NTFC Season In Review 2011/12: November

Johnson…November exit

November would be a month of more disasters on the pitch but some relief off it as we were finally separated from Gary Johnson’s regime. It wasn’t to be a happy divorce with the two games that preceded Johnson’s exit epitomising his eight month reign at Sixfields.

The first was an all-out attacking set up at Gillingham which, to be fair, the Cobblers were actually unfortunate to lose at the death following a stirring fight back. The Gills, though, tore us apart early on with Frank Nouble making a mockery of Ben Tozer at right back and terrorising him for most of the game. That led to Jo Kuffour scoring a first half hat-trick. In between times, Saido Berahino pulled one back for the Cobblers but there was still a mountain to climb in the second half. Kelvin Langmead shot us back into contention though and Berahino rammed in a first time effort from a free kick to pull things back to 3-3 before a massive turning point. Bayo Akinfenwa was clean through on his old stomping ground and had headlines in his sights but pulled his shot over the bar. Inevitably, the Gills went on to snatch it with a second penalty of the game which Danny Kedwell converted.

Johnson was on borrowed time and going into the FA Cup First Round clash with Conference side Luton Town you got the feeling that it was do or die. And so it was that Adam Watkins’ eightieth minute goal was the one that ended Johnson’s time at the club, knocking us out of the cup with a whimper. Rumours were flying around from the minute the game ended up until Monday morning when the announcement came that the manager was gone.

The outgoing boss then appeared in the national media saying, basically, that it was the fans’ fault that he was sacked with our high expectations and all! After the way he left the club it wasn’t the best way to make peace with some members of the claret faithful, some of whom had stuck with him over the previous months.

Anyway, onwards and upwards and a home game with Shrewsbury Town was next up with Johnson’s assistants Dave Lee and Andy Holt taking temporary charge. With my stag do on the agenda for that weekend I thought it a good idea to invite a group of mates up to Northampton to take in a game before hitting the glorious lights of Northampton’s bars. On that day and night I was dressed in a huge white beard (during the match), a Father Ted outfit and as Supergirl but none of that was anywhere near as embarrassing as watching the Cobblers surrender to a 7-2 hammering at home. I’d rather not relive that match again so here’s a photo of me in a beard instead…

Dave Lee was duly sent on his way and Tim Flowers would have a go at being in the hot seat for the big trip to fellow strugglers Plymouth Argyle the following weekend. Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse, Argyle – at this point the league’s bottom club – smacked in four goals in the first half through Simon Walton, Nick Chadwick, Will Atkinson and Ashley Hemmings. Yet another unmitigated disaster with Bayo’s goal in stoppage time barely registering with those brave souls who had made the journey to Home Park.

So four defeats, a cup exit, three managers and sixteen goals conceded. November 2011 could well go down on record as the worst month in Cobblers history and boy did we need something to turn the season around. Luckily, December would see us find an answer and although it wasn’t with immediate effect we would at least have some stability by the time Big Ben took us into 2012…

Highlight of the month: Gary Johnson’s departure.

Lowlight of the month: Every single match in the month had its own!

Player of the month: The long suffering Cobblers fans

Johnson signing a step in the right direction

JJ…signs for another year

It was a small victory but one that will keep the Cobblers steady as the first bit of pre-season business was finalised yesterday as John Johnson put pen to paper on a new one year deal with the option of a further year on top of that. Looking back on over a hundred Cobblers appearances there’s very few where you can say he wasn’t at his best or not giving 100% and the surprising thing is that he’s still only twenty three.

The fact that he’s willing to stay says a lot about Aidy Boothroyd, as it said a lot about Sammo when he initially signed on a permanent deal that followed a loan back in 2009. Agreeing to stay at a League Two side that has struggled for two seasons is a big commitment and you have to commend him for that with surely one or two admirers further up the league.

Boothroyd says that he can get better and that goes for most but having seen the very best of Johnson when he first signed then it’s exciting to think of that potential being tapped into once again. With versatility also key to next season’s reduced squad it’s also a key signing positional wise with Johnson able to play right back, centre back or holding in midfield. I struggle to think of many League Two players from that mould that I would choose to replace Johnson so to me it’s an excellent start to what is now pre-season.

