Cobblers officially safe after goals from Bowie and Koiki relegate Carlisle United

Cobblers have officially secured their League One status for another season after they beat Carlisle United 2-0 at a wind-swept Sixfields on Saturday.

Town were pinned back by a strong gust for much of the first half but they still took a lead into half-time through Kieron Bowie’s close-range finish, his ninth of the season.

The second half was almost a non-event as United tried and failed to create anything in their pursuit of a leveller before a spectacular individual goal from Ali Koiki, which saw him run almost the entire length of the pitch, sealed Northampton’s victory and officially relegated Carlisle back to League Two.

Cobblers have looked safe for some time but this win rubber-stamps it with three games still to go, and it also takes them up to an impressive tally of 59 points, giving them a good chance of recording a rare top half finish in League One.

Akin Odimayo’s first start in more than three months came on the left side of a back three after he replaced the injured Liam Moore as Jon Brady made one change from the team that defeated Port Vale on Easter Monday. Ali Koiki and Jordan Willis returned to the squad and were on the bench.

Carlisle had a strong wind behind their backs in the first half and they used that to dominate territorially in the opening stages as Cobblers struggled to get up the pitch.

The conditions at Sixfields were not conducive to a free-flowing, high-quality game of football and there was hardly anything in the way of shots or goalmouth action until the 21st minute when Lee Burge tipped over Georgie Kelly’s header.

Town did improve, albeit very gradually, and they increasingly saw more of the play, although their opener on 33 minutes still came as a surprise. Sam Sherring’s header from Mitch Pinnock’s excellent corner was blocked but the ball dropped kindly to Bowie a few yards out and he stabbed into the net.

Cobblers led at the break despite further United pressure and a change by Brady almost paid immediate dividends early in the second half when half-time substitute Ali Koiki burst down the left and found Pinnock, whose cross caused problems for goalkeeper Harry Lewis and had to be scrambled away on the goal-line.

The onus was on Carlisle to force the issue and make something happen in the second half but they were facing the same problems that Cobblers encountered in the first with the wind making it difficult for them to get up the pitch.

The visitors created next to nothing throughout the entirety of the second period and whilst Northampton hardly peppered , they were the more dangerous side.

Tony Springett’s shot was straight at Lewis before Koiki wrapped things up with a brilliant solo goal in stoppage-time. Picking the ball up on the edge of his own box from a Carlisle corner, Koiki surged forward, breezed past one defender, rounded Lewis and tapped home with the final kick of the game.

Cobblers: Burge, McGowan (Willis 79), Sherring, Guthrie ©, Odimayo (Koiki 45), Fox (McWilliams 72), Leonard, Pinnock, Hoskins (Sowerby 72), Bowie, Appéré (Springett 79)

Subs not used: Moulden, Simpson

Carlisle: Lewis, Armer, Lavelle ©, Barclay, Robinson (Harris 83), Mellish, Neal, Butterworth (Maguire 32), Ellis (Emmanuel 83), Kelly (Diamond 57), Armstrong

Subs not used: Back, Huntington, Breeze

Referee: Ross Joyce

Attendance: 6,328

Carlisle fans: 335