PODCAST HISTORY
It’s All Cobblers To Me was founded in September 2018 when Charles saw a gap in the market for a fan lead show about The Cobblers.
Charles took to Twitter and asked if anyone wanted to join him in sitting down on an evening to chat about his favourite football team.
Danny, a former blogger and Neil, a professional dickhead (his words!), answered the call and the three Town supporters hatched a plan to create the best (and at the time only) football podcast dedicated to NTFC.
Wanting to get the show off to a bang, Charles interviewed former goalkeeper Lee Harper and this formed the backbone of the very first episode and was also the imaginative episode title.
Released on September 28 2018 after a disappointing 0-0 draw against Notts County which Charles saw as an improved performance after the previous game had ended in defeat for Dean Austin’s side. Neil didn’t agree however, and introduced himself to the listeners with the word “bollocks”.
As well as the swearing, that first episode will also be remembered for Neil recording live from his chalet at Centre Parcs where he fell off his chair and Danny’s first installment in his ultimately unsuccessful hunt to find Alistair Slowe.
Not a week had gone by after that first episode and the Cobblers were already providing material for the podcast as first, Dean Austin accused his players of lacking any ‘arsehole’ after a 4-0 loss away at Mansfield. Secondly, sacking Austin not 24 hours later and then thirdly hiring Keith Curle of all people to replace him.
An interview with Chronicle & Echo Cobblers reporter James Henghan formed the basis of the second episode before NTFC Chairman Kelvin Thomas became the podcast’s third guest in five episodes.
Thomas’s appearance on the podcast was ridiculed by some as the podcast failed to ask any questions in relation to the ongoing East Stand saga. This decision was made after the Chairman appeared on BBC Radio Northampton an hour before the podcast was recorded and was asked those very questions there. Instead of repeating the same content, Thomas was asked about his footballing past and his reasons for getting involved with running clubs like Northampton, Oxford and Torquay.
Meanwhile, Danny premiered a brand new quiz on the podcast entitled Name That Bench.
In November 2018 Chris Hargreaves became the second ex-Cobbler to appear on the podcast, talking about his time at Sixfields and the rest of his career.
December saw the first recording of the podcast with all three hosts in the same room. Billed as a Christmas special, the trio gathered at Neil’s house to record the podcast and consume the traditional Christmas Bourbons.
Chris Freestone became the third former Cobbler to appear on the podcast in February 2019 before the Chairman of the NTFC Supporters Trust was interviewed by Neil in the basement of CAFE TRACK in March.
Come the end of the 2018/19 football season, 40 episodes of It’s All Cobblers To Me had been released.
A handful of special episodes, including one raising the profile of the NTFC Community Trust’s attempts to raise money for a new wheelchair for lifelong Cobblers fan Mustafa El-Bayati.
In the week leading up to the start of the 2019/20 season, the podcast released an episode each day featuring the views of the local media, a selection of Cobblers fans and new signing and Club Captain, Nicky Adams.
During this time an episode was recorded live at the NTFC Community Open Day and further interviews were conducted with both Chris Wilder and Alan Knill.
The podcast’s relationship with the football club was strengthened further when Charles and Neil hosted a Fans Forum with Keith Curle in the 1897 Suite in front of a live audience of Cobblers fans. Also present was CEO James Whiting.
Having appeared on the podcast as part of the fans panel in pre season, Chessie joined the podcast team in an attempt to keep the boys under control. Given the nickname Jefé, her acceptance of the role also saw her fill the role of token farmer. Thus fulfilling the podcast’s diversity policy.