Wigan Athletic vs Northampton Town | League One Preview
On Tuesday night, under the lights of the Brick Community Stadium, Wigan Athletic host Northampton Town in our sixteenth game of the 2024/25 League One season.
Part One | An overview of our opponents. 🔎
Part Two | “Who to Watch” players. 👓
Part Three | What can we expect from this game? 🏟️
Wigan Athletic are back on nights in League One as we host Northampton Town in our sixteenth game of the campaign.
Shaun Maloney’s side had to fight hard for a 1-0 victory against Barnsley in horrendous conditions at Oakwell on Saturday, and are now just three points away from reaching the 20-point mark.
Northampton Town have experienced an extremely turbulent last couple of decades, but Jon Brady looks to be building them back up to success after bettering their league position in each of the last three seasons.
The Cobblers sit 1 place and 1 point above the Latics, and this game is one that both teams will be desperate to win in a bid to extend the gap to the bottom four.
Let’s see what we can expect from this game 👇
Northampton Town
On March 9th 1897, in the Princess Royal Inn, a group of schoolteachers formed Northampton’s first-ever football club. They decided to keep the name simply ‘Northampton Football Club’. However, the town rugby team did not approve of this name and, following an arbitration with the FA, they became known as Northampton Town FC.
The club joined the Northants League for the 1897/98 season and finished fourth in their debut campaign. On their second attempt, they won the league title by losing just one of the sixteen games 🏆
Following the title win, the Cobblers joined the Midland League in the summer of 1899. Northampton had two near-identical seasons at this level, finishing third on both occasions with a one-point difference and F. Warner netting 14 times in each campaign.
Northampton then joined the Southern League in the summer of 1901 and remained at this level until the summer of 1920. During their spell at this level, they won the Northants Senior Cup in 04/05 and won the league title in 08/09 - the same season they finished runners-up in the FA Charity Shield following a 2-0 loss against Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge 👏
In their final season in the Southern League, the Cobblers lost 21 of the 42 games and conceded 103 goals to finish 19th. They avoided having to apply for re-election by just three points and joined the Football League in the summer of 1920 as a founding member of Division Three South.
The Cobblers remained at this level until the summer of 1958, finishing as high as second in the 27/28 and 49/50 seasons. The latter runners-up success came just one season after avoiding a re-election process due to goal difference when finishing 20th. A season later, they finished 21st and avoided another re-election process due to the division expanding to 24 teams with only the bottom two having to apply.
Division Four was formed in 1958, ending the regionalised division formats, and Northampton Town spent three seasons at this level before securing third place to win promotion to Division Three. The Cobblers finished 8th in their debut season, before winning the 1962/63 title a season later. 109 goals were scored during the league campaign, which remains the club record ⚽️
Dave Bowen was the manager in charge throughout both promotions to the Second Division and after an 11th-place finish in their debut season, he took them to a runners-up place to gain promotion to the First Division for the 1965/66 season 📈
The Cobblers spent just one season in the top flight and were relegated with 33 points from 42 games, just 2 points behind Fulham. Northampton had also lost fewer games (19) than any other team in the bottom seven. Ultimately, they were one win away from spending another season going up against the nation’s best.
This relegation sparked a freefall down the divisions as they suffered back-to-back drops into the Third Division before dropping again in their second season back at this level to end up in the Fourth Division for the 1969/70 campaign 📉
Things almost went from bad to worse for Northampton as a 21st-place finish in the 71/72 season meant they had to apply for re-election into the Football League for the first time in their history. The Cobblers picked up 49 votes to secure their position, with Stockport County and Crewe Alexandra also remaining with 46 votes. Barrow failed in their re-election attempt, despite finishing level on points with Northampton Town and five points ahead of County.
A season later, Northampton dropped to 23rd in the table and had to apply for re-election again. 43 votes were secured this time around and the Cobblers were successful again, along with Crewe Alexandra, Colchester United, and Darlington.
