The Official Northampton Town Match Thread (Sponsored by Zero Goals Apiece "for all your high-scoring needs")

Starting with the positives, last weekend’s goalless draw at Fleetwood saw Gills fly up the table from 23rd to 21st position, the result meaning we are now just 42 points shy of the average total required to avoid relegation across the last six League Two seasons. We’re also going well in the “who can hit the woodwork most” stakes, raising our total from three strikes to five in just two league games — impressive stuff all round.

The injury curse struck us hard yet again on Saturday, Kadeem Harris being stretchered off after 70 minutes with what later proved to be a ruptured ACL that will see him missing from action beyond the end of the year and possibly for the entire campaign. Everyone connected with the club wishes him the best in his recovery.

The bench last weekend showed just how threadbare the squad has become, given we have ten of the 26 out injured. Cameron Antwi aside, there were just 11 Football League appearances in total across the other six subs. Conor McManus and Sheldon Kendall both came on to make their Football League debuts during the game, the latter looking bright with a late attempt that rolled just past the far post.

Since the game, it’s been relatively quiet on the transfer front despite the managerial acknowledgement that we need two or three bodies in. There’s a real need to bolster the defensive ranks; Harris’ injury, added to that of Gordon, plus Gale’s departure, leaves us with a distinct lack of cover and having to resort to playing square pegs in round holes again — something that has not panned out well in our recent history. There have been rumblings of Lamin Sillah, a young Gambian striker, coming in on loan from Nottingham Forest, but precious little else of note.

This weekend we welcome Northampton Town to Priestfield. It promises to be a thriller, with both sides still seeking their first goal, let alone win, of the season — Gills with three successive blanks, the Cobblers with four.

If we thought our first half of 2026 was dire, spare a thought for the Northampton fans who saw their side take just two points from a possible 48 from Valentine’s Day onwards. Kevin Nolan was sacked in early March with his side in 23rd spot and without a win in six, but replacement Colin Calderwood somehow fared even worse, presiding over ten straight defeats as the Cobblers finished rock bottom of League One with just 35 points, 15 adrift of safety.

A huge summer rebuild saw the departure of 12 players, including their top scorer, one Tom Eaaaaaaaaves (10 goals in all competitions). They appear to have recruited reasonably well: Janoi Donacien, Connor Evans and James Maxwell all have experience at this level, and their latest signing, Nathan Opoku, scored against us inside the first minute of our away game at Newport last season, just before our own season started its plunge to the depths.

Tomorrow is the 150th meeting of the two sides across the 125‑year history of the fixture. The Cobblers have a healthy lead with 70 wins to our 50, with just 29 draws. I had an idea that Northampton were a bogey side for us at Priestfield since my first game against them back in 1991. The stats don’t quite bear this out — Gills with nine wins, Northampton with seven across those last 18 visits — although we’ve not won at home against them in nearly a decade.

For the highlights, and linking into the hat‑trick thread the other day, it’s the aforementioned game in 1991, David Crown with a second‑half trio, the second and third goals being especially classy. It’s worth noting that prior to the game Crown had been “subject to near scorn in Gillingham supporter circles”. Behaviour of fans these days is often rightfully scrutinised, but maybe things weren’t quite as supportive as some might remember in those pre‑social‑media times.

The Cobblers have sold just under 500 of their 600‑ticket allocation for Saturday, while two days out we have over 2,500 seats left available, including 433 in the Rainham End. It appears that our on‑pitch travails haven’t ignited local interest in this fixture between two goalless sides. And who can blame them? We’ve won just four of our last 21 home fixtures, and only one of those by more than a single goal.

I’ve had to write this early as I’m off on holiday to tourist‑friendly Mallorca in a little over 12 hours, and I don’t want to experience that special glare Frau reserves for my phone use while we’re away. Plenty could change between now and kick‑off, and a couple of new faces would definitely be a boost to our beleaguered forces.

Northampton look to have tightened defensively over last season, but no goals in four games tells its own story. At home we need to be on the front foot from the off and actually take some of the increased number of chances we’ve generated so far. Let’s hope this is the game the goals start to flow for us.

Enjoy the game, and...

COYG!!!