Skip to content

Football club to mark 5,000th league game

James Grant & Annabel Amos
BBC News, Northamptonshire
Getty Images A black and white photo of three footballers in the middle of a full football stadium. Getty Images
Northampton Town had one season in Division One in the 1965-66 season where one of their opponents included Manchester United and George Best (centre)

A League One football club will celebrate a major milestone on Saturday as they play their 5,000th league match.

Northampton Town will mark the occasion against Cambridge United, continuing a journey that began in the 1897-98 season.

The 128-year-old club has won 1,913, drawn 1,202 and lost 1,884 of its league games since its formation.

Tim Oglethorpe, a long-time commentator on Northampton games, said: "I'm guessing I've done about 1,000 Cobblers games over 28 years, which means I've covered about a fifth of all the Cobblers' games that have ever taken place!"

A man in a black zipped up coat sits in a football stand seat talking to someone off camera.
Tim Oglethorpe's first game as a fan was in 1968 against Bury before he started regularly commentating for Northampton Town in 1997

In the 1960s the club enjoyed a rapid rise, achieving three promotion in five years, culminating in their only season in the top flight of English football in 1965-66.

However, by the conclusion of the 1968-69 season they had been relegated back to division four (League Two).

Roger Averill, a devoted supporter since 1961, recalled his first game: "We beat Brentford 5-0, so it was a good start," he said.

"Over the last 40 years, I've only missed one or two home games a season.

"We've seen a few highs and lows. The first Wembley game was brilliant. The second one not so good. But that's the way it goes."

Getty Images Several men wearing claret football shirts holding up a blue banner with "we are going up" in a changing room. Getty Images
(From left to right) Rod McDonald, Zander Diamond, Ricky Holmes, Jason Taylor and Nicky Adams celebrate promotion to League One in 2016

The Cobblers' most frequent opponent has been Gillingham, a team they have beaten 67 times.

Reading, meanwhile, has proven to be the toughest rival, inflicting 61 defeats.

Northampton has found the net most often against Exeter City, scoring 237 goals, closely followed by 229 against Gillingham.

The club's most common result has been a 1-1 draw, recorded 541 times.

Among Northampton's record-holding players, Tommy Fowler leads the way with 521 league appearances.

Ian Sampson follows with 390, while current player Sam Hoskins has 366 appearances.

Hoskins also ranks fifth on the all-time league goal scorers list with 85 goals and holds the record for the most successful penalties in league football for the Cobblers, converting 15 spot-kicks.

Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

More like this
Related internet links