Redemption for van Veen but Town pegged back again

Northampton Town 2-2 Cambridge United

Saturday 18 August 2018

There are two ways you can look at this latest frustrating stumbling block to the start of the Cobblers’ season – either it was a swashbuckling adventure capped by a rejuvenated striker or evidence that our back line is still not 100% recovered from some of the trauma of the last campaign.

Cambridge United came to Sixfields having had a mixed bag of results so far with the one constant being a leaky defence that would have given Dean Austin hope of seeing Kevin van Veen and Andy Williams fill their boots. The Dutchman, who gave a frank and honest interview this week about his personal struggles since joining in January, did just that in a second half display that worked to give us hope that we finally have that twenty goal striker in our midst and to signal the start of his own redemption story.

This was, though, to be a tale of both ends of the pitch cancelling each other out and leaving Austin and the 5,000 or so Cobblers fans in attendance rueing missed opportunities and the inability to close the game out.

It was a fairly subdued Sixfields that welcomed the teams with the novelty of the start of the season giving way to the realisation that this is going to be a real work in progress. With John-Joe O’Toole not ready to start and Shaun McWilliams still missing it was down to Sam Foley to plug the hole in midfield in a 4-4-2 starting line-up.

Town began by using the width well, particularly on the right as Sam Hoskins saw more of the ball than Dan Powell on the opposite flank but the final ball or shot just wasn’t coming off. Frustration was growing in the stands as chances came and went through van Veen, Williams and Matt Crooks, who had the clearest cut of the chances but side footed wide.

There was always the worry that Cambridge could catch us with a sucker punch in the manner in which Lincoln did on the opening day and Jabo Ibehre had a header cleared off the line by David Buchanan late in the half.

Then came a moment in front of the home fans that van Veen had been waiting for. After shooting just wide at the start of the second half, van Veen was found in the area by Powell and he hammered a shot into the net and in one moment may well have started a wave of positivity towards him from the stands. Seconds later and the Dutchman was chasing down his man and crunching into a challenge. He looked like a man reborn.

There was to be a bittersweet feeling hanging over proceedings, though, as the Cobblers didn’t clear their lines well enough from a United attack and George Maris side footed in for the first of two frustrating equalisers.

As the match stretched, van Veen announced that he wasn’t finished as he chased a ball down, controlled well and hammered in yet another beauty for 2-1. The emotion again came pouring out of the big man in his celebrations and the perfect story would have seen him take home all of the match day glory.

But it was a Cobbler of the past and not the future who had the last laugh of a pulsating second half. Gary Deegan never once looked like firing a shot into the top corner during his time at Sixfields but he did just that with three minutes to go to earn his U’s side a point.

It was another lesson in what happens when you don’t close out a game or concentrate for the full ninety minutes and there still seems to be a few issues about sealing a win hanging over from last season. Patches of the game were lost to long, lost passes and we gave the ball away too cheaply on far too many occasions.

The attacking intent should mean that we score a lot of goals this season and if we can take more of the chances we create this could be a very exciting Cobblers team to watch. I’m convinced that it will come with a couple of wins that boost the confidence and maybe even a scrappy success that gives belief to us defensively.

In van Veen, it’s clear that if we keep him motivated we have one heck of a player on our hands for this level. His size can sometime deceive how good he can be with the ball at his feet and his two goals today and header at Carlisle are evidence that he can score all sorts of goals. I’ve been the most guilty of slating the big man for not appearing up for the fight and will be the happiest to admit my mistake at the end of the season if this form continues. Now is the time to give van Veen the fresh start he needs to rewrite his Sixfields history.

Matt Crooks is another who again showed his ability to take control of games at this level. He was immense once again and has the potential to run everything in midfield.

We clearly need work on building the confidence at the back and trusting our ability to play on the floor and this will hopefully come in the next few weeks. Don’t forget previous promotion campaigns (and even the championship winning season) started slowly.

There’s a quick turnaround to the trip to Morecambe on Tuesday night with the Shrimps without a point from their three games so far. That kind of fact usually sends shivers down a Cobblers fans’ spine but it’s a massive chance to get off the mark in the wins column.

