Northampton Town 1 Torquay United 0 - the match report
NPOWER LEAGUE 2
Friday March 29th
Sixfields
NORTHAMPTON TOWN 1
Roy O'Donovan 85
TORQUAY UNITED 0
Attendance: 5,166 (261 away fans)
Cobblers: Lee Nicholls, John Johnson, Clarke Carlisle, Lee Collins, Joe Widdowson, Chris Hackett (sub Nathan Cameron 86), Ben Tozer, Ben Harding, Ishmel Demontagnac (sub Jake Robinson 82), Roy O’Donovan, Clive Platt (sub Adebayo Akinfenwa 46)
Subs not used: Dean Snedker, Claudio Dias, Luke Guttridge, Lewis Hornby
Torquay: Michael Poke, Joe Oastler, Kevin Nicholson, Brian Saah, Lee Mansell, Ryan Jarvis, Rene Howe, Angus MacDonald, Joss Labadie, Jordan Chapell (sub Billy Bodin 69), Elliot Benyon
Subs not used: Aaron Downes, Daniel Leadbitter, Martin Rice, Lloyd Macklin, Nathan Craig, Ashley Yeoman
Referee: Mr D Sheldrake
Booked:
Cobblers: Roy O'Donovan (77, 2nd of the season), Ishmel Demontagnac (78, 8th)
Torquay: Rene Howe (28), Elliot Benyon (42), Joss Labadie (73), Billy Bodin (75)
10 cautions on or before 14 April; 2 match suspension
15 cautions at any time in season; 3 match suspension
Sent off:
Cobblers: none
Torquay: 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.
Roy O’Donovan and Lee Collins both came into the side for the Good Friday night clash against Torquay, replacing Adebayo Akinfenwa and knee injury victim Kelvin Langmead.
The Cobblers had the better of the opening ten minutes and were denied a penalty despite strong claims for a foul on Clive Platt. O’Donovan meanwhile tested Michael Poke with a volley from the edge of the area which the Torquay keeper gathered in at the second attempt.
Platt and O’Donovan linked up well on 16 minutes to find Ishmel Demontagnac who drove his shot over the crossbar. At the other end, Lee Nicholls comfortably saved a weak effort from Jordan Chapell.
Rene Howe was somewhat fortunate to escape with just a booking after appearing to catch Nicholls with an elbow. Lee Mansell lashed a shot wide for Torquay before Elliot Benyon joined Howe in the referee’s notebook for a late challenge on Collins.
Boss Aidy Boothroyd made a change at half-time with Akinfenwa coming on for Platt.
Ben Harding curled a shot against the post after a good nod down from Akinfenwa.
In a rare foray forward for the visitors on 59 minutes Elliot Benyon went down under a challenge from Clarke Carlisle but the referee said no penalty.
Ben Tozer had the ball in the back of the net on 63 minutes after heading in a superb cross from John Johnson but was denied his first goal of the season by an off-side flag.
Jake Robinson replaced Demontagnac in the Cobblers second change with the winger having just been booked.
The Cobblers pressure finally told on 85 minutes, Roy O’Donovan with a terrific glancing header following a Chris Hackett cross.
New loan signing Coventry City defender Nathan Cameron then replaced Hackett. Nicholls ten made a superb save to deny Benyon as the Gulls pushed forward in search of an equaliser.
The Gulls thought they had that equaliser in stoppage time but Lee Mansell’s effort was rightly ruled off-side and the Cobblers saw the game out to make it ten wins on the bounce at Sixfields.
COBBLERS MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (3) 6
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (4) 9
CORNERS: (3) 4
FOULS: (7) 15
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (1) 7
TORQUAY MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (3) 5
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (1) 3
CORNERS: (1) 4
FOULS: (10) 16
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (1) 4
The above stats are recorded by club staff. The stats shown elsewhere on this page are recorded by the Press Association.