COCA-COLA LEAGUE ONE
Saturday April 18th, 3pm
Matchroom Stadium

LEYTON ORIENT 1
Scott McGLEISH 24

NORTHAMPTON TOWN 3
Adebayo AKINFENWA 72
Aleksandar PRIJOVIC 73
Ikechi ANYA 90

Attendance: 4,665 (682 Cobblers fans)

Leyton Orient: Jamie JONES, Stephen PURCHES, Tamika MKANDAWIRE, JJ MELLIGAN (sub Adam BOYD 84), Sean THORNTON, Dean MORGAN, Charlie DANIELS, Jimmy SMITH, Jordan SPENCE, Scott McGLEISH, Simon CHURCH  (sub Wayne GRAY 68)
Substitutes not used: Glenn MORRIS, Alton THELWELL, Paul TERRY

Cobblers: Chris DUNN, Paul RODGERS, Danny JACKMAN, Mark HUGHES, Chris DOIG, Luke GUTTRIDGE, Jason CROWE, Abdul OSMAN, Adebayo AKINFENWA (sub Ryan GILLIGAN 82), Ikechi ANYA, Andy HOLT (sub Aleksandar PRIJOVIC 68)
Substitutes not used: Paul WALKER, Liam DOLMAN, Adam WATTS

Referee: Mr R East

Booked:
Orient: none
Cobblers: Ikechi ANYA (90, 1st of the season) 

15 cautions at any time in season; 3 match suspension

Sent off:
Orient: 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.

Stuart Gray made four changes to the Northampton Town side that travelled to Leyton Orient for this Coca-Cola League One match. Adam Watts, Ryan Gilligan, Jared Hodgkiss and the injured Scott Vernon made way for Ikechi Anya, Luke Guttridge, Paul Rodgers and Abdul Osman. Injury again ruled out Liam Davis, Giles Coke and Colin Larkin.

On a warm, sunny afternoon in north east London, both sides battled for early superiority, before the Cobblers gained the upper hand, territorially at least. A slide rule pass from Luke Guttridge released Ikechi Anya on 12 minutes, but he was denied by a fine recovering tackle from Tamika Mkandawire. Mark Hughes met the resulting corner but keeper Jamie Jones made the save.

A Danny Jackman free kick caused problems for the O's defence on 16 minutes but they were able to scramble the ball away from inside the 6 yard box, before Jason Crowe drove wide from distance.

Orient had the lead with their first effort of the game. The referee gave a soft free kick against Jason Crowe on the O's left and Sean Thornton curled a delivery in that took a flicked touch off of a combination of Scott McGleish and Crowe before going in off the inside of the post. Out of respect to his former employers, McGleish did not celebrate the goal.

Andy Holt headed inches wide of the far post from an Anya cross as the Cobblers looked for an immediate response. More good work from Anya on 33 minutes set up another opportunity for Holt, but this time he could not quite find the required finish with his left foot.

With news coming in from around the country that just about all of the other scores were not going the Cobblers way, Chris Dunn was forced to go down low to save from JJ Melligan as the home side led by a goal at half time.

The Cobblers started the second half on the attack, and both Andy Holt and Paul Rodgers had the ball inside the penalty area in the opening stages but could not find their intended targets with cut backs.

Dunn did well to scoop a McGleish near post effort over the bar following a 54th minute corner, before Holt went even closer than he did in the first half, heading a fraction wide of the far post from a Jackman flag kick.

The Cobblers keeper was back in action to tip a shot from Jimmy Smith away on 57 minutes, before both sides made a change. Simon Church was replaced by Wayne Gray for the home side, while for the Cobblers Aleksandar Prijovic came on for Holt.

The Cobblers substitute almost made an immediate impact, stretching to meet a Jackman free kick but only managing to send the ball just over the bar, before the Cobblers were level. Luke Guttridge swung in a free kick from the right that was headed powerfully home by Adebayo Akinfenwa.

Three minutes later the Cobblers were ahead. Akinfenwa laid the ball back to Luke Guttridge who found Aleksandar Prijovic in space on the edge of the area. He took a touch and sent a low shot beyond Jones to send the Cobblers fans wild.

Ryan Gilligan replaced Akinfenwa in the Cobblers second change, before Danny Jackman was in the right place to head off the line after Jordan Spence had met an inswinging corner from the left.

Adam Boyd came on for Melligan in Orient's second substitution, before Ikechi Anya was booked for timewasting.

Wayne Gray drove wide of the far post as the home side looked for an injury time leveller, before Ikechi Anya settled matters, taking advantage of space in behind the O's defence to drive a finish beyond Jones.

LEYTON ORIENT MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (4) 7
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (2) 6
CORNERS: (2) 12
FOULS: (3) 8
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (0) 3

COBBLERS MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (4) 10
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (3) 5
CORNERS: (3) 4
FOULS: (8) 20
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (2) 3

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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