500 terraced Cobblers into delirium en route to promotion from League Two in 2006 and we again visit them late in the season.

The first away game gives us another derby, and a new one at that, as we make the short trip to Milton Keynes. There will be fans that refuse to go on principle of giving money to the franchise but it will still be some atmosphere of over 3,000 away fans in the new Stadium: MK.

Throw in a double header against Leicester, a trip to Colchester without the shoddiness of Layer Road and the old friends of Hereford and Scunny into the mix and it should be a memorable season.

As for new blood, Abdul Osman looks like brining some more energy to a midfield that is already looking dangerous and we’re now just a couple of forwards and maybe a back up midfielder and defender away from being complete for 2008/09.

Jamie Ward is still being looked at and if Gray can capture the much sought after forward it will again show great intentions.

All eyes on the start of the season now though and once June is through and that Euro 2008 thing is over we can start to count down the days until Cheltenham at home. It’s a winnable first game but they will probably be thinking the same so there’ll be no room for complacency.

August 9th will come around soon enough and by then we will be hungry for football again, enough to make the Dons sit up and take notice of who the premier team in Northants still is.

Up The Cobblers!

Danny

Cobblers face final day trip to Leeds but start at Sixfields!

The Cobblers will open their 2008/09 season with a home game against Cheltenham Town as we begin the season at Sixfields once again while the first away game takes us to the MK Dons!

The Robins escaped relegation with a good end to the season and will be looking to pick up where they left off as the 2008/09 season gets under way. The first away game sees us take on MK Dons for the first time in history in what should be a packed out Stadium MK.

The games against Peterborough United take place on September 13th (home) and March 14th while we go to Southend United on Boxing Day. The first game of 2009 takes us to Brighton and the season will come to an end on May 2nd with a trip to Leeds United at Elland Road!

The full fixture list for 2008/09 can now be found on www.ntfc.co.uk

Fixtures set for release...

Every football league and Premier League fan will be on the edge of their seats in half an hour as the fixtures are released for the 2008/09 season…

The Cobblers will be looking to improve on a very good ninth place finish last time out and the further excitement comes in the form of local derbies against Leicester City, Peterborough United and MK Dons. We haven’t met The Posh since Scott McGleish’s single goal gave us a 1-0 win en route to promotion from League Two in 2006 while we will play against Milton Keynes for the first time.

Leicester were relegated from The Championship on the final day of the season and will be looking to bounce straight back up while Leeds United will start on zero points this time out and will be odds on favourites for the league title.

Fixtures are released at 10am BST this morning.

Millwall again!

The Cobblers will face Millwall once again in the First Round of the Carling Cup after the draw was made this morning.

Stuart Gray’s side beat the Londoners 2-0 in the opening round of last season’s competition and will come up against them once more this time around. But home advantage will be with Millwall this time around as the game takes place at the New Den, where the Cobblers were beaten 2-0 last season in the league.

Championship sides were included in the draw and relegated Derby County face League Two side Lincoln City. Meanwhile, league new boys Exeter City will face a home game with Southampton and Hereford United go to Crystal Palace.

Ties will be played week commencing August 11th.

Cobblers’ fans will find out who will be our Carling Cup First Round opponents when the draw is made this morning.

The draw will take place at 10am this morning and you can hear the full details here when the news is broken. We will once again see the draw split into Northern and Southern sections whilst we may also be handed the title as one of the seeds following a good league finish last season.

Stuart Gray will be hoping for a good tie with the Premier League sides that are not involved in European competition will join in Round Two along with all the Championship teams.

Gray seals Osman signing

Stuart Gray has snapped up former Gretna midfielder Abdul Osman on a free transfer after the players’ proposed move to Kilmarnock fell through.

The likes of Ipswich Town and Leeds United have been reported to be interested in Osman but Gray acted quickly after Kilmarnock failed to capture the signature of the London born midfielder.

The 21-Year-Old began his career at Maidenhead United before moving north to Gretna at the start of their first ever SPL season last summer. He made sixteen appearances in Scotland’s top division, scoring one goal and looks like another in Gray’s mould of signing young, hungry players.

Osman signed on a two year deal with The Cobblers following a brief spell on trial at the end of last season.

No Saints 4-3 Posh

No Saints got revenge on Posh last night in an epic performance that saw a fight to death result in a 4-3 success.

Posh were the ones who cost us the League Two championship a few seasons ago but in our first meeting since then we edged them out in a typically close manner. New boy Lee joined the squad following Dave’s injury at the weekend as he broke his wrist in a tournament but Abib and Jamie were missing.

No Saints got off to a flyer with a fine goal from Phil before the game went back and fourth for us to lead 2-1 and 3-2. A seventh of the season for Will helped us to a 4-2 lead but then Lee was handed a blue card, meaning that he had to sit out in the sin bin for five minutes. Five long, long minutes later and the four men had conceded a goal as Posh took advantage to make it 4-3.

