Northampton Town match thread

Here we go after the international break!

Promoted alongside Orient in 2022-23 and finished 14th in League 1 last season when they had a couple of notably entertaining games against us. Managed since 2021 by Australian Jon Brady, who got them promoted to League 1 in 2022-23. His playing career was in non-league before spending six years at Brackley Town between 2009 and 2015 with a pretty solid record, including a promotion before taking a coaching job at Northampton which led him to the manager’s role. The team is inevitably referred to as the Brady Bunch.

They had a busy transfer window with thirteen in and twelve out. The biggest transfer loss has been Marc Leonard, the highly rated central midfielder who has moved onto Birmingham from his parent club Brighton, having played for Northampton for two years. Not sure an on-loan Tyler Roberts is sufficient compensation.
Goals have been reliably provided by Sam Hoskins, a relatively high volume but inaccurate shooter who will clock up a decade at Northampton in 2025 but has dried up so far this year. Mitchell Pinnock was a supporting act last year who chips in with goals and a decent number of assists. In the past couple of games, they have used Tyler Roberts, on-loan from Birmingham, as a striker. Like us, they don’t shoot very much – 10.33 shots per game and their fans have complained about sideways passing (sound familiar?).

Lee Burge is the experienced, vampiric, goalkeeper who is not having a good season. They have two experienced centre backs on Jon Guthrie and Jack Baldwin. Aaron McGowan is the right back and they have generally been using Luke Mbete-Tatu on the left but he is now out with a long-term injury. Patrick Brough and Ali Koiki are in the same boat.

Tariqe Fosu tends to play as an attacking midfielder or wing, depending on the formation adopted. Leading scorer Cameron McGeechan (3) has got them from midfield, although he can play up-front. Samy Chouchane, on-loan from Brighton, tends to play here as well.

Formation wise, have been all over the shop so far but largely play four at the back, at times resorting to 4-4-[obscene gerund]-2.

They come into this match having lost their last three league games and with an identical points tally to us. This is the beginning of a big week of games for Orient and we really need to start it with a result here, given that the next two games are an improving Rotherham at home and Wycombe away. Everyone seems fit, bar Theo Archibald which probably means a return for Dan Happe and Tom James at right-back. To mis-quote Harold MacMillan, “results, dear boy, results” are what we need.

Owned by Kelvin Thomas, who seems to have made his money in the US from radio and has a grandfather who played for Fulham and Crystal Palace.

In: Cameron McGeehan CM (Colchester, free), Tom Eaves CF (Rotherham, free), James Wilson CF (Port Vale, free), Nik Tzanev GK (AFC Wimbledon, free), Jack Baldwin CB (Ross County, undisclosed), Liam McCarron LB (Stoke, undisclosed), Luke Mbete (Man City U21, loan), Matt Dibley-Dias CM (Fulham U21, loan), Samy Chouchane CM (Brighton U21, loan), Callum Morton CF (Salford, loan), Tariqe Fosu LW (free), Tyler Roberts AM (Birmingham, loan), Nesta Guinness-Walker LB (free)

Out: Sam Sherring CB (MK Dons, free), Louis Appéré CF (Stevenage, free), Manny Monthe CB (Oldham, free), Shaun McWilliams DM (Rotherham, free), Ryan Haynes, LB (Cheltenham, free), Peter Abimbola CM (St Ives Town, free), Max Dyche CB (Woking, loan), Reuben Wyatt MF (Redditch, loan), Liam Moore CB (retired), Dominic Gape CM (released), Danny Hylton CF (released), Josh Tomlinson CB (Needham Market, loan)

Last season:
Northampton Town 2 Leyton Orient 2 (24 October 2023)
Leyton Orient 4 Northampton Town 3 (13 February 2024)