Cobblers wrap up pre-season with entertaining win on the road

Town found it tough going in the opening half-hour at Damson Park, falling behind inside just five minutes, but they stepped it up in the final 15 minutes of the first half and turned things around through goals from Matty Warhurst and Connor Evans, both assisted by Kamarai Swyer.

Elliott List and Sam Hoskins added to the lead after half-time to complete a winning end to pre-season, though Solihull did have the final say through Jacob Wakeling’s close-range finish.

Now it is the turn of the serious stuff, starting at Leicester in a week’s time, and Chris Hogg will feel encouraged by what he saw against Solihull, particularly the way his side attacked and created chances, even if it was not all positive.

Hogg named an XI that could closely resemble the team that takes to the pitch for next weekend’s Carabao Cup opener at Leicester City as Evans made his first start in an attacking midfield role, while Jack Perkins got the nod over Dean Campbell further back.

Logan Briggs saw a shot saved inside 14 seconds but Cobblers trailed with five minutes on the clock when they failed to deal with a free-kick and Cam Green’s low shot whizzed into the bottom corner.

The visitors dominated possession but struggled to really cut through their hosts, and they would have fallen two behind had Alex Whitmore guided his header the right side of the post.

Town finally produced a bit of quality on 31 minutes and it yielded the equaliser as Swyer drove powerfully beyond his defender before teeing up Warhurst for the simplest of tap-ins.

And five minutes later Cobblers completed the turnaround thanks to another well-worked goal, this time Warhurst and Briggs combining to pick out Swyer, who claimed his second assist by setting up Evans for a similarly easy finish.

Town picked up from where the left off at the start of the second half and within six minutes they increased their lead when List, who only came on at half-time, both won and then converted a penalty.

Swyer hit the post and was then denied by goalkeeper Nat Ford before Evans fired narrowly wide as the chances began to flow for the away side.

Hoskins came off the bench to make it 4-1 with 25 minutes, bundling the ball over the line after Swyer had again hit the post, before Wakeling took advantage of some slack defending to immediately hit back and keep things interesting.

But Cobblers looked the most likely team to score another in the closing stages as Harvey Saunders rustled the side-netting and Janoi Donacien nodded narrowly wide.

Cobblers: Jeacock, Donacien, Moore, Guthrie, Maxwell, Perkins (Campbell 74), Fornah, Swyer (Saunders 74), Briggs (List 45), Evans (Hoskins 62), Warhurst

Subs not used: Fitzsimons, Dyche, Wormleighon, Ward

Solihull: Ford, Warren, Green, Whitmore (Carson 72), French (Hancock 82), High, Shipston (Worman 25), Tiensia (Footes 72), McFarlane (Wodskou 45), Sbarra, Wakeling (Wilkinson 74)

Referee: Robert Massey-Ellis

Attendance: