Paul Culpin checked in at the County Ground in a £55,000 deal from Coventry City and pledged to score “20 goals by the end of the season”.
Culpin, like Richard Hill, Trevor Morley and Eddie McGoldrick, previously played for manager Graham Carr at Nuneaton Borough and the Cobblers boss said of him: “He’s the best two footed finisher I’ve seen.”
Culpin netted six goals in his first five league outings, but then injury sliced off a large section of his season.
• Lifelong Cobblers servant Harry Warden, the club’s head gateman for many years, died in a Oxford hospital at the age of 93.
• Complaints over the visitors enclosure at the County .
Ground prompted speculation that the dub might implement a total ban on away fans. But that idea was finally thrown out by the board. They said that the only real answer was a new ground, and there was fresh hope on that horizon when a new £5 million bid to switch to Brackmills was revealed.
Yet like all plans before it, reality saw the Cobblers no riearer to moving out of Abington Avenue.
Popular striker Ian Benjamin, Player-of-the-Year During the Fourth Division championship season, left the l dub to join Cambridge United for £25,000. He had joined the Cobblers in 1984 and made 271 full appearances scoring 88 goals. ‘
October 3 – Northampton Town 3 Bristol City 0
Another referee, Kelvin Morton, was again at the centre of controversy, dismissing City men Steve Galliers and Paul Fitzpatrick.
But by then City, unbeaten in 10 games, had been swept aside with two goals from Phil Chard and a first of the season for Paul Bunce.
City boss, the legendary England full back T eny Cooper, who knows a thing or two about crude tackles from his career at Leeds Utd, angrily claimed: “There wasn’t a bad tackle out there.”
October 7 – Northampton Town 2 – Ipswich 4 (after extra time)
(Lttlewoods Cup) (Ipswich win 5–3 on aggregate)
After a tremendous battle over two legs, Ipswich’s superiordass finally swung the tie.
The Cobblers resistance crumbled with three goals with 10 extra time minutes.
The tie had started perfectly with a Trevor Morley goal on four minutes, but inexorably Ipswich got on top. The equaliser came when left back Graham Harbey sprung the offside trap and beat Peter Gleasure with a low shot.
Mich D’Avray (2) and David Lowe went on the extra time spree before substitute Glenville Donegal struck the final blow.
October 11 – Rotherham Utd 2 Northampton 2
Paul Culpin, the Nuneaton man who had got away when Graham Carr began his County Ground re-building, marked his Cobblers debut with a goal.
Yet the game ended in disappointment as Rotherham came back from the dead with an injury time equaliser. Having scored on his debut for Nuneaton, Coventry City and City Reserves, it was no surprise when Culpin did likewise for the Cobblers in spectacular style followed by an equally impressive second from Trevor Morley, resuming his old partnership.
Culpin went on to miss three far easier chances before Carl Airey and Tony Grealish hit back for The Millers,. who were not averse to dishing out the physical stuff, leaving Chard with a smashed nose.
Culpin’s arrival from Coventry for £55,000 meant that out-of-form Ian Benjamin failed to start a Cobblers game for the first in 168 matches.
October 13 – Notts Co 1 – Northampton Town 0
(Freight Rover Trophy)
Gary Mills, son of old Cobblers wing half Roly, helped sink Graham Carr s men for the second time in a month
He laid on the only goal for Chris Withe after 58 minutes. It ultimately spelled the Cobblers exit from the competition as County later drew with Brentford at Griffin Park.
October 17 Mansfield 3 Northampton 1
Ian Benjamin finally broke his scoring duck at the 13th attempt.
He had won a quick recall at the expense of Chard, whose nose had been smashed at Rotherham. But the main talking point afterwards was not Benjamin’s goal or the others by Paul Culpin, netting twice on his home debut, and Morley, but the lack of fans on the terraces.
Both chairman Derek Banks and manager Graham Carr were dejected and angry at a crowd of just over 5,000. “What do they want,” fumed Banks.
October 20 – Mansfield Town 3 Northampton Town 1
Field Mill continued to be a graveyard for the Cobblers – this was the 11th straight def eat at the Nottinghamshire ground.
Swirling mist gave the game an air of mystery, and the Cobblers played as if in a fog for most of the game.
Paul Culpin took his goal tally to four in as many games, but the penalty sequence of Dave Gilbert ended at the 11th attempt. ·
The normally immaculate Gilbert had his shot saved by Kevin Hitchcock, and although Culpin got on the score sheet he missed a hatful of others.
It was also a depressing return to Field Mill for Dave Logan, who simply couldn’t put a foot right. The Stags goals came from Steve Charles, Dave Hodges and Simon Coleman.
October 24 Northampton 2 Grimsby 1
Paul Culpin’s catalogue of misses were forgotten when he seized on what was barely a half chance.
Culpin is clearly not an all-rounder, but his flair for goals is unquestionable.Said Graham Carr: “It is true he isn’t the best footballer in the world but you can’t argue with his goalscoring record.”
Culpin’s strike came 13 minutes into the second half and after the Mansfield debacle it was also a game of atonement for Dave Gilbert. Having missed against the Stags, Gilbert made no mistake for the equaliser.
October 28 Northampton 1 Brentford 0 (Freight Rover Trophy)
Dave Longhurst, with just one game in the last 13 because of injury, hooked home the only goal on 57 minutes.
Graham Carr was upset at Brentford’s rough-house tactics, which led to a spate of bookings – three for Brentford in the last 14 minutes – and two for the Cobblers – Warren Donald and Dave Gilbert.
October 31 Aldershot 4 Northampton 4
Three times the Cobblers held a two goal lead ands yet amazingly they could, and probably should, have lost.
In conditions that a hippo would droll over the recreation ground fans gave the sides a standing ovation.
All eight goals were packed into the first 70 minutes. Those for the Cobblers came from Paul Culpin (eight minutes), Paul Roberts (OG 27), Trevor Morley (440 and Dave Longhurst (59).
Aldershot replied through Langley (43) Johnson (46) McDonald (66) and Berry (70)