Pizza Cup at home to Brighton Juniors 02.11.21

[GrangeParkCobbler]

The final game of the our group stage schedule in the Associate Members/Freight Rover/Sherpa Van/Leyland Daf/Autoglass/Auto Windscreens/LDV Vans/Johnstone's Paint/Checkatrade/Leasing.com/Papa Johns Trophy sees us host Brighton and Hove Albion U21's under the Sixfields lights. (7.00pm kickoff)

A defeat will see us out, a win in normal time will see us through, we could get through with a penalty shootout win or loss, but similarly we could go out with either of those results too!! forest Green and Walsall do not play their match until next Wednesday so we might be left a week or so before knowing whether we progress.

Anyway, so far Brighton have been narrowly beaten (1-0) at Walsall, and picked up a point in a losing penalty shootout after drawing 2-2 at Forest Green, so these results suggest they will be no pushovers. The team will be made up from a mix of their U23 side and their U18's..
The U-23's currently sit 4th in Premier League 2 Division 1 and had a creditable 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Friday night. Their U-18's fell to a 3-2 defeat at Southampton and currently sit mid-table in the southern section of the Premier League.

For The Cobblers expect a mix and match side, especially with the FA Cup 1st round game against Cambridge following this one, so i'd expect to see the whole squad utilised over the two games. Sam Hoskins might get a runout tonight following his suspension on Saturday, although we will almost certainly be without the injured defensive quartet of Harriman, Nelson, McGowan and Mills as well as Connolly (Covid)

Christopher Pollard is scheduled to be the man in the middle, he has only reffed seven games this season with four of them in this competition including our group game at Forest Green earlier in the season. He's dished out 21 yellow and one red card in those games and he makes his first visit to Sixfields since the Oxford league game in March when we won 1-0 with a Hoskins goal, Sam was the one recipient of a yellow card in that game too.

[Coolcat]

Now, if we were playing Chacarita Juniors, Argentinos Juniors or even Boca...I might be tempted! 

[west stand oap]

Strange how they don't insist that the last set of the group fixtures are played on the same night. So next week FGR and Walsall will know exactly the result they need to qualify for the next round.

[West Stand]

What was the name of the left back we had on loan from Brighton a few years ago?

[GrangeParkCobbler]

What was the name of the left back we had on loan from Brighton a few years ago?

George Cox?

Played a game and a half before picking up an injury at Cambridge, returned from the injury three months later to feature in the last three games of the season.

He left Brighton, initially on loan and then permanently making the move to Fortuna Sittard playing in the Dutch Eredivise, he's made 62 appearances for them and scored seven goals.

[West Stand]

Yes, that's w.ho I was thinking of

[Risdene]

I expect 4 or 5 first- teamers to be rested tonight (7pm).

Maybe;
                              Roberts

                Revan Horsfall Dyche Flores

                    McWilliams Sowerby

               Hoskins Pollock Pinnock

                               Kabamba

Subs; Woods Flanagan Lewis Rose Ashley-Seal

[guest3063]

I expect 4 or 5 first- teamers to be rested tonight (7pm).

Maybe;
                              Roberts

                Revan Horsfall Dyche Flores

                    McWilliams Sowerby

               Hoskins Pollock Pinnock

                               Kabamba

Subs; Woods Flanagan Lewis Rose Ashley-Seal

Didn't JB say no first teamers will be involved tonight.

In that case the team above will be very different with at least a couple of academy players starting.

[GrangeParkCobbler]

Didn't JB say no first teamers will be involved tonight.

In that case the team above will be very different with at least a couple of academy players starting.

He said "no first teamers who are carrying any sort of knock or niggle"

[guest3063]

He said "no first teamers who are carrying any sort of knock or niggle"

I doubt any first team player will start tonight.

Players like Rose, Ashley-Seal, Kabamba, Pollock and Dyche will. Not long until we find out. 

[guest3063]

I doubt any first team player will start tonight.

Players like Rose, Ashley-Seal, Kabamba, Pollock and Dyche will. Not long until we find out. 

When I say first team player I mean regular starters in the last four league games.

[CobblerForever]

EFL clubs must have at least four ‘qualified’ outfield players in their rosters, with players meeting these requirements:

    Any player who started the previous or next first team match
    Any player who is among the top 10 players of the club who made the most appearances in the league and national cup that season
    Any player with at least 40 first-team appearances in their career
    Any player loaned by a Premier League club or a club of the EFL “Category One” academy
    A club may face any eligible goalkeeper in the competition

[GrangeParkCobbler]

EFL clubs must have at least four ‘qualified’ outfield players in their rosters, with players meeting these requirements:

    Any player who started the previous or next first team match
    Any player who is among the top 10 players of the club who made the most appearances in the league and national cup that season
    Any player with at least 40 first-team appearances in their career
    Any player loaned by a Premier League club or a club of the EFL “Category One” academy
    A club may face any eligible goalkeeper in the competition

Its a minefield isn't it?

Revan can take one of the places due to his loan...that leaves three. Rose and Kabamba would both meet the "40 game" criteria so that leaves one player who started the last game, or potentially could start the Cambridge game (Pollock?)...... after them you could play 7 youth teamers!
Bizarrely though....we could fail to meet the criteria, get fined £5k, win the game and get £10k prize money and still be up on the deal!!

[guest3063]

I was right. Only Sam Hoskins of the regulars in the last 4 weeks and he was suspended on Saturday.

[GrangeParkCobbler]

Woods
Revan, Tomlinson, Flanagan, Hoskins
Abimbola, Ngwa, Pollock, Cross
Ashley-Seal, Kabamba

something like that??

Subs: Roberts, Lashley, Hill, Connor, Ndefo, Curry

[guest2995]

probably the weakest side ever put out by the club

[Zen Master]

Concentrating on the league  
Good enough,  old enough ?

Either way best of luck to them and hope that the young ones seize the opportunity and do well

[Zen Master]

probably the weakest side ever put out by the club

The team left after administrators sacked nearly everyone was pretty weak and that wasn’t a choice on who to play but who was left with a pair of boots.

[Bingers]

The team left after administrators sacked nearly everyone was pretty weak and that wasn’t a choice on who to play but who was left with a pair of boots.

Hey that's no way to talk about Ricky Bulzis!

[GrangeParkCobbler]

Joshua Tomlinson becomes the youngest ever Cobbler.....15 years and 336 days old