COCA-COLA LEAGUE TWO
Saturday March 6th, 3.00pm
Vale Park
PORT VALE 1
Doug Loft 5
NORTHAMPTON TOWN 3
Adebayo Akinfenwa 3, Abdul Osman 45, Billy McKay 45
Attendance: 4,861 (486 Cobblers fans)
Port Vale: Joe Anyon, Anthony Griffith, Doug Loft, Marc Richards, Adam Yates, Louis Dodds (sub Craig Davies 46), Lee Collins, Gareth Owen, Sean Rigg, Kris Taylor (sub Tommy Fraser 46), Lewis Haldane (sub John McCombe 46). Subs not used: Chris Martin, Robert Taylor, Simon Richman, Sam Morsy.
Cobblers: Jason Steele, John Johnson, Peter Gilbert, Craig Hinton, Dean Beckwith, Paul Rodgers (sub Courtney Herbert 82), Ryan Gilligan, Abdul Osman, Liam Davis (sub Luke Guttridge 74), Adebayo Akinfenwa, Billy McKay (sub Seb Harris 74). Subs not used: Paul Walker, John Curtis, Alex Dyer, Kevin Thornton.
Referee: Mr D Webb
Booked:
Port Vale: Tommy Fraser (84)
Cobblers: Abdul Osman (89, 3rd 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:
Port Vale: 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.
Ryan Gilligan returned in place of John Curtis as Northampton Town made the trip to Port Vale for their latest Coca-Cola League 2 fixture. Kevin Thornton and Luke Guttridge were also back in the squad, both being named among the substitutes.
Louis Dodds fired over the bar for the home side as they looked to make a fast start, but it was the Cobblers who had the early goal. There did not look to be any immediate danger when Adebayo Akinfenwa picked the ball up 25 yards from goal surrounded by defenders. However he held a number of players off before placing a low finish beyond the sprawling Joe Anyon.
The lead did not last too long though, Jason Steele doing well to beat away a shot from Sean Rigg, but the rebound fell kindly for Doug Loft to slot home.
Anyon had to be at full stretch to parry drives from Billy McKay and Abdul Osman, while at the other end Steele turned away a shot from Rigg as the open nature of the game continued
The Cobblers lead was restored in first half stoppage time - and to be truthful it came about following a howler from keeper Anyon. He dropped a cross from Paul Rodgers under pressure from Akinfenwa and Abdul Osman was in the right place to stab home.
That was not the end of the first half scoring though, as there was still time for Liam Davis to thread a ball through to Billy McKay and he clipped a smart finish beyond Anyon to send the Cobblers into the break with a 3-1 lead.
Vale boss Micky Adams made a triple change at half time with Craig Davies, Tommy Fraser and John McCombe coming on for Louis Dodds, Lewis Haldane and Kris Taylor.
Marc Richards stabbed wide in the opening exchanges of the second half, while Steele tipped a curling effort from Davies away on the hour mark.
The former Cobblers striker Richards was close again on 74 minutes, his near post header from a corner being tipped away by Steele with Ryan Gilligan completing the clearance.
Ian Sampson then made a double substitution with Luke Guttridge replacing Liam Davis and Seb Harris coming on for Billy McKay.
Akinfenwa headed wide from a Gilligan cross on 77 minutes, before Courtney Herbert was introduced for Paul Rodgers.
Tommy Fraser was booked for catching Gilligan on 85 minutes, while Osman was cautioned on 89 minutes for a foul on Loft.
The Cobblers defence did a good job of making sure the second half was a lot tighter than the first, and although the home side had more of the ball than in the first half, they never seriously threatened a comeback.
PORT VALE MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (3) 8
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (3) 8
CORNERS: (1) 6
FOULS: (3) 8
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (1) 1
COBBLERS MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (7) 8
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (3) 4
CORNERS: (3) 4
FOULS: (3) 8
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (0) 1
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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