Bury 2 Northampton Town 1 - the match report
SKY BET LEAGUE 2
Saturday March 21st, 3.00pm
JD Stadium
BURY 2
Kelvin Etuhu 66
Adam El-Abd 90
NORTHAMPTON TOWN 1
Ricky Holmes 10
Attendance: 3,969 (390 Cobblers fans)
Bury: Nick Pope, Andrew Tutte (sub Ryan Lowe 46), Adam El-Abd, Kelvin Etuhu, Nicky Adams (sub Craig Jones 46), Danny Mayor, Chris Hussey, Tom Eaves (sub Hallam Hope 59), Tom Soares, Joe Riley, Nathan Cameron.
Subs not used: Chris Sedgwick, Kiel O’Brien, Danny Nardiello, Rob Lainton
Cobblers: Matt Duke, Brendon Moloney, Ryan Cresswell, Lee Collins, Tom Newey, Jason Taylor, Joel Byrom, Lawson D’Ath, Ivan Toney (sub James Gray 61), Ricky Holmes (sub Chris Hackett 68), Diego De Girolamo (sub John-Joe O'Toole 80)
Subs not used: Shwan Jalal, Billy Bodin, Zander Diamond, Darren Carter
Referee: Mr D Coote
Booked:
Bury: Nicky Adams (9), Ryan Lowe (75)
Cobblers: Ryan Cresswell (29, 8th of the season), Ivan Toney (52, 7th), Lawson D'Ath (57, 3rd), Brendon Moloney (90, 4th)
10 cautions on or before 11 April; 2 match suspension
15 cautions at any time in season; 3 match suspension
Sent off:
Bury: Joe Riley (48)
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.
Diego De Girolamo, signed on loan from Sheffield United, came straight into the Northampton Town team for the trip to Bury. Ricky Holmes, having missed the previous game with a knee injury, also returned to the side while Ivan Toney and Joel Byrom came in for James Gray and Darren Carter.
After a quiet opening ten minutes with both sides feeling their way into the game it was the Cobblers who took the lead, Diego De Girolamo playing in Ricky Holmes with a lovely reverse pass and a right-foot finish from Holmes found the bottom corner.
Bury’s first opportunity of the afternoon came on 18 minutes when the lively Danny Mayor had a shot deflected behind by Brendon Moloney following a quick counter-attack from the home side. Tom Soares then should have done better with a shot on the half hour after a good initial block from Moloney.
Ryan Lowe and Craig Jones replaced Andrew Tutte and Nicky Adams in a double Shakers change at the break.
Bury were reduced to ten men early in the second half, Joe Riley shown a straight red card for a high, reckless challenge on Tom Newey.
Ivan Toney headed wide from a Lawson D’Ath cross and Holmes went close with a deflected shot as the Cobblers looked to extend their lead.
Former Cobblers loanee Hallam Hope came on for Tom Eaves in the final change for Bury before James Gray replaced Toney for Town.
Kelvin Etuhu equalised for the home side on 66 minutes, the midfielder scoring from 25-yards after the Cobblers had initially cleared the ball from a corner.
Nick Pope made a good save to keep out a long range shot from Cobblers debutant Diego De Girolamo with the game now very much in the balance.
Hope headed wide when well-placed while in a half chance for the Cobblers D'Ath just snatched at a shot having been played in by John-Joe O'Toole.
Bury took the lead in the 90th minute, Adam El-Abd scoring from close range after Chris Hussey's corner was flicked on at the near post. Despite pressing hard in stoppage time there was to be no way back for Town as the Shakers claimed the three points.
BURY MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (2) 5
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (1) 5
CORNERS: (5) 8
FOULS: (7) 11
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (1) 4
COBBLERS MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (2) 6
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (1) 6
CORNERS: (1) 3
FOULS: (6) 15
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (1) 1
The above stats are recorded by club staff. The stats shown elsewhere on this page are recorded by Opta