With a rejuvenated striker, the return to fitness of Junior Morias (the summer signing played the final twenty minutes today) and chances being created by the bucket load it surely can’t be long…

Slow start but promising signs for Cobblers

It’s not been the barnstorming start that we wanted in our return to League Two – with two games down the Cobblers have collected just a solitary point – but considering the way in which the fixtures have fallen Dean Austin should still have plenty to be encouraged by in these early knockings of the campaign.

The opening day saw Lincoln come and do a job on us and welcomed us back to League Two by producing an away performance that Danny Cowley would have been delighted with. The Imps came to Sixfields to be physical and outmuscle Town with their height and power key in their victory. The Cobblers started brightly and could well have had an early lead but Shaun McWilliams’ withdrawal through injury seemed to shake our flow and broke up a midfield trio involving himself, John-Joe O’Toole and Matt Crooks that had the right balance to take control of the centre of the park.

It was perhaps the wrong move from Austin to replace McWilliams not with the strength of Sam Foley but with the more technical Jack Bridge but we still created enough to win the game, let alone claw back a draw. We ended up with neither thanks to a sucker punch from Matt Green who got on the end of a cross from the right to nod in the only goal of the game. The Cobblers could have had three or four thanks to some clear opportunities going begging for Dan Powell, Sam Hoskins and Andy Williams but the positive news from the first game was that chances were being created and forwards were breaking through a tough Lincoln backline who will keep out plenty of League Two sides this season.

It all felt like a little bit of a false start but it wasn’t an awful performance by any means against one of the favourites for promotion. The absence of Junior Morias, still not up to speed thanks to a slight knock, didn’t help and the striker was again missing for Saturday’s long trek up to Carlisle.

Transfer deadline day came and went and it was a case of no news is good news as the clock ticked on with no departures. There were a few nibbles of a rumour about Crooks leaving but nothing materialised and we go with what we have pending any loan moves in the next couple of weeks.

Ironically, two of those at the top of the rumoured departures list, Crooks and Kevin van Veen, both found the net at Brunton Park in what should go down as a good point taken from Cumbria on Saturday as long as we can build on it next Saturday back at Sixfields.

Both goals were well taken by the Town men with van Veen nodding in to level following Jamie Devitt’s opener for the Cumbrians and Crooks getting on the end of a good move and pass from Sam Hoskins. It was a case of lacking concentration from the off though as United hit back to grab a point straight away thanks to former Cobblers loanee Hallam Hope.

With the McWIlliams injury news not as bad as first thought and the likes of Morias and Shay Facey to come in there’s reason to think that Town have plenty still in the locker ahead of a busy few weeks of league and cup action. Victory on Saturday at home to Cambridge would be very welcome!

 

Waters stakes claim in final friendly win

There was a final chance for Dean Austin to cast his eye over the majority of players who missed Tuesday’s friendly win over Barnet as a young Manchester United XI came to town last night. It was a completely new starting eleven taking to the field looking to impress one final time before the big kick off with academy players and youth team prodigies including Jay Williams, Camron McWilliams and James Goff taking to the field alongside returning fringe players.

On a quiet evening for the most part, the more encouraging take away points were set to be the performances of the three young lads at the back who all put in a really assured outings without being truly stretched by a United side who were behind the Cobblers in terms of their pre-season preparation, a fact that was apparent for most of the evening.

Goff didn’t have a lot to worry about in goal but still seems a good, solid prospect who didn’t look out of place in the slightest. The same can be said of Williams at centre-back and of McWilliams, brother of Shaun, who was excellent at right back and may even give Shay Facey and Hakeen Odoffin something to think about during the coming months.

In a game of few chances, it was Billy Waters who again grabbed a chance to impress with both hands. It was another terrific and energised performance from the man who came off the bench to score that wonderful goal on Tuesday night with the former Cheltenham man putting his marker on both goals.

The first involved good hold up play from Kevin van Veen to tee up Waters who drilled in a low shot into the corner of the net from just inside the area. If that goal highlighted his finishing prowess, it was the other side of his game – the harrying, tenacious side – that helped to make the second. Waters battled for the ball on the left, made a darting run and linked up well with van Veen and Morgan Roberts – another impressive young talent who came off the bench – before seeing a half chance cleared. The ball was kept alive on the opposite flank and Dan Powell put in a pin point cross for van Veen to meet with a headed effort for 2-0.

