FL2: Northampton v Torquay United 5th April 2010

It used to have a racecourse too...............just down the road from the County Ground (and still known as such, although it's municipal title is Abington Park) where there are extensive pitches for local football, hockey, cricket and rugby.

Dating back to 1737, it actually closed in 1904 although the former magnificent old grandstand still stands ~ converted into the listed building that is now the Pavilion whilst on the far side of the park is the aptly named White Elephant public house.................a wonderful example of Edwardian architecture so representaive of over the embellishment utilised whilst building pubs at the time, and so named because it's opening coincided with the closure of the very facility it was designed to serve. With it's Baroque style, it wouldn't look out of place on the edge of one of the great parks of Paris or in Versailles. Thus The Kingsley Park Hotel's intended name was short lived!

Unlike the Sixfields development, this area is a Conservation Area and well worth a visit next time you are in the town.

I don't find Northampton to be that bad a place at all ~ a typical county town with a number of old style pubs, river side walks and pleasant suburbs to live in.

You can't judge a place by the immediate neighbourhood of it's football ground otherwise Torquay could be compared with Gillingham and Chester written off as somewhere bereft of cultural heritage!

Leigh’s aerial photo of the old Northampton racecourse – plus Merse’s observation about it being near the County Ground – suggests this is where I saw a parks game on the afternoon of our game at Northampton being iced off some thirty-odd years ago. As it happens, I didn’t get round to seeing a game at the County Ground until very near the end in the mid 1990s.



That’s a fair comment about the Northamptonshire countryside and pretty close to my thoughts as I came into Northampton on the train from Birmingham on Monday. It may not have the “wow factor” of parts of Devon (for instance) but it’s the sort of countryside you learn to appreciate once you’re in it. I walked form the outskirts of Northampton to Long Buckby a few years back – through villages such as Great Brington - and found it all rather pleasant.

And, I suppose, the whole area (town and country alike) has – without wishing to sound disparaging – a certain workaday, ordinariness which, in its own way, makes it quintessentially English (to coin a phrase). An area rarely in the news – or many people’s thoughts (unless you live there) – and one I imagine I would never have visited were it not for football.

Although Merse describes Northampton as a typical county town, I would call it an industrial county town on the basis of its shoe manufacturing (of which you got more of an impression on the walk from the town to the old County Ground). Maybe not as “county” as some and less “industrial” than a few other towns mentioned in this thread. Messed around in places – you get the feeling that the 1960s and 1970s weren’t too kind to Northampton – and, from this Devonian’s point of view, not quite enough slopes and gradients to really give it character. Indeed, rather like the neighbouring countryside, you need to work at finding the best bits – All Saints church, the Victorian Gothic town hall and some of the older buildings dotted around the town centre. The Market Square, as already noted, is a fine feature although – on a quiet overcast bank holiday – it lacked the vibrancy of the usual Saturday visit.

The riverside area isn’t as grand as, for example, the Great Ouse making its way through Bedford. But, for us folk from Devon, it’s a reminder of the size and grandeur of some of the rivers of that part of England. The Nene weighs in at around ninety miles long – compared with over 140 miles for the Great Ouse – but, for today’s quiz, how is its name pronounced?

I swear I heard that collision in my home in North London!

Akinfatboy remains the only professional footballer I know of to break his own leg through the excessive force put on it when his own immense weight did for him on landing and you'll not be surprised to learn that he is up to his old double dealing tricks again with his contract negotiations with the Cobblers

I'm sure it has been sung before but I have to say the '10 men couldn't carry, couldn't carry Bayo' did make me laugh out loud on Monday afternoon...especially when it took at least 3 St Johns Ambulance men to lift the bloke after his injury.

If you missed it...

10 men couldn't carry, couldn't carry Bayo, 10 men, 9 men, 8 men, 7 men, 6 men, 5 men, 4 men, 3 men, 2 men, 1 man and a forklift, couldn't carry Bayo.

Not that I am one to talk of course...

Cobblers fans were amused by the "Off to McDonalds" chant as he went off, if their forum is to be believed ;D

I am sorry to say I was one of the guys giving Bayo a lot of stick that day. The game itself was decent, Carayol had a good game but maybe felt the effects of the past few games near the end but still a good game.

I did potter around thier training ground beforehand (which is situated right next to the ground) and had some banter with some of thier players who were there. They do have some nice lads there and friendly bunch. The same cant be said for the people who run the club. Your not aloud drums inside, you had a discount for home fans and kids and yet only for home fans and not allowed inside thier pub even though Cobblers fans were asking for us to be allowed inside.

I really like the atmosphere though and the banter we gave Bayo and thier `kkeper Steele.