Northampton Town will be motivated to bounce back to winning ways as they welcome an already dejected Shrewsbury Town to Sixfields Stadium on Monday for round 43 of League One in a bid to steer clear of the drop zone.
The hosts are without victory in back-to-back matches, winning just once in their last seven outings, while the visitors have already been condemned to League Two for the 2025-26 campaign.
Match preview
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Northampton followed a goalless draw against Reading with a 2-1 defeat at Charlton Athletic on Good Friday, in an encounter where they looked the sharper side for over an hour, with Dara Costelloe's well-taken penalty cancelling out Luke Berry's early opener.
However, the Addicks found another gear in the final half-hour and claimed the points with a surprisingly straightforward winner as Chuks Aneke flicked on a long ball and Matty Godden ghosted through the lines unchallenged before slotting past Lee Burge.
Northampton manager Kevin Nolan, reflecting on the defeat, admitted there was little to separate the two sides and felt the game could have swung either way, but the hard truth is that his team have now suffered three defeats in their last seven matches, leaving them just two places and four points above the relegation trapdoor on 47 points.
Desperate to pull further clear of danger, the Cobblers will see this as an ideal opportunity to seize all three points against a side with nothing left to fight for, though they have failed to win any of their last three meetings with Shrewsbury, including a 2-0 defeat in their last encounter at Sixfields.
What makes the task more daunting is Northampton's dismal form at the ground, where they are winless in six consecutive games and have failed to find the net in each of the last three, leaving them as the joint second worst home attack in the division with just 19 goals scored.
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While Shrewsbury have only pride left to play for, they will be eager to halt a wretched 14-match run without a win, which includes four draws and 10 defeats.
The Shrews come into this clash on the back of a narrow 1-0 loss at home to Wigan Athletic on Friday, having succumbed to a Dale Taylor strike midway through the second half.
Michael Appleton's men have now failed to score in eight of their last 14 matches, which speaks volumes of their struggles in front of goal, with just 37 goals to their name all season — the second fewest in the league.
They also hold the second worst away record in the third tier, with a return of two wins, six draws and 13 defeats, leaving little room for optimism heading into this encounter.
Team News
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Patrick Brough, Callum Morton, Jack Sowerby and Jon Guthrie remain sidelined through injury for the hosts and are expected to miss out once again.
Costelloe, who has now scored in two of the last three matches, is expected to keep his place in the number nine role on Monday following his lively showing at Charlton.
Shrewsbury, meanwhile, suffered a double blow in their last outing, with Dominic Gape and Jordan Shipley both forced off, making their involvement on Monday highly doubtful and likely to join Joshua Kayode and Leo Castledine on the sidelines.
The visitors will once again rely on their most productive attacking duo, John Marquis and George Lloyd, who have registered eight and five goals respectively, and are set to lead the line once more.
Northampton Town possible starting lineup:
Burge; Odimayo, Mbete, Eloma; Pinnock, McGeehan, Perry, McGowan; Fosu, Roberts; Costelloe
Shrewsbury Town possible starting lineup:
Blackman; Feeney, Pierre, Nurse; Hoole, Stewart, Gilliead, Perry, Biggins; LLoyd, Marquis
We say: Northampton Town 1-0 Shrewsbury Town
With Shrewsbury already resigned to life in League Two next season, Northampton will sense an opportunity to make home advantage count in their push to secure safety and are backed to edge this with a narrow win.
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Adeyeye Oluwapelumi
