COCA-COLA LEAGUE ONE
Friday March 21st, 7.45pm
Sixfields

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Attendance: 7,244 (1,304 away fans)

Cobblers: Mark BUNN, Jason CROWE, Mark LITTLE*, Gabor GYEPES, Daniel JONES, Ryan GILLIGAN (sub Jonathan HAYES 79), Joe BURNELL (sub Giles COKE 70), Danny JACKMAN, Poul HUBERTZ, Adebayo AKINFENWA, Andy HOLT (sub Colin LARKIN 70)
Substitutes not used: Chris DUNN, Liam DOLMAN

* Zedi Signs man of the match

Nottingham Forest: Paul SMITH, Kelvin WILSON, Luke CHAMBERS, Wes MORGAN, James PERCH, Nathan TYSON (sub Junior AGOGO 81), Chris COHEN, Sammy CLINGAN, Brett ORMEROD (sub Kris COMMONS 79), Matt THORNHILL (sub Lewis McGUGAN 86), Julian BENNETT
Substitutes not used: Garath McCLEARY, Emile SINCLAIR

Referee: Mr R Styles

Booked:
Cobblers: Ryan GILLIGAN (25, 10th of the season, misses Cheltenham and Luton), Mark BUNN (62, 5th)
Nottingham Forest: Julian BENNETT (21), Sammy CLINGAN (21), Chris COHEN (36), Matt THORNHILL (50)

10 cautions on or before 8 April; 2 match suspension
15 cautions at any time in season; 3 match suspension

Sent off:
Cobblers: none
Nottingham Forest: James PERCH (20) 

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 welcomed Nottingham Forest to a sold out Sixfields on a cold Good Friday evening. Stuart Gray named the same side that had beaten Swansea City the previous week. Former Cobblers boss Colin Calderwood included ex Northampton Town defender Luke Chambers in the Forest team.

After a moving tribute to mark the 90th anniversary of Walter Tull's death before kick off, the game began in a vibrant atmosphere.

Amid all the noise, the visitors took an early lead, Brett Ormerod turning home a low cross from the left from Chris Cohen. The Cobblers looked to respond, and a 14th minute Poul Hubertz header from a Ryan Gilligan corner was held by Paul Smith in the Forest goal.

The visitors had started impressively, attacking with pace and sending in some excellent deliveries into the area, but they were reduced to ten men on 21 minutes when James Perch was sent off after a high lunge at Poul Hubertz. Julian Bennett and Sammy Clingan were both booked in the same incident.

Ryan Gilligan was then booked for the Cobblers for a foul on Bennett, before Danny Jackman tested Smith with a dipping volley that the Forest keeper held.

The Cobblers pulled level on 32 minutes. Andy Holt's long throw was not dealt with by the Forest defence, and Poul Hubertz sent an overhead kick beyond Smith and into the back of the net.

Chris Cohen was the latest Forest player to be booked when he caught Hubertz, before Smith turned Akinfenwa's header over the bar as the first half drew to a close.

Sammy Clingan sent in a drive from the edge of the area that rattled Mark Bunn's cross bar two minutes after the re-start, before Matt Thornhill was cautioned for comments made to the referee.

Nottingham Forest were awarded a controversial penalty on 62 minutes when Mark Bunn was very harshly adjudged to have fouled Nathan Tyson. Bunn was booked while Tyson scored from the spot.

Stuart Gray made a double change with twenty minutes to go with Colin Larkin and Giles Coke replacing Andy Holt and Joe Burnell.

Coke saw his shot held by Smith after being teed up by Jackman, before Jonathan Hayes came on for Gilligan. For Forest, Kris Commons replaced Ormerod.

Junior Agogo was introduced for Tyson as the substitutions continued, before the Cobblers were awarded their first free kick of the second half - in the 84th minute.

Lewis McGugan replaced Matt Thornhill in the game's final change.

As the game entered stoppage time, Jones saw his free kick held by Smith and although the Cobblers piled forward in the closing stages, there was to be no late equaliser and Forest secured victory thanks to that very controversial penalty.

COBBLERS MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (5) 10
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (2) 2
CORNERS: (4) 8
FOULS: (7) 13
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (1) 2

NOTTINGHAM FORESTMATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (2) 5
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (1) 4
CORNERS: (1) 5
FOULS: (6) 8
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (2) 4

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

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