The Dutchman didn’t do himself any favours at the end of last season since joining to a whole load of hype and there are still doubts as to whether he’s befitting of a starting place in a Cobblers side drilled by Austin to press but the goal should do his confidence no harm. He grew into the match after a patchy first half and his hold up play at times was excellent. The quality that van Veen possesses is clear and that’s why Town fans get so frustrated when it’s not on show.

Elsewhere, John-Joe O’Toole returned from compassionate leave and did a solid enough job in the middle of the park with Sam Foley while Dean Bowditch got his first proper run-out for months in the first half. Powell did enough to put himself into Austin’s thinking but after a good pre-season run all round for this Cobblers squad it would seem that there are plenty of options.

With a week to go until the season kicks off it’s all about trying to keep hold of what we have and there’s been much talk about which players may or may not leave. The simple fact, reiterated by Austin and Kelvin Thomas, is that we don’t need to sell and players will only leave at the right price. It’ll be a nervy couple of weeks before the window closes on August 9 but over the two friendlies this week there was not one member of the squad that you could say was not playing for his manager or giving the games their full energy and attention.

Coming in the other way is goalkeeper Lewis Ward, on loan from Reading, whose arrival was confirmed at the end of last night’s game. On first viewing he seems a real presence and had an outstanding spell in the National League with Aldershot so this is the next natural stage for the 21-year-old.

I’m more certain than I was a week ago that we’re near enough there on the signings front and while another winger would be useful, the options around the squad, as long as its kept together, should provide enough depth to keep us going. And with the amount of talent coming through the ranks at Sixfields, the future looks to be extremely bright.

Cobblers show signs of promise as Bees are swept aside

There are few things you want from a pre-season friendly and the first of the two on home soil that took place last night gave us most of the desired outcomes:

• Minutes on the pitch/no injuries
• Glimpses of young talent
• New signings to show their worth
• A sign of a shape and way of playing
• Hope for the start of the season

A comfortable victory is, of course a welcome bonus, and the Cobblers created enough to get a result as well as a decent performance against a Barnet side just relegated from the division in which we now inhabit. The friendly was set up so that we could test ourselves against the type of side that we’ll come up against in League Two and it was very much job done by the end of the night.

We will, of course, have sterner tests in the coming weeks but Dean Austin’s men, appearing in front of the Sixfields crowd for the first time this summer, stuck to their tasks, put in the levels of energy and determination we know their manager asks for and scored some very well worked goals for good measure.

The fact that Austin named just five substitutes and left out recent signing Junior Morias as well as the likes of Sam Foley, Dean Bowditch, Jordan Turnbull, Dan Powell and Kevin van Veen caused one or two murmurings before kick off but as we play again against a “Manchester United XI” (Hi Regan Poole, how’re you doing?!) on Friday it’s understandable to spread out the squad. John-Joe O’Toole was away on compassionate leave while Shay Facey was nursing a slight knock but both could be back in the fray for the final friendly.

NTFC Starting XI: David Cornell, Hakeem Odoffin, David Buchanan, Ash Taylor, Aaron Pierre, Sean Whaler, Matt Crooks, Shaun McWilliams, Jack Bridge, Sam Hoskins, Andy Williams

Young Shaun Whaler started at right midfield and put in an excellent shift. It was the first time I’d seen him in action and there’s definite promise there – Whaler looks to be a technically gifted operator and earned a big ovation from the 850 or so Cobblers fans in attendance when he came off with cramp late on.

Elsewhere, the combination in middle of Crooks and McWilliams was impressive. I’m convinced that McWilliams has the brightest future of any Cobblers youth team graduates that have come through in recent seasons and must now be one of the first names on the team sheet for Austin. Crooks, another huge presence, will tear some League Two defences apart if he sets his mind to it and gets himself motivated enough. The pair bossed the midfield all night and created an excellent balance to the middle of the park.

Andy Williams’ presence in the squad can’t go unrecognised. He looks to be a fine piece of business and has the know how to be in the right place at the right time, highlighted by his headed opener mid-way through the first half.

Alongside him, Sam Hoskins was his usual busy self and, after setting up the Williams goal, took his chance to make it 2-0. Crooks’ pass was sublime and Hoskins finished well across the visiting keeper Mark Cousins.

All pretty rosy, then, as we headed to the break following Williams smashing the bar in search for number three with the visitors fading after a decent enough start. Odoffin was having a few problems early on down his side but settled into the game and Barnet struggled to cause much more damage in the final third.

