Northampton visit the LNER on Saturday for their first league fixture under a new ownership consortium including ex-Brazil forward Alexandre Pato. They’ve started the season poorly on the pitch, however, so what should we expect from the Cobblers and can they put an end to York’s 100% winning record at home?
We’ve met before…
This season is the 25th campaign in which York and Northampton have shared a league, and the Cobblers have the better of the overall head-to-head record, with 22 wins compared to just 13 for City. Northampton have also come out on top in the last three meetings between the clubs.
The most recent clashes came in 2015/16, when Northampton completed a quickfire double over the Minstermen in February with a 2-0 win at Sixfields followed by a 2-1 victory at Bootham Crescent two weeks later. The Cobblers ended that season as League Two champions, while City finished bottom. York fans will have happier memories of a meeting in April 2013, though, when Nigel Worthington’s relegation-threatened side visited Sixfields and won 2-0 to put an end to a 10-match winning run for Northampton, thanks to an Ashley Chambers strike and an own goal.
The most unusual meeting between the sides probably came in the League Cup 2nd round in the 1970/71 season. After a goalless draw at Bootham Crescent, followed by a 1-1 draw at Northampton’s former County Ground home in the replay, the tie went to a second replay which was played at Villa Park. In front of a crowd of 2,561 (history does not recall how many of these were Birmingham residents with nothing better to do on a Monday evening), it was the Cobblers who progressed with a 2-1 win.
What to expect from Northampton
Last week brought exciting news for Northampton fans, as the takeover by Sports Alpha Capital was finalised. The consortium includes the unlikely figure of Alexandre Pato, formerly of AC Milan and capped 27 times for Brazil. They had previously considered investing in Colchester United before settling on Northampton, and have cleared the £13.5 million of debt that the club had accrued.
Greater investment may be needed, judging by the Cobblers’ recent fortunes. They finished rock bottom of League One last season due to an appalling second half of the season that saw them win just once after Christmas and finish the season on an 11-game losing streak. A new management team was brought in over summer, with Chris Hogg appointed as manager and Chris Doig joining as his assistant: both have connections to the Minstermen from their playing career, with Hogg having come through the York youth system and Doig having been part of Gary Mills’ playoff winning side in 2012.
Hogg has had a tough start to his first managerial gig, with the Cobblers sitting near the bottom of the League Two table having won just one of their first seven games. They have been solid defensively, with just six goals conceded, but an impotent attack has seen them score a mere three goals so far, so a low-scoring affair may be likely. This lack of attacking threat seems to be down to low chance creation rather than misfiring strikers: Northampton rank bottom in League Two for big chances, touches in the opposition box and expected goals.
Hogg has tended to set his side up in a 4-4-2 system so far this season, but has been willing to adapt this, lining up in more of a 3-4-3 setup for their last league game against Rotherham. That game came three weeks ago, so the Cobblers have had a long break with no league action which Hogg described as a “mini pre-season” that has allowed some players returning from injury to get back up to speed in training.
Northampton’s goalkeeper will be Zach Jeacock, who has been an ever-present in the league having joined on loan from Lincoln in the summer. Their centre-back pairing looks settled, with the tall figure of Elliott Moore expected to line up alongside club captain Jon Guthrie. If they play with a back three again, this may involve bringing Max Dyche in alongside them.
The Cobblers have options at right-back now that summer signing Janoi Donacien has recovered from injury. Donacien played the first half of Tuesday’s EFL Trophy game at Cambridge, and may slot straight in for this game, allowing Joe Wormleighton to be pushed further forward. Another right-back, Jack Burroughs, remains out having been sidelined with injury since pre-season. On the left side of defence, James Maxwell missed the last league game with a thigh issue but may be available again. If Maxwell misses out again then one of two young loanees may deputise: either Josh Powell from Nottingham Forest or Logan Briggs from Leicester.
In midfield, Liam Shaw and Jack Perkins remain sidelined but manager Hogg can call on the services of Lee Evans again, now that the Welshman has served his three-match ban following a straight red card in their clash with Crawley. Evans will compete for his place in the middle with Sierra Leone international Tyrese Fornah and Joe O’Brien Whitmarsh, who arrived in the summer from Southampton.
On the right wing, either Joe Wormleighton or club stalwart Sam Hoskins is likely to start, with Connor Lemonheigh-Evans offering a further option. The left wing spot could go to Owen Dale or Leeds loanee Sam Chambers, although Elliott List is another contender out wide having recovered from a recent knock.
None of the Cobblers’ centre-forward options have located their scoring boots yet, but Nathaniel Opoku has at least scored one league goal and will expect to retain his starting place. If they start with two up front, Opoku’s strike partner could be either Matty Warhurst, after the 20-year-old opened his account for Northampton in midweek, or Harvey Saunders, who joined in the summer having left Tranmere.
York team news
City have no fresh injury worries ahead of the game, and with two weeks since the last fixture the squad should be well rested. It would be a surprise, therefore, if Scott Lindsey were to make any changes to the side that beat Gillingham 3-0, meaning that Joe Felix should keep his place at right wing-back with Jeff King the backup option from the bench.
Long-term absentees Josh Stones and Hiram Boateng have been pictured in training and are nearing a return to action, but it’s likely to be late October before either of them features in a matchday squad. There’s a similar prognosis for Morgan Williams, while Craig Hewitt and Zech Medley are both out with hamstring issues, but Hewitt’s injury is the more serious of the two and is likely to keep him out well into November.
Pato means 'duck' in Portuguese.
Al Duck sounds much less intimidating than Alexandre Pato.