By Wordsmith B
January 23 2007

Herbie, Me Percy and his Metro MG

 

 

The story I’m going to tell is of a season of great adventure, no not the sort that Thor Heyerdahl may have embarked on but, for you, my Comeonyousaints.com chums it will either stir great memories or introduce simpler times. As a dear friend of mine often remarks:

“We were happy then!”

 

Rather conveniently Percy’s MG Metro also bore no relation to that historic vessel the Kon-Tiki. Dear Percy himself, a permanently tired man, whom no one could describe as a flibbertigibbet, owned said automobile and in it we happy companions travelled to many a fine rugby club. On the stereo we were subjected to a bizarre mix of Oasis and Half man Half Biscuit. Many of those travels involved getting very lost especially when Herbie couldn’t get a day pass. Herbie’s argus-eyed map reading is the stuff of legends. Sadly Percy and I had no such skill and once sat on a gate to a field containing a piebald horse wondering if we’d ever find our way to Wakefield.

 

So without further ado I give you the 1995-96 season for Northampton FC, none of this RFC nonsense and the ‘Saints’ remained the proper name for the first XV with ‘Wanderers’ the seconds and ‘Crusaders’ the thirds. The nickname of Northampton FC at this point was ‘Jimmies’ from the original football team formed by the Reverend Samuel Wathen Wigg, Northampton St. James. Little would the vicar of St. James have imagined that his machination to stanch the unruliness of local youth lead to one of England’s greatest clubs but once again I have meandered from the theme.

 

At this time Franklin’s Gardens was only just developing a fourth side to add to the Sturtridge Pavilion, Main Stand, and the Gordon Terrace (both of which barely ran from 22 to 22.) The capacity was a meagre 7500 and at that time we were very proud of our famous old ground. The terrace was a robustious place, occupied by the great unwashed, where the old tin back wall was the perfect percussion accompaniment and despite apocryphal to the contrary, politeness was optional. Perhaps of most shock to our younger followers will be the fact you could smoke until your eyes went pop. In fact it was the only place that the aforementioned Herbie could in fact indulge in the evil weed, every Marlboro was accompanied by a ‘Fisherman’s Friend’ to fool his now ex-wife. (I believe she cited Herbie’s fondness for Fisherman’s friends in the divorce proceedings.)

 

Well, I’m sure you’ll ask what were Northampton doing in division 2 (now known as National League 1.) Having arrived in Division One (now the premiership,) via lucky restructuring and a prescient new committee we all thought the Saints an inhere component of the top table. We were wrong. The problem was the 1994-95 season, the most bootless, bootless travail to date. The only highlight of that awful year was the 9-6 home win against Gloucester and to be more than frank the highlight of that match was the storm of leaves that blasted across the open sided Gardens by infrequent gusts.

 

So the internationally stacked Northampton including big names such as Dawson, Grayson, Beal, Hunter, Rodber, Bayfield, Townsend, Dods, Clarke, Bell, promising youngsters such as Pountney, Allen and Moir and led by Scotland & Lions coach Ian McGeechan accepted their fate as a challenge. Their pledge to each other was simple. No act of perfidy, no jumping ship to better placed clubs but a collective intention to efface the previous season by winning every match and in the doing, to score at least thirty points.

 

The nascent commercial department decided that rather than pule over a season in division two, they would reward the loyal supporters by reducing gate entry to as little as £6. A masterstroke because, allied with the on field performance, it guaranteed a full house for virtually every match of the season. No turgid gimmicks no extended match-day experience, no piped music. Just value for money and entertaining rugby.

 

I’m going to concentrate on the league fixtures because that’s the language you understand today but you should note that the season contained a number of ‘friendly’ fixtures. An oxymoron in the extreme when you consider the first friendly match of the season (not the ‘pre-season’ whatever that really means,) was against our neighbours Leicester at Welford Road. Other traditional friendlies that have now sadly fallen by the wayside were, the RAF, Bective Rangers, Gala, Oxford University and Richmond. There was only one league fixture between January 6^th and March 23^rd, how wise!

 

To the season and we kicked off with the ubiquitous loss at Welford Road but no matter. Northampton’s next match was at the sociable Sunbury of London Irish and it signalled clear intent with a 65-32 win. Three tries for Allen, two for Moir and one each for Dawson, Thorneycroft, Rodber and Seely. Our current head coach added seven conversions and kicked two penalties. The results then continued to tumble in with perennial Dennis the Menace’s, Moseley, dispatched 50-7 at home and Nottingham pulverised 43-7 in a ground which I now believe is a housing estate. Percy’s MG Metro performed admirably and his future father in law further enhanced the day with his home fermented plum wine. A heady brew of which he made the supposititious claim that one could drink it in an insouciant manner. The next day’s headache disagreed with him.

 

If Northampton thought 1995-96 would be nothing more than a galloping gambol then the visit of Wakefield brought them back to earth with a bump. It was still a win at 23-0 but not in keeping with the expected style. Business as usual was however restored as Bedford were thrashed 49-17 at Goldington Road. Blackheath or ‘the club’ as they liked to be known were sent packing 69-17 and then two more away wins; 52-9 at Newcastle and 69-3 at Waterloo (a lovely ground with a real fire in the clubhouse!)