The second half saw Town create more opportunities as Crooks followed Williams in hitting the bar and Hoskins wasting a crossing opportunity when well placed. Then there was Billy Waters.

The striker, subject of much speculation, came off the bench late on and just minutes later collected the ball on the left hand side, controlled well and absolutely hammered a shot into the top corner in off the post. Waters has had a good pre-season and my thoughts are that we should hold on to a player who can give us this kind of spark. We haven’t seen it enough, mostly due to lack of opportunity, but you’d think he’s the exact type of player Austin likes and can change a game in a flash if given the chance.

The best thing you could say about the team is that they know what they’re doing, know how they’re going to play and know the levels of commitment Austin expects. That really is half the job at this stage and if we can add another winger to provide competition along with a new number one goalkeeper then we’ll be ready.

One to go before the real action kicks in!

 

The record goes but the spirit remains…

The Cobblers’ long 31 game unbeaten record may have been put to the sword a couple of weeks ago at Chesterfield but what was evident during the following glamour tie with Manchester United, in the 4-0 hammering of Southend United and at Swindon last night is that the spirit that took them to that point is still very much alive and well.

Rob Page continues to mould a team that’s organised, together and able to play in a number of different ways, all equalling a start to the season that none of us could have honestly predicted back in August.

Last night at the County Ground, Town needed to come at the game differently and did just that by producing one of the most composed performances of the season so far. Pressure had to be soaked up, individual duals had to be won and chances had to be taken when they came around. All three tests were passed with flying colours and the first league win of the season was brilliantly acheived.

Town were set up to soak up the possession based style brought in by Swindon boss Luke Williams over the last few months and had to endure long periods of the Robins having the ball, quickly picking them off and breaking whenever we had the chance. The first of these moments came when Paul Anderson was given the ball on the left and he produced a sublime piece of skill to beat his man, cut in and cross for Harry Beautyman – a reported summer target for Swindon – to tap home early on.

That gave us a platform to build on and the home side had to come out and it left gaps in their line up to exploit. For the most part, though, Town had plenty of defending to do and Jonathon Obika forced Adam Smith into his first bit of work of the evening before a scramble of epic proportions saw Smith make a fine double save and then the Cobblers defence blocked a couple of rebounds that looked destined to nestle into the net.

Obika had another chance just before the break but fired over the bar when sent through on goal and it seemed like the luck was with us with a much needed half-time whistle to settle the nerves and give us a chance to recuperate.

There was more of the same to come, though, and it was no real surprise when the Robins equalised on the hour mark when substitute Sean Murray fired home from distance. It seemed that we would be hanging on for a point until Page changed things up with Kenji Gorre and JJ Hooper summoned from the bench. Fair play to the Cobblers boss for making positive changes and not just shutting up shop and trying to hold out for a point…it would end up working superbly in his favour.

There was fifteen minutes to go when we won a corner on the right and Matty Taylor produced a trademark set piece that John-Joe O’Toole met with a majestic header to send the 400 or so travelling support wild. It was out of the blue but encapsulated the heart of this Cobblers side. O’Toole’s cult status is rising by the week and that it was he who nodded in made it that bit more special.

A dangerous looking Swindon free kick came and went just a couple of minutes later and it was the Cobblers who sealed the win thanks to a fantastic breakaway goal. There may well have been a foul in the build-up on the half way line but you have to play to the whistle and Hooper did exactly that, picking the ball up, running with it and sending in a cross that Alex Revell dummied for Gorre to meet with a controlled finish that put the cherry on top of a terrific battling performance.

Gorre is growing in confidence and needed that goal more than most in this Cobblers side – there’s definitely a raw talent in there and the end product will hopefully come. Page probably did the best thing in taking him out of the immediate firing line of the starting eleven and his place as an impact substitute could be just what he needs right now.

All in all a perfect away performance from the Cobblers and we’re now, incredibly, up to fourth in League One. The ten game marker has been laid down and a record of four wins, five draws and just that one defeat is a magnificent return. We’ve responded to the first league defeat of 2016 in style and it sets us up for a very interesting autumn.

There’s still nothing in League One that I’ve seen to worry us and Page seems to have retained some of the best qualities of last season’s championship winning squad even though some of the key personnel moved on.

