NPOWER LEAGUE 2
Saturday September 4th, 3pm
Recreation Ground

ALDERSHOT TOWN 1
Ben Harding 90+5

Attendance: 2,739 (396 Cobblers fans)

Aldershot: Jamie Young, Ben Herd, Jamie Vincent, Luke Guttridge, Darren Jones, Anthony Charles, Ben Harding, Marvin Morgan, Anthony Straker (sub Damian Spencer 61), Manny Panther (sub John Halls 74), Wade Small (sub Jermaine McGlashan 81). Subs not used: Ross Ketteridge, Clayton Fortune, Reece Connolly.

Cobblers: Chris Dunn, John Johnson (sub Courtney Herbert 66), Paul Rodgers, Dean Beckwith, Andy Holt, Michael Jacobs (sub Kevin Thornton 89), Abdul Osman, Nathaniel Wedderburn, Liam Davis, Steve Guinan (sub Seb Harris 67), Billy McKay. Subs not used: Oscar Jansson, Charlie Death, Alex Konstantinou, Alistair Slowe.

Referee: Mr G Scott

Booked:
Aldershot: Manny Panther (16)
Cobblers: John Johnson (10, 1st of the season), Dean Beckwith (45, 2nd) 

5 cautions on or before 31 December; 1 match suspension
10 cautions on or before 11 April; 2 match suspension
15 cautions at any time in season; 3 match suspension

Sent off:
Aldershot: none
Cobblers: none

Sending offs: 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 travelled to Aldershot Town for their latest npower League 2 game with a squad ravaged by injuries. Tadhg Purcell, Marcus Hall, Ryan Gilligan and Craig Hinton were all missing, but one player who was fit enough to return was John Johnson and he started his first game since the draw with Accrington Stanley.

Steve Guinan tested home keeper Jamie Young with an early curled effort, while the first shot for the home side came from Marvin Morgan who had a drive deflected over the bar.

John Johnson was booked on ten minutes for catching Wade Small, moments after a similar foul on Billy McKay by Anthony Straker had been punished with just a free kick.

Chris Dunn made a good fourteenth minute save at his near post from Morgan, the big striker having been played in by former Cobblers midfielder Luke Guttridge. Those fans who remembered Kevin Thornton's red card in the reverse fixture at Sixfields last season would have been surprised to see Manny Panther escape with just a caution for an over the top challenge on Nathaniel Wedderburn.

A fine through ball from John Johnson released Steve Guinan behind the Aldershot defence on twenty minutes but his well struck shot was well saved by Jamie Young.

The Cobblers had the lead ten minutes before the break, and Michael Jacobs was the architect. He beat his man down the left hand side and fed a ball through to Billy McKay. McKay held off the closest defender and showed great composure to slot a low finish beyond Jamie Young from inside the area.

A reverse pass from Luke Guttridge then released Wade Small into the area and although he looked offside, no flag was forthcoming. The Cobblers were rescued by a superb sliding challenge from Dean Beckwith who took the ball away from the Aldershot man.

Beckwith was booked for holding Morgan back in first half stoppage time as the Cobblers led by a goal to nil at the interval.

Beckwith blocked well from Guttridge in the opening exchanges of the second half, while Morgan should have done better having made his way into the area and firing high and wide.

Kevin Dillon's first change for Aldershot was Damian Spencer on for Straker, and the first action for the substitute was to send over a low cross that Morgan sent wide.

The Cobblers first change saw Courtney Herbert replace John Johnson, the second swap followed soon afterwards, Seb Harris for Steve Guinan.

A cross shot from Herbert just eluded the diving McKay at the far post on 72 minutes, while a Jacobs free kick was met by an unmarked Beckwith who could only volley wide.

John Halls came on for Panther for Aldershot on 74 minutes, while the final change of the home side saw Jermaine McGlashan replace Small.

Kevin Thornton came on for Jacobs in the Cobblers final change, before Chris Dunn made a superb stop. With the game entering stoppage time, Morgan turned his man and sent in a powerful shot that the Cobblers keeper held well at the near post.

The home side came even closer, Liam Davis clearing away from Damian Spencer underneath the cross bar after Morgan's shot had for once beaten the Cobblers keeper.

It was a brave backs to the wall effort from the Cobblers who had a number of players limping and carrying injuries, but they did concede four minutes and thirty seven seconds into four minutes of added time when Ben Harding drove home. Where that extra time came from, only the referee will know as there were no stoppages during the additional time.

ALDERSHOT MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (2) 7
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (2) 7
CORNERS: (1) 8
FOULS: (8) 15
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (0) 0

COBBLERS MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (3) 3
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (1) 2
CORNERS: (4) 5
FOULS: (7) 16
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (1) 1

The above stats are recorded by club staff. The stats shown elsewhere on this page are recorded by the Press Association.