The Northampton public do not care. NTFC fans care about what is going on. What you forget is that a very large proportion of the people in your catchment area argument are incomers, with historical links to other clubs(mainly London clubs) and the rest of them follow the eggchasers. I know several people who are Northampton born and bred who get on the train week in week out down to London or wherever their team is playing, because that's what they used to do with their Dads and Uncles. What we have failed to do not only over the Cardoza and KT stewardships is grab the youngsters at school level and this should have been ongoing from the 70's. If we don't get them young we will not get them at all and they will get their matchday experience in front of the TV from Sky Sports.
41,000/33,000/21,500 fans for our three Wembley appearences, not to mention the, albeit completely off the scale, 7000 to MK suggests that given factors, there certainly is support in the county and beyond.
I agree to an extent that catching fans young is the way forward - but that requires more than success on the pitch - dare I say look at MK down the road, whose second generation fans are just about hatching from their eggs and actually travelling away!
The parents' historical links argument hits almost every club...which is why we have a Stone Island wearing, Yorkshire thru and thru nineteen year old lad in Hull, supporting the Cobblers!