Cobblers finish pre-season schedule with defeat to Cheltenham in final friendly

Cobblers signed off their pre-season campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Cheltenham Town at Whaddon Road on Saturday.

Town started well but missed an early penalty and Alfie May’s fine finish was followed by an excellent solo goal from Dan Nlundulu to put the Robins on course for a relatively comfortable victory as both teams played their final friendly before the real stuff begins next weekend.

The starting XI picked by Jon Brady at Cheltenham could be close to the team that plays against Colchester United in next weekend’s League Two opener. Ryan Haynes slotted in on the left side of a back three with Akin Odimayo at right wing-back and Danny Hylton partnering Louis Appéré in attack. There were also two unnamed trialists on the bench.

Cobblers imposed themselves on the contest from kick-off and they should have taken a deserved lead on 10 minutes when Hylton was adjudged to have been fouled in the penalty box, but his spot-kick struck the base of the post.

The visitors, who continued to enjoy the better of things, hit the woodwork for a second time a few moments later through Appéré’s deflected from the edge of the box which cannoned off the other post.

But the tide turned midway through the first-half as Cheltenham got to grips with Northampton’s shape and started to cause their own problems, although their 34th-minute opener came somewhat out of the blue. May latched onto a ball in the channel, cut inside Sam Sherring and fired clinically into the bottom corner.

And the home side doubled their lead shortly before the break through another well-taken goal, this time Nlundulu turning Jon Guthrie in the box and shooting through the body of Lee Burge.

Cheltenham remained on top after half-time and May and Nlundulu both had chances to add to their tallies before substitute Charlie Brown also spurned an excellent opportunity to make it 3-0.

Cobblers made little headway in the second-half and only had a smattering of dangerous attacks, the best of which saw Mitch Pinnock fire wide. There was a late run-out for one of the trialists but he was given little opportunity to impress.

Cheltenham: Southwood, Long ©, Williams (J Taylor 83), Raglan (C Taylor 62), Freestone, Sercombe, Nlundulu, Lloyd (Jackson 62), Bonds, Perry, May (Brown 62)

Subs not used: MacDonald, Bradbury, Chapman, Adshead, Hutchinson, Horton, Barkers

Cobblers: Burge, Sherring, Guthrie ©, Haynes (Hoskins 61), Odimayo, Koiki, McWilliams, Sowerby (Abimbola 84), Pinnock, Appéré (Trialist A 74), Hylton (Cross 83)

Subs not used: Maxted, Lintott, Dyche, Trialist B

Referee: Andy Woolmer

Attendance: 781

Cobblers fans: 105