The Near Miracle Of Sixfields - Northampton Town vs. Burton Albion

Masses of snow behind the goal

The prospects of finding a game were looking pretty slim on Saturday morning but there was a glimmer of hope when I saw that masses of Northampton fans were clearing the pitch and making the areas around the ground safe. Their hard work prevailed and the game was given the go ahead at around eleven o'clock. I'd seen Scunthorpe United play Northampton plenty of times before but I'd never seen Burton Albion before. Both teams were having good seasons, Burton were in the play offs while Northampton were just outside. The home side were looking to make amends for a three nil loss at Chesterfield the previous weekend. Burton have a couple of ex-Scunthorpe players in their squad in Cleveland Taylor and Nathan Stanton but unfortunately only the former is involved. 

The West Stand

The match has a subdued start and the most entertaining thing is watching people sledging on the hill behind the Dave Bowen Stand. As the half wares on, Northampton begin to have most of the ball and Akinfenwa comes close when his effort grasses the post. Burton fail to do much other than win a couple of corners in the first half. This continues in the second half and it is no surprise when the hosts take the lead. A ball is pumped in to the box and Akinfenwa's header loops over the keeper. This springs Burton in to life and they immediately go on the attack. The closest they come is when an effort from the edge of the box which headed over the bar with the keeper beaten. Northampton manage to hold on for the win which moves them in to the play offs.

Burton defend a corner in the first half.

Sixfields is about a half hour walk from Northampton Station although I had to go steady for some bits of the walk due to the ice. Trains depart from Euston on a regular basis and the journey takes jsut under an hour. There are several bus routes which stop a close distance from the stadium. In the opposite direction to Sixfields from the station is The Malt Shovel which is well worth the detour as it has many ales on and even has Kwak on tap. There is The Sixfields close to the stadium and there are several pubs on the walk from the station. At the stadium itself is Carr's Bar which is quite small but has also just started serving ales. The burgers in the ground are amongst the best I've had at a stadium. It comes in a decent bun and you even get some garnish which is rare at football grounds!.

The programme is of a high standard as you'd expect from a league club. The articles covering past seasons for the Cobblers is excellent as is the feature detailing past successful teams from Burton's history. There are in total seven pages about the visitors which is a good effort. Only slight criticism is that is no quiz!

View of Sixfields from the top of the hill