Cantab Sat 23rd Nov.

[west stand oap]

We just have the edge in results with 18 wins to Cambridge's 16 and 15 draws. Unusually both teams have more wins away from home and only just over 1/4 of the 49 games have resulted in a home win, 13 home wins and 21 away wins. At home we have won 7, drawn 8 and lost 10, 5 of our 7 wins came in the first 10 home fixtures so we have only won 2 of the last 15 with 6 draws and 7 defeats although we did win last year exactly a year ago. Of our last 16 games we have won 4 with 6 draws and 6 defeats.

Cambridge have had a strange season as they lost 9 of their first 10 games gaining their only point in a 4-4 home draw with Blackpool. They then won the next 3 games against Wigan and Burton at home and Stevenage away, also beating Woking in the FA Cup and they didn't concede a single goal in these 4 games. Then the floodgates opened as they lost 1-6 at Peterborough and last time out gained a 1-1 draw at home to Barnsley.

Only Wigan (12) and Stevenage (11) have scored fewer goals than Cambridge (13) and they happen to be our next 2 opponents. In their 14 games Cambridge have failed to score 6 times and only scored more than 1 goal 3 times. They have kept 3 clean sheets (the 3 wins previously mentioned) and conceded more than 1 goal 7 times. Other than their win at Stevenage Cambridge have lost all of their other 6 away games and have scored 5 away goals and conceded 15. Their leading scorers are Sullay Kaikai with2 (4 in all comps.), Shayne Lavery 2 (3) and Dan N'Lundulu 2 (3).

Alan Young is our referee and for some reason he had no games from 20th January to 14th September but he has been busy with his cards in his 7 games so far issuing 39 yellows, 1 red and awarding 2 penalties. Last week in the Woking v Boston game he flashed his yellow card 10 times once in the direction of Max Dyche.

With most of our injuries being longer term I cannot see much change to our squad but we must view this as a winnable game given Cambridge's poor away record despite their recent upturn in form. We need the 3 points as we then have 5 away games in the next 7 and I expect us to come out on top.

[GrangeParkCobbler]

Cantab??

We are at home to Cambridge United on Saturday, one of our nearest neighbours with some 60 miles between Sixfields and The Abbey by road. The U's have had a tough start to the season, 12 winless games in all competitions from the start of the season before that upturn OAP mentions, five straight wins before they came up against a rampant Posh outfit.

Starting out life as Abbey United back in 1912 (there was a former Cambridge United around at that time not connected to the club) they played in the lower reaches of non-league only moving from the Eastern Counties League to the Southern League in 1958 by which time they'd adopted the Cambridge United moniker for themselves. They won election to the Football League in 1970 at the expense of Bradford Park Avenue. Under the stewardship of Ron Atkinson they were soon playing at Championship level (1978) and had a best ever finish of 8th place in 1980. Successive relegations in 1984 and 1985 with just four league wins in each season saw them find their way back to the basement division before John Beck came along and led them back to the second tier with successive promotions in 1990 and 1991. After just one season they were relegated and spent the rest of the nineties and early noughties playing in the bottom two divisions. Worse was to come though with relegation to the Conference in 2005 and it took nine seasons for them to regain their EFL place back. After promotion to this level in 2021 largely down to Paul Mullins 32 goal haul they are now playing their fourth consecutive season in League 1 and finished 18th last season.

Gary Monk is currently at the helm, just seven wins though in 30 games for him and this follows losing records at both Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham before. Monk took over after Neil Harris was lured back for a second spell at Millwall after just 14 games in charge of the U's. Previous managers include ex-Cobblers bosses Gary Johnson, Ian Atkins and Colin Calderwood.

Cambridge have managed just one away win this season in all competitions, that coming at Stevenage a month ago. Having lost their other six league games they bring the leagues worst away record to Sixfields. Having scored just 13 league goals this season its no surprise to learn that their top league scorers have two goals apiece. Shayne Lavery came back from a two month layoff last week against Barnsley, Dan Nlundulu (on loan from Bolton) scored in that game and Sully Kaikai scored the consolation in that 6-1 defeat at Borough.
Midfielder Korey Smith is their only ever-present this season. He was picked up on a free from Derby and the 33 year old midfielder is approaching 500 league games during the course of his career. Ryan Loft is an option off the bench usually, the 6ft 4" target man is looking for his first U's goal following his move from Port Vale in the summer.

Overall, according to Marvos records this will be the 50th meeting between the sides in all competitions. We have a better away record than at home with the U's triumphant 10 times in Northampton compared to our seven wins. Last season we picked up one of those wins with a 2-1 victory earned on the same weekend of the year as this weekends fixture. Kieron Bowie and Sam Hoskins scored early in the second half and despite Cambridge pulling a goal back a red card soon after put paid to their hopes of snatching something from the game. 6,929 were in attendance with 1,213 U's fans included in that number. The return game at The Abbey ended as a 1-1 draw earlier this year with John Guthries late goal earning us a point.
Cambridge's last league win at Sixfields came in 2015 when a first minute Harrison Dunk goal was enough for all three points.

OAP has already given the lowdown on the ref, he last whistled a Cobblers game back in September 2023 as Barnsley left Sixfields with the 3 points. He was the ref who sent off Scott Wharton late on in our game at Leyton Orient in 2020.

[west stand oap]

Cantab abbreviation for Cambridge, I thought that was generally well known.

[XVK]

Cantab abbreviation for Cambridge, I thought that was generally well known.

I had to Google it 

[GrangeParkCobbler]

I had to Google it 

As did I! 

[XVK]

 "The term is derived from Cantabrigia, a medieval Latin name for Cambridge invented on the basis of the Anglo-Saxon name Cantebrigge."

From Wikipedia

[Manwork04]

Good knowledge OAP.

[tcobb]

Apparently they have not sold out the South Stand, not sure how true that is.

[west stand oap]

Just looked and currently showing 97 tickets available in the south stand so they have sold about 850.

[ajp]

Could be an entertaining game with gales predicted, and hope that pitch holds up considering it’s meant to rain all day from 6am

[Tabasco Kid]

Could be an entertaining game with gales predicted, and hope that pitch holds up considering it’s meant to rain all day from 6am

Storm "Bert" is on the way.

[Terryfenwickatemyhamster]

Cantab abbreviation for Cambridge, I thought that was generally well known.

I knew that. cough cough ahem

[Deepcut Cobbler]

Camberley was originally named Cambridge Town, it was changed by the General Post Office in 1877, in order to prevent letters and parcels being misdirected to Cambridge in the East of England.

[Zen Master]

Storm "Bert" is on the way.

[Worthless Recluse]

Cantab abbreviation for Cambridge, I thought that was generally well known.

So did I.
Anyone who went to Daventry School in the '70s might remember headmaster Docherty. Always used to sign off his letters (MA Cantab).

[Deepcut Cobbler]

Northampton Town FC (First Team) v Cambridge United FC (First Team)
Football League 1   
Referee: Young, Alan
Assistant Referee: Buckley, Karl
Assistant Referee: Hughes, Kenwyn
Fourth Official: Eley, Richard

[XVK]

Never make assumptions

[macca1959]

So did I.
Anyone who went to Daventry School in the '70s might remember headmaster Docherty. Always used to sign off his letters (MA Cantab).

i
I remember docherty, do you remember weaver before him

[DavCobb]

I didn't have to google it as I knew who we are playing tomorrow. 

[XVK]

I didn't have to google it as I knew who we are playing tomorrow. 

Get you!