The two close calls sparked a resurgence at the club, and in the 1975/76 season, they went unbeaten at home to secure 2nd place and earn promotion back into the Third Division. However, a disappointing return campaign saw them instantly relegated again.
Four mid-table finishes followed before Northampton finished 22nd to require another re-election application. They were successful but had to apply yet again after a 23rd-place finish in the 1984/85 season.
Just like their resurgence in the mid-70s after two re-elections, Northampton took just two seasons from this latest one to find success. Graham Carr had recently taken over as manager and guided the Cobblers to the Fourth Division title in 1986/87, winning 30 of the 46 games and scoring 103 goals 🏆
Unfortunately, this success was short-lived, and an exciting 6th-place finish on their return was followed by a 20th and 22nd to fall back into the Fourth Division for the 1990/91 campaign.
The Premier League was established in 1992, which led to the renaming of the fourth tier to the Third Division starting from the 1992/93 season.
Northampton Town went into administration in April 1992 but managed to finish the season in 20th place with many youth players called up to make up the numbers. On the final day of the season, they avoided relegation to the Conference League by securing a 3-2 victory over Shrewsbury Town, having been two goals down at one point.
A season later, they dropped to the bottom of the league and were set for relegation into the Conference League. However, the Conference champions, Kidderminster Harriers, were denied access to the Football League due to the club not meeting the stadium requirements, which saved Northampton from the drop 😬
This was the closest the Cobblers had come to dropping out of the Football League, and it ignited them again. Ian Atkins took charge in January 1995 and guided Northampton to a 17th-place finish in his first half-season. Their first full season together saw the club climb to 11th, before making the Third Division Play-Off final a season later.
Swansea City stood between Northampton and a return to the Second Division, and John Frain’s 90th-minute winner at Wembley saw Atkins team lift the trophy 🏆
Atkins led Northampton to another Play-Off final a season later, where Grimsby Town now stood between them and a place in the First Division. This time, Kevin Donovan’s 20th-minute winner prevented the Cobblers from securing back-to-back promotions.
Northampton dropped to 22nd place a season later and were relegated to the Third Division again. Atkins left his role in October 1999 and was replaced by Kevin Wilson. The club achieved third place at the end of the 99/00 season to gain automatic promotion back into the Second Division.
The turn of the millennium wasn’t kind to Northampton, as they dropped from 18th to 20th to 24th to return to the Third Division. Bridging this gap was becoming a major stumbling point for the club.
Colin Calderwood took charge in October 2003 and guided the club to a Play-Off semi-final in his first season. Mansfield Town were their opponents, and after falling to a 2-0 defeat in the first leg, the Cobblers won 3-1 away from home to take the game to penalties which the Stags won 5-4 to achieve promotion.
Calderwood achieved another Play-Off semi-final a season later in the newly named League Two to face Southend United. A goalless draw at Sixfields set up a big second leg, which United won 1-0 on home turf thanks to a Freddy Eastwood penalty.
Finally, on Calderwood’s third attempt, he took Northampton to second place to win automatic promotion into League One. He departed the club in the summer to join Nottingham Forest.
John Gorman was his successor but lasted just six months before Stuart Gray took charge. Gray guided Northampton to 14th in his first half-season, before taking them to 9th in the 2007/08 season. Unfortunately, the club fell to 21st a season later and dropped back into League Two 📉
Gray left his role in September 2009 with the club struggling to find any good form and was replaced by club legend, Ian Sampson. Northampton stabilised in 11th place in the 09/10 season but began dropping down the table over the next two campaigns with a 16th and 20th place finish to avoid relegation to the Conference League by just four points.
Aidy Boothroyd took charge in November 2011 and after narrowly escaping that relegation, he took them to the 2012/13 League Two Play-Off final. Bradford City were their opponents at Wembley, and the Bantams scored three goals within half an hour to secure a 3-0 victory.
