Holmes' Cobblers homecoming ends in stalemate against MK Dons

Ricky Holmes' homecoming ended in stalemate as the Cobblers and local rivals MK Dons played out a rather drab goalless draw at Sixfields on Tuesday night.

The visitors' stranglehold on possession throughout the contest didn't translate into a single clear-cut opportunity on the Northampton goal as Keith Curle's men kept their first league clean sheet of the season.

Chances hardly arrived by the bucketload at the other end but Town were so close to snatching it late on when Fraser Horsfall's header smacked the crossbar.

Holmes was named on the bench and came on with half-an-hour to go, almost setting up a goal with his first touch, but although it was by no means a classic, Curle will be satisfied with his side's defensive discipline and organisation in making it four points from the last two.

Holmes was joined on the bench by the fit-again Benny Ashley-Seal as Keith Curle made just one change from the weekend, replacing Nicky Adams with Mark Marshall at wing-back.

No team in League One has enjoyed as much possession as MK Dons this season and they had almost total domination of the ball in the early stages, although Town threatened a couple of times on the break.

There was a 10-minute spell when Cobblers barely even touched the ball and were essentially playing with a back five at times, however for all Dons' passing, their first shot didn't come until the half-hour mark when Carlton Morris fizzed an effort straight at Jonathan Mitchell.

Danny Rose forced ex-Town stopper Andrew Fisher into a decent low stop and that was about it in terms of goalmouth action for the opening 45 minutes.

It was more of the same in the second-half when, if anything, MK had even more of the ball and pushed Town further back, though again they were toothless in the final third.

Then came the introduction of Holmes and he almost made a spectacular impact. With his first touch, his cross found the head of Fraser Horsfall who nodded wide.

Holmes showed flashes of excitement during his half-hour on the pitch and he nearly teed up fellow substitute Benny Ashley-Seal but Fisher blocked bravely.

Town were agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock when Horsfall's header from an Alan Sheehan corner crashed against the crossbar

MK continued to boss possession but they were frustrated by the dogged hosts with Regan Poole's speculative long-range effort the closest they came to winning it.

Cobblers: Mitchell, Bolger (c), Horsfall, Sheehan, Harriman, Marshall (Holmes 58), Sowerby, Watson (Adams 57), Hoskins, Smith, Rose (Ashley-Seal 77)

Subs not used: Arnold, Racic, Missilou, Chukwuemeka

MK Dons: Fisher, Lewington (c), Keogh, Poole, Kasumu (Gladwin 70), Harvie, O'Hara, Houghton, Morris, Fraser (Thompson 36), Jerome (Walker 70)

Subs not used: Nicholls, Williams, Sorensen, Sorinola

Referee: Thomas Bramall