We now await decisions from Clarke Carlisle, Anthony Charles, Neal Kitson and, of course, Michael Jacobs on their futures. I would imagine Charles and Kitson will be signing soon with the Jacobs situation set to run for a few weeks yet!

NTFC Season In Review 2011/12: October

Tozer…late winner

What would start out in positive fashion would end with a feeling that we still had a lot more questions than answers in terms of how we would turn the slow start to the season around. October saw a dismal run of form lead up to the slow demise of Mr Johnson the following month.

Things started well enough with the Cobblers coming home from Underhill with a 2-1 victory, the first time that we had managed back to back wins all season. After Rickie Holmes had put the Bees in front, Town fought back in the second half and after Arron Davies levelled things up just after half-time, Ben Tozer nipped in for a winner with just a minute left on the clock.

Alas, this was to be the last piece of good news all month!

The Sky Sports cameras came calling and that usually means that we don’t wake up the nation from their weekend slumps and that proved true once again as Crawley edged a Saturday lunch time fixture by the single goal, scored by Matt Tubbs mid-way through the first half.

Worse was to follow the following Friday as the Cobblers were three down at Port Vale and completely out of sight by half-time. Tom Pope, Anthony Griffin and John McCombe wrapped things up and despite a slightly better second half it remained 3-0 and we were sent back to the drawing board once again.

A trip to Bradford was up next and suddenly there was very, very brief hope as Michael Jacobs slammed one in from distance to give us actual hope. Cue a ten minute collapse that saw the Bantams lead 2-1 before we’d even been able to check whether we would be able to climb to fifteenth place with a win. Craig Fagan netted from the spot before James Hanson made it three defeats on the bounce.

Saido Berahino…loaned in

A nice home game with Hereford would surely sort things out, right? Wrong. Nathan Elder and Steven Leslie had other ideas and rudely didn’t run to the plan by putting the Bulls two up by the break. Loanee Saido Berahino scored his first Cobblers goal to half the deficit but Harry Pell made it 3-1 late on for yet another loss for Gary Johnson, who by this point was looking a dead man walking. Or shuffling.

That result left Town in nineteenth place, three points from the drop zone but there was finally a small relief to come as we earned a point at home to Rotherham to at least stop the rot and finish the month on a positive-ish note. Gareth Evans put the visitors in front with Conrad Logan handing the Cobblers a point with his own goal.

So that was October. Not one to dwell on really, was it! I’m sure November will give me something positive to write about…oh, wait…

Highlight of the Month: Big Ben Tozer’s last ditch winner at Underhill.

Lowlight of the Month: Take your pick! The first half collapse at Port Vale takes the honours though I think.

Player of the Month: Saido Berahino – At least gave the front line some much needed pace after joining from West Brom on loan.

NTFC Season In Review 2011/12: September

Johnson…dug-out hideaway!

The after effects of Shaun Harrad’s sale were immediate at Sixfields as the Cobblers looked to get back on track on the pitch as well as build bridges off it. Gary Johnson was as stubborn as ever with his opinions and always stood by the need to sell Harrad so we all had to get on with it and hope that something else was in the pipeline. Johnson did little to brighten the mood of Town fans as he spent a few games hid away in his dugout rather than giving orders from pitch side.

Southend was the first port of call and after a disappointing run towards the end of August it was nice to be back on track at least with a solid 2-2 draw at Roots Hall. Coming from two goals down made it more impressive with Bilel Mohsni and Ryan Hall putting the Shrimpers 2-0 up only for Bayo Akinfenwa and Arron Davies to turn things completely on its head within a five minute spell in the second half.

Back to Sixfields and a goalless draw against Torquay United was hard fought but still we were searching for that first home victory of the season.

One of the rare times when everything came together under Johnson came a few days later, though. With the Cobblers 1-0 up at Wimbledon thanks to a Bayo penalty, Nick McKoy was sent off on the stroke of half-time and it looked like an uphill battle from there. But the ten men fought through it and scored twice more in the second half, both goals coming from Michael Jacobs, to cap one of the performances of the season.

We needed to follow that up with another result at Macclesfield on the Saturday but frustrating inconsistency haunted us again as two late goals from Ben Tomlinson and Colin Daniel helped the Silkmen to a 3-1 win. Bristol City loanee Marlon Jackson scored the Cobblers’ goal on that day, his first and only strike during his short spell here.

September at least ended with some positive news and, finally, the first home win of the season. Dagenham and Redbridge were the victims as Arron Davies continued his good start to the season by scoring early on and Bayo added another on the hour. Oliver Lee’s late goal was too late for the Daggers and Town ended the month on twelve points and in seventeenth place in the table.

Highlight of the Month: Ten men Cobblers win 3-0 at AFC Wimbledon.

Lowlight of the Month: The subsequent 3-1 reverse at Macclesfield Town.

Player of the Month: Michael Jacobs – the star continues to rise and some solid performances went along with those two crucial goals at Wimbledon.

League Two Playoff Special: Crewe Alexandra

Playoff History: Division Two (League One) final winners 1997

There’s always one…one team that creeps up on the playoffs in the closing few weeks of the season and nips in there thanks to a great run of form and capitalises with that increased momentum. This season in League Two that accolade goes to Crewe Alexandra, who were struggling away in 17^th place back in November but have now put together a run of sixteen games unbeaten.

Dario Gradi stepping down was a key moment in the history of the club and it could yet be looked back on as a massive turning point in this particular season. Steve Davis, who played 145 times for the Alex as well as captaining them at the age of just nineteen during a successful playing career, took the reins and slowly but surely turned things around.

The Alex had taken five games to pick up any points at all but a 1-0 win at Plymouth gave them something to build on and they would win their following two league games as well as progressing past Bury in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy. A 2-0 win at Accrington in mid-September was enough to take them away from the lower reaches of the table but they wouldn’t win again for a month – a 3-1 success at Wimbledon.

Inconsistent form continued to stop them from moving any further up the table and Gradi stepped down to concentrate on the academy that has produced so many success stories over the years. His tenure through various spells took him to 1,404 games as manager – a daunting task for the incoming Davis to take on.

Davis’ first game in charge was a 4-1 hammering in the FA Cup First Round to Colchester United but he did produce back-to-back wins in his first two league games, 2-1 at Morecambe and 1-0 at home to Hereford United. A mixed December was rounded off with a storming 5-2 victory at Bristol Rovers to end the calendar year in style.

Eighteen year-old Nick Powell starred on that day at the Memorial Stadium and on several other occasions this season and is even being touted as a possible target for Manchester United and Tottenham as of this week.

Hotly tipped…Nick Powell

Powell continued to inspire his side to further success and the Alex won three out of five in January whilst victories over and Accrington and good points against Wimbledon and Port Vale helped them into the top ten as momentum and anticipation began to fully build around the club. In fact, the 1-0 defeat to playoff opponents Southend United way back on February 18^th was Crewe’s last defeat and since then they have built their way towards the top seven.

Alex had to go toe to toe with Oxford United as it became clear that there would only be one playoff spot left come the final day of the season but a pivotal 1-0 home win over Cheltenham Town on April 21^st coupled with Oxford being held at Plymouth tipped the fight into their favour and Davis’ side were finally in the top seven following months of ascension up the league.

The job needed to be finished off though and nervy draws at Torquay and, on the final day, with Aldershot Town eventually confirmed Crewe’s place in the playoffs, where they will meet the last side to beat them all those months ago, Southend United. If this long unbeaten run is to continue to nineteen games then Crewe will be the latest in a growing line of teams that have crept into the playoffs to win promotion at the last. Can it be done? I asked Crewe fan Jim Wiltshire (@jimwiltshire72) …

Did you expect to be in a playoff position when you started this season?

At the start of the season, I expected us to be somewhere close to the top seven, after last season we lost 11 of our last 12 away games and still only missed out on the play offs by 3 points.

A young player called Nick Powell who had a handful of games last season came of age in the summer with some brilliant performances in the U-17 World Cup.

What have been the key moments in achieving a playoff spot?