Northampton started the 13/14 season in poor form, and Boothroyd was replaced by Chris Wilder in January with the club in a fierce relegation battle. Wilder kept the Cobblers three points above the drop zone in 21st, before taking them up to 12th a season later. Northampton then won the 2015/16 League Two title with 99 points 🏆
Chris Wilder departed in the summer after the title win and promotion to join Sheffield United for the first time. Rob Page was his replacement but lasted only until January when Justin Edinburgh took charge. The Cobblers finished 16th in the 16/17 season, but another disappointing season followed with Edinburgh being replaced by Jimmy-Floyd Hasslebank and the club relegated with a 22nd-place finish 📉
Keith Curle took charge in October 2018 and secured a 15th-place finish in his first season before taking the club to the 2019/20 League Two Play-Off final. In front of an empty Wembley, due to the pandemic, Northampton Town - captained by former Latic, Charlie Goode - beat Exeter City 4-0 to win promotion back to League One 🏆
History has been unkind to Northampton in the third tier, and their return season was no different. Curle was sacked in February as the club faced another relegation, with Jon Brady taking charge. He couldn’t steer the club away from the drop, but he took Northampton to the 21/22 League Two Play-Off semi-final to try and secure an instant bounce back.
For the second time in a League Two Play-Off campaign, the Cobblers faced Mansfield Town. Just like the last time, the Stags won the tie and kept Brady’s side in the fourth tier. This set back didn’t stop Northampton from keeping the faith, and a season later they secured third place in the table to gain automatic promotion back into League One 📈
Last season, Brady guided his side to 14th place with 60 points. This was the club’s best finish in the Football League since Stuart Gray achieved ninth in the 2007/08 season. Sam Hoskins finished as the top scorer for the third consecutive season, with the club looking like they could start to establish themselves as an established League One side.
In preparation for this season, Brady has made plenty of signings, including; Nik Tzanev (GK from AFC Wimbledon), Timothy Eyoma (CB from ‘Free Agent’), Luke Mbete (CB on loan from Manchester City), Jack Baldwin (CB from Ross County), Nesta Guinness-Walker (LB from ‘Free Agent’), Liam McCarron (LB from Stoke City), Samy Chouchane (CM on loan from Brighton), Matt Dibley-Dias (CM on loan from Fulham), Cameron McGeehan (CM from Colchester United), Tyler Roberts (CAM on loan from Birmingham City), Tom Eaves (FWD from Rotherham United), James Wilson (FWD from Port Vale), Callum Morton (FWD on loan from Salford City), Tariqe Fosu (FWD from ‘Free Agent’), and Martyn Waghorn (FWD from ‘Free Agent’) ✍️
Brady bid farewell to; James Dadge (GK to Harborough), Sam Sherring (CB to MK Dons), Manny Monthe (CB to Oldham Athletic), Josh Tomlinson (CB to Needham Market), Max Dyche (CB to Woking), Liam Moore (CB to ‘Free Agent’), Ryan Haynes (LB to Cheltenham Town), Dominic Gape (DM to ‘Free Agent’), Shaun McWilliams (DM to Rotherham United), Peter Abimbola (CM to St.Ives Town), Reuben Wyatt (CM to Redditch), Danny Hylton (FWD to ‘Free Agent’), and Louis Appéré (FWD to Stevenage) 👋
So far this season, Northampton have won 4 and drawn 6 of their opening 16 games, putting them 16th in the table on 18 points. They have scored 18 goals, conceded 21, and kept 5 clean sheets.
At Sixfields, they have the 16th best home form in the division but are 14th in the away form table with 1 win, 4 draws, and 3 losses. The Cobblers have conceded 12 of their 21 goals on the road.
Northampton Town’s last 5 League One results.
