Our prediction for this League 2 match:
EnviroVent Stadium will host Saturday’s League Two game between Harrogate Town and Northampton Town, the two teams who sit in the opposite halves of the table. Harrogate aim to build on back-to-back wins over Mansfield Town and Rochdale, and they must be high on spirits ahead of the visit of Northampton. A man to keep an eye on in the home team will be Luke Armstrong, who scored a brace in the triumph over Rochdale.
Meanwhile, the Cobblers aim to stay in automatic promotion berth, and given their three-game winning run on the travels, we believe that punters from all four corners of the world can find value in betting on Jon Brady’s men. The good news for the visitors is that Tyler Magloire has overcome his injury. Fellow defender Ali Koiki, though, continues to miss out for the away team.
Highlighted Player (Mark Oxley):
Born in Sheffield, England, on the 2nd of June, 1990, Oxley's football journey started as a Rotherham youth product. The English International signed his first professional contract with the Millers in 2007 but failed to make a single appearance for the club during that season.
The following season, he signed for Hull City, who, in turn, sent him out on successive loans to clubs like Walsall, Grimbsy Town, Oldham Athletic, and Hibernian. The 6ft 3-inch goalkeeper's professional debut meanwhile, came on the 27th of February, 2010, playing for Grimbsy in a 2-0 away loss to Dagenham in League Two. Oxley's performance during his six-month loan period with Hibernian earned him a permanent deal. He signed a two-year contract starting with the club in July 2015. In his time at the Scottish outfit, he made 90 appearances and kept 35 clean sheets. Oxley then joined his current club Southend in July 2016 on an initial two-year deal.
He had a fantastic first season, winning both fans' player of the year and players' player of the year awards. As of August 2018, Oxley has signed a contract extension and also got given the captain's armband. On the International forefront, the 29-year-old is a former youth International having capped once for England at the under-18 level.
Highlighted Team (Northampton):
Northampton are a professional football club that compete in the League Two, the English fourth tier. The Cobblers play their home matches at Sixfields Stadium, the venue that has a capacity of 7,798. Northampton Town are well known for their claret and white home kit, while black is the dominant colour of their away jersey.
Northampton did well to make it to the Charity Shield final in 1909, with the team suffering a 2-0 loss to Newcastle United in the title game. The Cobblers are holding the record for the shortest time taken to secure promotion from the bottom tier to the top flight and relegated back down to the bottom again. Northampton Town managed to do so in only nine years.
Peterborough united are regarded as the club’s main rivals, with other significant rivalries including the likes of Oxford United, Milton Keynes Dons, Cambridge United, Coventry City, and Rushden & Diamonds.