The key moments have been Dario moving upstairs and Steve Davis taking over. He noticed that the team were not as fit as they could be and fading in games. That was addressed quickly as was the player’s belief in their ability. When Davis took over in October, we were 18th and looking like relegation material. Since Davis took over we have been one of the better sides in the division.

Who have been the key men?

The form of Nick Powell has been a major factor. Steve Phillips in goal has been fantastic, as has the form of Adam Dugdale in defence and Ashley Westwood in midfield.

Which team would you want to avoid in the final should you make it?

I rate Torquay as a much better side than Cheltenham, so I would rather we faced Cheltenham if we get to Wembley. If I’m honest I think we have the toughest opponents in the semi-finals in Southend. We lost home and away to them in the league, and they were the last team to beat us,

16 matches ago- in mid-February!

Finally, will you be promoted?!

We’ve been unbeaten in 16 games- we only need to keep that going for 3 more to win promotion, unless of course we get involved in a penalty shoot-out! We have missed a lot of penalties this season so not full of confidence there. Funnily enough though we did score all of our penalties to win a shoot-out at Bury in the JPT- so you never know!

I’m confident we will go up now that we have come this far, though we all know what a lottery the play-offs are!

League Two Playoff Special: Cheltenham Town

Playoff History: League Two final winners 2002, 2006

In the next part of this playoff special we take a look at the prospects of one of, if not the surprise package of League Two this season, Cheltenham Town. Mark Yates has transformed the Rubies from relegation candidates last season, a campaign in which they finished just five points above the drop zone, to promotion contenders for the majority of this season.

2011/12 has already seen plenty to shout about for Yates’ men as they recovered from a disappointing first couple of games to discover form and defeat both Swindon and Crawley at Whaddon Road. A mixed September meant that not even the most hardened Town supporter could envisage what would come in October as their club won five out of six games in the league as well as seeing off League One Wycombe in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy. Yates was perhaps cruelly beaten by Crawley’s Steve Evans to the Manager of the Month award that month but a foundation had been built and Cheltenham were on their way.

Winning all three league games in November, the Rubies also progressed through the First Round of the FA Cup, beating another League One club away as Darryl Duffy’s penalty saw them through at Tranmere. Yates finally got his recognition with the Manager of the Month for November and not only did his side continue their fine run by going through December unbeaten but they also set up a Third Round FA Cup tie with Tottenham Hotspur by winning 4-2 at Luton Town.

A 3-0 defeat at White Hart Lane was no disgrace and the fact that it was sandwiched between back to back league wins made it that bit more bearable as Town rode on towards the summit of League Two. A slight February wobble was hammered away by a 5-0 victory at Dagenham and it all looked set for an almighty finish to the season.

Rubies boss Mark Yates

The club were hanging around the top three until mid-March when four successive defeats pulled them back from the automatic promotion shake up into the playoff race and it’s perhaps a testament to the work of Yates and his squad that they were still in a strong enough position to keep hold of a place in the running for the top seven.

That place was confirmed thanks to three straight home victories in April and many people’s underdogs will now take their rightful place in the end of season lottery in a two legged-affair with Torquay United.

Max Hobbs (@maxihobbs), our resident Cheltenham fanatic and creator of this Rubies’ blog, gives his thoughts below on what could be a stunning end to a surprising season…

Did you expect to be in a playoff position when you started this season?

Not at all and I think the same could be said for Torquay in reality too. A look at Coral on the day before the season began put us 11/4 favourites to go down, in that sense alone our season has been remarkable especially considering we topped the League as late as February. Sadly March killed off our automatic hopes but I prefer the thrill of the play offs anyway!!

What have been the key moments in achieving a playoff spot?

Our start to the season, as usual, was fantastic and we were right in the mix after some great performances mainly on the road. People expected us to fade which ultimately we did but I think we’ve shown great character to now finish 7 points into the play offs. Between September and December was where teams really stepped up and took notice of us.

Who have been the key men?

It’s a cliché but the whole squad have been imperative in our rise this season. We have a small squad so they’ve all played their parts but inevitably you have stand out players and it’s hard to look past the quality of Marlon Pack, the sheer determination of Russ Penn and Sido Jombati at the back has been a revelation. I could name plenty more including the 2 CB’s, Luke Summerfield and Kaid Mohamed – as a unit we’ve been fantastic and the togetherness of the squads of 02 and 06 which saw us win the playoffs is there.

