Dismal Cobblers well beaten by relegation strugglers

Cobblers delivered arguably their worst performance of the season when they were easily beaten 2-0 by relegation-threatened Fleetwood Town at Highbury Stadium on Saturday.

Town have undoubtedly enjoyed an excellent first campaign back in League One but they’ve also thrown in some shockers and this was about as bad as anything, so much so that the 2-0 scoreline flattered them.

Jon Brady’s side were miles off the pace from the word go and could have been down and out with only 10 minutes on the clock but Promise Omochere’s goal was Fleetwood’s only reward for their fast start.

The home side continued to run the show, however, and Bosun Lawal’s second gave them a thoroughly deserved 2-0 lead at the break. At no point did Town threaten a comeback as they slumped to a tame away defeat.

Brady named an unchanged team but his players were incredibly slow to get going on a wet and windy afternoon in the north west, falling 1-0 behind inside five minutes, and they were lucky it was not more.

Omochere scored Fleetwood’s goal, turning in Lawal’s low cross after some sloppy defending, and he also had a close-range header saved by Lee Burge while Gavin Kilkenny crashed an effort against the underside of the crossbar and Danny Mayor saw a penalty appeal waved away, all in the opening eight minutes.

Town were sluggish and sloppy and just could not establish any sort of foothold as Fleetwood continue to make all of the running and create all of the chances.

A second goal duly arrived on the half-hour mark and it was all too easy. Brendan Wiredu’s forward pass spliced apart Town’s slack defence and found Lawal, who finished between Burge’s legs for his second of the afternoon.

And the home forward really should have had another just two minutes later when again he got in behind the away side’s defence but this time Burge guessed right and made a good save.

A two-goal deficit flattered Cobblers and they remained completely out-of-sorts right up until half-time with Shaun Rooney’s long-range thunderbolt whistling just wide late in the first half.

The interval allowed Jon Brady change things and he did not waste the opportunity, making a triple alteration with Ali Koiki, Jordan Willis and Shaun McWilliams replacing Akin Odimayo, Sam Hoskins and Mitch Pinnock.

But little changed on the pitch and yet more terrible defending really should have been punished with a third home goal within 90 seconds of the restart, however Ochomere blazed over with only Burge to beat.

Kieron Bowie failed to trouble the target with a couple of half chances but signs of a Cobblers comeback remained few and far between and Fleetwood coasted towards victory.

Marc Leonard did send a late free-kick onto the roof of the net and Bowie's stoppage-time strike was ruled out for a tight offside call but ultimately Cobblers did not do anywhere near enough to get something from the game.

Fleetwood: Lynch, Johnston, Wiredu ©, Rooney, Lawal, Heneghan, Kilkenny (Simons 78), Lonergan (Graydon 64), Mayor (Stockley 69), Broom, Omochere

Subs not used: McMullan, Campbell, Dolan, Patterson

Cobblers: Burge, McGowan, Sherring, Guthrie ©, Odimayo (Koiki 45) Fox (Springett 78), Leonard, Pinnock (Willis 45), Hoskins (McWilliams 45), Bowie, Appéré (Simpson 68)

Subs not used: Moulden, Hondermarck

Referee: Thomas Kirk

Attendance:

Cobblers fans: