BLUEBIRDS RETURN TO LEAGUE ACTION

ccfcinsider
Nov 21
2 min read

Cardiff City are back in league action as they travel to Sixfields to face Kevin Nolan's Northampton Town.

The Opposition:

Northampton were largely inconsistent during the 24/25 season, leading to The Cobblers languishing closer to the bottom of the table, finishing 19th.

In Kevin Nolan's first summer in charge, Northampton were active. Adding Kyle Edwards from Stevenage, Tyrese Fornah from Derby County, Dean Campbell from Barrow, Elliot List from Stevenage, Conor McCarthy from Barnsley, Jack Burroughs from Coventry City, Michael Jacobs from Chesterfield, Kamarai Swyer from West Ham, Ross Fitzsimons from Scunthorpe United, Joe Wormleighton from Leicester City, Jack Vale from Blackburn Rovers, Jack Perkins from Nottingham Forest, Ethan Wheatley from Manchester United, Jordan Thorniley from Oxford United, Terry Taylor from Charlton Athletic, Theo Avery from Nottingham Forest and Michael Forbes from West Ham.

Kevin Nolan’s tactics focus on a compact, hard-working defensive block with direct, high-intensity transitions and an emphasis on set-piece efficiency.

The Bluebirds:

City come into this one on the back of a 3-1 victory in the Vertu Trophy over Arsenal's U21 side. Marcell Washington opened the scoring for the visitors, before goals from Troy Perrett, Will Spiers and Trey George secured City a place in the Round of 32.

Barry-Murphy's side could counter Nolan and his style by patient, possession-heavy circulation to drag the compact block out of shape before exploiting the created gaps with quick positional rotations and late third-man runs.

Opposition Player to Watch:

Midfielder Dean Campbell has impressed at Northampton since his summer move from Barrow. Campbell is a tidy, left-footed midfield controller who anchors play with calm ball retention, sharp positional discipline, and simple but reliable progressive passing.

The Scotsman began his career with Aberdeen. After loan moves to Kilmarnock and Stevenage, Campbell departed permanently in the summer of 2023, joining Barrow. After two seasons at The Bluebirds, Campbell joined Northampton in the summer, where he has contributed with three assists in his first sixteen games.

Last Meeting:

Northampton Town 3-0 Cardiff City (2020)

Northampton ran out convincing winners the last time these two sides met. The Cobblers beat Neil Harris' Cardiff 3-0 in the opening round of the Carabao Cup.

City debutant Jordi Osei-Tutu conceded a penalty on the half hour mark, that was finished by Harry Smith. Matthew Warbuton and Ryan Watson added goals in the second half to secure a comfortable victory for The Cobblers.

Team News:

Cardiff City - Chris Willock and Perry Ng back in contention for City. Ollie Tanner and Eli King remain out injured.

Northampton Town - Dean Campbell, Max Dyche and Michael Forbes return for the hosts. Late decision to be made on Nesta Guinness-Walker. Sam Hoskins, Jack Vale, Joe Wormleighton and Liam Shaw out for Northampton.

Preferred XI:

GK - Nathan Trott

RB - Ronan Kpakio

RCB - Will Fish

LCB - Dylan Lawlor

LB - Joel Bagan

CDM - Ryan Wintle

RCM - Rubin Colwill

LCM - Alex Robertson

RW - Omari Kellyman

LW - Isaak Davies

ST - Yousef Salech