SKY BET LEAGUE 2
Saturday September 15th, 3.00pm
Vale Park
PORT VALE 2
Ben Whitfield 24
Manny Oyeleke 69
NORTHAMPTON TOWN 0
Attendance: 4,474 (429 Cobblers fans)
Port Vale: Scott Brown, Leon Legge, Manny Oyeleke, Tom Pope, Ricky Miller, Luke Hannant, Connell Rawlinson, Nathan Smith, Tom Conlon (sub Luke Joyce 68), Mitchell Clark, Ben Whitfield (sub David Worrall 82)
Subs not used: Sam Hornby, Scott Quigley, Idris Kanu, Theo Vassell, Lewis Hardcastle
Cobblers: David Cornell, Shay Facey, David Buchanan, Ash Taylor, Aaron Pierre, Matt Crooks, Sam Foley (sub John-Joe O'Toole 82), Jack Bridge (sub Jordan Turnbull 61), Sam Hoskins, Andy Williams (sub Billy Waters 57), Kevin van Veen
Subs not used: Lewis Ward, Hakeem Odoffin, Dean Bowditch
Referee: Thomas Bramall
Booked:
Port Vale: Ricky Miller (49), Tom Pope (56)
Cobblers: Aaron Pierre (55, 2nd of the season), Matt Crooks (81, 2nd)
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:
Port Vale: none
Cobblers: Aaron Pierre (59)
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.
Northampton Town travelled to Vale Park with manager Dean Austin making one change to his starting line up, Andy Williams coming in to replace John-Joe O’Toole. Sam Foley was included in the side against his former club.
Shaun McWilliams missed out after picking up a kick on the foot against Cheltenham, while Leon Barnett was unavailable after undergoing a medical procedure during the build up to the game.
The Cobblers won two early corners, and from the second of them, Sam Hoskins fired over from the edge of the area after Vale keeper Scott Brown had punched half clear.
Former Northampton Town loanee Manny Oyeleke tested David Cornell with a curling effort on 11 minutes, but the Cobblers keeper went down low to his left to make the save. Home defender Connell Rawlinson, forward for a set play, went close a few minutes later, but he headed just wide under pressure from the Cobblers defence.
The Cobblers were close to opening the scoring on 21 minutes. Sam Hoskins broke away from the home defence and played the ball across the area to Andy Williams. Williams sent in a low drive at goal but, on the angle, the ball was a fraction wide of the near post with keeper Brown beaten.
Ben Whitfield opened the scoring for the home side three minutes later, cutting in from the right and sending a low finish beyond David Cornell.
Tom Pope headed a deep cross wide for the home side on 26 minutes, before the Cobblers came very close to a leveller, Kevin van Veen heading a Sam Hoskins cross into the side netting.
The Cobblers had penalty appeals turned down on 41 minutes after Leon Legge’s hand made contact with the ball inside the area. The home side then wanted a penalty of their own as Tom Pope headed wide from a corner.
The second half began with a rash of yellow cards, culminating in the harsh dismissal of Aaron Pierre for a second booking. Pierre claimed to have won the ball on the edge of the Cobblers area when the referee ruled a foul against him and brandished a second yellow card.
A 65th minute shot from Ricky Miller took a deflection to leave David Cornell stranded but bounced off the top of the cross bar, but Vale did make their man advantage count four minutes later when Manny Oyeleke curled a finish home having been set up by Tom Pope.
The Cobblers looked to respond, and Ash Taylor had a header cleared off the line from a Sam Hoskins corner, while from a set play at the other end Tom Pope crashed a 75th minute header against the cross bar.
Billy Waters saw a shot tipped wide of the near post as the game moved into the final quarter of an hour, while shortly afterwards the Cobblers substitute shot over the target.
That was the final chance of the afternoon as Port Vale ran out 2-0 winners.
PORT VALE MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (4) 10
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (4) 8
CORNERS: (2) 2
FOULS: (5) 11
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (2) 2
COBBLERS MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (0) 4
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (4) 5
CORNERS: (2) 4
FOULS: (7) 19
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (1) 3