Which team would you want to avoid in the final should you make it?

Without being disrespectful I’m happy to have drawn Torquay and I think they’d probably believe likewise. Crewe’s unbeaten run is becoming longer by the week and we recently came off the back of a 4-0 hammering at Southend so I didn’t fancy either of those and whoever we get in the final will be very difficult. Crewe have already done the double over us and have forgotten what it’s like to lose and with the quality of Nick Powell and Luke Murphy I’d probably rather take on Southend, just!

Finally, will you be promoted?!

Our playoff record is as good as it gets and we always seem to pull something out the bag for occasions like this but I’m not so sure. I think whoever goes up will be deserving of their spot and I also feel all 4 teams could hold their own in League 1. There’s no reason why we can’t but I’ve got a feeling for Crewe.

League Two Playoff Special: Torquay United

Playoff History: Division Four final winners 1991, Conference semi-finalists 2008, Conference final winners 2009, League Two finalists 2011

Player of the Year: Lee Mansell

Top Scorer: Rene Howe (14)

The Playoff series continues today with Torquay United coming under the spotlight. After defeat in the final last season, the Gulls will be desperate to go that one step further this time around and come through on top. With a new man in charge and a team that were fighting for the last automatic promotion spot right up until the last minutes of the season, Torquay represent a serious challenge once again.

After Paul Buckle’s defection to Bristol Rovers last summer, Torquay were looking for a man with past experience in getting out of League Two and turned to former Leyton Orient and Cambridge United boss Martin Ling. Ling guided Orient to promotion in 2006 and was aiming to do the same with his new charges, though few neutrals would have gone out of their way to place his side in the running for promotion.

But Ling made a positive start to his reign and seven points were collected from his first three league games in charge. A couple of defeats brought the Gulls back down to earth at the end of August but they would only be beaten once in the next six games with three draws keeping them in safe mid-table during September.

It would be two heavy defeats that would, ironically, spark the club into life though as they were beaten 5-2 at home by Gillingham and 4-1 at Southend before going on a superb run of five straight wins in all competitions that included a 3-1 win at League One Chesterfield in the FA Cup. By the end of November and following a 0-0 draw at Port Vale, United were back up in tenth place and really pushing the upper echelons of the division.

Gulls boss Martin Ling

Exit from the FA Cup followed but after a mixed Christmas period, the Gulls were flying again and put together a sequence of seven successive wins, all by a slender margin, to start 2012 with a bang. The first defeat of the calendar year didn’t come until February 18^th against Bradford but even that and another reverse the following week at Gillingham couldn’t keep them from the top seven as things really had begun to click.

March began with back-to-back wins and yet again they were by the odd goal as United proved to be one of the toughest and most organised in the league. They would pick up four more victories in March and after winning 1-0 at Barnet they stood just a point off the top of the table with six games to play. Ling also collected the Manager of the Month award for March to match the one received just two months earlier for his team’s efforts in January. Also celebrating in those months were Mark Ellis (January) and Lee Mansell (March) who picked up the league’s Player of the Month for those respective months.

April, though, proved to be the month that cruelly turned out to be the club’s downfall in terms of going for automatic promotion. A 1-0 win over Accrington on Good Friday would be their last of the league season with just three points taken from the last five games, including a dramatic 3-2 defeat at Hereford on the final day.

Ling is concerned about fatigue creeping into his troops after a demanding season but you get the feeling that the hunger should still be around the club from last season’s final defeat at the hands of Stevenage. As his club prepares to meet Cheltenham Town in the playoffs this time around, Ben Mayhew (@greenwichgull) of top Gulls blog Greenwich Gull gives his thoughts…

Did you expect to be in a playoff position when you started this season?

In all honesty, no. We’d lost our manager and several key players so I’d have been happy with mid-table. Our Board publicly stated that survival was the only criterion for a successful year and I expected that new boss Martin Ling would need some time to adapt. While he did take a few months to get the best out of the team, the way we’ve played since has more than merited our final league position.

What have been the key moments in achieving a playoff spot?