We’re only just getting started and Northampton Town are still riding this ridiculous wave of positivity. League One, you have been warned…

Identity coming through for Page’s Cobblers

After a collection of draws that clouded the view of the opening month of this season, the Cobblers are up and running and suddenly the questions that were asked about this new look squad are being answered with back to back home wins that give us a bit of space to breath. Rob Page has begun to stamp his identity on the squad and the results are a hardworking, resilient and gutsy outfit that could well start to make League One stand up and take notice.

The spotlight has well and truly been on the club ever since the League Cup win over West Bromwich Albion and the subsequent draw that saw us paired with some jokers from Old Trafford. The televised game against MK Dons shone the spotlight further ahead of that tie but, more importantly in the long term, gave us a platform on the pitch that shouldn’t be underestimated.

Storming into that three goal lead against Milton Keynes was as unexpected as it was desperately needed with a formerly reserved Town side coming to life. It stunned the visitors and the season was ignited with an ease that made you wonder what all the fuss was about from the end of the transfer window when just one deadline day deal made us collectively mop our brows for the coming months. Nerves were jangling and a sense of “Here we go” crept in when Dons made it 3-1 too easily before the break but I thought we managed the game superbly in the second half and Samir Curruthers’ late strike for 3-2 didn’t do too much damage to morale as that first win of the season was gratefully tied up.

After that came a much needed week of rest – it had been a relentless opening month of games every few days – and Page would have been delighted to get a full midweek to gather his thoughts ahead of Saturday’s encounter with Walsall, where the good work was continued.

The Saddlers were surprisingly toothless after a 2015/16 season that saw them come so close to automatic promotion. Town came out of the blocks with confidence once again and Matty Taylor’s second goal in two games was almost a carbon copy of the one he provided for Alex Revell six days earlier. A few missed chances later, though, and we were left with worries of the early season form that saw us throw away 1-0 leads three times.

This time, though, lessons were learned and the second half saw the Cobblers become the more likely to add to the score and when Scott Laird handled ten minutes from time, Revell was clinical from the spot and that was well and truly that for another huge three points that came about much more comfortably than it could have done.

Revell is the man of the moment and his energy has been absolutely remarkable for a thirty three year old who was thought of as more of a provider of goals when he came in during the summer. He certainly is that but he’s also a warrior that epitomises what Page is trying to do here. Not since the likes of Neil Grayson and Scott McGleish have I seen someone leading the line with this much desire and will to win and that is extremely high praise. Revell is someone who Cobblers fans will quickly grow to love – he’ll get people off their seats, not for particular skill or turn of pace but for the effort and heart he puts in to each and every game.

It’s starting to rub off on the rest of the team as well – Lewin Nyatanga has taken his chance in the absence of Gabriel Zakuani whilst Jak McCourt is doing plenty of unnoticed work in midfield, keeping out player of the year John-Joe O’Toole who was available after suspension yesterday. Matty Taylor could also be set to become this seasons’ Ian Taylor in the veteran midfield role.

All in all we’re really starting to fire and now the challenge is consistency and to take this swashbuckling type of performance on the road with the trip to Chesterfield next week another big test of the now 31 game unbeaten league run (we can start to count these games now we’re winning rather than drawing!)

Rob Page has quietly gone about his job but many more results and performances like these two and the Cobblers may yet start to make a lot more noise in League One than any of us had imagined.

The relentless charge goes on…

O’ Toole – brace

After what could constitute a Cobblers ‘slump’ with back to back draws against Hartlepool and Wimbledon, Town returned to their extraordinary and swashbuckling ways yesterday at the end of what could have been another massively tough afternoon. There’s simply no stopping us and the way in which we tore apart a Carlisle side that still have promotion ambitions of their own was another message sent to League Two.

It was also a message returned back to Keith Curle, the United manager, who had expressed shock during the week that we were the runaway leaders and in return got full proof sent straight back at him. Curle, serially bothered by Northampton Town, will now be left ruing the fact that he wrote the team talk for the Cobblers players ahead of the game.

It was another performance of high quality from Town who simply stepped up a gear in the second half when the home side threatened to fight back. The Cobblers had taken the lead through a John Marquis flicked header and a John Joe O’Toole effort before former loanee Hallam Hope halved the deficit. It’s a measure of just how far we’ve come this season that rather than give in to usual Cobblers law of conceding again and going on to lose that we just picked things up again to ram home three more crucial points.

