GrangeParkCobbler
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« on: September 29, 2021, 16:31:11 pm » |
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Pre-match preview.....a game of firsts!!
Sutton United make their first visit to Sixfields to play their first ever game against Northampton Town. Sutton the club have been in existence since 1898 and last season they won the National League thereby sealing their first ever promotion to the Football League. Prior to last seasons promotion they were probably best known for their FA Cup victory over then top-flight Coventry City in the FA Cup back in 1989.
Last season they held off the challenge of Gary Johnsons Torquay United to seal the Conference title under Matt Gray. This is Grays first managerial role and he's been in the hotseat since April 2019. Saturday will be his 99th game in charge of United, he has 43 wins to his name so far.
This season they had a sticky start, failing to win any of their first five games in all competitions, but form has been turned around to the extent that they have won four of their last five including a 4-0 win over Carlisle last weekend. The other league victories have been at home against Hartlepool and Stevenage but they have just two points on the road coming from draws at Salford and Scunny.
David Ajiboye, Richie Bennett and Alistair Smith each have two league goals to their names, Smith got both of his last weekend. They have a relatively small squad having named just 22 different players in league matchday squads so far this season.
A couplie of familiar faces in their squad, firstly going back a bit we have Harry Beautyman, he was with the Cobblers for nearly a year between 2016 and 2017, he scored four goals in 27 appearances for us, but has found a richer vein of scoring form with Sutton for whom he joined from Stevenage. Harry has scored 35 goals in 130 games for his current club but is yet to get off the mark this season though as he's been mainly starting on the bench. The other former Cobbler is Ricky Korboa, released by us at the end of last season he only made five league starts in eleven months. He has yet to start a league game for Sutton but did open his goalscoring account with one of their three goals in their Papa Johns Trophy win over Crystal Palace U21's at the end of August, he has not appeared in any of Suttons matchday squads since then though.
No head to head this week, so its onto the referee, and another first. Already mentioned in this thread is the fact that Rebecca Welch becomes the first woman to ref a senior Cobblers game. The former NHS worker progressed to the National League list back in 2018 and took charge of her first EFL game last season which was between Harrogate and Port Vale. She has also reffed in the Womens Super League and taken charge of two womens FA Cup Finals. This season she has handled three League Two games and handed out three yellow cards in each.
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The Hotel End GTA Champion 2006/7, 2007/8, 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2018/19
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