Saturday sees the first FA Cup game played at the LNER since the visit of Wigan Athletic three years ago. City are up against familiar opponents in Northampton, who they faced in the league last month, but what kind of game can we expect this time and how are the sides likely to set up?
We’ve met before…
You don’t have to look too far back to find the most recent meeting between York and Northampton, as the Cobblers made their first visit to the LNER just four weeks ago when the sides played out a 1-1 draw in the league. On that day, it took a late header by Ollie Pearce to rescue a point for the Minstermen after Joe O’Brien Whitmarsh had fired Northampton into an early lead. That result means that City have failed to win any of their last five encounters with the Cobblers.
York 1-1 Northampton: Match Report
Refresh your memory on Saturday's opponents by reading our match report from the 1-1 draw in the league last month.
Although the clubs have met regularly in the league over the years, this will be the first time they have faced each other in the FA Cup. City may take encouragement from Northampton’s poor recent record in the competition: six consecutive 1st round exits for the Cobblers means that the last time they won an FA Cup game was before the first case of Covid-19 had been registered in the UK. Back in 2019/20, they made it as far as the 4th round, ultimately going out to Derby County after a replay at Pride Park. Their most memorable FA Cup run came in the 1969/70 season, when they reached the 5th round but were overwhelmed at that stage by Manchester United, who ran out 8-2 winners with George Best hitting a double hat-trick.
What to expect from Northampton
The draw at York in October was the start of an improved run of results for Northampton, as they followed it up with an impressive win at Grimsby and a home victory over Colchester in their next three games. It seemed as though the three-week gap without league fixtures ahead of that trip to the LNER had given manager Chris Hogg sufficient time to implement his methods on the training ground and perhaps begin to move them up the League Two table. However, a draw at Accrington last weekend was followed by a disappointing home defeat to fellow strugglers Oldham on Tuesday, leaving the Cobblers down in 21st place.
Northampton’s achilles heel remains a lack of goals: the nine goals they have scored from thirteen league games is comfortably the lowest total in League Two. Young forward Matty Warhurst scored his first league goals for the club in recent games against Grimsby and Colchester, but those two goals are enough to make him the club's joint top scorer along with O’Brien Whitmarsh. This bluntness in attack is reflected in the data, as Northampton have the lowest number of big chances in League Two this season (15 compared to 40 for York) as well as the lowest xG (11.8 compared to York’s 23). Defensively, however, the Cobblers remain solid, having conceded less than a goal a game across the league season so far.
The players in Northampton’s starting eleven should be mostly familiar to Scott Lindsey, as his opposite number Chris Hogg has retained faith in a relatively settled side. In fact, the eleven who lined up against Oldham on Tuesday were exactly the same as the starting line-up who faced City a month ago.
The team’s shape has evolved to something of a lopsided 3-4-2-1. On the right flank, wing-back Joe Wormleighton doubles up with attacker Owen Dale who naturally drifts out wide, whereas on the left the width is mostly provided by Josh Powell, with Joe O’Brien Whitmarsh tending to tuck inside or drop deeper. Their defensive strength is based on experience, as the expected back three of Janoi Donacien, Elliott Moore and John Guthrie have a combined age of 96. One player who could be introduced to shake up the Cobblers’ attack is Elliott List, who returned from injury last month but has been restricted to substitute appearances since then.
York team news
Scott Lindsey will be expected to make changes to his side after consecutive defeats at Barnet and Grimsby. Two players who are available again having missed the game at Blundell Park are Hiram Boateng, who has served his one-game suspension, and Ollie Banks, who is able to return after sitting out the Grimsby game due to a concussion. Boateng may well slot straight into the side at the base of midfield, with either Alex Hunt or Arthur Read perhaps making way (Read would seem more likely given Boateng is also a left-footer). Banks is another option for the deeper-lying midfield places, but could also be used further upfield in the attacking midfield spots.
One question is whether Josh Stones will be handed another start after coming into the side against Grimsby, or whether Lindsey shifts Ollie Pearce back up front, while Jovan Malcolm provides another centre-forward option. If Stones or Malcolm are chosen, Pearce will face competition for one of the attacking midfield spots from the likes of Alex Newby, Joe Grey, Frankie Maguire and Ollie Banks. Another conundrum is who starts at right wing-back: Jack Hunt was selected there against Grimsby and got his first goal in a York shirt, but Joe Felix could return in his place.
Morgan Williams will be unavailable, with Lindsey confirming that he suffered a meniscus tear in the Barnet game and is likely to be on the sidelines until the new year. The only other injury absence is Craig Hewitt, who is estimated to be around four weeks away from a return to action. With FA Cup rules allowing nine substitutes to be named, there may be an opportunity for fringe players such as Dipo Akinyemi or youth prospects like Ethan Stiver and Ben Farrar to make the matchday squad.
