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Football: Wherever it may be

~ Laurence's football travels

Football: Wherever it may be

Tag Archives: northampton town

Empathy

09 Friday May 2014

Posted by laurencereade in N

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Bristol Rovers, chris wilder, League 2, Northampton, northampton town, Oxford, oxford united., Sixfields, Town

Saturday 3rd May 2014 ko 15.00

League 2

NORTHAMPTON TOWN 3 (Marquis 29 Toney 33 Kouo-Doumbe 50)

OXFORD UNITED 1 (Williams 6) Williams sent off 19 (violent conduct)

Att 7,529 (1,358 away)

Entry £19

Programme £3

I’ve watched my team lose their league status, and its a perfectly horrible experience, and one I wouldn’t wish on any fan (well perhaps Swindon, but that’s tribal!). The Conference may well be a quasi-League 3 but the process of falling into it still hurts a lot. 6 months ago, Northampton were racing favourites to take that drop, sacked manager Aidy Boothroyd, recruited Oxford United’s Chris Wilder more here, and went into this game out of the relegation zone for the first time this year, needing a point to guarantee League football.

In contrast Oxford had been in the play-off positions virtually all season, but since Wilder’s departure form had slumped with the club destined to finish 8th whatever the result. They had nothing but pride to play for, but the Cobblers’ conundrum was as follows. If they lost and either Wycombe or Bristol Rovers won, they were down, so how the club decided to stage the game surprised me.

Continue reading →

52.251555 -0.899396

Exit North

31 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by laurencereade in O

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

chris wilder, Firoz Kassam, Ian Lenagan, London Welsh, Mickey Lewis, northampton town, oxford united.

Saturday 25th January 2014 ko 15.00

League 2

OXFORD UNITED 1 (Smalley 6)

TORQUAY UNITED 0

Att 4,744 (322 away)

Entry S/T

Programme £3 (inc Oxford Mail)

There are some advantages of writing this article a few days after the event, Saturday was nothing if not bizarre!

On the pitch, it was a routine Chris Wilder game, dull, uninspiring, against a team in desperate trouble at the bottom of the table. The one bright moment was Deane Smalley’s well-taken goal, but many eyes were less on the pitch and more on the home dugout. Continue reading →

51.714628 -1.205518

Square Pegs

13 Sunday Oct 2013

Posted by laurencereade in O

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Aidy Boothroyd, chris wilder, Danny Rose, James Constable, Northampton, northampton town, Oxford, oxford united.

Saturday 12th October 2013 ko 15.00

League 2

OXFORD UNTED 2 (Constable 44 Rose 45p)

NORTHAMPTON TOWN 0

Att 6,177 (910 away)

Entry S/T

Programme £3

It did seem strange swapping the mud of Bedfordshire for some League 2, but that I suppose is the dichotomy of being a groundhopper but also having a season ticket at a Football League club. It was great to get the occasional text and Twitter message from Craig and others that the day went well, and that by and large the weather was kind.

Oxford versus Northampton is one of those fixtures that looks like a local derby but isn’t. Oxford hate Swindon like no other club, but in the case of Northampton I do wonder who their local rivals are these days. It used to be Continue reading →

Sky Fall

25 Sunday Nov 2012

Posted by laurencereade in O, W

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Adebayo Akinfenwa, chris wilder, Clive Platt, Ian Lenagan, James Constable, Jon-Paul Pittman, League 2, Michael Raynes, Middle Common Room, northampton town, oxford united., Oxford University

Saturday 24th November 2012

Ko 10.30

Oxford University Middle Common Room League

WOLFSON/St CROSS P

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE P

Postponed due to a waterlogged pitch (!)

Ko 15.00

League 2

OXFORD UNITED 2 (Constable 14 Pittman 79)

NORTHAMPTON TOWN 1 (Platt 76) Carlisle sent off 89 (2nd booking)

Att 6,635 (1,075 away)

Entry S/T

Programme £3 (ic Ox Mail)

Its been a long time since I did a Middle Common Room game. Its a league primarily for post-graduate students, perfect for Wolfson, a purely post-graduate college, and 10.30am kick-off games work well for me, when Oxford United are a home. The trouble is that Wolfson sits on the banks of the River Cherwell, bucolic when its sunny, but flood-prone when it rains. And it’s rained here for most of the week, so I really should have guessed that the pitch wouldn’t be playable, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad!

Still it left me one game to see, unlike many groundhoppers, with games falling to waterlogged pitches all over the country, and my game was a local derby too! The odd thing is that there’s never been any great rivalry between Oxford or Northampton with the former being far more concerned with swindon, and the latter Kettering. Still “Ultimate Support Saturday” did produce a better-than-average gate helped in no small part by the travelling Cobblers fans.

They got a good game too, with the action making up for technical deficiences, and the appalling weather. Oxford United and the supporters know what Ade Akinfenwa gives to the Cobblers, he’s portly but he’s still one hell of a player. Few players at this level have his control and vision, and he was marshalled carefully. Also well known to United is midfielder Chris Hackett, who started his career at Oxford before moves to Hearts and Millwall. He marked his return with a fine game showing both pace, and a glut of well place passes, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one wondering why United didn’t re-sign him in the summer?

