Home against the Railwaymen Saturday 20.03.21

[GrangeParkCobbler]

My home town team Crewe Alexandra make tracks to Sixfields on Saturday and the Cobblers will be looking to shunt them into the buffers and collect the three points....no failures allowed

Crewe have been on a poor run recently, a run that is in danger of derailing their playoff push. They currently sit in 15th place in the table, but still just 7 points outside the playoff zone. They have won just four of their last 16 games, away form overall sees them in 20th position in the away table, just 4 wins to go alongside 9 defeats. the most recent win was at Shrewsbury, the other wins came at Wimbledon, Oxford and Doncaster, they have also won in the Cup competitions at Bolton twice (once in the Trophy and once in the FA Cup)

The Alex have a relatively small squad, and they have three players leading their scoring charts with 7 league goals apiece. Michael Mandon, Oliver Finney and Owen Dale are on that mark, Finney though has not played since early February.
In the recent transfer window they sold influential captain Perry Ng to Cardiff and also sold Harry Pickering to Blackburn but loaned him back for the rest of the season. Those were the latest in a very long line of Crewe products off their famed production line which has seen the likes of David Platt, Geoff Thomas, Robbie Savage, Dean Ashton, Danny Murphy and Neil Lennon to name just a few go on to bigger and better things after cutting their teeth at Crewe.

Current Cobblers connections see our former player David Artell now managing the Alex, Artell has recently chalked up four years in charge and led the side to promotion last season alongside us. 84 wins in 213 games so far in his first managerial position, he played 14 times for the Cobblers in 2012/13 scoring four goals. The other current connection is Daniel Powell who moved from us to them in 2019 after making 73 appearances in the Claret and White (8 goals). He has since made 60 appearances for Crewe scoring 12 goals but often finds himself playing the role of impact sub although he wasn't even on the bench for their 3-0 midweek defeat at home to Burton.

In the head to head stakes for once we hold the edge on the other team....29 wins to 24 overall with 15 draws. Crewe have not won in their last 7 visits to Northampton, and we have 18 wins to their 7 at our home(s).
Their last trip in 2019 ended in a 4-1 defeat with Scott Wharton bagging a couple for us, a Sam Hoskins penalty and an Andy Williams strike made up the other goals. Big wins for us in 2011 when we beat them 6-2 with six different scorers, and 5-1 in 2009 helped by a Billy Clarke hat-trick. That last win for them came in February 2007 as two Luke Varney goals either side of a Bradley Johnson strike saw them take the points.
Earlier this season though they did beat us at their place, a 90th minute winner by Ryan Wintle was a sickener for us after we had played the last 20 minutes with 10 men following Joe Martins sending off. Also of note in that game were the only goal of Ricky Holmes short second stint with us, and Max Dyche making his debut in coming on to shore up the backline after that sending off.

Sam Allison has been appointed ref for the game, he's a first year EFL ref and he's making his second visit to the PTS having already taken charge of our home defeat to Charlton in October. He has 77 yellow cards and one red to his name in his 27 games.

[Coolcat]

My home town team Crewe Alexandra make tracks to Sixfields on Saturday and the Cobblers will be looking to shunt them into the buffers and collect the three points....no failures allowed

Crewe have been on a poor run recently, a run that is in danger of derailing their playoff push. They currently sit in 15th place in the table, but still just 7 points outside the playoff zone. They have won just four of their last 16 games, away form overall sees them in 20th position in the away table, just 4 wins to go alongside 9 defeats. the most recent win was at Shrewsbury, the other wins came at Wimbledon, Oxford and Doncaster, they have also won in the Cup competitions at Bolton twice (once in the Trophy and once in the FA Cup)

The Alex have a relatively small squad, and they have three players leading their scoring charts with 7 league goals apiece. Michael Mandon, Oliver Finney and Owen Dale are on that mark, Finney though has not played since early February.
In the recent transfer window they sold influential captain Perry Ng to Cardiff and also sold Harry Pickering to Blackburn but loaned him back for the rest of the season. Those were the latest in a very long line of Crewe products off their famed production line which has seen the likes of David Platt, Geoff Thomas, Robbie Savage, Dean Ashton, Danny Murphy and Neil Lennon to name just a few go on to bigger and better things after cutting their teeth at Crewe.

Current Cobblers connections see our former player David Artell now managing the Alex, Artell has recently chalked up four years in charge and led the side to promotion last season alongside us. 84 wins in 213 games so far in his first managerial position, he played 14 times for the Cobblers in 2012/13 scoring four goals. The other current connection is Daniel Powell who moved from us to them in 2019 after making 73 appearances in the Claret and White (8 goals). He has since made 60 appearances for Crewe scoring 12 goals but often finds himself playing the role of impact sub although he wasn't even on the bench for their 3-0 midweek defeat at home to Burton.

