League Two play off final and assorted Cobblers anecdotes of games of old!

[guest49]

Referring to Rothmans there were loads of very poor home gates that season;

2554, 1437, 1653, 1595, 1873, 1864, 2240, 2274, 2523, 4350 (Posh), 1496, 1475, 1860, 1223, 1702, 942, 1264, 1426, 1181, 1311, 1581, 1838, 2350.

I was in all of those in the middle of being an ever present for 12 seasons. I’ll still have all the programmes in the loft. At least we didn’t have to wait long for Mr Carr to arrive.

[Coolcat]

I remember going to the Victoria ground to watch the Cobbs play Stoke in the Sherpa Van Trophy game I think there was about 10 of us.

So our car must have been half the away contingent then! 

Nearer 150 of us in the paddock behind the goal...think around 4000 altogether?

[Coolcat]

I was at Stoke, Liverpool, Crystal Palacex2, Leicester, Blackpool, West Ham, Tottenham, Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Wolves, Millwal, Rotherham and Bath! Apart from CP, Liverpool, Leicester and Blackpool, some of those old League grounds have gone🥲. Of course am going back years and as far as I can remember there was no crowd segregation. Bit dicey at Millwall and Stoke! Worst grounds been too are Stanley, BrRovers , Barnet & Walsall old ground. Nastiest supporters, Millwall and Oxford! Who are your ‘favs’ fans Coolie and Tabasco?

Been to all the 92...plus several hundred more including non-league and Europe (living abroad for eight years) though it's a conveyer belt of new stadia, so difficult to truly catch up!
If been to the place, watched a game and had a beer...do me! 

Favourite fans? Used to have a mutual twinning between Bury fans and Cobblers for a few years - not quite Torino (also good connections) and Fiorentina!
Personally, for friendliness, and even given a free ticket at the Hawthornes once, WBA fans over the years.

[guest49]

Been to all the 92...plus several hundred more including non-league and Europe (living abroad for eight years) though it's a conveyer belt of new stadia, so difficult to truly catch up!
If been to the place, watched a game and had a beer...do me! 

Favourite fans? Used to have a mutual twinning between Bury fans and Cobblers for a few years - not quite Torino (also good connections) and Fiorentina!
Personally, for friendliness, and even given a free ticket at the Hawthornes once, WBA fans over the years.

Can remember as a teen waiting for the players to arrive at away games to grab free tickets to the match. People flogging cheap tickets used to be common back then, before the rise of the Prem and rip off touts.

[Coolcat]

Referring to Rothmans there were loads of very poor home gates that season;

2554, 1437, 1653, 1595, 1873, 1864, 2240, 2274, 2523, 4350 (Posh), 1496, 1475, 1860, 1223, 1702, 942, 1264, 1426, 1181, 1311, 1581, 1838, 2350.

Remember quite a few of those gates! 1,311 for a 5-1 thrashing against Blackpool on a very foggy night.
2,350 was a crowd swelling final home game of the season against Mansfield Town. Resurgence of optimism, as Derrick Banks had just taken over!
Didn't go - up in Cumbria but ended on a high...as did the final win at Torquay a few days later...a contingent of Cobblers running amok (briefly) down their popular side!

[Tabasco Kid]

Manny battled a lot of Jack Army outside the prison, unfortunately I did take quite a bit of damage, still I was only young and was a good healer.

I had forgot about that place. One time, friday night live on Sky. The coaches were parked outside peoples houses, and we lost. As we went back to the coaches , some welsh wanker had his front door and window wide open. And hurling abuse. Bloke behind me stormed in, and launched at him in his front room. I was watching through the window. Mind the coffee table, I bet that hurt. And then we were stormed by little s1hts throwing bricks at us. Nice night out.

[Tabasco Kid]

Manny battled a lot of Jack Army outside the prison, unfortunately I did take quite a bit of damage, still I was only young and was a good healer.

Did you ever go up a bridge outside Ashton Gate, with a brick in your hand, only to find that the target was old bill?

[Manwork04]

Did you ever go up a bridge outside Ashton Gate, with a brick in your hand, only to find that the target was old bill?

I got to Ashton Gate really early once parked outside this boozer and went in for a couple then had a walk to the ground , watched the match, we lost, when we got back to the car the pub was full of skin heads brandishing baseball bats etc, god knows what was kicking off and left as quick as we could.

[Manwork04]

Always a warm welcome in the Pottery’s, especially Port Vale! what an utter sh1t hole makes Northampton look like Richmond.

[singcobb]

Always a warm welcome in the Pottery’s, especially Port Vale! what an utter sh1t hole makes Northampton look like Richmond.

Impossible, nothing, I mean absolutely nothing can hold a candle to Richmond.

