JB v JB Sat 13th November

[EB Claret]

My comment was a bit tongue in cheek yesterday....fresh off a Trust Board meeting and pouring over the land condition report and proposed deal report I didn't have the time to do my research for the game......but now I do!!

So, its Bristol Rovers away next up for The Cobblers..... we sit nicely placed in 3rd place, whereas Rovers sit a lowly 16th. They have five wins in the league this season, three of them at home.

Rovers have never been in the top flight, a highest position of 6th place was achieved in the old Division 2 in both 1956 and 1959. More recently they were in League 1 in 2011, found themselves relegated to the Conference in 2014, bounced back at the first attempt and secured promotion again in their first season back in the League before suffering relegation last season after a 5 year spell in League 1.

The Gas are managed now by Joey Barton, he took over in February 2021 following Paul Tisdales short unsuccessful stint, Barton was unable to keep Rovers in League 1 and they were relegated alongside us, 10 points from safety in the end. Bartons spell in charge has seen him lose 23 of his 38 games at the helm, winning just nine games.
Going back to the mid 2000's, Kevan Broadhurst had a short caretaker spell in charge, he was followed by Ian Atkins who was in the chair for the best part of 18 months, and then he was replaced by Paul Trollope who spent over 5 years as manager there.

The evergreen Brett Pitman is their top scorer this season, he's bagged four league goals and is nearing the 200 goal mark in his career. Vastly experienced Glenn Whelan holds the midfield together, he made his 700th league appearance last time out and the only Cobblers connection I can see in their squad is defender Mark Hughes who joined them from Accrington in the summer, but he picked up a training ground injury in Spetember and has been out ever since. Hughes was with us between 2007 and 2009.

Rovers spent 99 years at Eastville before they left due to financial difficulties, The ground hosted football, speedway and greyhound racing. A gas holder was built next to the ground and the smell of the gas in the air gave the football club its nickname. An Ikea store now covers the site. Rovers were forced to groundshare with Bath City, spending a 10 year stint at Twerton Park before moving to current home the Memorial Stadium in 1996.

The two teams have met 104 times before, we just lead the head to head with 38 wins to 36. We have lost on 8 of our 16 visits to the Memorial, with four draws and four wins, the last of which came in 2015 thanks to a lone John-Joe O'Toole goal at the start of the 15/16 season. Since then we have lost twice and drawn one, we did suffer a 5-0 defeat there in January 2017 thanks to four goals from Ellis Harrison. The same player scored twice when they came to Sixfields the following season and trounced us 6-0. our last meeting there saw us fall to a 2-0 defeat with Joe Martin being sent off.

Sam Allison is due to be the ref for the game, in 14 games this season he has given out 56 yellows and five red cards including three in the Shrewsbury v Gillingham game back in August. We last saw Sam as a late replacement in our 3-1 defeat at Peterborough in April, we also saw him a month earlier when we lost 1-0 to Crewe at Sixfields and before that we had him at home to Charlton where again we lost, 2-0. Whilst we got to see him three times last season (his first as an EFL ref) Rovers had not had the pleasure of him in charge of a game involving them to date.

Phew! He's back
I'm starting to get a good feeling about tomorrow's game

[guest3086]

What a lot of Northampton Town folk are asking themselves at the minute is can they beat the Rovers? Seems a simple question but nobody knows the answer. That, my friends, is the crux.

[Terryfenwickatemyhamster]

GPC you missed the most recent Cobblers connection which is Ali Koiki who was at Rovers last season but only made 10 appearances for them.
Obviously he has long gone but JJO'T played for both clubs.

Give the bloke a break. Don't forget him and the rest of the KPWMC massive have a spanner to make, to throw in the works. 

Thanks for the report GPC. Always a great read.

[Shoemender]

It's match day and not one post. Anyone interested? Anyway I'm here in the Wellington on Gloucester Road.

[everbrite]

It's match day and not one post. Anyone interested? Anyway I'm here in the Wellington on Gloucester Road.

Full coach on A420, suns out and great day for a wedding

[GrangeParkCobbler]

One enforced change today as Sowerby is out with a knock.

Roberts
Revan, Guthrie, Horsfall, Koiki
Hoskins, Flores, McWilliams, Lewis, Pinnock
Etete

Subs: Maxted, Harriman, McGowan, Kabamba, Connolly, Pollock, Rose

[Manwork04]

Fûck me Pete Walton talks utter shîte.

[the grumpy old man]

We look half asleep today,

[ntfclad]

To say both teams lack quality in this first 25 is being kind…

[BackOfTheNet]

Very even so far, although we've just had a huge chunk of luck with that one that came back off the post. Etete needs to stop going down so easily, Pinnock looking lively.

[guest3338]

Get in!!

[guest49]

Super Sammy strikes again. Up to second.

[Baldy]

Get in!!

The Hoskmeister!!!

[yayo bayo]

Etete is being manhandled each and every time the ball goes near him!

[Madrid Cobbler]

Super Sammy strikes again. Up to second.

Say what you want about Sam Hoskins, but his penalty conversion rate is outstanding.

[the grumpy old man]

Revan is nowhere near his man, I would like to see McGowan come on, assuming he's fit enough. I think we're lucky to be 1-0 up, but I'll take it.

[Zen Master]

I follow is making me dizzy! Lucky to be ahead but happily take it. UTC

[Manwork04]

They are knocking the ball down our right hand side all the time, getting an overload on Revan.

[BackOfTheNet]

Koiki not looking his usual self. Too much of a point to prove?

[guest3338]

Bolloxs