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Northampton Boxing Day preview

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Northampton Boxing Day preview

Postby Sweden Stag » Fri Dec 23, 2022 8:09 pm

Following the postponement of the Grimsby home game last weekend, the Stags are at headquarters on Boxing Day. And the opponents are the side which the Stags beat in the playoff semifinals (both watched by the previewer) and the one involved in a home record-breaker a month earlier, namely Northampton Town.

And the Cobblers quickly rearranged their own postponed home fixture last weekend as Carlisle United were beaten at Sixfields a few days ago.

While the Stags are inside the playoff zone by the time of previewing, Northampton Town sit in the automatics having lost only once on the road so far, and that was at Walsall in early October.

Last time out in the League, an Oli Hawkins strike changed the Stags’ record books as it was enough to seal the Stags’ eleventh consecutive victory, breaking a record set in 1949 but then spread over two seasons.

Last season, both sides were chasing promotion but ended up in the playoffs. This season, not unexpectedly, has seen a similar story for both sides, Stags currently in playoffs, Cobblers currently in automatics.

In the 2018-19 season, the Cobblers were routed to a heavy 4-0 scoreline at One Call. That heavy reverse had consequenses as the Cobblers axed their manager Dean Austin with immediate effect after the rout. He was replaced by Keith Curle, who has now managed against the Stags for nine consecutive seasons, after four at Carlisle, incidentally starting at Mansfield in September 2014, as he became Oldham boss days after his sacking at Northampton. But Curle, who last season left Oldham and managed Hartlepool against the Stags earlier this season days after his appointment there, was not the first ex-Stags boss to manage Northampton against the Stags in preview history. Previous ones were Colin Calderwood, Adrian Boothroyd and the late Andy King, the first two also former Stags players.

Here are some memorable Stags v Cobblers games:

* November 19, 1938. The Stags scored one-third of all their away League goals in the 1938-39 season by recording the first-ever away win in Cobblers Country to the tune of 4-3 and three strikes from Somerfield and one from Dutton in front of 8,774

* April 29, 1961. The Stags needed to win to have the chance to avoid re-election against an already promoted Northampton side that went on to play their only season at the highest level in 1965-66, then to be the first side to slide back to the basement at the end of the Stags great FA Cup season in 1968-69. The Stags won 4-2 in front of 4872, Ken Wagstaff netting twice, Delapenha and Jones one apiece.

* May 7, 1977. The Stags last home game and the last one overall for the Cobblers. The Stags had already secured promotion and the Cobblers needed to smash the Stags unbeaten home record to have any chance to stay up and needing Reading and Portsmouth to drop points in their remaining fixtures. None of the Cobblers’ wishes came true as the Stags attended by 11,314 comfortably stuffed Northampton 3-0 due to goals from Bird, Moss and McEwan.

* April 24, 1990. Mansfield were seeking revenge for their only second home defeat against the Cobblers and gained a very vital win to secure their division 3 status and condemning the Cobblers to relegation due to goals from Trevor Christie and Mark Kearney in front of a paltry 2119 crowd.

* The 2-1 victory at County Ground on November 5, 1991 was the last in a sequence of seven consecutive away wins, the run starting at Chesterfield of all venues on August 31. 2181 at County Ground on Guy Fawkes’ day 1991 witnessed an Angus og and Greg Fee strike for the Stags, while Adcock netted for the Cobblers that night.

The 2020 victory was the first Stags FL one at Northampton since a 3-0 rout on November 29, 2003. More on that game in the match centre. Then, the Cobblers were closer to the drop zone than the playoff one under then manager Colin Calderwood.

A quick glance at the stats show that the sides played on a Saturday April 2 before last season. This happened at County Ground during the latter part of the 1982-83 Division Four campaign. Then, the Stags felled the Cobblers to a 2-1 scoreline courtesy of Stags two goals netted by Dave Caldwell.

The teams faced each other in the final league game at Field Mill in each of the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons. And immediately after the 2003-04 final league game, the teams faced each other again in the playoff semi-finals. First, the Stags won 2-0 at Sixfields, when the Mendes goal halfway through the second half finally put the game beyond the Cobblers’ reach and Northampton then had to score first in the return if they were to get back in the Cardiff reckoning. They did so and were even 3-0 up at one stage before Curtis pulled one back for the Stags.

