Hoskins hits 20 goals as Cobblers overcome more injury problems to beat Doncaster and go second

Sam Hoskins hit 20 league goals for the season as the injury-riddled Cobblers moved up to second place in Sky Bet League Two with a 2-0 victory over Doncaster Rovers on Saturday, their third win on the spin.

It was more professional than especially outstanding by Northampton in South Yorkshire but two goalkeeping errors were punished by Mitch Pinnock and then Hoskins as they took full advantage of defeats for Carlisle and Stevenage to go second.

Cobblers didn’t play that well in the first-half but led at half-time thanks to an early error from former goalkeeper Jonathan Mitchell, who let Pinnock’s second-minute shot straight through him.

Hoskins then became the first Northampton player since 1987 to score 20 league goals in a season when he pounced on a loose pass and fired home, and from then on a makeshift back-line kept Doncaster at bay with relative ease.

Somehow, someway, despite missing so many players, Cobblers are finding a way to not only keep pace with their rivals but overtake them, and it all sets up a tasty set of fixtures next weekend with Stevenage heading to Sixfields and leaders Leyton Orient, who are five points clear at the top, hosting Carlisle.

As has become the norm this season, Cobblers were dealt a major blow before kick-off with the news that Sam Sherring has joined the crowded treatment following an ankle injury picked up in training on Thursday.

That meant Aaron McGowan, available again after serving his three-game suspension, had to slot in at centre-back next to captain Jon Guthrie. Kieron Bowie returned early from international duty to make the bench and he was joined by new signing David Norman, whose arrival was announced an hour before kick-off. In total, Cobblers had 11 players missing.

But in spite of that, Northampton made the dream start in South Yorkshire. Will Hondermarck did well to win a corner on the left and Sam Hoskins and Marc Leonard worked it cleverly to Pinnock and his low, right-footed shot from the edge of the box flew through several bodies and past a flummoxed Mitchell.

Doncaster responded pretty well to the early setback but their attempts to get the ball down and play through Northampton were constantly undermined by poor passing, much to the frustration of an increasingly agitated home crowd.

A mix-up at the back nearly let Louis Appéré in on goal but he was unable to find enough space to shoot cleanly before Doncaster’s first real chance saw Caolan Lavery direct his header straight at Lee Burge on 29 minutes.

Not a lot else happened in a generally lethargic first-half with quality and excitement in short supply, although that did mean Town were able to maintain their slender lead through to half-time without too many alarms.

But they were fortunate not to be pegged back within two minutes of the restart when Todd Miller’s shot deflected barely an inch wide after he robbed Ryan Haynes of possession before Joseph Olowu shot over from the subsequent corner.

Doncaster were now playing with more urgency and looked capable of levelling, but they were undone by another goalkeeping error on 52 minutes. Their insistence on passing out from the back always seemed risky and so it proved, Mitchell passing the ball straight to Hoskins who fired left-footed through the hapless goalkeeper and into the net for his 20th of the campaign.

The home side sporadically threatened a response as Kyle Hurst shot into the hands of Burge, but Brady sent on Kieron Bowie and Tete Yengi combined for a good chance to kill the game, only for the latter to fire well over.

Yengi was also denied by Mitchell and Hoskins shot high and wide while Rowe glanced a free header wide with five minutes to play and with that went Doncaster’s last chance to make a game of it.

There was even enough time for Norman to make his debut when he replaced McGowan in stoppage-time. McGowan appeared to have an issue, potentially adding yet another injury to the ever-growing list.

Doncaster: Mitchell, Brown (Hurst 42), Anderson ©, Olowu, Seaman, Ravenhill (Westbrooke 78), Close, Lavery (Agard 49), Molyneux, Miller (Long 78), Rowe

Subs not used: Bottomley, Barlow, Faulkner

Cobblers: Burge, Lintott, McGowan (Norman 90), Guthrie, Haynes (Osew 90), Sowerby, Leonard, Hondermarck (Yengi 67), Pinnock, Hoskins, Appéré (Bowie 67)

Subs not used: Maxted, Abimbola, Wright-Phillips

Referee: Adam Herczeg

Attendance: 6,469

Cobblers fans: 911