Ricky Holmes set up O’Toole for his brace before James Collins wrapped things up in style for a resounding victory to reward the 457 Cobblers fans who had made the long journey north. The trip home would become even more celebratory as news trickled in of second place Oxford and third placed Plymouth drawing with one another and of Accrington dropping points at Wimbledon to leave us thirteen points clear at the top and a gigantic twenty one clear of Stanley in fourth.

Games in hand are yet to be played including all four sides currently occupying playoff places squaring off against each other on Tuesday night but even so the gap is now surely insurmountable enough for us to start planning for League One football. It’s now got to be a case of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ we’ll be promoted and attention will soon be turned to the title race which is still going to give us a big challenge. Chris Wilder isn’t the type of manager to let standards slip and though there must surely be a big celebration coming up in the next month or so he’ll keep feet well and truly on the ground.

For the supporters who have been rock solid throughout the troubles off the field in the first half of the season, taking the rough alongside the smooth, this is all the biggest possible reward. Pride just doesn’t seem a big enough word to some this all up at the moment but we are edging close to getting that single letter in front of our name on the league table that would mean everything…P.

A Perfect Ten!

There’s just no stopping the Cobblers and a relentless run towards League One. Victory at York City on Tuesday night was the TENTH in a row and shot us to twelve points clear of Plymouth in second place, making this sequence mean more and more by the game. The latest chapter on the path to glory meant that a quick fire double was recorded against the Minstermen and it was again a fully deserved reward for an accomplished away performance.

At this stage of the season, teams are either fighting for their lives, gunning for promotion or standing an outside chance of the playoffs with not many sides having nothing to play for. York well and truly fall into the first category and we know first-hand how much of a struggle it can be to play against teams battling for their lives – we were one of them a couple of years ago.

So it was never a formality by any means as we headed north, backed by an impressive following of over 400. Those hardy souls came back fully rewarded while disbelief of what’s happening this season again spread across the country. More records are down – that’s the eighth away win in a row for Town – and there just seems to be immense levels of quality and togetherness roaring through this squad.

Losing Marc Richards, Town’s top scorer, would usually be a disaster at this stage of the season. Instead, John Marquis was brought in on loan and he put in a heck of a shift at Bootham Crescent including a (re)debut goal. John-Joe O’Toole missed out through injury…again a big loss on the basis of the last few months but Jason Taylor came in and was a rock in front of the back four alongside Danny Rose. Ricky Holmes was rested and started on the bench but the Cobblers still had attacking guile in abundance. The squad is as good as I’ve seen since I started watching us in the early nineties, the football we’re playing is a terrific blend of heart, commitment and pass and move action and we just feel like we’re going to score in every game.

James Collins grabbed another for his growing tally on Tuesday night and he’s another that’s come in and slotted seamlessly in to a system that’s been perfectly drilled by the management team that’s starting to etch their names in history.

Chris Wilder and Alan Knill deserve so much credit for this season but they’re both still very business-like in their approach to the media. There’s no hyperbole about them, no expectations coming from their interviews and you can tell that the ship is hugely tight. If we can hold on for a few more games, the first bottles of champagne can be popped.

Nothing is ever set in stone until points are on the board but this is close as we’ll ever get with 16 games to go to being so positive that we’re going up. Whether we’ll do that as champions is another matter but there really is now no reason why we shouldn’t be adjusting our dreams to include the lifting of silverware – something that a generation of Cobblers fans have never seen.

Long, long, long may this continue…the punch marks on my body are growing by the week but what a ride this is!

Record Breakers

Another game, another win, another milestone passed. Saturday afternoon saw the Cobblers move to TEN points clear of closest challengers Plymouth Argyle and this dream season is showing absolutely no sign of letting up. Wycombe, and in particular Gareth Ainsworth, would have come into the game licking their lips at the prospect of spoiling our best run of wins since the sixties and though they came mightily close to coming away with something there was no stopping a Town side who are sparring with the very best.

Before the trio of games with Orient, Oxford and Wycombe I said I’d take a five point haul – the fact we’ve got nine adds even more disbelief to a season that’s likely to be spoken of for years and years in the future.

Wycombe were set up to both frustrate and to catch us out at the back through dangerous set pieces but Town stepped up to the challenge once more.

