Preseason friendly against Milton Keynes City on 12th July 2001

[EH_Cobbler]

Cobblers fans I need help!

I've been trying to find some information about a match played between Northampton Town and Milton Keynes City. All I know is that it was a preseason friendly and played at Wolverton Park on the 12th July 2001, and if my memory serves correctly Cobblers lost. There seems to be no trace of this match online and I only found out the date by managing to find a programme. According to the programme this was a repeat of a fixture from the previous year where Northampton won 4-0.

The reason I ask is that I attended this match as a kid (hence I can't remember the score) and recently took up groundhopping again and would like to add it to my list of games attended.

So if anyone on this forum was at the match, or has access to some stat books and could tell me the score and at a push the attendance that would be fantastic!

[The 12th Marquis of Sixfields]

Marvo!

[The 12th Marquis of Sixfields]

I think he's on a break for the summer but he'll reply once he returns and does a search on his own name

[NaggerPagger]

I remember watching the Cobblers play friendliest at Wolverton and Buckingham around this time but wouldn't have a clue on the scores.

[guest2539]

If MK Franchise wanted respect they should have thrown their weight behind their local team MK City and gone through the leagues like other teams!!!

I went to the game but only remember the ground being on a large open rundown site.

[Ectonteynfan]

I remember the listed stand next to the railway track

[Ralap]

I think that was Wolvertons ground Ecton. Maybe that game was against MKC. It was a nice evening and a good turn out.

[Ectonteynfan]

Yeah mk city played there before the mongs killed them off think there's houses there now but stand remains if I'm correct

[NaggerPagger]

Yeah mk city played there before the mongs killed them off think there's houses there now but stand remains if I'm correct

The old stand is now part of the communial gardens for the flats built on the site. It was the oldest stand at any football ground but one the ground closed it lost its claim to fame.

[Ectonteynfan]

The old stand is now part of the communial gardens for the flats built on the site. It was the oldest stand at any football ground but one the ground closed it lost its claim to fame.

thanks for comfirming mate

[tigger2002]

never heard of milton keynes CITY.

[Knockingonabit]

If you have a wander along Wolverton Park Road on Google Earth Street View you can see what remains of the stand up against the back of the Railway Works.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/content/articles/2006/01/20/wolverton_stand_200106_feature.shtml

[Ralap]

Hoping this works. Had a dig round some of my old stuff and came across an old photo of Michael Barnes before a pre season friendly in front of the old stand painted up in Wolverton's colours.

[Ralap]

It worked! I'm Sorry if the photo is a touch large, I'm doing this by phone and can't see how to reduce the size.

[Coolcat]

It worked! I'm Sorry if the photo is a touch large, I'm doing this by phone and can't see how to reduce the size.

Good photo, good strip. Wouldn't worry about size...that's nowt compared to Barnes' hair!

Isn't that a 77 - 81 kit?

[sloane square cobbler]

Strangely, I kept a cutting about this seminal game, anticipating that eventually it would provoke interest in the future.     It was just a question of time.  You just had to be patient.

The main news of the day was Wycombe bidding 200 thousand for Jamie Forrester. Wily manager Kevin Wilson had a contingency plan, in case the deal went through. Former Reading striker, Keith Scott played the opening 45 minutes of the pre-season friendly at Wolverton v Milton Keynes City in front of a crowd of around 500 in a Cobblers 2-1win. All of the Cobblers new signings got a run-out.

Cobblers side, 1st half- Welch Dempsey Burgess Hope Spedding Lowe Hunt Hargreaves Carruthers Gabbiadini Scott.  2nd half- Sollitt Lavin Howey Thompson Frain McGregor Lincoln Wolleaston (sub. Colgan) Lopes Parkin Forrester.  Goals- Parkin 44mins, Forrester 81mins.
 
No mention of the MKC side. Hope this helps. I envy you being there. There are few pleasanter experiences than being in Wolverton on a balmy evening in July.

[EH_Cobbler]

Sloane square cobbler thanks so much! Good job you kept that newspaper cutting, knowing one day it would come in useful! I can now sleep soundly at night.

It's a shame Wolverton Park no longer exists as it was an interesting ground. I visited on a number of occasions and the stand in question (on the left) in Ralap's photo was closed and derelict in 2001. I'm unsure of its fate? The current construction at the site appears to be a metal shell? The original was certainly wooden. Behind each goal there were also the concrete remains of a velodrome, and the club house was slightly raised next to the pitch with outside seating. The brick railway sheds framed the whole thing and were quite imposing, certainly a unique albeit run down place to watch football.

[tuks]

ITS NOT A FCUKING "CITY"

Just saying like. 😜

[Realale]

Used to live in Wolverton and visited The Park many times as a player and watching Wolverton Town. I remember watching a certain Wayne Larkins who used to play for Wolverton, there's a name a fair few Northamptonians should remember. Certainly watched The Cobblers play there a few times.
Can't recall ever going to watch MK City play there though, they used to play at Manor Fields in Bletchley.

[Razor]

Strangely, I kept a cutting about this seminal game, anticipating that eventually it would provoke interest in the future.     It was just a question of time.  You just had to be patient.

The main news of the day was Wycombe bidding 200 thousand for Jamie Forrester. Wily manager Kevin Wilson had a contingency plan, in case the deal went through. Former Reading striker, Keith Scott played the opening 45 minutes of the pre-season friendly at Wolverton v Milton Keynes City in front of a crowd of around 500 in a Cobblers 2-1win. All of the Cobblers new signings got a run-out.

Cobblers side, 1st half- Welch Dempsey Burgess Hope Spedding Lowe Hunt Hargreaves Carruthers Gabbiadini Scott.  2nd half- Sollitt Lavin Howey Thompson Frain McGregor Lincoln Wolleaston (sub. Colgan) Lopes Parkin Forrester.  Goals- Parkin 44mins, Forrester 81mins.
 
No mention of the MKC side. Hope this helps. I envy you being there. There are few pleasanter experiences than being in Wolverton on a balmy evening in July.

Excellent find, I went to both pre-season games there v MK City in 2000 and 2001.

Just a note on the above - Sam Parkin must have done very well to score in the 44th minute, having been introduced to the game as a half-time substitute!