But for all of that this was Oxford’s day. Was James Constable offside when he tapped in Alfie Potter’s cross? He looked it, but the linesman’s decision was probably based on a feeling that Potter’s pass was entirely lateral and so Constable was always behind the ball. Either way home fans will point to the woodwork being hit twice, by Jake Forster-Caskey and Sean Rigg’s deflected effort.

As befits any side managed by Aidy Boothroyd, Northampton were well-drilled and a series of corners at the end of the first half tested Ryan Clarke in the home goal, and he did well to get down to Ben Harding’s low shot.

Cliches are cliches for a reason, and one goal was never going to be enough with Oxford’s defensive frailties, and the introduction of the towering figure of Clive Platt after an hour proved to be significant. With Michael Raynes keeping Akinfenwa quiet, he rose above Jake Wright to head Hackett’s cross home. I wondered what that meant for Chris Wilder’s tenure as manager. I didn’t ponder for long as Peter Leven’s ball over the top allowed subsitute Jon-Paul Pittman to run throuugh and he blasted home past Lee Nicholls for his first goal in 10 months, and earning Oxford a first win in 4 matches.

All that remained was the dismissal of Clark Carlisle for his second booking. It made no impact on the game but I wonder if getting sent off is more embarrassing when you’re PFA chairman? The Press Association reported his second booking was for foul and abusive language, but after the game Northampton Town swiftly asked that it be altered to a simple foul. For the record, I saw the 2nd booking as for a foul challenge, and there was no hint of any back-chat. It is worth noting that the PA feed is staffed by former players sourced by, yes, the PFA!

I used the term “Predictably Unpredictable” on a previous piece on Oxford United, and nothing I saw in this highly entertaining game changed my opinion on the club, and in a wider sense the division. I do wonder what chairman Ian Lenagan is thinking though. 18th place does not represent the level of ambition, or expenditure at the club. Some might say a change is needed, but if so who?


Chris Hackett

The long walk… (no swearing mind)

Ghosts of Atkins past

18 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by laurencereade in O

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Ade Akinfenwa, Deane Smalley, Firoz Kassam, Football, groundhopping, northampton town, oxford united., Tom Craddock

Saturday 17th December 2011

League 2

OXFORD UNITED 2 (Craddock 50 Smalley 87) Craddock missed pen 86

NORTHAMPTON TOWN 0 Akinfenwa missed pen 90

Att 7,517 (748 away)

Entry S/T

Programme (inc Oxford Mail) £3

There’s a mere 46 miles from the clubs’ stadia, but there’s no great rivalry between the two teams. Oxford hate Swindon, and Northampton hate Kettering and until recently Rushden & Diamonds. Add to that very little playing contact between the two clubs until the day Ian Atkins became Oxford United manager and took a fair percentage of his successful Cobblers team with him. While the football was awful to watch Atkins was the only succesful manager while Firoz Kassam was chairman.

Despite all of that there was little extra intensity to this game. Northampton brought and decent following to boost what would have been a depleted pre-Christmas crowd.

The first half was a forgettable affair, with United lacking an anchor on midfield, and Northampton looking a team in transition from the loose, losing passing side to a tighter, dare I say uglier outfit typical of new manager Aidy Boothroyd. At that point easily the best player on the park was the portly figure of Cobbler’s striker Ade Akinfenwa, whose vision and touch seemed lost on those around him.

After the break Northampton looked noticeably more direct, the ball being biffed down the channels a lot, not a bad tactic for League 2 but useless for playing to an immobile striker.

Oxford took the lead on 50 minutes when Johnson’s poor clearance fell straight to Potter. He passed to Craddock who was allowed far too much space in which to turn and shoot home from 12 yards. He ran to celebrate with the physiotherapist who treated him through a long spell injured.

On 85 minutes Johnson’s unfortunate afternoon continued as he tripped Craddock in the box. Craddock and Leven argued as to who should take the penalty, and Leven must have been seething as Craddock’s spot kick disappeared into the car park, damaging a wing mirror!

In the final analysis it didn’t matter as Constable found space on the left and looked up to see Deane Smalley at the back post. Smalley had the easiest opportunity to tap the ball in for his first goal at home. A long time coming for a man who a lot was expected.

Heslop’s miss from Tonkin’s cross defied belief but so did what followed, in injury time. Batt was penalised for handball, but if Craddock’s penalty was missed, then Akinfenwa’s was definitely saved, Clarke diving at full stretch to his left.

Progress of a sort for United, and Northampton will feel that there’s every reason to believe that the new regime will ensure League survival. That, perhaps is why there’s so little rivalry.

Timmy Mallet has entered the building

Andy Whing and Adebayo Akinfenwa
Porty but underestimate at your peril

If you want to see just how lousy Craddock’s penalty was -the ball is whistling past “O2”

Ryan Clarke dives to save Akinfenwa’s penalty

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