Northampton Town: Sturrock’s keen to avoid Sixfields slip
Paul Sturrock is keen to avoid what he describes as a ‘banana skin’ when his Southend side visit Sixfields today, writes CIARAN THOMAS.
The Shrimpers sit in second place in league two, just two points behind leaders Crawley, but Sturrock has not beaten the Cobblers since taking over at Roots Hall in 2010.
The Cobblers meanwhile have seen an upturn in fortunes recently, and finally ended a 14-game winless streak with victory at Morecambe last weekend.
And Sturrock is wary of the threat Boothroyd’s team will pose his promotion challengers, insisting they are currently in a false position.
“I’ve had three games against Northampton since I’ve been at Southend and not won any of them, so it just shows they are a difficult side to play against,” said Sturrock.
“They’ve got better players than their league position suggests, they got a point as Shrewsbury which is a very good result and went to Morecambe which is a difficult place to go and got a result.
“They’re confidence is very high and if we don’t treat this team with respect it could be a banana skin”.
Sturrock’s side suffered a downturn in form after going six games without a win in December but bounced back with comfortable victories over Wimbledon and Port Vale.
They also boast the best away record in the league, having won eight of their 11 games away from Roots Hall.
But since Boothroyd has taken charge at Sixfields, the Cobblers’ performances’ have improved,even if the results have been a little slow to follow.
“You know what to expect from a Aidy Boothroyd side, and his teams have been successful because of that,” he said.
“We know what we’re about to receive.
“They need to get some home form going as that will decide whether they will stay in the relegation fight.
“We’ve been good on the road so far so we need to keep doing the things we’ve done well and have got us good results away from home.
“If we play to the standards we have been I’m confident we can get a result.”
Ryan Hall has been pivotal in Southend’s success this season, with the winger either scoring or setting up almost half of the team’s goals so far.
Cobblers fans will remember Hall scoring the Shrimpers second goal in the 2-2 draw at Roots Hall back in September, one of ten scored, along with his 12 assists, the most in league two.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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