First Cobblers goal was extra sweet for winger Pinnock

Not only had he bagged his first Cobblers goal to restore the lead 14 minutes from time, he scored it against one of his closest friends.

Tom King, the Salford goalkeeper, could do nothing to keep out Pinnock’s close-range header as Town moved to within touching distance of an excellent away victory and second place in Sky Bet League Two.

“It was a great moment, especially as one of my best mates was in goal for them,” said Pinnock.

“I spoke to Tom before the game and he warned me that I better not score against him but I think that gave me the extra little boost to head it into the net!

“We always seemed to have played against each other and we became good mates over time so I was gutted not to start the game – I think he was quite happy about that.

“But unfortunately for him I got on the pitch and that was the first goal I’ve ever scored against him.”

Pinnock’s goal was an illustration of the more attack-minded approach Cobblers have taken in recent matches.

Aaron McGowan sprung forward from full-back to supply the cross and with two team-mates already waiting in the penalty box, Pinnock saw an opportunity to ghost in and nod past King.

”I think it’s actually the first header I’ve ever scored to be honest,” he added.

“I’ve been told to get in at the back post more and we had been working on that ball which gets set back for the cross so I just gambled on it and fortunately I kept my eyes open long enough to head it in!”

But, frustratingly, Pinnock's goal was not enough to clinch all three points.

“Once we got that second goal, I think we needed to be a bit more clever towards the end,” admitted the winger.

“We were leading in the game so we didn’t need to be getting forward or even playing any good football.

“We had to just keep getting rid of it but we switched off in the last minute and that cost us two points at the end and we were all gutted.

“I thought we started the game really well to be fair, we were all over them and they didn’t look like doing anything, but they got a goal against the run of play and that gave them confidence.

“They improved after that but when we went 2-1 up, we’ve got to manage the situation better.”

On the plus side though, Town again showed their attacking capabilities, particularly during a dominant opening 20 minutes when they pinned the hosts back.

“We’re getting better at creating chances,” Pinnock continued. “We were working mainly on making sure we have a solid base and I think we showed we had that.

“Now we know we have that, we can work on the attacking stuff. We have the players in the team to score a lot of goals and create chances so hopefully we can continue doing that.

“We’re making progress. We’re a new team and sometimes it doesn’t gel straightaway, but I feel we have started the season brilliantly and we will only get better.”

Pinnock had started seven of eight league games prior to Saturday but he was dropped to the bench at Moor Lane, only to then score within 17 minutes of his introduction.

Is that super sub role something he’s happy to do? “No, I want to be starting games.

“But the gaffer spoke to me before and he explained that he wanted to switch things up and freshen it up.

“We were on top for the first 20 minutes so you can’t say it didn’t work, but when I came on, I knew I needed to make an impact and do my job so hopefully I can start the next game.

“I feel like I helped the team with that so we’ll see what happens this weekend.”

And there was another word for Cobblers’ tremendous supporters after nearly 700 made the long trip north, the third highest away attendance across League Two on Saturday.

“The fans are brilliant,” said Pinnock. “They have been the highlight at every away game.

“They were twice as loud as the home fans (Salford) so hopefully they keep that up and we will keep getting results for them.”