Birmingham@ home

[west stand oap]

We were expected to lose at Huddersfield - but we didn't.
We were expected to lose at Birmingham - but we didn't.
We are expected to lose on Saturday - BUT WE DIDN'T

[WadeyCobbler]

A good battling and well deserved point. First half we were excellent and should have been further ahead. I expected Brum to turn it on second half and win comfortably but they didn’t at all. They had chances but so did we. Nolan really has us working hard, making us hard to beat and I like it.
 A record Sixfields crowd, which to be fair was quiet at times, but then loud when the team needed us most. Brum fans very quiet throughout, very poor I thought. Probably think they are too good to be coming to places like this.
Shame Burton won. We can’t quite shake them off although they still have to win two more games than us in the last nine games and I think we will win at least 3. Can they win 5 from their 9?

[Observing]

Great point, a little disappointed it’s not three but that’s being greedy.

Our work rate and application was superb.

They pass it well but it’s pretty toothless and dull, awful away support to for a supposed sleeping giant.

[the grumpy old man]

I thought we deserved that point. We were the better team in the first half and could have been two if not three up before their goal. On another day McGeehan would have buried that header and I thought Sammy was unlucky with the shot that just shaved the bar. What Pinnock was doing shooting form his own half though is another matter.

Second half was always going to be a struggle as we have so many players who can't play 90 minutes due to coming back from injuries but to a man they defended as if their lives depended on it. Just one thing though that irked me, we gave the guy on the left wing far too much room to run at us in the second half (no idea who he was), but that is about my only criticism. Stansfield missed a good chance, although the angle may have been tighter than it looked from where I was sitting, and one of their players had a free header which he totally squandered. All in all though whatever you think of Birmingham they were not 14 points clear for no reason and we have done extremely well to remain unbeaten in the two games against them. When you think what they paid for Stansfield is probably more than we have paid for all our players since formation in 1897 it puts things in perspective.

I thought Magloire played well in his first 90 minutes for several years, if only we could keep him fit he would be a great player I think. T.J. looked solid when he came on and young Dyche gets better every game. Mbete could be in the squad soon and surely Eaves can't be much further away to give us more options. On a  lighter note, when Koiki came on I had to look him up in the programme as I had no idea who No 14 was - it has been a long time Ali so forgive me - good idea to play him up front as well. If only Roberts had been able to play and Shaw had been fit I think we may have won that.

Well done lads.

[west stand oap]

Odd that Birmingham couldn’t sell their allocation of about1450 (without the use of the extra seats) and only brought 1379. They were certainly very quiet for the most part.

[EB Claret]

Well deserved point, just a shame we weren't two or three up before Brum scored. A two goal lead at half time would have been warranted, their goal must have been the first time they got into our penalty area.
Birmingham improved 2nd half but never looked brilliant, they could only play as well as we let them and in the first half we didn't give them time to breathe.
The work rate of all our players and their refusal to be beaten was fantastic, even though some like Magloire could barely walk by the end.

A special award to the Brum support(?) for being the quietest fans at Sixfields in this or any other season!

[Melbourne Cobbler]

With that accent I don’t blame them.

[1971cobbler]

Odd that Birmingham couldn’t sell their allocation of about1450 (without the use of the extra seats) and only brought 1379. They were certainly very quiet for the most part.

On this, why did the stewards allow at least 50 Bluenoses stand at the front of the south, towards the east corner?

[the grumpy old man]

I had a Birmingham fan sit next to me. He never said a word all through the game but everytime Birmingham attacked in the second half and particularly in the second half, when the move broke down he put his head in his hands. He never celebrated their goal. Normally I can engage the person next to me in conversation, but not this one and it took me until deep into the second half to realise why. I didn't have a problem with him, he paid his money and was just quietly supporting his team, but some people may have objected.

[Zen Master]

On this, why did the stewards allow at least 50 Bluenoses stand at the front of the south, towards the east corner?

Minimum wage probably. Let in by the police rather than have them outside?