As the away-goals ruling did not count in the playoffs, the tie in front of a bumper 9243 crowd went into extra time, and then penalties! From the spot, the Stags converted all five while Pilkington saved Northampton’s fourth, a well-taken Sabin one to pull the Stags through to the playoffs finals. It was one of the previewer’s longest nights as a Stags fan! It was a historical play offs drama, to say the least. And this meant that the Stags have gone through in ALL games bar one, an FA Cup 1st round game at Northampton in 1946-47, at knockout stages against the Cobblers!

Last season’s playoff games both went in Stags favour, both watched by the previewer.

Only on three occasions have Northampton won a League fixture at Mansfield, the first one in the 1968-69 campaign. But the Cobblers lost eleven consecutive league fixtures at Field Mill, as One Call Stadium was called then to a scoreline of 26 for, just 3 against, from the opening day of the 1972-73 Division Four season up to the opening day of the 1988-89 campaign when the Cobblers managed a 1-1 draw.

During the last half-century, the sides have played each other quite frequently at current League One and League Two level. Since becoming the first club to rise from current League Two level to the highest one and back to the basement within just eight years, the Cobblers have never managed more than three consecutive seasons at current League One level. Since 1969, the Cobblers have been relegated from current League One on no fewer than seven occasions (1977, 1990, 1999, 2003, 2009, 2018 and 2021) while Northampton have been promoted on a few occasions as well, including scoring 103 in 1986-87.

Another interesting fact is that both clubs have had a Dave Smith as manager, the Stags between 1974 and 1976, while the Cobblers had a Dave Smith in the hot seat between 1954 and 1959. Recent Burnley manager, Sean Dyche, played for the Cobblers in both fixtures against the Stags during the 2005-06 campaign.

And even some persons highly involved in the first-ever promotion for Östersunds FK into the Swedish equivalent to the PL a few seasons ago, have Northampton connections as players. Manager Graham Potter (now at Chelsea) as well as the players Ryan Gilligan and Alex Dyer.

Yet another interesting fact is that Northampton, since the inauguration of the current League Two way back in 1958-59, have played EVERY side which have featured in the FL including current Premier League since then, i.e. the old Accrington club in 1960-61, Gateshead before they were voted out in favour of Peterborough, Bradford Park Avenue, Southport and Darlington in their final FL seasons, the current Aldershot club a few years back as well as having had trips to Anfield, Goodison Park and Stamford Bridge in the Cobblers’ solitary season at the highest level in 1965-66. The Cobblers also faced Rushden & Diamonds, Kidderminster during the final seasons of their brief EFL spells in the 2000’s. And the Cobblers faced Sutton last season as well as having played Harrogate Town.

A previous fixture between the Cobblers and the Stags also belong to the abandoned ones over the years. On December 4, 1976, the Stags were leading 1-0 at County Ground when the tie had to be abandoned at HT. When the fixture eventually was played on March 8, 1977, the Stags won 1-0 thanks to a Kevin Randall strike.

Several players have appeared for the Stags and the Cobblers over the years. To name a few: Derek Asamoah, Lee Collins, Dave Syrett.

The 2019-20 Cobblers side included Paul Anderson and Vadaine Oliver, while their promotion side of 2015-16 fielded Joel Byrom and Zander Diamond.

Played for both sides: Blair Adams, Daniel Alfei, Paul Anderson, Charles Anthoney, Dave Artell, Derek Asamoah, Matty Blair, Kim Book, Alfred Brown, Joel Byrom, Daryl Clare, Peter Clark, Lee Collins, Giles Coke, Zander Diamond, Efon Elad, Timi Elšnik, John Fairbrother, Greg Fee, Fred Ferrari, Jamie Hand, Kevin Hitchcock, Thomas Knox, Pat Kruse, Colin Larkin, Jason Lee, David Logan, David Lyon, Paul Matthews, Jim McCaffrey, Edwin McLachlan, Junior Mendes, Louis Moult, John-Joe O’Toole, Vadaine Oliver, Dean Peer, Ian Phillips, Alfie Potter, Ricky Ravenhill, Barry Richardson, Danny Rose, Gary Saxby, Ben Sedgemore, Alan Sheehan, Emile Sinclair, Adam Smith, Phil Stant, Dave Syrett, Greg Taylor (one League Cup game for Northampton as trainee in 2008), Glyn Thompson, Clive Walker, Keith Welch, Jason White (not the goalkeeper), Lee Williamson, Benjamin Wonnacott, Nick Wright.

