Head to Head vs. Northampton Town

Meetings between the two clubs have become rarities and had to wait until 1965 - 76 years after the Blades existence until the two teams locked horns in a league encounter. This so happened to be in the top flight (in the old Division One). The venue was the County Ground and the date was 9 October 1965, Northampton were firmly rooted to the bottom of the table after failed to win a match in the twelve matches already played, whilst the Blades were sitting proudly at the top with 6 wins and 5 draws, only Sunderland had recorded a victory over the Blades.

United maintained their summit status with a goal from Ken Mallender 10 minutes into the match, his long range effort was considered a 'soft goal' with keeper Harvey seeing the ball too late to save. Results would go against the Blades in the months to follow and by the time the two teams met again on Sheffield soil on New Year's Day United had slipped down to 9th place whilst Northampton (with 4 wins to their name) were 20th and recorded a creditable 2-2 draw which most probably put pay to ant chances of the Blades winning the league.

At the end of the season Town were relegated whilst the Blades finished 8th. They had met shortly after the turn of the centaury in the FA Cup. Our meeting on 25 January on-route to our glorious 1902 cup victory campaign. Northampton had seen Darwen out by four goals to one in a qualifier before facing the Blades on home soil in the First Round. With the likes of Fatty Foulkes, Ernest Needham, Harry Thickett and Alf Common the South Yorkshire side were still a formidable force - Walter Bennett and Common scored the goals to earn the Blades a 2-0 victory.

The Blades would go onto bypass Bolton Wanderers (2-1), Newcastle United (2-1 in a replay) and Derby County (1-0) in a marathon two replayed semi-final before beating Southampton by two goals to one in a replay in the final. United had lost in the final the previous year to Tottenham Hotspur.

United had to wait a further 15 years until they met again, this time in the Fourth Division season oif 1981-82 - The Blades winning 2-1 in Northampton and completed the double in emphatic style, a 7-3 victory at the Lane in front of 15,716 - Keith Edwards grabbing a hat-trick.

Between September 1988 and October 1990, in just over two years United and Town met four times, twice in the Third Division and twice in the League Cup. In the latter The Blades were a top flight side whilst the Cobblers were in the basement tier and came as no surprise when United won the two legged tie. A very brief snippet in The Times newspaper read; 'Deane's 79th-minute goal earned Sheffield United a first-leg lead at Northampton Town. He claimed his fourth goal of the season when he nodded home Marwood's right-wing cross.' Deane and Tony Agana added two more goals in the second leg at Bramall Lane to win the tie 3-0 on aggregate.

In 1994 the Cobblers moved to their present Sixfields home, with the exception of facing Coventry City during the 2013-14 League One campaign the Blades have yet to play-out a competitive fixture there.

Results