Cobblers season ticket holder Gareth Kingston is appearing on Mastermind on Friday June 12th at 7.30pm on BBC 2. Here is his diary of his visits to the famous black chair;

May 28th 2008
I can't believe it. I won my heat and I'm now through to the semi-finals of Mastermind! Unfortunately that means that I now have to prepare for a new specialist subject - Northampton Town FC 1985-present.

I had two months to prepare for my last specialist subject (the Great Fire of London). There are plenty of books on the subject and yet it is quite a narrow topic. Even so in the course of my research I wrote over 450 questions. All of the questions I was asked on the show were in the 450, which played a big part in my win.

But only now am I starting to appreciate what a mammoth task I have set myself. 23 seasons, and with at least 50 games per season that's at least 1150 games. Then there's the players the managers, the off-field shenanigans. It's a good job that I narrowed the dates down as far as I did. If I had opted to answer questions on our 110 year history I think I would be contemplating emigration.

I am by no means an expert on the Cobblers. But somehow, between now and the middle of July I need to learn enough in order to appear like an expert.

May 29th
I started formulating my plan today. I was aided by a swift look at youtube where there is a clip of someone answering questions on Chelsea. Perhaps this is manageable after all. So what do I need to cover?
1, Basic facts such as managers, promotions, relegations, play-off campaigns, transfer records, top scorers
2, Notable matches, Wembley x 2, other play-off matches, Shrewsbury 94, etc
3, Special achievements such as Larry's 5 minute hat-trick, McGleish breaking the 20 goal barrier
4, Off the field - administration, the supporters trust, takeovers and failed takeovers.
5, Trivia - any other nugget that I can think of.

I began reading "I was born under the Hotel End" by Quentin Jones to reacquaint myself with the dark days of the early 90s.

May 30th
Back when Mastermind accepted this as a specialist subject, back when I didn't think I'd get through the first round, I had to provide Mastermind with a reading list. If my first round is anything to go by then I will need to ensure that I know these books inside out.

With my cricket match rained off today it was an ideal chance to get stuck into some research. I started reading "Thanks for the Wembleys" by Andy Roberts. I'm noting down any references to specific games, results or people. More than that I keep trying to think about what might catch a question setter's eye. For instance, "For which home game in the 1991/2 season did the programme consist of just one sheet of paper?"

June 1st
Had a chat on facebook with Rob, a fellow Cobblers fan. He fired some questions at me. I didn't do too well but it's early days.

June 3rd
Jon the Producer of Mastermind rang today. He wants to know whether I would mind expanding the time frame. I suggest 1960-2000 as a compromise. Then it occurred to me, Jon mentioned that the longer the time period the less I would need to be a statto. So I fired off an email suggesting I cover the whole of the club's history. God help me!

to be continued....