Hondermarck nets stunning late winner as Cobblers beat Gillingham to stay second in League Two

Will Hondermarck scored a stunning late winner as Cobblers put their injury woes to one side with a terrific, gutsy 2-1 victory over Gillingham at Sixfields on Easter Monday.

Town were missing 11 players for the visit of in-form Gills but they dominated the first-half, leading at the break courtesy of Louis Appéré’s eighth of the season, before Hondermarck popped up at the perfect moment – just eight minutes from full-time – with his first goal for the club.

Gills had pegged the home side back through Aiden O’Brien’s second-half leveller but Hondermarck picked out the top corner with a magnificent 25-yard hit as Cobblers snatched a vital win to open up a three-point gap over a trio of teams – Stockport, Stevenage and Carlisle.

They now make the long trip to Carlisle this weekend in a huge game that could have potentially decisive ramifications for the League Two promotion race.

There was predictably bad news on the injury front before kick-off with Akin Odimayo and Aaron McGowan joining nine others in the treatment room, although Jack Sowerby was at least fit enough for the bench after being forced off against Newport.

Canadian David Norman came in for his first Northampton start against Gillingham and Will Hondermarck replaced Sowerby in midfield as manager Jon Brady went back to a three-man defence.

Harvey Lintott slotted in alongside Norman and Jon Guthrie at the back and Sam Hoskins started at wing-back, and Cobblers made a steady start at a wind-swept Sixfields with Mitch Pinnock firing an early 25-yard shot off target.

Pinnock also crossed for Appéré to head wide but the first half-an-hour was hardly a riveting watch. Town enjoyed an element of control but the majority of their possession was a long way from the Gillingham goal.

The home side did step it up though and good play down the left led to Hoskins seeing a shot blocked before they struck on 33 minutes. Patient football on the right ended with Pinnock’s cross being only half cleared and the ball dropped for Appéré to drill a low shot into the bottom corner.

Cobblers almost struck again moments later but visiting goalkeeper Glenn Morris kept the lead at one going into half-time thanks to a smart stop from Guthrie’s downward header after a well-worked short corner routine.

Brady made a change at half-time and once again it appeared to be injury related with Sowerby coming on and having to slot in at centre-back of all places after replacing Harvey Lintott.

The second-half was going to be tough work against the wind for Cobblers, although Gillingham’s equaliser came somewhat out of the blue and it was a poor goal for Town to give away. Lee Burge hesitated when coming out to collect a long ball and that allowed Oliver Hawkins to nip in and fizz the ball across goal for O’Brien to tap in at the back post.

The game was now anyones for the winning and Gills nearly turned it around with Ethan Coleman firing wide from the edge of the box while Kieron Bowie’s flashed cross missed everyone and dropped beyond the far post.

It was Northampton who went back in front with eight minutes to play and they did so in spectacular fashion as Hondermarck chose a good moment to score his first senior goal, picking out the top corner with a superb strike after the ball fell to him outside the penalty box.

There was still enough time for a few nervy moments and Gills really should have snatched a stoppage-time leveller but Tom Nichols’ header went wide and Sixfields breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Cobblers: Burge, Lintott (Sowerby 45), Norman, Guthrie ©, Haynes, Leonard, Hondermarck, Pinnock, Hoskins, Bowie (Yengi 87), Appéré (Hylton 77)

Subs not used: King, Tomlinson, Osew, Wright-Phillips, Hylton

Gillingham: Morris, Alexander (MacDonald 62), Wright (Abrahams 88), Ehmer, Williams ©, McKenzie, Jeffries (Page 45), Nichols, Dieng (Coleman 62), Lapslie (O’Brien 62), Hawkins

Subs not used: Tutonda, Holtam

Referee: Darren Drysdale

Attendance: 6,904

Gillingham fans: 847