Score predictions - Northampton home

Northampton next, the side we faced on the final day of last season, with Martin Devaney's side needing a win to guarantee a play off spot. The Cobblers have started the season in similar fashion to us, winning and losing 1, and sit directly below us in the table on goals scored. The Reds are odds on favourites to end a winless run of 9 games on home soil in all competitions. Priced at 7/11, surely it's only a matter of time before that run comes to an end. The visitors are 4/1 to end their own winless run on the road of 7 games.

Northampton started the season with an away defeat at Bristol Rovers, in a game where they created little and ultimately lost in injury time. On the road, they've won just 1 of their last 11 league 1 games, and just 2 of 12 in 2024. 2 first half strikes at Burton were the last time they took 3 points home with them. Coincidentally, that's the same day the Reds last tasted home victory. They gained just 23 points away from Sixfields last season, the 15th best away record in the league, and certainly had a drop off in the second half of the season after experiencing better form shortly after promotion from League 2.

There isn't much history between Barnsley and Northampton. Of the previous 12 encounters at Oakwell, the Reds have won 5, drawn 3 and lost 4. We've not won in any of the 3 meetings this century, and haven't won any of the last 5 meetings at Oakwell. In fact, our last victory over the Cobblers on home soil came in August 1975; the reds recorded a 3-1 victory in the old 4th division, courtesy of a brace from Mick Butler, and a strike by John Peachy.

The Cobblers have 2 ex Reds in their ranks. Will Hondermarck surprisingly only made 11 league appearances for Barnsley, despite some early promise. Cameron McGeehan did play slightly more frequently in his 3 years at Oakwell, featuring mainly during the 18/19 promotion campaign, before moving to PMG owned Oostende in 2020. Along with Callum Morton, McGeehan is one of the two new signings for Northampton to find the net in their last league encounter, a 2-1 win over Exeter last weekend. Centre back John Guthrie has the highest rating so far this season on Fotmob for the Cobblers with 7.5, having assisted the winning goal at the weekend. He's won 92% of his aerial duels so far this season, though has a low number of touches, suggesting he's a no nonsense defender. Tariq Fosu is also getting good reviews in his early days as a Cobbler; the former Brentford man went a full season without a club after leaving Rotherham at the end of 22/23 and looks to rediscover the form that saw him assist the Bees into the Premier League.

Referee Darren Drysdale placed a respectable 11th in the ref watch league table last year, after his mostly favourable display when the Reds defeated Wycombe at home. He was credited for allowing Sam Cosgrove's late winner, after goalkeeper Mark Stryjek's time wasting antics backfired. He also dismissed the Wanderers defender Harry Boyes for his reaction to the winning goal. He took charge of his last Northampton game just a few days later, and their 3-0 home defeat to Portsmouth, booking just one player for each side on that occasion. He's started the season with a 4.5 card average across 2 games, which is about the standard level these days.

Other than Kyran Lofthouse (again) and Vimal Yoganathan, nobody really from the cup defeat in the week has made a case for a starting berth on Saturday. I personally would rather see Lofthouse on the opposite flank, and Earl back in the back 3, rather than out wide like he was last weekend, though I did think he played better than he has been. There's question marks over Watters' availability, and given it's a hamstring injury, he may miss this one. I wondered whether playing with Lofthouse and Yoganathan up front was an experiment on Tuesday night, ahead of giving Marsh game time, or whether Marsh was being used sparingly ahead of this one. Given his 2 goals which came about from good movement in the box, it's hard to argue against giving young Vim a go in the absence of other options.



Having not played in midweek, Northampton may opt for a similar side that won at home to Exeter last week. Tom Eaves is the main injury issue they have, as the former Rotherham and Hull man waits for his competitive debut.



I'm finding this one particularly difficult to predict, as its a poor home side vs a poor travelling side, though I do think one of those records will come to an end at the weekend. Given we looked reasonably comfortable at the back for the majority of the Mansfield, Wigan and Lincoln games, albeit we conceded in all 3, I do think we're getting closer to a clean sheet, something we've not done in our last 14 competitive fixtures. So my prediction and bet for the week will both be 1-0 Barnsley at 6/1 (P/L = -£10) with Adam Phillips finally breaking his duck for the season.

 

I think we will have settled down a bit with our win at Lincoln, so I'm going for a 2-0 win,
Cosgrove and a Pines bullet header.

 

Hard to see where goals are coming from 0-0

 

Colliers 4 Cobblers 1

 

1-1

 

2-1 Reds.

McGeehan to put them 1-0 up after another slow start at home. Cosgrove equaliser. Marsh winner.

 

3-0 COYR

 

Confidence boosting 2-0 With Clarke starting to work his magic.

 

We haven't failed to score yet you need to look harder

 

2-0 to us. Slowly moving in the right direction.

 

Given we haven't beaten them at home in nearly 50 years, a boring 1-1.

 

Reds leading 3-0 through Cosgrove, Phillips and Craig when the game is stopped on 60 minutes when the wind catches McGeehan's hair and slam dunks him into the 32" scoreboard.

 

It’s more of a heart than head prediction, but 2-1 for me. COYR

 

Right if the goals we’ve scored fill you with confidence you’re seeing something not many are!
How many chances did we waste against Mansfield? The polar opposite we created next to none at Lincoln. Not counting the 2 cup games

 

Doesn’t that just almost typify football in general though. It’s not exclusive to us that a team wins a game when creating hardly any chances when they previously failed to win a game where they created lots of chances. It’s obvious that we lack firepower but it’s not always the strikers that could do better in front of goal.

 

I like Clarke. He's had pre-season and a month to look at the whole squad and has been rightly critical. Time to pick his best 11 and win a home game. Be disappointed if we don't win tomorrow to be honest. 3-1.

 

We've failed to score just 4 times in 59 competitive games since the start of last season. 3 of those 4 were at Oakwell mind.

 

2-0. You reds!

 

1-1. Humdrum.

 

Another week gone and still no new forwards so can’t see owt other than a 1-1