Coventry City supporters will head in numbers to Northampton this Saturday, more perhaps than on many occasions when the Sky Blues had to set up their temporary ‘home’ at Sixfields following the escalation of the Ricoh Arena rent dispute.
On the pitch, two struggling sides, under new and relatively new management, will be desperate for a three-point haul to either move clear of the relegation zone in Northampton’s case or try and haul back some of the clubs above them for the Sky Blues.
Vital Quotes:
Having seen his first game in charge end in a 5-3 defeat at MK Dons, new Northampton manager Justin Edinburgh told his club’s official website: ‘There were a lot of basic errors last Saturday and we have got a lot to work on but there were positives as well. The players here are a good group and they are responding well.’
Northampton Town Team News:
Having seen both Sam Hoskins and Alex Revell sustain injuries in his first few days in the job, Northampton boss Edinburgh has moved to sign Scunthorpe United forward Luke Williams on loan for the rest of the season.
Edinburgh should also have former City defender Aaron Phillips available for the game after he returned to full training this week.
Player to watch: Marc Richards
A seasoned goalscorer in the lower leagues and the main threat to the Sky Blues on Saturday with Alex Revell out injured.
Coventry City Team News:
Slade will hope that Stuart Beavon is fit to feature after sustaining a hamstring strain against Fleetwood last Saturday. New loan signing Charles Vernam also comes into contention for his debut as changes are likely to be made from the midweek Football League Trophy game.
Player to watch: Farrend Rawson
Made a decent impression on his City debut against Fleetwood last week but the central defender will face a tough test against the experienced Richards.
Match Facts & Stats
City played 25 league matches at Sixfields during their temporary absence from Coventry and had a decent record, winning 10, drawing 9 and losing only 6.
Ref Watch:
Lee Probert takes charge, assisted by Constantine Hatzidakis and Dan Cook. This will be the 22nd match of the season for Mr Probert who has issued 40 yellow cards and 1 red card to date.
Next Fixtures:
Next up for the Sky Blues is a home match against Millwall next Saturday while Northampton travel to face Walsall.
