Brady blames inability to keep the ball for key passage that cost Cobblers against Forest Green

Rovers pinned Town back and eventually broke through
Jon Brady.Jon Brady.
Jon Brady.

Jon Brady blamed his side's inability to keep possession well enough for the 10-minute passage of play which ultimately cost them at least a point against Forest Green Rovers.

For about an hour of Saturday's League Two clash, there was nothing between the two sides in terms of possession (51-49) and attempts on goal (six to four in Rovers' favour).

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However, the home side suddenly spluttered into life as Aaron McGowan brilliantly cleared off the line from Jamille Matt while goalkeeper Liam Roberts expertly denied both Matty Stevens and Kane Wilson.

Rovers kept the pressure on and eventually got the goal which sent them back to the League Two summit when Matt headed Nicky Cadden's cross into the bottom corner.

Northampton responded well and dominated thereafter, but Nicke Kabamba's late effort, saved by Luke McGee, would be their only shot on target in the match.

"We haven't given many chances away against the team top of the league but for that 10-minute period we dropped a bit and we sunk and we allowed them to gain possession," said Brady afterwards.

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"We didn't utilise the ball as well as we should and we gave away cheap possession at times and that's why it kept turning over and coming back, coming back and coming back.

"We need to be better in those moments but you've also got to pick out the positives because we were strong and we were solid."

Cobblers initially set up aggressively against Forest Green by pushing both wide men high up the pitch, and it worked in the first-half when they enjoyed more possession and limited the hosts to very little.

The tide slowly turned though and Rovers' spell of pressure culminated in Matt scoring the decisive goal.

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Explaining why that happened, Brady added: "The midfield and our back-line dropped a little bit too deep in those moments. In the first-half we pressed right on and we stepped onto them and took the game to them, like we said we would.

"But it happens sometimes when you lose possession and you don't look after the ball well enough because you can't seem to then get out and we just didn't utilise it as well as we should have.

"We will have to show the guys on a few technical points where we need to be better with the ball because if you keep giving it away, it'll keep coming back to you and you sink deeper and deeper and we did in those moments. That 10-minute spell cost us today.

"We wanted to be the team pushing on so there are things for all of us to look at and learn from."