The key moment in a lot of our games has been half time! So often this season we’ve played turgidly for the opening 45, only to re-emerge with almost frightening purpose after the break after a presumably inspirational team talk or deft tactical tweak from Mr Ling. From a timeline perspective, our season pivoted on a dark spell in October where we suffered 3 embarrassing losses in a row. The first was a narrow defeat to 10-man Bradford, followed by a 2-5 hiding at home to Gillingham and then a 4-1 reverse at Southend. That dire sequence obviously triggered something because we went on to lose just 1 of our next 16 league games and have been formidable ever since.

Who have been the key men?

Clichés aside, it really has been a team performance this year, but there are a few whose contributions have been consistently excellent. First of all, Bobby Olejnik has proven himself to be probably the best goalkeeper below the Championship – a genuine hero on countless occasions without whom we’d never have made the play-offs. Another man who at times has single-handedly turned a game is our captain, Lee Mansell, who has added a prodigious amount of goals to his tireless midfield dynamism in a season where our attack has been frustratingly profligate.

Which team would you want to avoid in the final should you make it?

I’d rather avoid Southend as they’ve caused us more problems this season and are the only top 7 side we haven’t beaten. We’ve only taken a point from them, including the aforementioned 1-4 defeat, compared with four points from Crewe who we beat by the same margin at their own ground.

Finally, will you be promoted?!

I know I’m supposed to answer this with a resounding, confident “yes”, but the way we’ve stumbled over the line suggests that our thin, battered squad might not have enough left in the tank to prevail over three more massive games. Our physio has done an excellent job of keeping the players on the pitch, but several have been nursing injuries for a while and the manager has recently aired his concerns around fatigue. However, we’ve got plenty of recent play-off experience compared to the other 3 challengers which could just about give us the edge.

League Two Playoff Special: Southend United

Playoff History: League Two Final Winners 2005, League One beaten Semi-Finalists 2008

Player of the Year: Mark Phillips

Leading Scorer: Ryan Hall (14)

In the first part of a four part series, I take a look at Southend United who are aiming to attempt their 2005 efforts when they saw off the Cobblers in a two legged semi final before beating Lincoln City in the final after extra time…

Heading the playoffs this season is Southend United, who ended the season in the highest place available for the end of season lottery. Usually the team finishing in fourth is labelled as favourites for promotion but only one club, since Southend did it themselves in 2005, has won the League Two playoffs after finishing the season in fourth place. That includes none in the last three seasons with Gillingham (5^th), Dagenham (7^th) and Stevenage (6^th) taking home the glory so there’s no gurantee at all that Paul Sturrock will be the manager celebrating on the hallowed turf of Wembley at the end of the month.

Sturrock worked wonders just to finish in mid-table with the Shrimpers last season having only four professionals in the squad at one point during that pre-season and they started this season with real purpose, winning three of their opening five games and inflicting Port Vale’s first league defeat on them with a 3-2 success at Vale Park to close out the month.

Shrimpers boss Paul Sturrock

The Shrimpers were even better in September and Sturrock was named Manager of the Month with his side winning four, drawing one and losing one in a superb spell that saw them climb to the top of the table with resounding victories away at Rotherham (4-0) and at home to Shrewsbury (3-0).

Form continued to hold through October and November as a thirteen match unbeaten run, finally ended by Cheltenham Town, kept them right in the mix for automatic promotion. It wasn’t just in the league either – the Shrimpers fought through to the area semi-finals of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and past League One side Preston North End after a replay in the FA Cup. That particular run would end at North End’s league rivals Oldham in mid-December, a result sandwiched between two league defeats – the one at Cheltenham and at home to Bradford.

But after ending 2011 with a 4-1 hammering of Wimbledon, United picked up seven points from the opening three games of 2012, including a 5-2 victory at Sixfields that saw Liam Dickinson and Bilel Mohsni both score braces. But as the year fully kicked into gear, there were a few wobbles and Southend were suddenly battling to keep their place in the top three.

A key moment came in the February trip to Sturrock’s former club Plymouth Argyle. With Southend leading 2-0 with just four minutes to go, Argyle hit back to draw 2-2 and that led to a home defeat by Rotherham that left them looking over their shoulders nervously. The inconsistent form continued to play a part in United’s run-in with five wins in twelve games that followed the Plymouth draw.