[ceebee2]

Reminds me of the season when the Cobblers drew home and away with the mighty Man City

Hopefully not - we got relegated that season!

[guest3718]

Hopefully not - we got relegated that season!

Crowds and expectations 👍

[sxcobbler]

There were a lot of Brummie fans in the Home end, especially Hospitality.

[Carton Lid]

There were a lot of Brummie fans in the Home end, especially Hospitality.

Didn't our Commercial Manager come from Birmingham, sold them to his old customers?

[Bingers]

I didn't have a problem with him, he paid his money and was just quietly supporting his team, but some people may have objected.

Quite right too, just another human, come to watch a game of footie and not make any fuss about it. Most of us have done it at some point. Bigger Boy Bingers first time was Wrexham away this season.


More in common than in difference.....

[west stand oap]

More observations from yesterdays game:-

A pity Birmingham couldn't give Leonard a 20 minute cameo against his old club.

On the day I didn't think £20million Stansfield was any better than Costelloe.

While we defended stoutly we continue to make too many hurried clearances for somebody to chase often resulting in the ball coming straight back at us. The stats for the number of completed successful passes tells a damning story, Birmingham 511 out of 624 - 81.9% successful, Cobblers 89 out of 185 - 48.1% successful. We need to try to find a team mate more regularly with our clearances and KN knows this as he has said on more than 1 occasion that we give up possession too cheaply.

Having had a crowd of 7947 yesterday will we top 8000 by the end of the season from our last 5 home games? I think there is only 1 game where this is possible as we would need the away team to sell out their allocation. Blackpool last season only brought 323 but it was a Tuesday night game but I cannot see them bringing 1450 on Saturday. Rotherham is on a Tuesday night so that is unlikely. Shrewsbury last season brought 771 so again unlikely and they will probably be relegated when then come here, Wigan last game of the season will probably be a dead rubber and they only brought 622 last season. This leaves the only possibility being when Reading visit, they brought 1285 last season and could sell out providing they still have a chance of reaching the play offs.

[TPFKA Marvo]

With the scheduled opposition in our last five home games, we are unlikely to surpass last seasons total. Nevertheless it should still be our second highest aggregate, not only at Sixfields but since the 1970/1 season, so over 50 years. What a shame we didn't have the East stand completed a little sooner. Never mind, there is always next season.

[west stand oap]

Yesterday we became only the second team Birmingham have failed to beat in either fixture this season, as I said in a previous post Reading also drew both games. Birmingham dropped points away to Charlton ,Stockport, Wrexham and Bolton but they all lost at Birmingham. This only leaves another 3 teams who could go unbeaten against them and they are Blackpool who drew away but still have to play them at home, Mansfield who drew at home but still have to play them away and Shrewsbury who beat them at home but still have to play them away.

[the grumpy old man]

More observations from yesterdays game:-


On the day I didn't think £20million Stansfield was any better than Costelloe.

I agree, I thought Stansfield was poor throughout the game, although he should have scored. I think Burnley have a gem on their hands with young Costelloe but will he be good enough for the Prem if they get there? Hopefully they will loan him to us again and maybe even sell him although that seems unlikely as I believe he has signed a new contract. I would love us to sign Taylor too, we will miss him when we play Charlton.

[Carton Lid]

Having had a crowd of 7947 yesterday will we top 8000 by the end of the season from our last 5 home games? I think there is only 1 game where this is possible as we would need the away team to sell out their allocation. Blackpool last season only brought 323 but it was a Tuesday night game but I cannot see them bringing 1450 on Saturday. Rotherham is on a Tuesday night so that is unlikely. Shrewsbury last season brought 771 so again unlikely and they will probably be relegated when then come here, Wigan last game of the season will probably be a dead rubber and they only brought 622 last season. This leaves the only possibility being when Reading visit, they brought 1285 last season and could sell out providing they still have a chance of reaching the play offs.

Surely the only way we could top 8,000 is if the away team only had the South Stand, otherwise we have to leave empty seats between home and away in the East.