2013 Prediction League; Game 41 v Northampton Town (home)

Div3North · 04-04-2014, 06:22

Accrington Stanley

V

Northampton Town

2013/14 Prediction League – Game 41; v Northampton (home)

Cobblers’ MF Darren Carter, before the game at Sixfields last week;

"Bury is massive for us. If results go our way and we win we could be out of the bottom two. We've got to stay positive,"

They lost at home, 3-0

– the same score they lost to Rochdale by, also at home, 11 days earlier …..

The thing you need above all else when the Gods aren’t smiling on you, and your chalice marked “Staying in the League” isn’t exactly overflowing, is a settled squad and a settled team; you can always tell the teams who think they’re going down – they’re the ones who sign loads of players

– either free transfer released, or on loan, or people who are picked up “on a contract till the end of the season” – from the turn of the year to the end of March …………… Step forward, then, Northampton Town, who’ve signed, in one way or another – loan etc – no less than 10

; some “oldsters” - striker Alan Connell, 30, ex Grimsby, Swindon and Bantams; former Notts Forest, Snakefield and Crewe LB Gregor Robertson; Ricky Ravenhill – Donnie, among others; Zander Diamond , 28 and out of favour at Burton after a career which began at Aberdeen, and got to the Potteries via Oldham; LB Evan Horwood (28) on loan from Tranmere (Sheff Utd, Carlisle and Hartlepool) …………… Some New Kids on the Block, including Millwall’s striker John Marquis (21), who must have been very wicked, because he’s already been out on loan this season to Torquay and Pompey

, striker Christian Lopez (24) a Spanish player who arrived via Huddersfield from Atletico Baleares

; and Brighton winger Brendan Dixon (20) ……Big Clive Platt (670+ appearances, 125 + goals

and previously a stalwart of MK Dons, Colchester and Coventry) left at the age of 36 to sign up for Bury ………… Oh, and GK coach Tim Flowers left following the arrival of ex Oxford Boss Chris Wilder; and I still don’t know why he made that swap; can’t have been for long term security, since there is none in the Football world ……….. Maybe it was for the money?

One real “truism” in football is that if you don’t score, you won’t win; Northampton’s plight might just, then, be created or contributed to by the fact that in 19 of the season’s 44 games they’ve failed to score

, in 15 more they’ve managed a single goal

, 9 times they’ve hit 2 (and over half the times they did that they won), and once they’ve managed 3

(3-1 v Newport back on 10th August) ……..add that up, and you’ll see that in 44 games they’ve scored 36 goals

; 33 of those came in the League (the worst by any League Two team

), and the others in the Cups, which they departed without even a whimper; 1-2 at home to MK Dons in the Capital One; 2-0 at MK Dons in the Paintball Trophy; a magnificent

2-1 win at Bishops Stortford in the FA Cup Round 1, followed by the 2-0 exit in Round Two at Grimsby, which cost Aidy Boothroyd his job ….

Their 9 wins in the League have been evenly spread – 4 away (Wombles 2-0, 2-1 at Newport and again at Torquay, and 1-0 at Exeter) and 5 at home (Fleetwood 1-0, Us 1-0

, Newport 3-1 (their only double to date), Southend 2-1 and Hartlepool 2-0); they don’t record/retain goals by loan players once they’ve left, so their leading scorer is Darren Carter (30) – once of Brum, the Baggies (who paid £1.5 million for him

), PNE and Cheltenham – with 5; loan striker Emile Sinclair (26) – who had it all at his feet when, having started out with Bradford City, Notts Forest and Macclesfield, he then moved to the Posh, and from them to Crawley for £100,000, only to see the cookie crumble where he didn’t want it to; he has 2, as do MF Ian Morris (27, Blackpool, Scunthorpe and Torquay) and34-year old French def Mathias Kuou-Doumbe – Hibs, Plymouth and MK Dons

They have 6 left to play; I don’t think they’ll fancy us

, and I’m even more surerer that they won’t fancy Burton (5th), in-form (!) Pompey (21st)

or Oxford (7th)

….. , which leaves them with it all to do away at Wycombe (22nd) and at the Daggers (10th) …..Head to head against them isn’t good; after our 1-0 loss there at the end of November, it’s W2 D2 L5….. in 09/10 they thumped us 3-0 at our place and 4-0 at theirs; 10/11 saw a goalless draw away, and a 3-1 win at our place; 2011/12 saw another goalless draw at Sixfields and a 2-1 win at home; last season they did us 4-2 at ours and 2-0 at theirs; note we haven’t scored in five visits to Sixfields – maybe, if they survive, next season will be sixth(fields) time lucky!

Deadline for entries is scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm this Saturday, 5th April ………. After putting together a decent run at the start of Wilder’s reign, they’re back to being p***-poor; their last 8 show 1 win, 5 draws and 2 defeats ………….a point a game, which – when you’re three – effectively four – points behind the team lying 22nd – isn’t going to do it for you

. Being frank, their games at Wycombe, and at home to Pompey, are the season-deciders; Torquay are dead in the water

…… It’s one from, maybe, four for the 2nd drop place, but Northampton have it all to do

……………… If they can! P40 W9 D13 L18 F33 A54 Pts 40 …………..the numbers don’t lie, and they’re down there for a reason!

Good luck to everyone …………..remember; passion overcomes logic

……………. Keep the Faith

………………and thanks for playing!