But a gutsy last five minutes from No Saints gave us only our second win of the season and lifts us closer to Posh who are in third place. Next up is Kashima Antlers who got their first win of the season last night as we look to push on even further.

The Midweek Review...11/06/08...

As we await a big week, the shape of next season is set to be revealed. Friday sees the draw for the first round of the Carling Cup while Monday is the big day as the fixtures are announced…

Liam Davis signed on a free transfer this week after being released by Coventry City. In the same mould as Daniel Jones, Davis is said to have good potential and working with Gray can only make him stronger. We’ve seen the likes of Jones, Bradley Johnson, Ryan Gilligan and the recently released Brett Johnson all grow under Gray’s stewardship and Davis has a real chance.

On the flip side of that move inwards, there’s still been no more moves for our big players as the likes of Mark Bunn and Jason Crowe again get involved in all the transfer window rumours.

Jamie Ward is a target for Gray to bring in but this business all seems a bit of a saga at the moment with agents and managers going to war. We also must compete with the money bags Dons and recently promoted Swansea City to capture the front man and he could end up a little too far out of reach.

We’re reportedly looking at bringing in another four or five players before the big kick off on August 9th with the next signing likely to be an experienced midfielder. Alex Russell, who spent time with us on loan last season, could be one to go for following his release by Bristol City.

The Carling Cup draw takes place this Friday morning (10am) and will surely favour us with a place as one of the “seeds.” Last season we just missed out on the seedings but the ninth place finish should work in our favour this time around, meaning that we are drawn against a “lower” League One side or a League Two outfit.

Monday is the day when trips are planned, diaries are filled up and excitement builds as the Football League fixtures are released (10am). With local derbies against Boro, Dons and Leicester to come next season we can begin to plan what should be a memorable calendar. Of course, there’s also the trip to Leeds to look forward to again along with the visit to Colchester United’s new stadium so a lot to look forward to once the fixtures are released.

Hope everyone is enjoying Euro 2008 but on Monday we can all start to plan for the return of real football!

Up The Cobblers!

Danny

Gray targets Spireies' Ward

The Cobblers have targeted promising Chesterfield striker Jamie Ward as a potential summer signing but the 22-year-old is being targeted by more of Town’s League One rivals.

Ward hit twelve goals for The Spireites last season as they finished in ninth place in League Two and has attracted the attention of Stuart Gray as he looks for players that can work in a number of positions. Ward can play up front or wide on the right hand side and is known as a player that likes to get in behind defences and could be a perfect foil for Adebayo Akinfenwa who signed a new deal with the Cobblers last week.

But Gray will be in competition with some of his League One rivals for next season as MK Dons, Scunthorpe United and Colchester United are all reported to be interested in Ward.

Ward’s current manager Lee Richardson has hit out at his agent, Gino Culbertson, for trying to make stories up to leak to the media but Culbertson has hit back at those claims. He said,

“Jamie has made no secret that he wants to play at the highest level. Lee Richardson should know better than to make the comments he did because we’ve never been anything other than professional.”

“I’m furious he’s come out with this stuff. The manager himself has told the player about clubs being interested in him. If I was to make up stories about clubs being after Jamie I would have said Manchester United or Chelsea were after him. Any leaks have come from the club, not from us.”

Swansea City and Stockport County are also believed to be interested in signing Ward.

Season In Review 2008/09...May...

The Cobblers rounded off a successful campaign with one final home game as Tranmere came to Town.

We knew that a win would take us into the top ten in the final league standings as Tranmere were placed in ninth going into the game with Stuart Gray’s men down in eleventh.

The game got off to a flying start as Adebayo Akinfenwa fired us in front within just three minutes. Chris Greenacre squared things up just before the break to send the sides in level. But Poul Hubertz, in his final Cobblers appearance, came off the bench for a fairytale ending to his brief career in a claret shirt with the winning goal mid way through the second half.

And so the season was over and our final position of ninth would have been grabbed at with both hands by any Cobblers fan at the start of the season. To be in with a shout of the playoffs right up until late in the season shows what a great job Stuart Gray has done in his first full season as manager.

The record of Played 46, Won 17, Drew 15 and Lost 14 shows a big improvement on last seasons’ fourteenth place finish. Danny Jackman claimed a deserved Player Of The Season award whilst Mark Bunn and Jason Crowe were also as consistent as ever and will surely bring back the bidders during the summer.

A bright summer ahead then as Stuart Gray begins to shape his squad for 2008/09 and if the right players are brought in to supplement what is already a powerful squad we could be looking at sneaking up even higher come this time next year. Local derbies with Peterborough, Leicester and MK Dons also loom large and next week’s fixture announcement can’t come soon enough!

No Saints 1-5 Saints and Sinners

No Saints were beaten for the third game in a row last night but the new tactics are beginning to show an improvement. After a dismal show in an 8-3 defeat to The Eagles, we narrowly missed out last week by the odd goal in seven with a 4-3 defeat to league leaders The Unwelcome Inn.