The big news before the game was that of Marc Richard’s Achilles injury and seeing the top scorer limping around the West Stand in an air boot during the game wasn’t a promising sight. Such is the strength of the Cobblers squad, though, that James Collins moving forwards with Nicky Adams coming into one of the three attacking midfield positions didn’t make us look too much more depleted.

The first half will be mainly remembered for one of the more blatant penalty shouts being turned down as the impressive Lee Martin was clipped on the six yard line by a Wanderers defender. Referee Graham Salisbury blew up but stunned the entire ground by pointing the opposite way and booking the Town man for a dive. Why he would have even contemplate going down in that position is beyond me and it was a massive error from the man in black that could have been hugely costly.

There were chances at both ends after that with a Wycombe cross flashing past the Cobblers six yard box and John-Joe O’Toole being denied from close range at the other end but it was all square at the break.

The second half began with a flurry of Cobblers chances and the pace was well and truly stepped up. The visitors looked more and more like a team hoping to cling on to a point and when Collins missed a couple of good chances and Ricky Holmes flashed a shot over it looked like they may just get it.

But just after the hour, Holmes combined well with Martin on the right and crossed for Collins to lay off for Danny Rose to finish well into the corner of the net and Sixfields erupted at the prospect of that club record ninth successive win.

Anthony Stewart came closest to bagging Wycombe an equaliser as his shot from distance was well palmed away by Adam Smith but though the nerves were jangling late on there was nothing else to threaten the latest victory being snatched away from us.

It’s the first time I’ve seen us live in a couple of months and it’s a genuine privilege these days. To see a Northampton Town side that’s equal part genuine quality mixed with absolute heart and desire is a joy to see. Every one of those players from ‘Concrete Rod’ and the unfillable Adam Smith at the back to Holmes – without doubt one of the best players I’ve ever seen don the claret –, Martin and Collins, and all around them in the squad and the bench is giving everything they have to the cause of not just gaining promotion but blowing away everyone in their path.

You can feel a change around Sixfields. There’s optimism, there’s appreciation and there’s a togetherness and bond between the fans and players that’s not been apparent for many a year. Simply everything at the club has come together and it gives us all a huge sense of pride once more in our town’s football club.

The records keep falling at our feet and this outrageous season goes on and on…

—————————————————————————————————————————–

After the disappointing news on Rico – he’ll be out for at least four weeks – came the resigning of John Marquis this afternoon. Wilder seems to have an emergency fund to cover injuries and this is a fantastic piece of business once again. Rico’s finishing will be missed but I was really impressed with Marquis during his first stint here a couple of years ago so hopefully as long as we keep making the chances his introduction will be seamless.

Another giant leap – it’s EIGHT not out!

EIGHT points clear. EIGHT wins in a row.

I sit here tonight speechless once again. The Cobblers have just beaten Oxford United 1-0 in a season defining result that takes us to completely new heights. It’s now EIGHT wins in a row in League Two. It’s back to back wins against two genuine promotion rivals. It goes against everything that we know as Cobblers fans and I almost don’t know how to respond, such is the rarity of this form!

Just as we did on Saturday, we rode our luck on a few occasions but once Marc Richards smashed home the winner from the spot at the Kassam there was something to cling on to, another three points to protect and the prospect of extending a huge gap between ourselves and fourth spot hanging like the juiciest of carrots.

The strength shown in defending that lead was admirable but also, in part, standard and epitomised a Cobblers side that is as resolute as it is skilful and as tough as it is flashy. It’s stuff of champions, and even I have to admit it now – we can start dreaming of not only promotion but of lifting the League Two title in May. What an absolutely incredible season this is.

I keep saying that it has to end somewhere, that the run will surely come a cropper eventually but this formidable side just keeps defying all Cobblers logic to batter League Two into submission time and time again. What we’re witnessing is close to being a season that’s etched in history in the same bracket as 1986/87 and that 99 point classic campaign. It’s once in a generation stuff.

We’re now on the brink of a bit of history after equalling the club record of successive league wins. One more against Wycombe on Saturday and we’ll be over that line into the history books. Gareth Ainsworth and his side would relish being the ones to break the run but we really should fear no-one right now.

As we look towards the final third of the season, we have to take this all in and enjoy watching this group of players that dragged us out of desperation in November and have set the league alight ever since.

This is utter, utter madness but it’s there to be savoured. It’s another hugely proud night, another one to savour. A few more and League One will start to beckon.

Get the champagne on ice…