[Div3North]

Northampton Town

V

Accrington Stanley

2012/13 Prediction League – Game 36; v Northampton (away)

No, actually they haven’t got the best home record in League Two ; W13 D2 L3 F35 A14 (41 points) puts them one point behind …………care to have a guess? ……………..Burton Albion , whose W13 D3 L2 gives them the Blue Ribbon (so far) ; nor, may I add, is the Cobblers’ away record thrilling …….W4 D5 L9 F20 A34 ………our away record (W5 D4 L9 F20 A30) is actually better than theirs …………… Overall, then, they lie 7th on 58 points, behind Exeter – who could have helped themselves and us on Wednesday night if they’d beaten Bristol Rovers, rather than losing 2-0 - on goal difference (+9 to +7) - and one point behind Burton, with a record which reads 17 wins, 7 draws and 12 defeats, scoring 55 and conceding 48

That said, they’re mighty impressive at home , winning their last 7, and 9 of their last 10; the only reverse was a 3-2 loss to Cheltenham, and the 9 wins include five occasions when they’ve hit three goals (3-0 against Morecambe, and 3-1 against Wycombe, the Daggers, Fleetwood and Rochdale), plus four other games where they haven’t conceded (2-0 against Aldershot, and 1-0 against each of Burton, Plymouth and Bristol Rovers). The good news – if that’s what it is – is that their last 3 games have been the 1-0 wins against Plymouth and Bristol Rovers, and a 3-0 defeat at Exeter; 2 goals scored in their last 3 games ……… Hmmmmmmmmmm

Back in the autumn when they did us 4-2 at our place (YFB’s first professional hat-trick, and he has to pick us! ) they had all manner of injury problems, some of which are getting better; David Artell, for example, who hasn’t played for Northampton since suffering an Achilles injury in October, is now out on loan at Wrexham, although 2nd highest scorer Alex Nicholls (24), a summer capture from Walsall (where he spent 7 years) is out for the season. Also gone are ex Aldershot, Crewe and Barnet defender Anthony Charles (31), who joined Plymouth, and ex Stoke (and Stanley, briefly but wholly forgettably ) striker Louis Moult, now on loan at Nuneaton Town.

In have come CB/LB Lee Collins (24), who signed for Barnsley from Port Vale in March last year, and was released by the Tykes in February, joining the Cobblers until the end of the season; striker Roy O’Donovan (27), once of Sunderland, Cork City (where he won the League of Ireland Golden Wellie – sorry, Boot), Hartlepool, Hibernian (on loan) and Coventry (where he played under Northants Manager Aidy Boothroyd); Clarke Carlisle (33) – ex Burnley, Chair of The PFA, and all-round good guy – left York and returned to Sixfields, where he was on loan last season: and Emmanuel Oyeleke (20), a MF, came in on loan from Brentford. They did also sign Swindon RB Chris Smith (20) on loan; he’s interesting because, as an amateur playing for Stone Dominoes in the North West Counties Premier League he won Samsung’s “Win a Pro Contract” competition – beating 5,000 other hopefuls, the prize being a 12 month professional contract at Swindon (Paulo di Cpicked him as the winner, even though he’s only made the one appearance there since – Smith, that is, not Paulo)

They didn’t break any pots in the cup competitions, departing the Capone 3-1 at home to Wolves in Round Two after putting out Cardiff, and the Tinpot 3-0 at home to Leyton Orient (having seen off the MK Dons 1-0 in Round One, and Colchester 2-1 in Round 2); in the FA Cup they drew at home 1-1 to Bradford, losing the replay from a winning position 3-3 (4-2 on pens) ……………… Their 63 goals have come from all quarters; our good friend Adebayo Akinfenwa (aka You Fat Bastard ) – a striker I’d have in our side any day , who’s turned out to good effect for Torquay and Swansea as well – has 17 (my only consolation is that he was in the Gillingham side that we trounced 7-4 a year of two back ): Alex Nicholls has 8, and will end the season with 8; defender Kelvin Langmead (27) – who played for Shrewsbury between 2004 and 2010, and also for the Posh - has 7.

When we met earlier in the season they lay 14th in the League, with a record of 5-5-6 (20 points); their run really started at our place; hopefully we can stop it at theirs. The head-to-head slightly favours them; since they came down from League One at the end of the 2008/9 season, alongside Crewe, Cheltenham and Hereford, we lost 3-0 and 4-0 the season after; more recently we drew the 2010/11 and 11/12 away games 0-0, and won both home games 3-1 (April 11, with two goals from Ian Craney (of the Blue Square Premier) and one from Sean McConville (of the Blue Square Premier) and 2-1 (March 12, with goals from Jamie Devitt (now on loan at Rotherham) and Craig Lindfield). The first meeting this season ended, as you’ll remember, in a 4-2 defeat; P7 W2 D2 L3 F7 A13 …………..and we haven’t scored a single goal at their ground in the three games we’ve played there ……………

The deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 9th March. Something out of this game would be a bonus, I suspect , but it would make up for the two points we dropped to Torquay courtesy of some very dubious calls by the officials ……………

Good luck to everyone ………… Keep the Faith! ……………. and thanks for playing!