Eastwood…Southend return

Something was needed to spark the side back into life and it was perfect timing for a returning hero to make his mark. Freddy Eastwood, who score forty nine goals in one hundred and eleven games for the club between 2004 and 2007, signed back on loan from Coventry City and netted his first goal since returning to Roots Hall in a much needed 4-0 win over Cheltenham.

Eastwood scored again in the next home game, a 2-0 victory against Wimbledon but there was still a lot of work to be done if they were to get back into the top three. A late surge saw them put them right in contention, though, and a decent point at Torquay United was followed by back-to-back wins to set up a last day of the season where they could potentially pip Crawley and the Gulls for third spot.

But despite a 2-0 win over relegated Macclesfield Town on Saturday it wasn’t to be as Crawley won their match at Accrington to make it academic and to condemn the Shrimpers to the nerves and drama of the playoffs.

Looking ahead to them is Southend fan Mark Kendrick (@MarkKendrick79) who gives us his thoughts below…

Did you expect to be in a playoff position when you started this season?

I thought with our summer additions like Neil Harris we were on for a top 7 finish. Sturrock has a good record in our league and impressed massively last season despite only takin over the team a few weeks before the season started with four professionals on the books.

What have been the key moments in achieving a playoff spot?

I would say the key moment was our run over September, October and November where we went 18 games without defeat. We looked very solid and getting wins where otherwise we’d drop points.

Who have been the key men?

Having Mark Philips, who was voted player of the season on Saturday, fit this season was like a new signing after spending all last season out injured. He has been like a rock at the back and always caused trouble when venturing up for a corner. Think he got 8 goals this season. Mohsni, who has too much talent to be playing at this level, has been great playing wherever required on the pitch. He has scored some good goals and wound up lots of opposition fans with his erratic behaviour. Just wish he would stay focused all season. Other key men have been Ryan Hall, ever reliable Sean Clohessy, Anthony Grant, Michael Timlin impressed whilst on loan from Swindon and joined perm, Cameron Belford and Freddy Eastwood whose return lifted everyone.

Which team would you want to avoid in the final should you make it?

Torquay. Had a tough 0-0 draw with them a few weeks ago.

Finally, will you be promoted?!

If we carry on this form of 4 wins and a draw with no goals conceded into the playoffs then we can only hope.

NTFC Season In Review 2011/12: August

Bayo…Cobblers return

The 2011/12 season kicked off with the usual sense of optimism heightened by the fact that Gary Johnson had put together what, on paper, looked like a decent squad over the summer. The return of Bayo Akinfenwa along with the other attack minded ‘marquee’ signings of Jake Robinson and Arron Davies gave Sixfields an upbeat and anticipation-filled atmosphere as we prepared for the opening game of the season against Accrington Stanley.

There were other new additions making their debut as well with Ashley Corker, Paul Turnbull, Ashley Westwood and Bas Savage all featuring. But things didn’t quite go to script and it would be a frustrating afternoon as Stanley held out for a goalless draw. A quick turn and shot from Robinson that was cleared off the line was the closest that the Cobblers would come as we had to settle for opening our account with a single point.

Better was to come a few days later though as the love affair with the Carling Cup carried over from last season’s fine run into the Fourth Round. On that occasion it was Ipswich Town that finally brought the run to an end but when we were paired together again for the First Round this season it was Town who came out on top at Portman Road. The victory was made more impressive by the fact that we had to come from behind following Jay Emmanuel-Thomas’ early goal as Ben Tozer levelled and Paul Turnbull turned the game around and saw us through to a Second Round meeting with Wolves at Sixfields.

Westwood…returning hero…for a while anyway!

Back to the league and the momentum from that cup win carried over to the trip to Aldershot with Ashley Westwood heading in inside the opening minute of the game to crown a great start to his own return to the club. A late flurry ensued but we held out for a first three points of the season, making it a decent first week of the campaign.