 

The sternest test of the campaign was thought to be the arrival of London Scottish on November 4^th as they were currently second in the division. This was just another routine day for the Saints as they demolished their closest rivals 54-11. London Irish arrived in Jimmies End a week later and received the same treatment 52-24.

 

So Northampton FC were romping away with Division 2 and set for a return to the top flight at a canter. In the cup they were handed an opportunity to show the big boys down at Bath, the city of virtu, how far we’d come and how far we meant to go. Just before Christmas 1995 we arrived at a rain soaked Rec for a mud wrestle with the undisputed heavy weight champions of English rugby. The match was lost 9-18 but the moral victory was huge. Bath had not scored a try. I remember whooping with joy as scrum five after scrum five was repelled. The papers praised Northampton saying they would very soon see silverware, they rejoiced in our willingness to attack and our stout defence. The vade mecum on defence had been written there and then in the picturesque Georgian surroundings. We were soaked through that day but barely had a care in the world. We were proud of our Saints.

 

The teams that day were:

Bath: J Callard; S Geoghegan, P de Glanville (capt), J Guscott, J Sleightholme; M Catt, I Sanders; D Hilton, G Dawe, V Ubogu, M Haag, N Redman, A Robinson, S Ojomoh, B Clarke.

Northampton: M Dods; H Thorneycroft, G Townsend, M Allen, C Moir; P Grayson, M Dawson; M Volland, T Beddow, M Hynes, J Phillips, M Bayfield, T Rodber (capt), B Pountney, G Seely.

 

If I recall correctly our traditional Boxing Day fixture was against Gala. As usual Percy had a new jumper and Herbie advised us of the benefits of his favourite cough sweets. No idea what the score was, we always won on Boxing Day. Kick off was also always 3.30pm to allow more time for dinner before the match.

 

The next league fixture was Nottingham on January 6^th at the Gardens with a rusty 35-5 win. Then another league break with Moseley on the 24^th February. I remember this match all to well, stood on a muddy bank as Northampton showboated their way to a 46-16 win. The locals were distinctly unimpressed and one chap called out:

“Don’t take the p*** Grayson!” Clearly we had now lost respect for the division and were marking time for our return.

 

Not content with their current opposition Northampton decided to highjack the Mobbs Memorial match for their own ends. A good plan it was too as the East Midlands dominated by Saints players destroyed a decent looking Baa-Baas side containing the legendary ABC club 47-19. It’s a crying shame that this fixture is no longer the jewel in our season but as the song goes: “nothing stays the same.”

 

Teams that day:

 

EAST MIDLANDS (Northampton unless stated): I Hunter; C Moir, G Townsend, M Allen, N Beal (H Thorneycroft, h-t); P Grayson, M Dawson (S Dowson, Towcestrians, 75); C Allen, T Beddow, M Volland (P Osborne, Towcestrians, 74), J Phillips, M Bayfield, T Rodber (capt, S Foale, 75), G Seely, A Pountney.

 

BARBARIANS: P Hull (Bristol); A Healey (Orrell), K McQuilkin (Bective Rangers), G Evans (Neath), J Topping (Ballymena); J Davies (Cardiff), R Jones (Swansea, capt); G Rowntree, R Cockerill, D Garforth (Leicester), C Johnson (Bishop's Stortford), S Murray (Edinburgh Academicals), C Pim (Old Wesley), B Clarke (Bath), L Dallaglio (Wasps). Replacements: J Harris (Leicester) for McQuilkin, 33; R Moon (Walsall) for Davies, 75.

 

Bedford were the next home victims 48-0 and then the trip to Blackheath. This was another club steeped in tradition with a proper clubhouse. People who moan about the football stadia such as Watford really should go and experience these old grounds; the viewing was quirky to say the least! At home ‘the club’ showed a lot more fight than they had at Northampton but this was not the whole story in a lacklustre display with the Saints grinding to 24-10 victory.

 

On April 6^th the new dawn arrived at Franklins Gardens. A Newcastle team bearing little resemblance to the one they’d played in the North East came to town led by Rob Andrew. Professionalism had finally happened to Rugby Union and Newcastle were the first team to embrace the concept. They were still dispatched 26-5 but the team funded by Sir John Hall, soon to become the Falcons were much improved and only two years away from becoming English Champions.

 

With three games left Waterloo suffered the near repeat scoreline of 69-5, Wakefield were again determined to be the flies in the ointment at 34-21 and in the final match of the season, played on April the 27^th, London Scottish were seen off 59-17.

 

The final analysis shows Northampton FC as Courage League Division Two Champions with a record of played 18 won 18 lost 0. Points for 867. Points against 203.

 

What the stats don’t show is the sheer joy of that season. I’m not lascivious for another like it because the world has changed. To get relegated again would not, I feel, allow such fun but when I think of the undulations that accompany life with the Saints, I remember this season. I remember the great times with Percy and Herbie and I’m thankful that the MG Metro is where it belongs…on the scrapheap!