NORTHAMPTON TOWN 3 OXFORD UNITED 1

Northampton Town 3 Oxford United 1 - the match report

SKY BET LEAGUE 2
Saturday May 3rd, 3.00pm
Sixfields

NORTHAMPTON TOWN 3

John Marquis 29

Ivan Toney 33
Mathias Kouo-Doumbe 51

OXFORD UNITED 1

Ryan Williams 7

Attendance: 7,529 (1,358 away fans)

Cobblers: Matt Duke, Ben Tozer, Zander Diamond, Gregor Robertson (sub Mathias Kouo-Doumbe 46), Evan Horwood, Chris Hackett, Ricky Ravenhill, Darren Carter, Ian Morris, Ivan Toney (sub Brennan Dickenson 73), John Marquis (sub Emile Sinclair 62)

Subs not used: Dean Snedker, Kelvin Langmead, Gary Deegan, Leon McSweeney

Oxford: Ryan Clarke, Tom Newey, Jake Wright, David Kitson (sub Callum O'Dowda 57), James Constable (sub Tyrone Marsh 75), David Hunt, Ryan Williams, Danny Rose, Scott Davies, Matt Bevans, Josh Ruffles

Subs not used: Jonathan Meades, Max Crocombe, Nicky Wroe, Sam Long, Josh Shama

Referee: Mr S Duncan

Booked:
Cobblers: Gregor Robertson (21, 3rd of the season), John Marquis (61, 8th), Chris Hackett (90, 9th)
Oxford: none

15 cautions at any time in season; 3 match suspension

Sent off:
Cobblers: none
Oxford: Ryan Williams (19)

Sendings off: 2 cautions in one game; 1 match suspension but cautions do not count towards above totals. Other sendings off; 1 or 3 match suspension. Extra match ban for additional sendings off.

Northampton Town took on Oxford United at a sold out Sixfields as the curtain came down on the 2013/14 season.

The Cobblers started the day three points clear of Wycombe in the relegation zone, knowing a point would secure Football League status.

Chris Wilder named an unchanged starting eleven with Brennan Dickenson replacing Alan Connell on the bench.

Before kick off there was a minute’s applause in memory of Cobblers supporter Mr David Henderson who sadly passed away outside the ground following a game earlier in the season.

Oxford took the lead on 6 minutes, Ryan Williams stabbing the ball home after the Cobblers defence failed to clear from a U’s corner kick.

3 minutes later and it was so nearly 1-1, Ivan Toney hitting the post after getting onto a long ball from Matt Duke and racing passed U’s keeper Ryan Clarke.

The away side were reduced to ten men on 18 minutes, goalscorer Ryan Williams shown a straight red card for an off the ball incident on Ricky Ravenhill.

The Cobblers equalised on the half hour, John Marquis with a cool finish to beat Clarke.

Ivan Toney then headed Town in front on 33 minutes, the young striker rising superbly to get on the end of a pin-point cross from Evan Horwood.

At half-time the attendance was confirmed at 7,529, the second highest ever at Sixfields. Meanwhile in a change for the second half, Mathias Kouo-Doumbe came on for Gregor Robertson.

It was Kouo-Doumbe who soon made it 3-1, heading in from a superbly delivered Chris Hackett corner.

Substitute Emile Sinclair went close to adding a fourth on 69 minutes, his shot cleared off the line following a good through ball from Ian Morris to set up the chance.

A header from Sinclair then went just over the bar before Brennan Dickenson came on for Ivan Toney, who left the field to a tremendous standing ovation from the Cobblers fans.

The game fizzled out a bit in the last 20 minutes but no one with a Cobblers connection was concerned about that as Town preserved their Football League status with a 3-1 victory.

COBBLERS MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (4) 6
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (4) 6
CORNERS: (5) 5
FOULS: (7) 14
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (1) 1

OXFORD MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (2) 2
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (2) 2
CORNERS: (3) 3
FOULS: (2) 6
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (0) 0

The above stats are recorded by club staff. The stats shown elsewhere on this page are recorded by Opta.

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