Northampton Town v West Bromwich Albion LIVE: New signings involved as Cobblers host Baggies in Sixfields friendly

Hello and welcome to a sun-drenched Sixfields. Cobblers are back on home turf tonight for the first time since their play-off semi-final defeat to Mansfield in May. It’s come around quick!

The disappointment from how last season ended has (mostly) gone and been replaced by a sense of excitement and anticipation ahead of the new campaign. Eight new signings have come through the door, all of which could be involved against West Brom tonight.

Stay tuned for updates...

Cobblers have already played three matches in pre-season, drawing with Nottingham Forest U23s in a practice game behind closed doors before two friendlies during their trip to Scotland last week. They won 3-1 against St Mirren before drawing with Dundee United.

West Brom, meanwhile, opened their pre-season campaign with defeat to Stevenage on Saturday. Not that results mean anything at this stage of course...

Three new signings start for the Cobblers tonight - Ben Fox, Sam Sherring and Akin Odimayo. The other five are on the bench, which also includes a trialist.

Cobblers XI: Maxted, Odimayo, Guthrie (c), Sherring, Koiki, McWilliams, Sowerby, Fox, Hoskins, Pinnock, Appere.

Bench: Burge, Lintott, Haynes, Tomlinson, Dyche, Abimbola, Cross, Bowie, Hylton, Connor, Trialist.

Handy looking West Brom XI...

Button, Furlong, Townsend, O’Shea, Ajayi, Livermore, Molumby, Wallace, Reach, Robinson, Dike

Approaching kick-off at Sixfields. First chance for the locals to see what the new boys can do.

Not yet sure how Cobblers will line up. Suspect it will be three in defence with Hoskins and Koiki as wing-backs but may also be a flat back four with Odimayo RB. The business done over the summer suggests Brady is thinking of going to a back three this season.

West Brom have got their big guns out, including £7million signing Daryl Dike and summer addition Jed Wallace. John Swift is on the bench. One-time Cobblers loanee Darnell Furlong also starts.

Teams are out at Sixfields. There’s a bit of a kit clash as both are wearing a lot of white!

0: Underway at Sixfields

2: Cobblers lining up in a 4-3-3 shape. Hoskins left, Pinnock right. Fox the most advanced midfielder behind Appere.

5: Odimayo a bit fortunate with a back header to Maxted which only just got there. Robinson very close to nicking the ball and going through on goal. Wallace then does get in behind Town’s defence but fires wide. Looked well offside but flag didn’t go up. Visitors started well.

11: Robinson can’t continue after an early collision with Maxted. He’s replaced by Karlan Grant.

13: Now Cobblers are having to make a change. Haynes replaces the injured Koiki.

15: Another chance goes begging for Wallace, denied by Maxted after a loose pass from Pinnock.

16: Now Dike blazes over after a slick counter-attack from the visitors. Cobblers have been sloppy, lots of wayward passing and loose touches. Pre-season designed to get that sort of stuff out of the system.