[Tabasco Kid]

Zurich, England away march 2003. Absolute chaos. Riot squad, batons out, tear gas, water cannon, rubber bullets, (they hurt, and i have still got one) dead police dog in the fountain, locals throwing things at you from upstairs windows. Turks on every street corner, some dude on a stolen moped, going straight through a shop window, the local skinney heads popping down to pay a visit, (lots of boots and braces), and some old scores settled. Leeds/Bradford, and Darlo/Hartlepool notably. You had to watch your head incase of flying chairs, or steins. And the return flight, was the ugliest that I have ever seen. That was a weekend. And when we got back to Luton, it was freezing, and p1ssing down.

[Horsham Cobbler]

Zurich, England away march 2003. Absolute chaos. Riot squad, batons out, tear gas, water cannon, rubber bullets, (they hurt, and i have still got one) dead police dog in the fountain, locals throwing things at you from upstairs windows. Turks on every street corner, some dude on a stolen moped, going straight through a shop window, the local skinney heads popping down to pay a visit, (lots of boots and braces), and some old scores settled. Leeds/Bradford, and Darlo/Hartlepool notably. You had to watch your head incase of flying chairs, or steins. And the return flight, was the ugliest that I have ever seen. That was a weekend. And when we got back to Luton, it was freezing, and p1ssing down.

..... but did England win ??!!

[BackOfTheNet]

People complain about the gentrification of football, but this thread has become a good reminder of why the game needed a healthy dollop of gentrification...

[EB Claret]

Worst fans I encountered were at Leicester. Mate of mine was a Sheff Wed fan and I went with him to Filbert Street. Boring 0-0 but at the end
we got chased out of the alley at the back of the double decker stand.
Also went with him to the Manor at Oxford where Wednesday fans took over 3 sides of the ground. 9,000 were meant to be travelling from Sheffield, the official gate was given as 9,045! That looked about right.

On a lighter note, with the Cobblers on one visit to Mansfield, I was told at gun point by a local that I had to die. Luckily he was about 7 years old and shot me in the leg with his super soaker!

[Tabasco Kid]

..... but did England win ??!!

Yeah 2-0 against Lichtenstein. It was the closest airport. And they did not have a rail network either. So it was a bus.
I also went to the return fixture at Old Trafford, and saw a very young Rooney make his second showing.
Now, every seat had a leaflet on it about england tickets. Good quality they were. Magazine size and thickness. Perfect paper plane material. They were flying everywhere. At pace. The next time that I went there, the leaflets were plastic bags.

[Shoemender]

Remember quite a few of those gates! 1,311 for a 5-1 thrashing against Blackpool on a very foggy night.
2,350 was a crowd swelling final home game of the season against Mansfield Town. Resurgence of optimism, as Derrick Banks had just taken over!
Didn't go - up in Cumbria but ended on a high...as did the final win at Torquay a few days later...a contingent of Cobblers running amok (briefly) down their popular side!

Remember a few Blackpool lads “taking” the seats.

[Coolcat]

I got to Ashton Gate really early once parked outside this boozer and went in for a couple then had a walk to the ground , watched the match, we lost, when we got back to the car the pub was full of skin heads brandishing baseball bats etc, god knows what was kicking off and left as quick as we could.

1983. Boarded the train at Rugby...full of Bristol City skinheads! s*** myself as a sixteen year old - though probably would have at any age to be fair!
Brian Lomax also on the train, as some skins conversed with him, basically saying they were going to smash up Northampton!
At the County Ground, they ran along the paddock and onto the pitch, making for the Hotel End.
Some of Northampton's finest Pringle and Lacoste repelled them...1-0 to the Cobblers btw!

[Coolcat]

Remember a few Blackpool lads “taking” the seats.

That wasn't that night I don't think. Season after on a Saturday afternoon, towards the end of the season, they certainly did then!
The Tuesday night, no one would have known, such was the fog! 

[Shoemender]

1983. Boarded the train at Rugby...full of Bristol City skinheads! **** myself as a sixteen year old - though probably would have at any age to be fair!
Brian Lomax also on the train, as some skins conversed with him, basically saying they were going to smash up Northampton!
At the County Ground, they ran along the paddock and onto the pitch, making for the Hotel End.
Some of Northampton's finest Pringle and Lacoste repelled them...1-0 to the Cobblers btw!

The season before, on a Sunday took my girlfriend and we won 7-1, Dave Syrett scored 4, it had no influence on her, she still didn’t like football!! Needless to say, we’re not together any more, although she is the mother of my daughter, who’s now 37.

[Larry]

I'm surprised the Cambridge pitch invasion hasn't cropped up by now.