COCA-COLA LEAGUE TWO
Tuesday February 23rd, 7.45pm
Edgar Street
HEREFORD UNITED 0
NORTHAMPTON TOWN 2
Billy McKay 29, Adebayo Akinfenwa 67
Attendance: 1,266 (102 Cobblers fans)
Hereford: Adam Bartlett, Ryan Green, Ryan Valentine, Keith Lowe, Kenny Lunt, Marc Pugh, Lee Morris (sub Matt Done 74), Leon Constantine (sub Mathieu Manset 74), James McQuilkin, Darren Jones, Gavin McCallum. Subs not used: Richard Rose, Sam Gwynne, Craig Jones, Tyler Weir, Chris Adamson.
Cobblers: Billy Lumley, John Johnson, Peter Gilbert, Craig Hinton, Dean Beckwith, Paul Rodgers (sub Courtney Herbert 88), Abdul Osman, John Curtis, Liam Davis (sub Alex Dyer 84), Adebayo Akinfenwa (sub Seb Harris 72), Billy McKay. Subs not used: Paul Walker, Stephen O'Flynn, Alex Konstantinou, Gary Mulligan.
Referee: Mr G Salisbury
Booked:
Hereford: Ryan Valentine (90)
Cobblers: John Curtis (79, 5th of the season)
10 cautions on or before 11 April; 2 match suspension
15 cautions at any time in season; 3 match suspension
Sent off:
Hereford: 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.
Ian Sampson named his side for the trip to Hereford with injury and suspension robbing him of 6 players. Luke Guttridge (toe) joined Chris Dunn, Andy Holt, Ryan Gilligan, Kevin Thornton and Steve Guinan on the sidelines as John Curtis and Paul Rodgers returned to the side. There were places on the bench for Gary Mulligan and youth team striker Alex Konstantinou.
The pre-match snow had stopped by the time the game kicked off on a cold night. The home side thought they had the lead with the first effort of the game. James McQuilkin's shot from a half cleared corner in the second minute was deflected home by Lee Morris, but the Hereford man was in an offside position. The referee originally gave the goal but with both sides lining up for the re-start he consulted with his assistant and awarded a free kick to the Cobblers.
The opening attempt from Ian Sampson's side came on 17 minutes. Adebayo Akinfenwa picked the ball up from a throw in and sent in a shot on the turn that Adam Bartlett went down low to save.
The Cobblers front two combined to give the Cobblers the lead on 29 minutes. Akinfenwa held the ball up well before finding Billy McKay in enough space to squeeze a shot beyond Bartlett and low into the corner of the net.
Billy Lumley made a fine near post block from Darren Jones on 38 minutes, the keeper beating the ball away, while at the other end Liam Davis produced a similar save from Bartlett.
Hereford manager John Trewick was sent to the stands shortly before half time by referee Mr Salisbury, while in the last action of the half McKay was denied a second by a diving save from the Hereford keeper.
Davis was again denied by Bartlett at the start of the second half having been played in by Akinfenwa, while the Bulls keeper came to his team's rescue again on 55 minutes, superbly clawing away a powerful header from the Cobblers number ten as he met a cross from Paul Rodgers.
Adebayo Akinfenwa extended the Cobblers lead on 67 minutes. A long Billy Lumley goal kick was not dealt with by the Hereford defence and the Town top scorer poked the ball beyond the onrushing keeper and into the net.
The Cobblers were denied what looked a clear penalty on 70 minutes when Ryan Valentine tackled and tripped Paul Rodgers. The decision was a goal kick so it begged the question what the Bulls defender had made contact with if it wasn't the ball.
Seb Harris came on for Akinfenwa in the Cobblers first change, while for the Bulls Mathieu Manset and Matt Done replaced Leon Constantine and Lee Morris.
John Curtis was booked on 78 minutes for a challenge on Valentine, before Alex Dyer came on for Davis. Courtney Herbert replaced Rodgers in the final change.
The Cobblers did a professional job in seeing the rest of the game out - the Bulls Ryan Valentine was booked in stoppage time as Ian Sampson's side secured a vital and ultimately comfortable three points.
HEREFORD MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (3) 5
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (1) 3
CORNERS: (3) 5
FOULS: (1) 4
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (5) 8
COBBLERS MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (5) 10
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (0) 1
CORNERS: (4) 4
FOULS: (5) 10
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (2) 2
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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