Home stats: P 36, W 25, D 8, L 3, GF 70, GA 25
Away stats: P 36, W 10, D 6, L 20, GF 31, GA 53

Season Home Date Away Date

1931-32 2-0 1931-10-24 0-3 1932-03-05 Div 3 (S)
1937-38 4-1 1937-08-28 0-3 1938-01-01 Div 3 (S)
1938-39 1-1 1939-03-25 4-3 1938-11-19 Div 3 (S)
1946-47 3-2 1947-04-05 0-3 1947-01-23 Div 3 (S)
1960-61 4-2 1961-04-29 0-1 1960-12-10 Div 4 (old)
1967-68 3-2 1967-09-25 1-1 1967-09-05 Div 3 (old)
1968-69 0-2 1968-11-09 0-0 1969-01-18 Div 3 (old)
1972-73 1-0 1972-08-12 0-1 1973-02-17 Div 4 (old)
1973-74 2-0 1973-09-01 0-2 1974-01-01 Div 4 (old)
1974-75 3-0 1974-10-28 2-0 1975-03-25 Div 4 (old)
1976-77 3-0 1977-05-07 1-0 1977-03-08 Div 3 (old)
1980-81 2-0 1980-10-27 1-0 1981-01-10 Div 4 (old)
1981-82 4-1 1981-09-21 1-1 1982-02-09 Div 4 (old)
1982-83 2-0 1982-12-28 2-1 1983-04-02 Div 4 (old)
1983-84 3-1 1984-05-12 1-2 1983-12-18 Div 4 (old)
1984-85 2-0 1984-12-22 0-1 1985-04-30 Div 4 (old)
1985-86 1-0 1986-01-11 0-1 1985-08-31 Div 4 (old)
1987-88 3-1 1987-10-20 0-2 1988-04-10 Div 3 (old)
1988-89 1-1 1988-08-27 1-2 1989-03-18 Div 3 (old)
1989-90 1-2 1989-12-30 2-1 1990-04-24 Div 3 (old)
1991-92 2-0 1992-03-10 2-1 1991-11-05 Div 4 (old)
1993-94 1-0 1993-12-11 1-5 1993-10-12 Div 3
1994-95 1-1 1994-09-17 1-0 1994-10-11 Div 3
1995-96 0-0 1996-02-03 3-3 1995-08-26 Div 3
1996-97 1-0 1997-03-22 0-3 1996-08-24 Div 3
1999-00 0-0 1999-10-19 0-1 2000-04-29 Div 3
2002-03 2-1 2003-05-03 0-2 2002-09-28 Div 2
2003-04 1-2 2004-05-08 3-0 2003-11-29 Div 3
2004-05 4-1 2004-09-05 1-2 2005-01-01 League 2
2005-06 1-0 2006-03-18 0-1 2005-12-26 League 2
2013-14 3-0 2013-09-21 1-1 2014-03-15 League 2
2014-15 1-1 2015-02-14 0-1 2014-08-09 League 2
2015-16 2-2 2016-03-28 0-1 2015-11-14 League 2
2018-19 4-0 2018-09-29 1-1 2019-04-13 League 2
2019-20 1-1 2019-12-21 2-1 2020-03-07 League 2
2021-22 1-0 2022-04-02 0-2 2021-10-16 League Two

Playoffs:

2003-04 1-3 2004-05-20 2-0 2004-05-16 Div 3 playoff semifinals
(The Stags went through to the final by winning 5-4 on penalties at Field Mill)
2021-22 2-1 2022-05-14 1-0 2022-05-18 League Two playoff semifinals
(The Stags went through to the final by winning 3-1 on aggregate)

Cup games:

FA Cup

1946-47 0-2 1946-11-30 (at County Ground) 1st round
1948-49 2-1 1948-12-11 (at Field Mill) 2nd round

League Cup

1989-08-22 1-1 (at Field Mill) 1st round, 1st leg
1989-09-05 2-0 (at County Ground) 1st round, 2nd leg, Stags through 3-1 on aggregate

It will be a stern test on Boxing Day. Come on Mansfield!

Details from various sources (Stags centenary book, soccerbase, the history CD /update on players/ and various editions of Rothmans Football Yearbook)
Stockholm, July 4, 2008, 15.00 GMT. Good news came, K.H. gone. March 1, 2012. Ground purchased.
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