Cobblers frustrated as they draw blank in Sixfields draw with Walsall

Town edged what little play there was in a fragmented first-half but it was tough on the eyes, and that continued into the second period, although Walsall did improve as they created the better chances without ever carving open the hosts.

Carlisle were beaten at home by Harrogate elsewhere so the point keeps fourth-placed Cobblers in a good position ahead of a more favourable run of fixtures.

They will be without Ali Koiki at Rochdale next weekend though after he was sent off in stoppage-time.

Jon Brady opted for height and physicality against an imposing Walsall team as Tyler Magloire and Shaun McWilliams replaced Ben Fox and Marc Leonard.

Cobblers also moved to three at the back, with new signings D’Margio Wright-Phillips and Tete Yengi on the bench.

Walsall had come to make this a niggly, bitty affair and they succeeded in doing so for much of the first-half as neither side found any flow or rhythm and most of the contest was played in the middle third.

A nice move on the left led to Mitch Pinnock’s shot being parried by goalkeeper Owen Evans before Shaun McWilliams failed to make clean contact when arriving late at the back post from Ali Koiki’s cross.

Sam Hoskins was a little greedy when shooting instead of passing to one of several unmarked team-mates on the counter-attack, while Walsall’s only glimpse of goal in the first-half came a few minutes before the break as Liam Gordon fired wide.

The visitors followed that up with Isaac Hutchinson pulling an effort wide of the near post early in the second-half, and Walsall were the brighter team after the restart as Tom Knowles poked wide after a mix-up between Tom King and Koiki before Matty Stevens’ low shot was saved.

Yengi was sent on for his debut around the hour-mark and Wright-Phillips followed a few minutes later but Cobblers continued to lack fluidity and penetration in attack with goalscoring opportunities at a premium.

Town had to wait until the 89th minute for their first clear-chance chance of the game but Josh Eppiah so nearly snatched victory when Evans raced off his line to smother at his feet after the ball broke to him in the box.

Koiki then picked up a second yellow card and subsequent red after for a needless late challenge in stoppage-time, completing a disappointing afternoon for the Cobblers.

Match facts

Cobblers: King, Odimayo (Fox 70), Magloire, Sherring, Guthrie ©, Koiki, Sowerby, McWilliams (Wright-Phillips 71), Pinnock (Eppiah 65), Hoskins, Appéré (Yengi 62)

Subs not used: Maxted, Dyche, Leonard

Walsall: Evans, White, Gordon, Daniels ©, Monthe, Hutchinson (Willmott 76), Knowles, Maddox, Cowley, Matt (Wilkinson 59), Stevens (Wiliams 76)

Subs not used: Smith, Low, Allen, Songo’o

Referee: Bobby Madden

Attendance: 6,500

Walsall fans: 1,039