Birmingham@ home

[NTFC87]

Will it sell out? Are the boxes open? Will it be 8k+ attendance? I’ll leave the rest to GPC or OAP

[Zen Master]

Looking forward to this test and they also have a game tonight so hopefully we’ll be fresher on Saturday.
Luke Mbete played a game today which is a further positive step.
The away leg was a good test for us and despite all their possession we came away with a point following Pinnocks late equaliser which did little to please the locals on the way out.

Thankfully there’s no minutes silence on Saturday!!

Enjoyed the experience of the last time they came to Northampton in the league, March 20th, 1990. Lively Tuesday night at the County Ground in a 2-2 draw.

I’d settle for that again on Saturday but pragmatic on the likelihood of a positive result.

[west stand oap]

We are 1 of only 3 teams to come away with a point from Birmingham, the others are Blackpool (and they are yet to play the reverse fixture) and Reading who drew 1-1 (as we did) and at Reading it was a 0-0 draw could that be an omen?

[Deepcut Cobbler]

Northampton Town FC (First Team) v Birmingham City F C (First Team)
Football League 1   
Referee: Joyce, Ross
Assistant Referee: Guest, Danny
Assistant Referee: Block, Jonathon
Fourth Official: Hair, Neil

[Manwork04]

I have a very bad feeling about this game.

[TPFKA Marvo]

Free hit. Birmingham have the league won so maybe they'll take it easy. The result of this game is not going to decide our season.

[Razor]

For a team that's running away with the league their recent form is nothing special - comfortably beaten at Bolton and scraping past Lincoln and Stevenage in their most recent home games. Having said that I have a sneaky feeling we might get hammered on Saturday.

Looking forward to it either way and it's a nice little excuse to look back at this... I doubt their fans will be any less arrogant this time

[Terryfenwickatemyhamster]

Free hit. Birmingham have the league won so maybe they'll take it easy. The result of this game is not going to decide our season.

100% Marvo

[west stand oap]

What I've noticed about Birmingham is that they get a lot of penalties (already into double figures) and they rarely win big. They have only scored more than 2 goals in 6 games and only won by more than 2 goals twice, Cambridge at home 4-0 (the only time they have scored 4) and Wigan away 3-0. the other 4 games are 3-1 home to Wrexham, 3-2 home to Peterborough, 3-2 away to Wycombe and 3-1 away to Lincoln.

[tcobb]

Not much on their forum so far, apart from talks of resting players and one poster calling for revenge !!!!!

[Lizard68]

As there is no mention anywhere and it's already Wednesday, I take it the boxes in the East will still be empty this weekend? It has all gone a little quiet, are they still having problems with the safety certificate being granted?

[tcobb]

I thought they would be opening for the Blackpool game?

[Tom]

I this is obviously one of those games where we're expected to get comprehensively beaten.

It's not unheard of for teams take a win for granted, just not give the opposition enough credit and that paves the way for an upset - we can hope right!

[Lizard68]

I thought they would be opening for the Blackpool game?

The test event? I was under the impression they can't all be open at one time and it needs to be staggered, so if it is the Blackpool game only a limited number will be open. I wonder why the test event wasn't this weekend with a view to have it at full capacity next weekend. 

[GrangeParkCobbler]

As there is no mention anywhere and it's already Wednesday, I take it the boxes in the East will still be empty this weekend? It has all gone a little quiet, are they still having problems with the safety certificate being granted?

Not heard about the boxes but they are certainly selling the additional rows of seats (L,M,N) in the East Stand for this one. That in itself should mean a record crowd for Sixfields on Saturday.

[Observing]

Not much on their forum so far, apart from talks of resting players and one poster calling for revenge !!!!!

Revenge 

Birmingham fans are morons.

[west stand oap]

Marc Leonard is fit again and came on as a sub last night.

[GrangeParkCobbler]

So pulling together some of the above, here is my preview for the game against Birmingham on Saturday.

The Blues come to us with a 14 point lead atop the table looking for an immediate return to The Championship following their relegation last season. Mathematically they only need five wins from their 11 remaining games to seal the deal.

