By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
After securing promotion last weekend to League One,
Northampton Town became the first champions of the Football League season on
Saturday. A goalless draw away to play-off hopefuls Exeter City ensured Chris Wilder’s
men became uncatchable for the chasing pack.
Northampton have been the class of League Two this season.
The point at St James’ Park extended their unbeaten run to 20 matches. They
haven’t tasted defeat in the league since 2016 began. It has been a memorable
campaign for the players and the fans in a rollercoaster season that saw the
Cobblers close to the brink financially in the autumn.
Gulfing Class
13 points clear of nearest rivals Oxford United, Northampton
have been the standout team in the entire Football League. There has been a
gulfing class between them and the rest of the League Two pack that were
ultimately chasing shadows.
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| Chris Wilder has been one of the managers of the season in England |
It is the first time they’ve won a championship title since
1987. Previous promotions have come through the play-offs and Wilder (pictured) deserves
great credit for what he has managed to achieve with his players this season at
Sixfields.
As the celebrations took place inside the Exeter dressing
room, he told BBC Radio Northampton; “I think it will be some time until we are
able to appreciate just what this group has achieved.
“It is emotional; you work extremely hard to get into a situation like
today. To take more than a thousand supporters to Exeter is incredible.”
It has been a real team effort, but as with every
championship-winning team, there are some standout players. 17 goals from Marc
Richards have made him the club’s top goalscorer, whilst Ricky Holmes is on the
shortlist for the League Two Player of the Year and deserves to win it too.
Cult figure John-Joe O’Toole has chipped in with 11 goals from midfield and the
decision to sign James Collins on-loan from Shrewsbury Town in January was a
masterstroke.
Eight goals from Collins have added to Northampton’s already
wealthy attacking options. No-one could simply get close to them this season.
They might have drawn their last four matches, but the
platform for this success came in the winter months with an astonishing run of
10 successive wins, which started with a 1-0 victory just after Christmas
against Accrington Stanley.
Portsmouth were the last team to beat Northampton in the
league and that was back on 19 December. That win put Pompey just three points
behind their opponents. The gap now is 20 between the two teams.
With 26 league wins, the most of any team in the top four
English divisions, no-one can argue that the right team has won the League Two
title this season.
Financial oblivion
This season is one that Northampton Town supporters will
never forget, but it hasn’t always been full of champagne and smiles. The club
was in a dark place in the autumn months of 2015/2016.
Three early season defeats, including one at home to
Dagenham and Redbridge left supporters angry with the previous ownership.
Demonstrations took place against the lack of progress on the development of
Sixfields. The East Stand at the ground was 18 months behind schedule.
Worse was to come at boardroom level, even though form
improved on-the-pitch. Former owner David Cardoza had been looking to sell the
club from June last year, but had failed to find a buyer, despite protracted negotiations
with a London-based Indian consortium that lasted three months.
In November, the Borough Council called in outstanding
repayments on a £10m loan and petitioned for the club to enter administration.
That would have resulted in a points’ deduction and ended any promotion hopes.
The real crisis though was a tax bill of £166,000. The club’s
bank account was frozen and staff were not paid October’s wages on time. At the
end of November, Northampton Town faced a winding-up petition hearing from HM
Revenue & Customs.
The saviour was former Oxford United owner Kelvin Thomas who
bought the club from Cardoza and immediately paid the outstanding tax bill,
saving the club from almost total extinction. The debt from the council was
wiped out after an agreement was reached and the club returned from the brink
of being put out of business.
This makes their achievements this season even more
sensational.
Unforgettable campaign
Northampton’s only defeat of any kind in 2016 came in the
Emirates FA Cup. They nearly didn’t make it past Christmas in the competition,
trailing 2-0 at home to non-league Northwich Victoria. It was a day where the
match took place only yards away from a fiery blaze which destroyed the local
Sixfields Tavern pub, producing some eye-catching photos and videos.
Northampton stormed back in the last quarter of that match
to win 3-2 and set-up a local clash with Milton Keynes Dons in the third round.
They were eight minutes away from putting out the Championship side, before
being taken back to Stadium MK for a replay. They ultimately lost the tie 3-0.
This meant the Cobblers missed out a glamour fourth round
home meeting with Premier League heavyweights Chelsea. The TV money, gate
receipts and ticket sales would have done the club the power of good financially,
but it didn’t distract Wilder and his players from the ultimate goal of
promotion.
Looking at Northampton’s squad and they should do well in
League One too. It might be too early to say back-to-back promotions but they are
a club on the rise and shouldn’t be frightened at all to take on some of the more
illustrious names in the division which will include Coventry City, Bolton Wanderers
and very likely both Sheffield United and Charlton Athletic too.
As a former resident of the town having gone to the local
University (now the club’s shirt sponsor) to do a journalism degree from
2009-2012, I’m absolutely delighted to see Northampton’s progress as a football
team. They have produced a season that the fans will remember for years to
come.
After many seasons of up-and-down performances which
included a play-off final defeat to Bradford City in 2013 and a near miss with
relegation the following season, it has been an unforgettable campaign for
Chris Wilder and his players.
The new League Two champions will be welcomed home on
Tuesday night for the visit of Crawley Town. It is set to be a wonderful
occasion under the floodlights at Sixfields and richly deserved too.
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