SKY BET LEAGUE 2      
Saturday November 12th, 3.00pm      
MEMS Priestfield Stadium

GILLINGHAM 0

NORTHAMPTON TOWN 2
Sam Hoskins 27
Kieron Bowie 71

Attendance: 4,509 (429 Cobblers fans)

Gillingham: Glenn Morris (sub Jake Turner 41), Will Wright, Shaun Williams, Stuart O'Keefe (sub Alex MacDonald 64), Mikael Mandron, Robbie McKenzie, Dom Jeffries (sub Ben Reeves 81), Ryan Law, Hakeeb Adelakun (sub Lewis Walker 46), Jordan Green (sub Scott Kashket 64), Elkan Baggott
Subs not used: Max Ehmer, Bailey Akehurst
 
Cobblers: Lee Burge, Aaron McGowan (sub Harvey Lintott 80), Sam Sherring, Jon Guthrie, Akin Odimayo (sub Max Dyche 80), Ben Fox (sub Marc Leonard 68), Jack Sowerby, Shaun McWilliams, Mitch Pinnock, Sam Hoskins, Kieron Bowie (sub Danny Hylton 75)
Subs not used: James Dadge, Liam Cross, Ryan Haynes

Referee: Declan Bourne

Booked:
Gillingham: none
Cobblers: Aaron McGowan (59), Sam Hoskins (90)

Sent off:
Gillingham: none      
Cobblers: none

Shaun McWilliams and Akin Odimayo came into the side as boss Jon Brady made two changes for the trip to Gillingham. Danny Hylton, back from suspension, was named on the bench. Tyler Magloire, Josh Eppiah, Ali Koiki and Louis Appere were all still unavailable for selection due to injury.

Ahead of Remembrance Sunday the game was preceded by the playing of the Last Post followed by a perfectly observed period of silence.

On an unseasonably warm sunny November afternoon in Kent, it was the Cobblers who started brightly with McWilliams drawing an early save from veteran goalkeeper Glenn Morris.

Morris saved comfortably as Sam Hoskins tried his luck from range while his opposite number Lee Berge remained untested as a speculative effort from Hakeeb Adelakun went wide. The Gills keeper then made a smart save with his legs from Odimayo who had been played in by a pinpoint cross field pass from Ben Fox.

Sam Hoskins broke the deadlock on 27 minutes, his 13th goal of the season a terrific solo effort. After picking up a loose ball Hoskins drove into the area before blasting a finish into the roof of the net. It was a deserved lead which was almost immediately doubled but Fox couldn’t quite get on the end of a ball across the box from Hoskins and McWilliams curled a shot just wide from a tight angle as the Cobblers pressed for a second goal. The home side were meanwhile forced into a change in goal before the break, substitute keeper Jake Turner replacing the injured Morris.

Gillingham looked more of a threat in the early stages of the second half and Jordan Green went close with a strike from just inside the area that whistled wide.

Hoskins and Fox had efforts blocked in a period of Cobblers pressure before half-time substitute Lewis Walker spurned a good chance for the home side.

Kieron Bowie headed wide from a Mitch Pinnock cross in a chance for the Cobblers and it wasn’t long after that the Fulham loanee did get himself on the scoresheet, making no mistake from close range after Pinnock combined with Hoskins.

The Gills tried in vain to pull a goal back to set up a tense finish but the Cobblers ensured they had a clean sheet to go with their three points as the game finished 2-0.

GILLINGHAM MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)     
SHOTS ON TARGET: (0) 3
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (1) 4
CORNERS: (1) 3       
FOULS: (6) 15       
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (2) 2

COBBLERS MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)      
SHOTS ON TARGET: (4)  7
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (1) 3
CORNERS: (1) 1
FOULS: (6) 13
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (1) 3