Oh good, Northampton – few places inspire us less.
Look, we’ll get this over and done with – Sixfields isn’t the happiest of hunting grounds for Boro’ and we have absolutely naff all to show from the four times we’ve been to the Cobblers’ humble gaff. Even an exiled Coventry side were able to take full advantage of the hoodoo we suffer from at Sixfields, leaving us with a record littered with zeros – no goals, no points, no wins, no optimism.
We’ve chalked up three decent results on the bounce now, including that first-ever home win over Wycombe. But if we’re going to make it four unbeaten, we’re going to have to break our duck at Northampton. Sure, it’s possible – but the size of that task is hefty. It’ll take a brave man (or woman, equal opportunities and that) to have faith that it’ll be anything but “as you were” this weekend.
The Cobblers have their own concerns of course, albeit of an off-the-field nature. The club has been sent a winding-up petition for not paying their taxes, missed a deadline to repay a chunky council loan and have a half built East Stand that isn’t getting finished any time soon based on this legal development. But with all this happening around them, things still look good on the pitch.
Northampton sit fifth in the table at the moment, with an unbeaten home record stretching back four matches. The Cobblers have also scored in all but one of their seven home games, which doesn’t bode well considering we’ve not kept a clean sheet on the road at all this season. In fact, Boro’ could set a new club record this weekend if we make it 12 away games on the trot without a win.
All things considered, the bookies are being more cautious than we thought. The Cobblers to win are 19/20 (Will Hill), compared to 7/2 (Bet365) on us to upset the applecart. You can get 6/5 (Marathon) on one team failing to score, with former Boro’ forward Sam Hoskins 19/10 to do something he routinely failed to do while with us – and that’s score. But it’s your money…
If you thumb your way through your history textbook this afternoon (What? Doesn’t everyone have one?), there’ll be no shortage of tales where the plucky underdog has defied all the odds and logic to come out on top. Empires have crumbled, regimes toppled and heroes created – but the idea of Boro’ winning at Sixfields still seems rooted in the realm of fantasy. Can we be proved wrong?
BoroGuide’s Northampton Town club profile – loves the jobs you hate