Birmingham City only became Birmingham City in 1943, founded as Small Heath Alliance in 1875 before dropping the Alliance bit in 1888. They then became plain old Birmingham in 1905 before adding the City bit on in the war. They have spent roughly half their existence in the top flight although more recent times the second tier has predominantly been their level. With four second-tier titles to their name (1893/1921/1948 and 1955) and a third division title in 1995 they will be looking to add to their silverware, a haul which also includes the League Cup in 1963 and 2011 as well as the League Trophy in 1991 and 1995.

After seven consecutive 17th place or lower finishes in the Championship they finished 22nd last year and found themselves back in the third tier for the first time since 1995, during which time they had tasted life in the Premier League too with seven seasons at the top table between 2002 and 2011. Under the stewardship of Tom Wagner they want to get back to that level, Tom Brady is also in the background and they have big plans for a new ground in Birmingham capable of holding up to 62000 fans.

This season they have won 25 of their 35 games, losing only three. Those defeats came at Charlton, Shrewsbury and a week or so ago at Bolton. With 9 wins and four draws in the league away from home they sit second to Wycombe in away form. They have only one one of their last four away league games though (clutching at straws here!)
An early League Cup exit at Fulham has been complimented by a run in the FA Cup to the fourth round, bowing out to Newcastle, and they have also reached the final of the Trophy where they will meet Peterborough at Wembley in the middle of next month.

£15m man Jay Stansfield is their leading scorer. After a successful loan spell from Fulham last season Brum splashed the cash to make him the record third tier signing and he has obliged with 21 goals in all competitions so far this season. He has though picked up five bookings in his last eight games and did miss a couple of games through injury recently. He has been ably assisted by Alfie May who has 11 to his name this term, the former Cheltenham and Charlton man has not found the net since early January though, a barren spell of fifteen games. Former Celtic man Tomoki Iwata is a threat in midfield with seven goals to his name, alongside Kieran Dowell who is on loan from Rangers and has scored in the last two games.
Keshi Anderson is also in and around the team, a former Cobblers loanee in 2017 Anderson joined the Blues from Blackpool in 2023. Marc Leonard is also on the books of City of course, our player of the season from last year was injured in the Cup game against Newcastle but returned in midweek against Stevenage and should make the squad on Saturday.

Manager-wise Chris Davies is at the helm and with 35 wins from 48 games so far he isn't doing too badly! Davies took over in the Summer after Gary Rowett made his second exit. Before that Tony Mowbray had an illness affected spell in charge following the failed Wayne Rooney experiment and the controversial sacking of John Eustace.

Not too much of a head to head between Birmingham and The Cobblers, this will be only the sixth meeting between the two clubs, Blues have two wins to our one with two draws. This will be the first time Birmingham have played a competitive match at Sixfields, their last trip to Northampton was back in 1990 when we fought out a 2-2 draw, prior to that a 1966 Division 2 meeting when The Cobblers won 2-1. There are not many teams you can say have never won in Northampton but Birmingham fit that billing at the moment!!
Earlier this season the two sides drew 1-1 at St Andrews, 27485 fans witnessed Mitch Pinnock's 90th minute leveller as we became only one of three teams who have avoided defeat at Birmingham in their 19 home games this season.

Ross Joyce joined the League referees list in 2015, his first ever EFL game was at Sixfields as he handled our 3-0 win over Exeter in August of that year. Our latest encounter with him took place only a couple of months ago as he was the man in charge of our win at Burton. He's sent off two and booked 94 in his 23 games this season, 11 of those yellows came in one game between Blackpool and Exeter. We seem to have met him numerous times over the years including "that" last game of the season at Barrow in 2022, and our home win over Carlisle last season which is the last game he didn't feel the need to show a yellow card to anyone (29 games since then).
Having reffed almost exclusively in League 1 and 2 I can't see an game where he has ever reffed Birmingham in those 10 years on the League list.

[Tabasco Kid]

Havent we played them about 3 times in pre season games?
BTP should be busy on Saturday as well. I may just be in town centre pre match, as it will get a bit busy in the Tavern. Does the Bear still have a lunchtime happy hour? 

[Zen Master]

Every hour is happy hour in The Bear.

Fun fact - ex Birmingham City Centre Half Darren Purse was working at Malcolm Arnold Academy (aka Trinity) until a couple of years ago.