The Northampton Town Football and Education Programme South Central Championship squad lost 5-1 at home to Chesterfield in the NFYL League Cup on Wednesday.
Jonny Harris scored the Cobblers’ goal.
Chesterfield controlled the first half and were denied early on, Harry Francis-Jones making a good one-on-one save.
Northampton had the opportunity to open the scoring after 10 minutes when Callum Law’s shot was saved and a defender handled the ball in the aftermath, but Law’s resulting penalty was saved.
Chesterfield made the Cobblers pay for the missed spot kick when they took the lead after a quarter-of-an-hour.
Francis-Jones kept his side in the game with two good saves midway through the half, punching clear a header from a corner and diving low to push an effort from the edge of the area wide.
However, the Cobblers goalkeeper was beaten moments later as the resulting corner was headed home.
Brad Cheshire, who scored a double hat-trick for the CEFAL Central 4 squad last week, had the first chance of the second half, but he dragged his effort wide from a tight angle.
Francis-Jones made two more saves before the hour, denying a low drive with his outstretched arm and diverting a shot onto the front post, but Chesterfield won the ball high up the pitch and added a third a few minutes later.
Harris pulled a goal back for Northampton with a quarter-of-an-hour remaining, but Chesterfield netted twice late on as the Cobblers were knocked out of the League Cup.
Tom Ash’s side return to league action when they travel to local rivals Peterborough United in a fortnight.
Cobblers: Harry Francis-Jones, Zack Douglas, Archie O’Donnell, Johnny Carey, Brandon Ferris, Nico Mountford-Hill, Piero Diprima, Callum Law, Jonny Harris, Brad Cheshire, Elliot Balchin-Love
Substitutes: Liam Wood, James Lewis, Bailey Giles, Jahdai Smith