The short journey to Sixfields awaits Cambridge United this weekend as they search to take some points off Northampton Town in their latest Sky Bet League One outing…
How to Watch
United have been handed a full allocation of 1,473 for Saturday’s 3pm kick-off in Northamptonshire, with over 900 fans having already confirmed their attendance for the game.
Supporters can be a part of the bumper following by securing their place online at cufctickets.com, over the phone on 01223 566500 (option 1) or by visiting the Cledara Abbey Stadium Club Shop during the usual opening hours – one away credit will be issued upon purchase.
Should there be any tickets available on the day, prices will rise by £1 when bought from Sixfields.
Unable to attend? Be sure to back the boys from home via your CUFC TV account. Overseas supporters can stream the game live, whilst UK U’s can tune into audio commentary.
Opposition Focus
Founded in 1897, our hosts were admitted into the Football League just 23 years later and were a regular feature in the Third Division South. A remarkable rise in the 1960s under Dave Bowen saw the club achieve three promotions as they secured their place in the top tier of English football for the solitary campaign in 1965/66. Contrastingly, they had returned to the Fourth Division by 1969 – a new record of moving to and from the levels in the space of nine years. A steady few decades followed, with a recent battle ensuing between League Two and One. Under Jon Brady, Northampton achieved promotion at the second attempt in 2022/23 after finishing 3rd, before showing excellent signs of consolidation last time out by recording a ranking of 14th.
The Cobblers’ aim of hitting the 60-point mark again is more than possible following a steady start that has consisted of four wins, five draws and six defeats – with a four-point gap separating them from the drop. The search now will be consistency. After succumbing to an opening day defeat to Bristol Rovers, the side embarked on a decent run which included edging past Exeter City and taking a point from Barnsley and Burton Albion. Nonetheless, they went on to lose four of their next five, with a victory at Huddersfield Town the only highlight. Form has since flipped in the league, in their last six they’ve lost on the solitary occasion, falling to a last-gasp winner from Lincoln City. Resilient draws away at Birmingham City and Blackpool most recently proves they are a tough nut to crack on their day and will relish home advantage this weekend.
Starting off in goal, 31-year-old Lee Burge has popped up with four clean sheets and will be full of confidence following four saves last time out. A back four ahead of him consists of Akinwale Odimayo and Nesta Guinness-Walker ahead of him, with former free agent TJ Eyoma and mainstay Jon Guthrie at the heart of a no-nonsense defence. Will Hondermarck and Tunisian loanee Samy Chouchane could be chosen from the get-go in the holding role, which in turn would allow Ben Fox, creative spark Mitch Pinnock and modern-day legend Sam Hoskins to roam - the latter popped up with 15 goals at this level in 2023/24. Whilst on the topic of goalscoring prowess, experienced talisman Martyn Waghorn is looking for his first start, with former Championship regular Tyler Roberts eager to get off the mark.
Form Guide
- 02/11/2024 – Northampton Town 1-2 Kettering Town – FA Cup First Round
- 05/11/2024 – Northampton Town 3-0 Leicester City U21s – EFL Trophy Group Stage
- 09/11/2024 – Birmingham City 1-1 Northampton Town – Sky Bet League One
- 12/11/2024 – Northampton Town 2-5 Burton Albion – EFL Trophy Group Stage
- 16/11/2024 – Blackpool 0-0 Northampton Town – Sky Bet League One
The Amber Angle
United will approach the tie off the back of a confidence-boosting and resolute 1-1 draw against strong-starters Barnsley at the Abbey last time out.
A rapid start to the afternoon saw Dan Nlundulu shield the ball well to power his side into an early lead. An end-to-end battle continued, with Stephen Humphreys helping the Tykes hit back courtesy of a rapid counter. In spite of the setback, the U’s had a good rhythm and maintained the greater threat during a positive first half. Chances were at a premium following the break, with Barnsley controlling in the middle of the park, but the hosts remained calm and collected to secure a point for their endeavour.
Summarising the afternoon, Garry Monk said: “Overall it’s a good point for us – a great response. We spoke about last week. We’ve achieved a lot of the things we set out to do, obviously three points would have been nicer than one, but I can’t really complain in terms of the effort that the players gave today.”
Certainly a point gained as opposed to two dropped, the U’s are situated in 22nd but just three points separate them from 19th position. Defensively, they’ve looked settled and alert in six of their last seven matches, and with some key attacking threats primed to return ahead of a schedule which sees the game come thick and fast, optimism is in the air that the tide is turning in CB5.
Form Guide
- 26/10/2024 – Cambridge United 1-0 Burton Albion – Sky Bet League One
- 02/11/2024 – Woking 0-1 Cambridge United – FA Cup First Round
- 05/11/2024 – Cambridge United 1-0 Chelsea U21s – EFL Trophy Group Stage
- 09/11/2024 – Peterborough United 6-1 Cambridge United – Sky Bet League One
- 16/11/2024 – Cambridge United 1-1 Barnsley – Sky Bet League One
Head-to-Head
- Northampton Town Wins: 19
- Cambridge United Wins: 16
- Draws: 14
Last Time We Met
Saturday 9th March 2024 – Cambridge United 1-1 Northampton Town – Sky Bet League One
The points were shared and the losing streak was terminated during Monk’s first game in charge of United back in March as the sides played out a fair 1-1 draw at a packed CB5. A well-worked move concluded by Elias Kachunga during the early proceedings handed the U’s the momentum, but they were unable to kick on as the match progressed, with the visitors growing and claiming a share of the spoils late on through Jon Guthrie’s header.
The line-up on that day: Stevens, L. Bennett, R. Bennett, Morrison, Andrew, Lankester, Digby, Cousins, Brophy, Kachunga, Taylor.
Boot in Both Camps
There’s been some iconic goalscorers at League Two level over the years, with nobody bulging the onion bag more times than prolific frontman Marc Richards, who found the back of the net on 137 different occasions. Born in 1982, he first started plundering the goals with the Cobblers in 2003, before embarking on spells with Barnsley, Port Vale – winning the golden boot on four consecutive seasons – and Chesterfield. In 2014, he returned to Sixfields and spent four successful years there, including a promotion, and the natural striker would conclude his tally with brief stints at Swindon Town and then the U’s in 2019, scoring three times. His last moves in football was in non-league with Yeovil Town and Southern League Premier Division Central side St Ives Town.
Officials
- Referee: Alan Young
- Assistant Referee: Karl Buckley
- Assistant Referee: Kenwyn Hughes
- Fourth Official: Richard Eley