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Northampton Town Vs Exeter City Match Day Thread

andrew p long

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Northampton's point on Saturday now seeming absolutely crucial. With neither Port Vale nor Mansfield winning today it is that point that keeps Northampton in third place with the automatic promotion final spot there's if they beat Barrow on Saturday.
 

SaintJames

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Saying that though its not just Exeter, you could add another 125K for the whole of East Devon for example. Exeter is the only club around. I look at it that way and think Argyle is not just Plymouth but Cornwall aswell-which shows you how tinpot they really are (The biggest population in Europe to never have a top flight team) in terms of catchment area.
However, Exeter and the vast majority of Devon has always been rugby territory and very much so the past 15 years. Towns like Sidmouth where I grew up have always been centred around the local rugby club and this is similar throughout Devon. My school equally was all about the rugby teams and football was secondary. Turning an area round is a long term thing however big the population is and with a high % of retired
 

PeteUSA

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However, Exeter and the vast majority of Devon has always been rugby territory and very much so the past 15 years. Towns like Sidmouth where I grew up have always been centred around the local rugby club and this is similar throughout Devon. My school equally was all about the rugby teams and football was secondary. Turning an area round is a long term thing however big the population is and with a high % of retired

Depending how far back you're going, I dont agree with a lot of that. Nobody cared a rats about rugby until the Exeter Rugby Club moved to Sandy Park. At the old County Ground, they were lucky if they got 200 people in on a saturday.
 

denzel

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Saying that though its not just Exeter, you could add another 125K for the whole of East Devon for example. Exeter is the only club around. I look at it that way and think Argyle is not just Plymouth but Cornwall aswell-which shows you how tinpot they really are (The biggest population in Europe to never have a top flight team) in terms of catchment area.
Yes but Northampton is the only league club in the county now that R&D have gone pop. There truly is One Team in Northants
 

SEA Grecian

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Northampton's point on Saturday now seeming absolutely crucial. With neither Port Vale nor Mansfield winning today it is that point that keeps Northampton in third place with the automatic promotion final spot there's if they beat Barrow on Saturday.
Northampton also have to hope that Bristol Rovers don't run up a cricket score against Scunthorpe and go ahead of them on goal difference. It's also a reminder of the fine margins at this time of the year; if Sam Nombe hadn't cleared off the line with the last touch of the game they would probably only need a point at Barrow. All makes very enjoyable viewing from our comfortable position at the top of the league.
 

Red Bill

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However, Exeter and the vast majority of Devon has always been rugby territory and very much so the past 15 years. Towns like Sidmouth where I grew up have always been centred around the local rugby club and this is similar throughout Devon. My school equally was all about the rugby teams and football was secondary. Turning an area round is a long term thing however big the population is and with a high % of retired
I don't agree with this at all. When I was a kid no one gave a toss about rugby unless you were from a public school. We played rugby as well as football at school, but it was football that everyone was passionate about and everyone talked about. The rugby teams did get a brief mention in the sports section of local news but it was always football that was dominant. In fact I remember Exeter Falcons getting more coverage than the rugby.
I don't remember anyone going to watch rugby live. If they did they certainly didn't talk about it.
 

IndoMike

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I don't agree with this at all. When I was a kid no one gave a toss about rugby unless you were from a public school. We played rugby as well as football at school, but it was football that everyone was passionate about and everyone talked about. The rugby teams did get a brief mention in the sports section of local news but it was always football that was dominant. In fact I remember Exeter Falcons getting more coverage than the rugby.
I don't remember anyone going to watch rugby live. If they did they certainly didn't talk about it.
As a matter of fact, RB, rugby was played at grammar schools, too, not only at public schools. But I agree with you entirely that rugby is still a relatively minor sport. It's true Exeter Chiefs have done well in recent years, but the pond they swim in is very small. Exeter City plays in a huge ocean where clearly it's much harder to stand out and reach the top.
 

Antony Moxey

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As a matter of fact, RB, rugby was played at grammar schools, too, not only at public schools. But I agree with you entirely that rugby is still a relatively minor sport. It's true Exeter Chiefs have done well in recent years, but the pond they swim in is very small. Exeter City plays in a huge ocean where clearly it's much harder to stand out and reach the top.
I’d agree with this. Their current set up is akin to a top level L1 club/bottom end Championship club, not mixing it with the likes of Liverpool and ManChester City fighting for titles and European honours each season.
 

John William

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As a matter of fact, RB, rugby was played at grammar schools, too, not only at public schools. But I agree with you entirely that rugby is still a relatively minor sport. It's true Exeter Chiefs have done well in recent years, but the pond they swim in is very small. Exeter City plays in a huge ocean where clearly it's much harder to stand out and reach the top.
At my S London grammar we played rugby autumn term, hockey spring and cricket in the summer. Derek Underwood was a few years ahead of me, and he did OK playing all three. His brother was also a good cricketer.

But all the working class kids liked me played footy outside school and watched Crystal Palace.
 

IndoMike

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At my S London grammar we played rugby autumn term, hockey spring and cricket in the summer. Derek Underwood was a few years ahead of me, and he did OK playing all three. His brother was also a good cricketer.

But all the working class kids liked me played footy outside school and watched Crystal Palace.
That's a pretty typical schedule, JW. Problem was that the rugby training and matches made it difficult to play football, too, not that I was enamoured with rugby. I always thought it was a daft game where the ball is punted towards you, you wait to gather it, and then it bounces back from whence it came, leaving you open-mouthed and looking stupid. No, the beautiful game is number one for me
 
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