THE countdown to Wembley is well and truly under way and the buzz around Northampton will only heighten in the coming days.
It has been 15 years since Cobblers ‘ fans last made the trip up Wembley Way and the sense of excitement is palpable with tens of thousands of us expected to snap up tickets in the coming days.
Those sceptics who ask how a club with average gates of 4,500 will find nearly 10 times many supporters at Wembley are missing the point. It’s so much more than that: This is also a celebration of Northampton as a town and the thousands roaring the Cobblers to victory are also expressing the feelgood factor which the town is bathing in at present.
While the Cobblers build-up continues, the Saints - themselves no strangers to the big occasion - will play a crunch play-off semi-final against Saracens on Sunday. Meanwhile, the county cricket team is in fine fettle after a superb start to the season and let’s not forget Brackley Town FC, poised to join the fifth tier of English football if they can overcome Halifax on Sunday.
Lots to crow about on many sporting fronts. It has been a while since we’ve been able to say that so let’s enjoy it and don’t lose sight of what sporting success can do for this town.