No glib remark. No pithy comeback. Just a lot of head-scratching. The Cobblers, who don’t tend to need asking twice to put one over us, brought us crashing down to earth like a rickety old Soviet satellite last weekend. We say this as if we were in some sort of meteoric orbit. It really all depends on how much the Desmond at Lincoln did it for you. The fact we lost to a 91st minute winner is neither here nor there. It’s all double O sod all points.
Oldham Athletic v Stevenage: The Lowdown
Up next is a voyage into the mill-strewn hinterlands of Greater Manchester. And, hey, WOW – look at us! We’ve made it deep into the second part of our Bookend Prize-winning preview without saying Paul Scholes. He’s not the ex-Man Utd, England and Spurs striker. That’s Teddy. Remember him? But Scholes is, as you well know, ex-Man Utd and England. And so what? It won’t have any bearing on the outcome at Boundary Park this weekend.
And we bet he didn’t have a goat called Gary either.
The Opposition
P7 W3 D1 L3 F10 A10; last result: Stevenage 3-2 Oldham Athletic, 03/11/2018
This is the first time we’ve rocked up at Boundary Park in more than five years. Cor, how time flies don’t half fly when you ain’t in League One – huh? Our form at their gaff ain’t the shoddiest either. But that’s if you can trust our three last trips as any sort of a guide. It’s one draw, one win and one loss for us up there – and in that order too. Times have changed too much since then, so don’t expect it to have much of a bearing on the result.
The Referee
P16 W4 D6 L6 F13 A23; last result: Northampton Town 1-1 Stevenage, 15/12/2018
Chris Sarginson is our ref for the second time this season. You could even say that Sarge is in charge. It’s a little Giuliano LOLzioli for you there. And you’re gonna need it. While we could’ve done with his magic, point-earning touch against the Cobblers last week, our December draw at Sixfields was the first time in five that we’d either scored or got anything out of a match that he’d reffed. Last time we won on his watch was April 2015.
The Form
The lads at CERN can’t make head nor tail of our form, but fact is we’re without a win in three games. Oldham, however, are in the same place. A draw and two defeats is what both have to show from recent times. Getting anyone excited? Hardly. So it’s no shock to see that we’re almost snuggled up tight together in the table. Two points and three places is what sits in-between us. And they’ll go above us if they win this weekend.
But what are the chances of them doing so? Well, someone has to get something out of this match. Looking at how the land lies for the Latics this season, they know where the goal is. Their attacking record is sixth best in the division. And they’ve found the back of the net in each of their last seven. We’d draw attention to the fact they’ve let in at least one goal in most (82%) of their games indoors. But we’re not sure if that’s gonna help us.
• MORE ABOUT ‘EM: Oldham Athletic club profile
