Junior Morias cancelled out James Norwood's strike as the game ended 1-1 following a goalless first half.

SKY BET LEAGUE 2       
Saturday September 1st, 3.00pm      
PTS Academy Stadium

NORTHAMPTON TOWN 1
Junior Morias (61 mins)

TRANMERE ROVERS 1
James Norwood (51 mins)

Attendance: 4,916 (691 away)

Cobblers: David Cornell, Shay Facey, Ash Taylor, Aaron Pierre, David Buchanan, Sam Hoskins, Matt Crooks, Sam Foley, Jack Bridge (John-Joe O'Toole 74 mins), Kevin van Veen, Junior Morias (Billy Waters 66 mins).

Subs not used: Lewis Ward, Hakeem Odoffin, Leon Barnett, Dean Bowditch, Andy Williams.
 
Tranmere: Scott Davies, Stephen McNulty, Manny Monthe, James Norwood, Connor Jennings, Luke McCullough, Jake Caprice, Mark Ellis, Jonny Smith (Dylan Mottley-Henry 54 mins), Cole Stockton (Zoumana Bakayogo 77 mins), Ollie Banks.

Subs not used: Ben Tollitt, Paul Mullin, Harvey Gilmour, Shamal George, Larnell Cole. 

Referee: Nicholas Kinseley

Booked:
Cobblers: none 
Tranmere: Ollie Banks (86 mins) Connor Jennings (90 mins)

5 cautions on or before 19 games; 1 match suspension
10 cautions on or before 32 games; 2 match suspension       
15 cautions at any time in season; 3 match suspension

Sent off:
Cobblers: none      
Tranmere: none

Sendings off: 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.

Dean Austin named an unchanged side for the visit of newly promoted Tranmere Rovers to the PTS Academy Stadium. Shaun McWilliams (hamstring) remained the only absentee. Ollie Banks, who spent a month on-loan at the Cobblers in late 2014, started for Tranmere.

Aaron Pierre had an effort deflected behind from an early Cobblers free-kick, Junior Morias curled a shot just wide and Jack Bridge went close with a header in a lively first fifteen minutes. Tranmere’s Connor Jennings looped a shot onto the roof of the net while an unmarked Sam Foley couldn’t keep his shot down following a well-worked Cobblers move.

Sam Hoskins fired into the side netting and a shot from Jonny Smith was deflected behind as the first half ended goalless.

Tranmere took the lead six minutes into the second half, the in-form James Norwood side-footing home his sixth goal in as many games.

Ten minutes later the Cobblers were back on level terms, Junior Morias providing the finishing touch to a move involving Kevin van Veen, Matt Crooks and Jack Bridge.

Morias afternoon was to end prematurely though after the striker, having scored his first goal for the club, picked up what looked like a hamstring injury.

The Cobblers, lifted by the equaliser, were in the ascendancy and Rovers goalkeeper Scott Davies had to be alert to deny Hoskins a shooting opportunity. It was an open game with Tranmere also looking dangerous on the attack, a vital deflection from Ash Taylor seeing the ball go out for a corner.

Davies saved from Hoskins with van Veen’s effort on the follow-up deflected behind as the Cobblers piled on the pressure in search of a winner. They kept pressing deep into stoppage time but despite forcing a trio of late corners there were no more goals and the points were shared.

COBBLERS MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)     
SHOTS ON TARGET: (2) 5
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (7) 11
CORNERS: (3) 7          
FOULS: (3) 7       
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (0) 3 

TRANMERE MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)      
SHOTS ON TARGET: (1) 4 
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (2) 3
CORNERS: (3) 4
FOULS: (5) 11
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (2) 2 

SCRATCH CARD GOAL TIME(S): 50m 41s, 60m 42s