More FA Cup misery for hapless Cobblers as Oldham punish another woeful first round display

A shambolic start left Cobblers with a mountain to climb as they conceded twice in the first four minutes, both goals well taken by Michael Mellon, and not once did a comeback look on the cards.

As Town floundered, unable to produce any quality or creativity when it mattered in attack and a mess at the back, Oldham caused constant problems and duly added a third just after the restart when Mellon punished yet more slapstick defending to complete his hat-trick.

Cameron McGeehan did score a consolation late on but that did little to paper over yet another disappointing first round exit for Northampton – their sixth in a row. The last three have all come against sides in divisions below them and this performance at Oldham was as bad as anything they have served up in Kevin Nolan’s 10 months at the helm.

Nolan made four changes from last weekend with Kyle Edwards given his first Cobblers start and Jordan Willis, Michael Jacobs and Ethan Wheatley all returning to the starting line-up. Joe Wormleighton and Sam Hoskins missed out through injury and Kamarai Swyer and Tyrese Fornah dropped to the bench.

Club captain Jon Guthrie featured in a matchday squad for the first time in over 10 months when named on the bench, where he was joined by Elliott List and Tom Eaves, both of whom were also returning from injury.

Cobblers started the day 26 places above Oldham in the English football pyramid but they were left shell-shocked by a disastrous start at Boundary Park as the hosts netted twice inside the first four minutes, both scored by Mellon.

The first was the result of a poor clearing header by Jordan Thorniley, although Mellon finished brilliantly, pulling off a superb overhead kick, and then it was all too easy for the same man to get in behind Town’s defence and lift over Ross Fitzsimons.

The game was not even five minutes old and the visitors already had a mountain to climb, and Oldham continued to find gaps in the away side’s defence with Mellon denied an 18-minute hat-trick by a decent Fitzsimons save.

Cobblers belatedly woke up and at least showed something of an attacking threat when a period of possession ended with a defender blocking Wheatley’s goalbound flick before Michael Forbes headed the subsequent corner just wide.

But Oldham were just crisper, hungrier and frankly showed better quality all over the pitch. As Cobblers floundered, the hosts pressed for more goals and only some last-ditch defending kept Nolan’s side in with a sniff at half-time.

Nolan unsurprisingly made changes at the break, hooking Jordan Willis and Jacobs and sending on Swyer and Fornah, and Swyer almost immediately halved the deficit when firing wide from a long throw.

Cobblers were thankful to the referee’s whistle when Oldham had the ball in the net for a third time, but nothing was going to save them when Mellon completed his hat-trick four minutes into the second half.

The defending was again calamitous and this time Fitzsimons was mainly at fault as he came rushing out of goal but got nowhere near the ball, allowing Garner to set up Mellon for the easiest of finishes.

The game was as good as over and to make matters worse Town lost Nesta Guinness-Walker to what looked like a shoulder injury. List came on, as did Eaves, as Nolan shuffled things around.

Swyer and Perkins were now playing at full-back, Wheatley was on the right and List and McGeehan supported Eaves up front, but despite so many attacking players on the pitch, Cobblers struggled to create anything meaningful.

Oldham could have scored a fourth when Fitzsimons parried away a long-range effort before McGeehan grabbed a consolation in the final minute of normal time, finishing off good wok by Eaves, but that did nothing to gloss over a terrible afternoon.

Oldham: Hudson, Pett ©, Daniels (Sutton 83), Monthe, Woods (Payne 57), Garner (Drummond 71), Hannant, Caprice, Robson, Hammond (Quigley 83), Mellon (Fondop 71)

Subs not used: Donaghy, Leake, Hawkes, Harratt

Cobblers: Fitzsimons, Willis © (Fornah 45), Thorniley, Forbes, Guinness-Walker (List 67), Taylor, McGeehan, Perkins, Edwards (Eaves 62), Jacobs (Swyer 45), Wheatley

Subs not used: Burge, Avery, Guthrie, Tomlinson

Referee: Peter Wright

Attendance: 3,693

Cobblers fans: 515