In the head to head stakes for once we hold the edge on the other team....29 wins to 24 overall with 15 draws. Crewe have not won in their last 7 visits to Northampton, and we have 18 wins to their 7 at our home(s).
Their last trip in 2019 ended in a 4-1 defeat with Scott Wharton bagging a couple for us, a Sam Hoskins penalty and an Andy Williams strike made up the other goals. Big wins for us in 2011 when we beat them 6-2 with six different scorers, and 5-1 in 2009 helped by a Billy Clarke hat-trick. That last win for them came in February 2007 as two Luke Varney goals either side of a Bradley Johnson strike saw them take the points.
Earlier this season though they did beat us at their place, a 90th minute winner by Ryan Wintle was a sickener for us after we had played the last 20 minutes with 10 men following Joe Martins sending off. Also of note in that game were the only goal of Ricky Holmes short second stint with us, and Max Dyche making his debut in coming on to shore up the backline after that sending off.

Sam Allison has been appointed ref for the game, he's a first year EFL ref and he's making his second visit to the PTS having already taken charge of our home defeat to Charlton in October. He has 77 yellow cards and one red to his name in his 27 games.

To be fair, this section can be cut from the essay. All managers have their coaching badges, thus all exactly the same in their abilities, time being the only factor - I read it on here! 

[guest3429]

The current manager of Crewe is not former Cobblers player David Artell.

Crewes manager is actually called Angelos Epithemiou

[BackOfTheNet]

Great minds, Mr Massey, great minds...

Speaking of Artell, who is it he reminds me of? It's someone gormless, possibly a comedy character or something but I can't quite put my finger on who it is!

I've figured it out !

[Manwork04]

Let’s hope he looks like that at 5pm on Satdy.

[guest2995]

to be fair to Crewe , they have done well.
Their budget must be similar to ours and they have been more successful than us this season .
On top of that , they have the clown Powell playing for them - body of an athlete , bravery of a brussell sprout , brain of a sparrow

[west stand oap]

3 points is a must from this game as we are going to need to win most of our home games and only Bristol Rovers have a worse away record than Crewe of the teams still to visit us. I would say we need 6-7 points from the next 3 games.

[Manwork04]

3 points is a must from this game as we are going to need to win most of our home games and only Bristol Rovers have a worse away record than Crewe of the teams still to visit us. I would say we need 6-7 points from the next 3 games.

+1

[Gen.Disorda]

3 points is a must from this game as we are going to need to win most of our home games and only Bristol Rovers have a worse away record than Crewe of the teams still to visit us. I would say we need 6-7 points from the next 3 games.

I think you are right, Teams around us are still picking up points and the group involved in the battle has got smaller. Our world is shrinking

[Jim Hall Fixit]

I’m ashamed to say but my Claret coloured specs have misted up.
Which is a huge shame ... apart from one inexplicable refereeing decision we would be on a run of 2 wins and 2 draws against 4 half decent clubs. As it is, that moron has shattered the early shoots of confidence JB was growing for me.

What’s stopping us getting another decision like that? They never seem to go with us so what if we get another one against us? What made some weirdos come on here after the Charlton game and say it was a pen? Maybe it’s me?

As you can see, I’m not in a good place. I’m fearing a 1-1 draw which will not be good enough!
The only thing that will totally cleanse me is a 1-0 win with a shockingly bad penalty given to us in the last 5 mins of the game - 🤞

[Gen.Disorda]

As you can see, I’m not in a good place. I’m fearing a 1-1 draw which will not be good enough!

As others have said we really need to start picking up wins at home to keep up.

[Carton Lid]

The only thing that will totally cleanse me is a 1-0 win with a shockingly bad penalty given to us in the last 5 mins of the game - 🤞

All this bullsh*t about "Things even themselves up over a season", if so , we have a massive amount of dodgy decisions coming to benefit us in the next few weeks  

[Larry]

To be fair, this section can be cut from the essay. All managers have their coaching badges, thus all exactly the same in their abilities, time being the only factor - I read it on here! 

 
Stability. If we could hold on to a manager for four years we would be ok by now.

[guest3086]

Charlton get Adkins, Burton get JFH, Portsmouth get the Cowley patrol, Brizzle Rovers get the Barton and we get the Brady Bunch.

[west stand oap]

Charlton are welcome to Adkins, his managerial career has not been good over recent years. manger at Reading when thet were relegated to the championship and then sacked the next December after a poor start that season. Eventually turned up at Sheffield Utd and under him they finished 11th in division 1, their lowest league finish since 1983.
Wilder took over from him and immediately took them up. He used to go their games that season when commitments allowed and recall him saying how bad they were.

[WadeyCobbler]

I fancy us for this. 2-0 win wth Loyd Jones bagging a goal from a Miller corner and a Hoskins penalty. Home form improving, their away form is ropey, plus Artell quoting s***e again sets it up nicely for us.

[guest3429]

Great minds, Mr Massey, great minds...

I'm glad I'm not alone! I knew it was Angelos and not Artell from the start.

If some here remain unconvinced, here's the Crewe manger on Soccer AM.

[everbrite]

The current manager of Crewe is not former Cobblers player David Artell.

Crewes manager is actually called Angelos Epithemiou

Suppose you think you are ‘so funny’?

[everbrite]

Great minds, Mr Massey, great minds...

If only

[guest3063]

Team:

Mitchell; Kioso, Horsfall, L.Jones, Mills; Morris, McWilliams, Watson; Marshall, Hoskins, Miller.

Subs: Berry, Harriman, Bolger, A.Jones, Korboa, Edmondson, Rose.

Jack Sowerby misses out through injury.