Baggies show class as Cobblers beaten
Northampton Town 0, West Brom 1
A moment of genuine Premier League class ensured Northampton Town completed their pre-season campaign with defeat to West Brom.
Do-heon Kim, who the Baggies made a permanent signing earlier in the summer at a cost of 500,000, curled in an absolute gem of an free-kick in the 36th minute to put the top-flight side ahead.
Town held their own through the first 45 minutes and created a couple of chances, but again paid the price for a lack of cutting edge up front.
Gabor Gyepes glanced a header wide from a corner in the opening exchanges, and Ryan Gilligan drilled a shot over the bar from 25 yards after a good first touch.
Leon Constantine had a chance similar to Gyepes' shortly before the goal, but he could not get enough purchase on the header, and after Kim's intervention, Town went in 1-0 down.
Town's best chance after the interval was a back-post effort by Colin Larkin from Andy Holt's stand-up cross. Sub keeper Dean Kiely, though, was equal to the effort.
A number of substitutions followed from the visitors, with left-winger Sherjil MacDonald leaving an impression with a couple of gliding runs.
But there were to be no further goals as the home side made it four games in this country this summer with no goals scored, and plenty of food for thought for manager Stuart Gray.
COBBLERS: Bunn; Gyepes, Hughes, Doig; Crowe (Holt 51), Guttridge (Henderson 76), Osman, Gilligan, Davis; Constantine, Larkin. Subs not used: Dunn, Dyer, Taylor, Coke, Jones, Dolman
WEST BROM: Carson (Kiely 46), Hodgkiss (Barnett 46), Cech, Kim (MacDonald 61), Pele, Hoefkens, Worrall, Dorrans (Elford-Alliyu 76), Bednar (Beattie 61), Moore (Slusarski 61), Brunt (Tininho 46). Sub not used: Daniels
Attendance: 2,117
Away fans: 627
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Friday 10 February 2012
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