Saints and Sinners went into last night off the back of a 21-1 win over The Eagles last week but we kept them down to two goals by the break. We couldn’t get much going at the other end though and despite some heroics from new keeper Scott and Phil’s solitary goal, we went down 5-1.

This Sunday sees No Saints enter a tournament for the first time so it will be good for fitness and for the team spirit if anything. We will play three group games and move on in the competition if we finish in the top two places.

Euro 2008 Sweepstakes...

As Euro 2008 begins on Saturday offices around the country have began their sweepstake competitions to make it more interesting with England not involved. Having just picked my team, I am not too optimistic. I will be rooting for Turkey after drawing them at random today.

I hold no hopes out that my £2 stake will return the desired £30 winnings but you never know…no-one expected Greece to take home the glory last time!

Come on you Turks!

We'll be doing our own sweepstake, hosted by Jamie later on this week so hopefully I will get a better deal in that!

The Midweek Review...04/06/08...

I was away on holiday last week so the Midweek Review was missing but it returns this week as optimism at Sixfields continues to grow and grow. Is it wrong how it feels like something has to go wrong sometime soon…?

Bayo signs!

The signing of Adebayo Akinfenwa is yet another step on the ever continuing ladder of good news coming from Sixfields in the past few weeks. Bayo had hinted that he may return to London to join a confident Martin Ling but Stuart Gray got his man in the end. Loyalty was surely high on the list of reasons for Bayo to stay after Gray plucked him out of the wilderness in January.

A fully fit Bayo will go a long way to making sure we fire on all cylinders from the word go in August. Seven goals in fifteen for a less than 100% striker is impressive and if he can gain fitness by the start of the campaign we could be looking at a very good investment, especially with it being a free transfer.

A new front man is expected to check in some time before the end of the week as Gray returns from his holidays and the thoughts are that it will be a pacy striker that can play off Akinfenwa. Luke Rodgers was talked about but his upcoming hernia operation could put Gray off, particularly with Bayo himself having to have work done in the summer.

The Contenders

Colin Larkin threw his hat into the ring last week after spending most of last season on the sub’s bench or on the wing. His preferred role as a striker means he is an option but we could do with at least a couple more out and out forwards to keep others on their toes. Ian Henderson had a stop-start season of scoring plenty in the reserves but never showing that touch in the first team but he could also stake a claim.

Money, Money, Money

In other news, the financial situation looks a lot better after David Cardoza revealed that we had reduced the debts by £500,000. The council seem a lot more willing to talk these days and with a football club that is improving all the time we must be sending all the right messages for that stadium expansion.

Against The Odds

So everything is still going very well indeed and no Cobblers fan can wait until August 9th when it all kicks off again. We will find out on Monday week who we will play first and the fixture list will certainly be a lot more exciting this time around when it appears on ntfc.co.uk on the 16th of this month.

The League One odds put both Peterborough and MK Dons ahead of us in the market to win the league outright next season. Spending power could prove to be a massive help to both of them but we’re more then happy to not make as much noise nationally and just get the job done. How enticing could a double header against The Posh be in the playoffs?!

Our odds stand at 25/1, even as far back as 33/1 with some bookies so we may well surprise a few people when we report back in August. And maybe even by this time next week Bayo will have a new striking partner in place!

Up The Cobblers!

Danny

Season In Review 2007/08...April...

April saw The Cobblers begin an unbeaten run that would last until the end of the season but two wins and two draws were not good enough to climb into the playoff places.

April kicked off with a local derby against Luton Town and The Cobblers put another nail in The Hatters' relegation coffin with a 2-1 victory. Poul Hubertz opened the scoring with a penalty before youngster Alex Dyer hit a second just before half time. Luton got a late consolation through former Cobblers forward Sam Parkin but it was too late to salvage anything.

Before the game at Southend we learned that Leeds had picked up a victory at Carlisle that all but ended any realistic hopes we had of reaching the top six but a creditable point at Roots Hall followed. Colin Larkin headed home from a corner to give us a half time lead but Southend hit back in the second half through Lee Barnard.

As we looked to cement a place in the top ten, Oldham came to town and fell to a 2-0 defeat thanks to a second half double from Giles Coke and Ryan Gilligan.

The final game of the month saw us visit already relegated Port Vale. After taking a 2-0 lead through Gilligan and Andy Holt, Vale hit back. First, Marc Richards slammed home to make it 2-1 and then Danny Glover rescued a point as Vale ended their home campiagn with something to cheer.

Bayo signs new Cobblers deal

Adebayo Akinfenwa has handed Stuart Gray a major boost by signing a new one year deal with the club.

Akinfenwa, who hit seven goals in thirteen games after joining the club in January, puts pen to paper on a deal that would see the contract increased should certain targets be met.

The big front man joins Ryan Gilligan and Andy Holt to sign new deals with the club in recent weeks and now Stuart Gray will know exactly what he has to work with during the summer with all contracts now sorted out in good time.

The former Swansea forward was a popular figure at the end of last season and the signing will certainly pump more optimism into Cobblers fans ahead of the 2008/09 campaign.