The first defeat would soon follow though as Bristol Rovers edged the Cobblers out at the Memorial Stadium. Jo Kuffour would begin a season of terrorising the Cobblers by opening the scoring and, after Bayo Akinfenwa had scored his first goal since returning to town in the summer, Matt Harrold stabbed in the winner with fifteen minutes to go.

The early optimism was soon washed away after Cheltenham Town came out from a five goal thriller at Sixfields victorious that Saturday. Darryl Duffy scored, after a controversial decision, from the spot but Arron Davies equalised before the break. Bayo headed in a Lewis Young cross to put us in front but it was the Rubies who would find that extra gear and Duffy got on the end of a cross from former Cobbler Josh Low for 2-2 before Low himself slotted in from just inside the area to seal all three points for his side.

The heroics in the Carling Cup then came to an end with Wolves demolishing the Cobblers 4-0 with Sylvain Ebanks-Blake netting twice either side of a Nenad Milijas strike and Sam Vokes rounding things off with two minutes to go.

The downward turn in fortunes would continue with a third league defeat in a row coming at home to Morecambe thanks to a first half double from Phil Jevons and Laurence Wilson, with Wilson netting from the spot, to earn the Shrimps a fourth league win in a row.

Another cup defeat was the final action on the pitch of the opening month with Huddersfield winning 2-1 at Sixfields in the First Round of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy but it would be off the pitch actions that would provide the biggest talking points.

Harrad…on his way

Shaun Harrad hadn’t played for the club so far after a summer injury kept him out of the early part of the action. Rumours then started to circulate that it was actually Gary Johnson keeping him out of the squad for the past couple of weeks out of choice and that Harrad – last season’s top scorer – would soon be sold. Those rumours came to fruition on a deadline day to forget for the Cobblers. Harrad was sold to League One Bury and made his debut against Sheffield United a few days later.

With a need for goals and spark up front, it was a ludicrous move and started what would become a long and drawn out end for Gary Johnson as he would further distance himself from the supporters during the next two months…

Highlight of the Month: Victory at Ipswich Town in the Carling Cup

Lowlight of the Month: Shaun Harrad’s exit

Player of the Month: The returning Bayo Akinfenwa

Cobblers round off with draw thanks to Bayo’s header

Bayo – 18th goal of the season

Rotherham United 1-1 Northampton Town

It’s been tough watching the Football League show this morning. Not just because it’s the last time we get to see the mighty Cobblers play this season but because of the celebrations up and down the country as clubs celebrate promotions or clinching a last ditch place in the playoffs. All this as the Cobblers are playing out a tepid draw at a an athletics track equated to a season finale that could have been completely glossed over had it not been for a dramatic late equaliser from Bayo Akinfenwa.

The big man headed in with one of the last touches of the game and mirrored his stoppage time leveller against Bury in his last season closer for the Cobblers two years ago against Bury at Sixfields. On that occasion we were begging him to stay as his contract came to an end but we at least have the knowledge that the striker is under contract for another year. That doesn’t mean he won’t still have his suitors this summer but hopefully his biggest ever league tally will encourage him enough that Aidy Boothroyd can get even more from him next term.

For Rotherham, even a win wouldn’t have been enough to get them into the playoffs and the game seemed to drift after they took the lead through Alex Revell barring a disallowed Lewis Grabban ‘goal’.

Cue an earlier than usual gathering of home fans ready for the inevitable pitch invasion as the home fans prepared themselves to say their farewells to the Don Valley Stadium. Both sets of fans would have been united in saying it would be good riddance to an arena that really doesn’t suit the atmosphere of League Two.

The Cobblers signed off in style at least and we can go into our summer break relatively happy after another relegation fright in the second half of the season. After the mess of Gary Johnson came the calm and the assurance of the start of the Boothroyd era and the summer speculation, debate and rumours can now begin.

For me it’s good timing…a few weeks ago we didn’t want it to end but after a few dragging weeks to finish things off now is the time to regroup, get the right players in and the right players out and get ready for August. Perhaps by this time next season, maybe just maybe we could be celebrating something other than survival.

Let the summer begin!

(By the way, stay tuned into the blog in the coming weeks as I bring you some playoff previews, season in review and all the up to date transfer news from around Sixfields and League Two!)