Northampton Town look to move closer to League One survival when Play-Off chasing Reading are the visitors to Sixfields, aiming to continue a remarkable campaign despite their off-field issues.
League One
Our Three Predictions For Northampton Town vs Reading:
- First Prediction For Northampton Town vs Reading: Match Result – Reading – 7/4
- Second Prediction For Northampton Town vs Reading: Under 2.5 Goals – 17/20
- Third Prediction For Northampton Town vs Reading: Half-Time Result – Draw – 11/10
First Prediction For Northampton Town vs Reading: Match Result – Reading – 7/4
Despite everything going on at Reading at the moment, the players and management team are putting in an incredible shift. The Royals’ strength has been their home form, recording impressive results against the top three sides in the division in the past two months. Away from home, Reading have won only five of their twenty away outings, though they have lost once in five games. A three-one win at Shrewsbury on Tuesday evening will provide them with the confidence needed to record a similar result on Saturday. Likewise, Northampton had their own big away win, putting four past local rivals Peterborough last weekend. But their home form is almost identical to the Royals away record, winning just six and none of their last five.
Second Prediction For Northampton Town vs Reading: Under 2.5 Goals – 17/20
To partner their indifferent away record, only five sides in the third tier have a worse goal difference than the Royals. A large part of that is due to their defensive record on the road, shipping 35 times, which ranks them in the same position in the away standings as their GD. But by scoring 24 times, the Royals are usually expected to find the net at least once away from home. Coupled with Northampton averaging less than a goal a game at home, the second-lowest figure in the division, goals aren’t expected to be free-flowing in this contest, despite netting four at Peterborough last time out.
Third Prediction For Northampton Town vs Reading: Half-Time Result – Draw – 11/10
With a lot riding on tomorrow’s contest, it is expected to be a tight affair, with neither side prepared to commit too much in the opening period. Looking at League One’s first-half table, both sides are in almost the same position as the actual standings. Reading remain in sixth, with sixteen of their games ending level after the opening period, while Northampton drop a place, seeing nineteen of their outings locked in a stalemate at the interval. With that in mind, this game should be a draw by the half-time whistle tomorrow.
Best Odds For Northampton Town vs Reading
| Bookmaker | Northampton Town | Draw | Reading |
| MyriadPlay | 5/4 | 23/10 | 7/4 |
| Gentleman Jim | 13/10 | 12/5 | 17/10 |
| Betarno | 5/4 | 23/10 | 17/10 |
The table above shows the latest odds from leading football betting websites.
Full Preview Of The Game: Last Results And Head-To-Head:
The Cobblers League One place remains in jeopardy, but they took a huge stride towards safety last weekend with a resounding victory in the Nene Derby. A Sam Hoskins double, coupled with Dara Costello’s strike gave Northampton a three-goal advantage against ten-man Posh, before Tom Eaves completed the rout. That moved them seven clear of the drop zone, meaning a win in this fixture will almost guarantee a spot in the third tier next season.
That resounding success at their local rivals brought an abrupt end to a four-game winless streak, though they have taken some impressive points across March. In fact, four of their six encounters last month ended level, holding top-six sides Birmingham and Stockport to a draw. Their stalemate with the table-topping Blues was the second time this season that the Cobblers had frustrated the runaway leaders, after Mitch Pinnock scored late in the reverse encounter. Northampton were held on the road at Cambridge and Exeter, defeated by Blackpool but recorded an impressive victory in the capital against Leyton Orient.
Reading regained their spot in the Play-Off places with an away victory at Shrewsbury in midweek. That win in Shropshire, coupled with Bolton’s shock loss against Rotherham, saw the Royals move back up to sixth place with five games remaining. Noel Hunt’s side had also moved into the top six on Saturday with a fine single-goal victory over Wycombe, increasing the likelihood of a two-legged affair next month. But the Trotters responded with their own one-nil later in the day, with Aaron Collins’ winner coming in almost the identical minute to Harvey Knibbs’s 77th-minute winner.
Reading continue to battle against adversity off her pitch, with Dai Yongge, who was recently disqualified, given an extension until 22nd April to sell the club. They responded from a defeat against Blackpool to record successive wins, having gone through March unbeaten. In fact, they have lost only three times in 2025, and two of those defeats came in the opening month of the year. That has increased the chances of earning what would be a sensational top-six finish.
On paper at least, the Royals have a favourable run-in. They are up against mid-table Lincoln and struggling Mansfield over the Easter period, before they will have to navigate a tough final away outing of the season at Bristol Rovers. The Gas will be hoping they have fought off the challenge of Burton and are safe from relegation by the time the Berkshire outfit make the short trip across the M4 for an early kick-off. On the final day, Barnsley will have nothing to play for but will be hoping to have an input in the Play-Offs that they have been involved in for the past two years.
Northampton need four more points to reach the magic 50-point mark, though they have a tough Easter assignment in the capital at Charlton. Shrewsbury will almost certainly be relegated by the time they travel to Sixfields, but will hope to throw a spanner in the Cobblers’ survival ambitions, if they aren’t already safe. While Scott Lindsey has improved Crawley’s fortunes, they were always going to face an uphill battle to stay in the division. The Red Devils host Northampton on the penultimate weekend of the campaign before a final-day clash with Wigan awaits for Kevin Nolan’s side.
Once a regular fixture, there have only been four meetings between the sides in the past two decades. They have won two each in that time, though across history it is one-sided in Reading’s favour, winning 51 to the Cobblers’ 29 victories. That includes the last two encounters, although the last meeting at Sixfields saw the home side win, which coincidentally was the last time Northampton won a midweek game on home soil.
Confrontation |
Where To Watch Northampton Town vs Reading:
Where can I watch the game, either on TV or in person?
- Location: Sixfields Stadium, Northampton
- Date: 12th April, 2025
- TV Channel: This game is not scheduled for TV broadcast.
Probable Lineups For Northampton Town vs Reading:
Predicted Northampton Town Lineup:
- Lineup: Burge, Guinness-Walker, Mbete, Eyoma, Pinnock, Taylor, Perry, McGowan, McGeehan, Hoskins, Costelloe
- Suspended/Injured: Shaw, Morton, Guthrie, Koiki, Sowerby, Brough
- Coach: Kevin Nolan
Predicted Reading Lineup:
- Lineup: Pereira, Abrefa, Bindon, Mbengue, Yiadom, Savage, Wing, Knibbs, Campbell, Ehibhatiomhan, Wareham
- Suspended/Injured: Craig, Holzman
- Coach: Noel Hunt
