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Northampton to have cardboard cutout of NBA star O'Neal in stands for play-offs

  /  autty

Basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal will be a famous face in the crowd as his beloved Northampton Town take on Cheltenham in the League Two play-offs.

The club have arranged for a cardboard cutout of O'Neal wearing a Cobblers scarf to be placed inside their stadium and have encouraged fans to join him for the first leg.

The LA Lakers and Miami Heat hero's support of the club goes back a few years due to his business association with chairman Kelvin Thomas.

The NBA champion was involved in the celebrations when the club achieved promotion from League Two in 2016, recording a congratulations message for Chris Wilder's first-team squad.

The League Two season was curtailed on Tuesday with the Cobblers finishing in the final play-off spot after positions were confirmed on a points-per-game basis.

They will now play Cheltenham, who finished third, at home on June 18 and away on June 22 with the winner set to play either Exeter or Colchester in the final at Wembley on June 29.

But the club could be in trouble if the cut-out is made to scale as the real life O'Neal stands at a height of 7ft 1in.

Fans may struggle to see themselves on-screen if they're placed behind the star.

Northampton are one of a number of clubs giving supporters the chance to have their picture in the crowd with games set to take place behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Cardboard fans were first seen in the Bundesliga when Borussia Monchengladbach placed the faces of 12,000 people in their Borussia Park stadium.

The idea was then expanded in Denmark as thousands were beamed into Superliga club AGF Aarhus's stadium via more than 500 Zoom meetings.

Northampton supporters will be able to be a 'Cobbler in the Crowd' and see themselves in cardboard form for a price of £25.