Outside Bindon the kiwi league one club ain’t having much fun.
3-0 win for Northampton over Crawley.
Waine is going alright at Mansfield Town. Didn't get mins overnight, but you feel he will through their season, and for a low budget club they are doing extremely well up in 4th, so will be plenty of good energy there at the moment.
Tzanev with a rare game in goal, but Northampton bundled out of the FA Cup by 7th tier Kettering, after a 1-2 loss in ET. 1-1 after NT. Kettering are currently 1st in the 7th tier.
No MD-D. Given Northampton's L1 relegation fears, out of the Cup likely not a bad thing.
EFL Trophy game. Northampton host Leicester City U21.
Another game for Tzanev? And what about MD-D he was playing U21s football last year. This whole getting his 'body conditioned for mens football' seems strange from afar. Like what were Fulham's training staff doing with him.
Aussie coach sacked, Tzanev starts, MDD finally on the bench against Peterborough in the league. Coincidence?
Maybe for Tzanev - Saw a lot of calls that he was originally brought in as the #2, but he's far better than that tbh.
MDD has been fighting his fitness battles all this time though (and illness early on in his move). Good to see him back.
Didn't realize Northampton had slowly drifted into a relegation battle until I looked up their recent results - Kiwis hadn't been playing, so I hadn't been checking in as often. 😅
Burge got injured recently which is why Tzanev played the Stevenage loss last week and it’s why he played the Peterborough win this week. Sounds like Burge could be due for an extended spell on the sidelines.
NTFC manager Jon Brady: “Lee [Burge] will be out for a period of time and that’s also hugely frustrating, but I thought Nik came in and played really well. I really don't know about the other boys who came off. We're suffering because of things that are happening. Discipline and injuries. They are not excuses. You see Ange Postecoglou moaning about losing two centre-halves and Pep moans about having four players out. They want to try having 12 or 13 players out constantly.”
Interesting NZ connection with Northampton Town. One of their best-ever strikers was former Christchurch United striker Richard Hill. In comedian Alan Carr's semi-autobiographical comedy series "Changing Ends", the brilliant footballer whose goals save the club, signed to Northampton Town by Alan Carr's dad Graham in the mid 1980's, is based on Richard Hill. Changing Ends - Wikipedia The first series of the hit UK comedy series (two broadcast, two more commissioned) screened in NZ on TVNZ One last summer. Series 2 screened in the UK earlier this year. Series 1 is available on TVNZ+ https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/changing-ends ________________________________________ Christchurch United signed Hill in 1983 from non-league Nuneaton Borough. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Hill_(footballer,_born_1963) He had a very good season in the NZ national league and on returning to England, was soon snapped up by Northampton Town, then in the fourth tier. Northampton's manager at the time was none other than Graham Carr, father of current well-known English comedian Alan Carr: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Carr Graham Carr was previously also Hill's manager at Nuneaton Borough and had no doubt been tracking Hill's success in NZ. So he signed him as soon as he took over as Northampton Manager in 1985. Richard Hill was a sensation at Northampton, scoring 104 goals in two seasons (54 appearances). That attacted the attention of numerous top flight clubs and Graham Taylor signed him to Watford in 1987. He went from there to join another former Christchurch United player, All Whites centre-back Ceri Evans at Oxford United. Retiring early due to injury, Hill has had a solid managerial career, including spells as assistant manager at some Premier League clubs like Villa and success as a manger in the Conference. ___________________________________________ All these connections are fascinating. One of the most unlikely stories of any comedian is that of the flamboyantly gay and unathletic Alan Carr, the TV celebrity comedian. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Carr#Early_life His episode of "Who Do You Think You Are" is fascinating (clip of Alan & his dad): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptIyoxbzTzE&t=1s His dad Graham was a tough old-school northern footballer and coach. At the end of his career he was Head Scout at Newcastle United in the EPL until 2017., a club Alan's grandfather had played for. Alan and his dad get on well these days, obviously sharing a sense of humour. Alan Carr has made a very entertaining comedy about a struggling lower league club - the stand is so decrepit that the "Northampton Town" sign falls off the stand roof onto the pitch; Alan Carr is bullied at school because the kids find out he is the son of the manager of the terrible local football team...Alan can't catch a football, let alone kick one....then Richard Hill (name fictionalized) arrives at the club.....
