Mallinder hoping Saints can emulate Cobblers

Mallinder takes his team to Saracens on Sunday, hoping to claim a victory that would secure a place in the May 25 Twickenham Premiership grand final.

The Cobblers have already booked their trip to the capital as they saw off Cheltenham to set up an npower League Two play-off final clash with Bradford at Wembley.

They claimed a fine 1-0 win in the away leg, crushing Cheltenham’s fine home record, and Saints will now look to emulate them, by beating a Saracens team unbeaten in all six of their games at Allianz Park.

“We’re absolutely delighted for Northampton Town,” said Mallinder. “We’ve been watching the results and I’ve spoken to (Cobblers boss) Aidy Boothroyd.

“They will be involved in the final and hopefully they can win that.

“We can do that as well. We can go away, and it’s 80 minutes off Twickenham, a first ever Premiership final and that’s got to be a massive motivation for us at Saints.”

Allied with Cobblers’ and Saints’ play-off fever, Northants cricket team are also flying high, currently topping County Championship Division Two.

Each of the teams are managed by Yorkshiremen, with Mallinder, Boothroyd and Northants boss David Ripley all hailing from the county.

And Mallinder joked: “There must be something in that, mustn’t there?

“It’s really good. We’re a small market town in the midlands, but we’re a massive sporting town and to have three teams all doing well is brilliant and long may it continue.”