We've had worst Poppies supporting days than Monday 14th October 2024 I suppose. We started the day by signing, arguably one of the best strikers in the league and ended it by drawing the Cobblers in the FA Cup. Not too shabby. Certainly known worse days. Quite a few in fact.
The signing of Jonny Edwards is the most obvious example that, despite the protestations of our new owners and Lavs that a play-off spot is their aim this season, we are tilting for the title. It's going to be tough. One look at the League table shows how incredibly tight the top 10 is. A run of wins you are on top of the pile. A run of defeats and you are looking over your shoulder at the relegation scrap. Few that have seen us at our best this season would doubt that we have as good a chance as anyone else to win the league.
Edwards is the real deal, as anyone who saw his debut at Bromsgrove will attest. He came on at half time, scored a penalty and were it not for numerous goal-line blocks and a keeper equal parts lucky and inspired, he would have finished with the match ball under his arm. I thought it was amusing, though, that in the official club website write-up of Jonny's signing they mentioned his 3 goals in 2 games against us last season. If anything, this diminishes his quality. So abject were we against St Ives last season that only scoring 3 goals suggests he wasn't very good or trying very hard. Such was the ease with which the Poppies were carved up at "The Quattro-Tech Westwood Stadium" last season that at one point even I scored a goal which was subsequently flagged offside.
The FA Cup draw was, obviously, the main news of the week. The next morning on radio Northampton Kev Shoemake and Luke Graham were dragged onto the airwaves to talk about the County clash. Disappointingly, BOTH of them remained stubbornly neutral about the match Considering that between them they have something in the region of 250 appearances for us and (checks notes) ZERO appearances for the Cobblers, would it have been so hard to back your former team? You do know that hoping your former team can spring a shock against the mighty Northampton Town ISN'T a hate crime? Even on Radio Northampton. We are as much in Northamptonshire as they are. Do you think any former Cobbler players asked the same question wouldn't automatically back their former employers? Of course they would. And rightly so. C'mon guys - we know you'd both love us to turn the Cobblers over. Would it kill you to admit it?
It's probably this lack of commitment-to-the-cause why Kev never quite, despite repeated efforts, managed to snag that elusive Poppies Testimonial game. But hey, there's still time.....! 😉
Expect some more from Patgod about the upcoming FA Cup clash and perhaps a dig into the archives about our last encounter from back in more analogue days, where if both Neil Horwood and Shoey could handle a ball properly, the outcome might have been different.
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| Still got it! Brett and Craig are equally amused that Shoey's beer-gut repels another attack in the recent Legends game. (c) Shorty |
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