Next Up: Northampton Town vs Exeter City

Another stirring second half display saw City’s unbeaten run extended at relegation-threatened Port Vale last week, and City embark on their final road trip of the season looking to keep this run going against a side that has itself enjoyed a fine season. Gary Caldwell was forced into a number of changes due to injuries picked up at Leyton Orient as well as the policy of both looking at players likely to be part of the squad next season and giving departing players final opportunities to impress – to that end Harry Kite made an appearance off the bench in his 100th City game before it was announced that he, like Alex Hartridge, would be leaving City in the summer. Another player given some time was Pedro Borges, and his assist for City’s third goal by Luke Harris suggested he will continue to see some minutes in the final two matches.

Having established themselves as something of a yo-yo side in recent years, Northampton were tipped to struggle following their promotion back to the third tier last season. However, the Cobblers have confounded the critics to sit comfortably in mid-table at the end of the season, testament to the fine work Jon Brady has done. Their start was shaky, winning two and losing five of their first eight matches before what was considered at the time a shock 2-0 win at SJP, but it was a 2-0 win over Burton in November that seemed to kickstart their season, and for a while Northampton looked an outside bet for the playoffs before a poor run in March. As expected, Sam Hoskins has played a pivotal role in the Cobblers’ success, scoring 15 times, with Kieron Bowie (nine) and Ethan Pinnock (eight in all competitions) providing able support.

That 2-0 win at the Park in September came courtesy of goals from Hoskins and Brough. City’s last visit to Sixfields was again the last away match of the season back in 2022 when a jubilant City travelled in great numbers to celebrate the promotion earned against Barrow a few days previously – Pinnock scored in the first half for Northampton before Nombe equalised in the second. City haven’t won at Sixfields since September 2013 when goals from Bennett and O’Flynn sealed a comeback win after Blyth’s early goal. Northampton have a clear lead in league head to heads in a fixture that is one of City’s most played, leading 51-29 with 31 draws.

The match officials for this game will be:-

Referee: Ruebyn Ricardo
Assistant Referees: Danny Guest and Adrian Tranter
Fourth Official : Craig Hicks

Ruebyn has stepped to the English Football League during this season, and this is his first League One game. From the England Instagram account they said Ruebyn Ricardo “In 2013, Ruebyn Ricardo broke his wrist and couldn’t play contact sport, so his P.E. teacher gave him a whistle and said he could referee the school matches. Within a few months, Ruebyn had taken the basic referee course.”

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Pre-match interview with Gary Caldwell

Pre-match interview with Jake Richards