Street Fighting Stan: Northampton Report

Grimsby Town 1 Northampton Town 2
11 Jan 2005, Coca Cola League 2

The wind, a sterling effort by Mother Nature: swirling, curling into the faces of the away fans. Nice and warm in the Pontoon, hair rufflage to a minimum.

Town warmed up in their usual half-hearted way, sleeves pulled over fingers, heads shrinking into shoulders. Northampton players.... were somewhere over in the distance doing things of interest only to themselves.

Town lined up in a 3-4-1-2 formation (or is that the code for the Town safe?), as shown. Pinault dropped back into the middle of the midfield, whilst Parkinson played in some kind of vague "free" role floating like a feather between midfield and attack, mostly wide on the left. Well that line up should be adequate, shouldn’t it? What is the point in paying Stacy Coldicott if he isn’t going to be picked to play?

The grand return of Dish of the Day: Glen Downey’s Penne Carbonara. Nope, still don’t believe he exists. That picture is Russell Slade’s cousin on a day trip to Cleethorpes. It’s very fattening apparently, with all that cream and butter. So that’s what Michael Reddy has been eating during his "flu" attack? Or does flu cause bloating?

1st half

Town kicked off towards the Osmond Stand, interrupting many a casual conversation about roof tiles. All very low key, crowd shrivelling and silent. I’ll give you a nudge when something happens.

Dum-di-dum-di-dum-di-dum dum-di-dum-di-dum-dum^*. Name that tune for one point.

Pinault passing, oh-no, he’s scared and too good looking, someone cried. Bull offside.

Dum-de-de-de-de-de-de-de-dum-dum, Boom, De-de-de-de-de-de-de-dum-dum, Boom^**, the questions are still worth one point.

Boom indeed, Parky shoots from the left. Or right. Depends where you sit, or if you were watching. Or there. Straight at the ‘keeper. No Royals involved. Hold that front page for a while longer. Nice, nearly, not. Three words that couldn’t possible mean anything to you, Mr Bond. Unless you were hiding in the dead zone that was Blundell Park. Nice - passes by Town. Nearly - they almost led to a shot, a break through the defence. Not - answer to most questions at Blundell Park. Macca raiding, Crowe bursting, Gritton flicking, Reddy roving and droving. We’d have heard him moogling and a-googling too, if the wind hadn’t been blowing down the pitch. Northampton penned inside their half by wind, Town and the inability of their ‘keeper to kick. Shoot! A Harper fly kick straight at Crowe, ball bouncing off shin to Cobbler, moment lost.

In this excitement I forgot something. Bull, felled, hobbling, injured. He can’t walk, he can talk, he’s crocked. He’s still on the pitch.

Ah, nice, Northampton attack. Mmm, not nice. They move, they pester, with McGleish a constant irritant, darting here, jinking there, sidling into the spaces between Ramsden and Forbes. Lucky Town, Northampton players can’t lift their heads in that wind. Benjamin! Ho follows ho. He’s a big man, but not seemingly in shape for football. Wince: Jones stumbles and Benjamin tumbles, inside the area. Play on.