Northampton Town 3 - 0 Crawley Town
⚽️ Goals: T. Fosu (16’), Own Goal (29’), M. Pinnock (55’)
Lincoln City 2 - 1 Northampton Town
⚽️ Goal: T. Fosu (2’)
Birmingham City 1 - 1 Northampton Town
⚽️ Goal: M. Pinnock (90+6’)
Blackpool 0 - 0 Northampton Town
Northampton Town 0 - 0 Cambridge United
Northampton Town have been struggling with injuries so far this season, but these are the three players who have stood out to me so far 👇
Cameron McGeehan (#18, Attacking Midfielder, Age: 29, joined on July 5th 2024 from Colchester United)
Former Norwich City Academy graduate, Cameron McGeehan, has featured for several clubs since departing the Canaries, such as; Luton Town, Cambridge United, Barnsley, Scunthorpe United, Portsmouth, and Colchester United.
The midfielder has netted 71 goals and assisted 20 in 361 games across different levels, and has started his life as a Cobbler with 4 goals and 1 assist in the opening 15 league games.
McGeehan is a box-to-box midfielder and operates more on the left side of the field to link up with the full-back and the winger.
His best month was October, where he got 2 goals and 1 assist against Wrexham, Leyton Orient, and the assist for the final goal against Crawley Town.
Latics will need to put in another strong midfield performance to nullify his threat.
Tariqe Fosu (#24, Left Midfielder, Age: 29, joined on August 9th 2024 from Brentford)
Tarique Fosu is a left winger that they signed from Brentford in the summer. He’s started in 7 of his 13 appearances and has 3 goals and 2 assists. His best month was also October with 2 goals and 1 assist.
Fosu has hit the target with 8 of his 13 shots and made 15 key passes which is the third most in the squad.
Mitch Pinnock (#10, Right Midfielder, Age: 29, joined on June 8th 2021 from Kilmarnock)
Pinnock was one of Jon Brady’s first summer signings in the summer of 2021 and has played an important role in the club’s revival over the last three seasons.
The midfielder registered 22 goal contributions (8 goals and 14 assists) in the 21/22 League Two season, before scoring 6 goals and providing 7 assists in their promotion-winning campaign.
Last season, Pinnock scored 7 goals and provided 7 assists, making it three consecutive seasons where he has reached double figures for goal contributions under Brady.
So far this season, Pinnock has scored 2 and assisted 2, and has provided the most ‘key passes’ in the side with 21. He has hit the target with 7 of his 11 shots and is always a threat.
Northampton are one of those sides where you never quite know what to expect from them. They have suffered big losses this season, such as the 4-2 loss at home to Bolton followed up by a 4-1 loss away at Wrexham, but have also been to Birmingham City and rescued a 1-1 draw followed up by two goalless draws.
Shaun Maloney needs to ensure that Wigan are able to ride the positive momentum after our recent 1-0 victory away at Barnsley, and with that, I wouldn’t change too much about the squad.
Silko Thomas played his best game in blue and white at Oakwell, and Baba Adeeko’s midfield performance was a great example of how well he can break up or opponent’s midfield game plan.
Naturally, Wigan should have the advantage on Tuesday night as we are playing in front of a home crowd. A victory would put us up to 20 points from 16 games, and all of a sudden our season looks a lot more respectable.
The Cobblers are averaging just over a goal a game so I expect them to be a strong threat in advanced areas, but they have faced the second-most shots in the league with 222. If Latics can play as we did in the first half against Blackpool, the second half against Wycombe, and the first half against Barnsley, then we should have plenty of strong opportunities to score. Then, it’s all about being clinical. I feel we can do it.
👕 Starting XI Prediction: Sam Tickle, James Carragher, Jason Kerr, Wil Aimson, Steven Sessegnon, Baba Adeeko, Matt Smith, Dion Rankine, Thelo Aasgaard, Silko Thomas, Dale Taylor
⚽ Score Prediction: Wigan Athletic 2 - 0 Northampton Town
Up the Tics 🔵⚪️
🙌 Thank you for reading!
✍🏼 Charlie Keegan / Central Wigan
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