SKY BET LEAGUE 2      
Saturday October 23rd, 3.00pm      
Prenton Park

TRANMERE ROVERS 0

NORTHAMPTON TOWN 2
Kion Etete 52
Sam Hoskins 68 pen                                                                                        

Attendance: not confirmed

Tranmere: Ross Doohan, Josh Dacres-Cogley, Calum MacDonald, Tom Davies, Kieron Morris (sub Mark Duffy 61), Jay Spearing, Liam Feeney (sub Nicky Maynard 72), Callum McManaman, Sam Foley (sub Ryan Watson 78), Elliott Nevitt, Peter Clarke
Subs not used: Joe Murphy, Nathaniel Knight-Percival, Paul Glatzel, Lee O'Connor
 
Cobblers: Liam Roberts, Aaron McGowan, Fraser Horsfall, Jon Guthrie, Ali Koiki (sub Dominic Revan 90), Shaun McWilliams, Jack Sowerby, Paul Lewis, Sam Hoskins, Kion Etete (sub Danny Rose 87), Mitch Pinnock
Subs not used: Charlie Woods, Jordan Flores, Dylan Connolly, Nicke Kabamba, Scott Pollock

Referee: Tom Nield                              

Booked:
Tranmere: none
Cobblers: Paul Lewis (43, 3rd of the season), Ali Koiki (58, 3rd), Sam Hoskins (86, 5th)

5 cautions on or before 19 games; 1 match suspension
10 cautions on or before 37 games; 2 match suspension       
15 cautions at any time in season; 3 match suspension

Sent off:
Tranmere: none      
Cobblers: 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.

It was fifth versus sixth at Prenton Park as boss Jon Brady again named an unchanged side. Jordan Flores replaced Michael Harriman on the bench. Former Cobblers midfielder Sam Foley started for Tranmere with Ryan Watson, who left Sixfields in the summer, amongst the Rovers substitutes.

After a cagey opening twenty minutes, Liam Feeney fired over for the hosts before Jack Sowerby went close with a terrific shot from 25-yards that was deflected behind. Tranmere then had the ball in the back of the net from a corner only for the goal to rightly be disallowed for a foul on Liam Roberts.

Aaron McGowan shot into the side netting from an acute angle and Roberts saved from Elliott Nevitt before a couple of Cobblers chances saw Sam Hoskins fire wide and Kion Etete just fail to connect with a teasing ball into the box from Mitch Pinnock.

Etete also had a sight of goal in first half stoppage time but the on-loan Spurs striker sent his volley over the bar and the first half ended goalless.

Paul Lewis had a chance early in the second half but the former Rovers midfielder headed straight at Ross Doohan. Hoskins then shot wide after making a good run into the area as the Cobblers continued to press for the opening goal.

It felt like a goal was coming and the Cobblers deservedly took the lead on 52 minutes, Kion Etete with a superb volley after being played in by a pin-point cross from Pinnock.

The Cobblers were awarded a penalty when Lewis went down under pressure from Doohan and Sam Hoskins made no mistake from 12-yards, firing his spot-kick into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.

Lewis side-footed over, Doohan denied Etete and Hoskins rattled the cross bar and also saw a free-kick turned behind by Doohan as the Cobblers looked to kill the game off with a third goal.

Danny Rose, on for Etete, shot just wide with the 90 minutes almost up and the seven minutes of stoppage time that followed passed without incident as Jon Brady’s side claimed a terrific and thoroughly deserved three points.

TRANMERE MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)     
SHOTS ON TARGET: (1) 1
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (3) 4
CORNERS: (2) 2       
FOULS: (3) 10       
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (0) 1

COBBLERS MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)      
SHOTS ON TARGET: (0) 8
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (5) 10
CORNERS: (1) 5
FOULS: (11) 14
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (0) 0