Cobblers wrap up pre-season with defeat against Cheltenham
Cobblers were beaten 2-0 by Cheltenham in their final pre-season friendly on Saturday.
Town were loose and error-ridden in the first half and they deserved to be two goals behind at the break, both scored by Ryan Bowman, before a disjointed second period passed without much incident.
Jon Brady picked a team that could well be close to the XI that starts next week’s League One opener against Bristol Rovers. Playing a back five, two of Brady’s eight summer signings started at Whaddon Road in Cameron McGeehan and Tom Eaves, with the remaining six all on the bench.
Eaves was into the action early and he could have given Cobblers a third-minute lead when brilliantly found by Ben Fox but his shot was too close to home goalkeeper Owen Evans before Lee Burge had work to do at the other end, beating away Joel Colwill’s effort from the edge of the box.
Burge denied the same man a few moments later but his decision to come wandering out of his goal when Cheltenham broke down the right on 20 minutes proved a mistake as it left Bowman with an empty net from Liam Dulson’s low cross.
Cheltenham added a quick second after more sloppiness by Town allowed Colwill to take aim from the edge of the box and with Burge unable to hold on, Bowman was on hand to double his tally.
Burge did well to deny Bowman a hat-trick after yet another Cobblers mistake and there were further chances for the hosts to extend their lead before half-time, with ex-Town full-back Ryan Haynes among those going close.
Jack Baldwin and Will Hondermarck were introduced either side of half-time and Cobblers did have more of the game in the second period with McGeehan’s low shot forcing Evans into action.
But the second half was dominated by a steady stream of substitutions and that prevented either side from finding any flow. The hosts were given the opportunity to score a late third after Baldwin was harshly adjudged to have fouled Liam Kinsella in the box, but Matty Taylor’s spot-kick was excellently saved by Burge.
Cheltenham: Evans, Jude-Boyd (Payne 25), Laing (Bradbury 45), Bennett © (Trialist 65), Trialist (Wilcox 77), Haynes (Thomas 65), Colwill (Archer 65), Sohna (Kinsella 65), Pell (Pett 65), Dulson (Trialist 77), Bowman (Taylor 45)
Subs not used: Day, Liggett
Cobblers: Burge, Magloire (Hondermarck 42), Guthrie ©, Willis (Baldwin 56), McGowan (Tomlinson 73), Koiki (McCarron 80), Fox (Dibley-Dias 68), McGeehan, Hoskins, Pinnock (Wilson 68), Eaves (Morton 68)
Subs not used: Tzanev, Dobson
Referee: Scott Tallis