Well it's been a quiet week around Underhill. Attention seems to have been drifting away from our improving on-field fortunes and back towards the precarious position we face off the field. Before Christmas we were told that we were set to be not playing at Underhill next season. The end of this season is four months away, yet the silence from the club since the announcement has been deafening.
Now there is of course every possibility that there is simply no news to be told, however you would have thought that with an announcement of such magnitude, there would be an awful lot to talk about in a short space of time. Such silence is panicking people, with speculation running riot about a variety of scenarios. Where are we going to groundshare? Are we going to groundshare? Where are we going to go long term? Will we be financially crippled in the short-medium term while this gets sorted out? Will on-field matters continue to appear as if they are playing second fiddle? All are viable questions, and the lack of updates is worrying for many. The club has never been top of the pile when it comes to communication, but surely a simple statement would go to appease troubled minds. There must have been things happening in the last month.
We are very much in the dark right now. Confusion is spawning many a theory, many a worry in everyone I speak to. They all have a different view, each as unlikely as the next. Some think we'll go to Orient, some think The Chavs, even Boreham Wood is being touted. Some think we're calling the council's bluff and will end up staying at Underhill in the short term. The point is that none of us have a clue what is going on, and the club are being accused of things that are most likely highly untrue. What does seem almost unanimous is the belief that a groundshare would damage us heavily. A blow to already sub-standard crowds, revenue streams would surely push us over the edge, considering we are barely able to survive as it is. This could all be needless and pointless panicking, but what else are we to do when there is no information to hand?
With our off the pitch future looking uncertain, it is no wonder people are worrying, however the start to proceedings on the field in 2012 could not have been much better. We find ourselves in the now unfamiliar position of being five points clear of the drop zone, with the opportunity on Saturday to go eight points clear having played a game less than our opponents, Northampton Town. This is a massive game for us, and will provide a huge boost in our quest for mid-table obscurity should we manage to get a positive result. After the win at Accrington, arguably our best result of the season against a side who had not lost in ten matches, the team must be brimming with confidence, and it is with justification that we can go into this game with some confidence. I've had some great times at Northampton (Bailey '89 and going top in 2009) and I see no reason why we can't repeat such joys.
That said, now under the tutelage of a proven manager in Aidy Bothroyd, the home side will know that this is a huge opportunity for themselves to claw their way back into safety. While it wouldn't be the world's end if we were to lose, from Northampton's view, a defeat to us would be unthinkable. There are of course other clubs in the mire who are closer to The Cobblers than we are, but they'll be wanting to keep as many teams in the fight as possible and surely they won't want to pass up. On the other hand, they have only won one game since the absolute daylight robbery at Underhill earlier this season and that was an impressive result in itself away to Morecambe a fortnight ago. Their record since said robbery is 1-3-11 in all competitions, and they appear to absolutely love shipping goals. They've won just once at home and have conceded 29 goals in 13 home games (2.2 per game). That's the sort of form that will have our attacking force licking their lips.
Northampton is always a good trip as alluded to before. Whether it was the first away game back in the league or the three goals at our end to take us top of the league for one night and one night only, I have fond memories of the place. You'd hope that we'd be able to get a decent number up there to make a bit of noise with a simple train from Euston.
Either way, it's nice to go into a game with a little bit of optimism for a change. It's nice to be not TOO worried about the football to go alongside the off-field worries for once. Knowing Barnet, that will have changed by 5pm Saturday, but let's cross that bridge when we come to it.
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