Outstanding Cobblers produce their very best to stun Bradford City in promotion showdown
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Cobblers produced their best performance of the campaign to stun Bradford City 3-1 at Valley Parade on Saturday and lay down something of a marker in this season’s race for promotion from League Two.
This was billed as a heavyweight showdown between two genuine promotion contenders but in truth only one team looked like winning. Town led by three goals after only an hour and the scoreline by no means flattered them having peppered the home goal with chance after chance.
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Hide AdCobblers executed the game plan to perfection in the first-half as they thwarted Bradford’s attempts to create any forward momentum whilst posing a constant threat on the counter-attack, even if their opening goal just before the 30-minute mark was an absolute gift.
An erratic back pass allowed Pinnock to break the deadlock and 90 seconds later it was 2-0 with McWilliams finishing first-time into the bottom corner, putting the away side firmly in the driving seat.
They went from strength to strength and continued to carve out a string of good opportunities before one was eventually taken on the hour with Sam Sherring heading in his first goal for the club.
It could easily have been six or seven before Bradford made the scoreline more respectable with a consolation in stoppage-time, but that could not take the gloss off what was perhaps Northampton’s best performance under Jon Brady.
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Hide AdThe win means they have now triumphed at Bradford, Stevenage and Swindon this season and all without their top scorer, and it consolidates their place in the automatic promotion places ahead of a two-week break from action.
Fit-again Louis Appéré replaced the suspended Sam Hoskins in the only change from last weekend’s win at Gillingham. Kieron Bowie started after opting not to play for Scotland Under-21s in midweek and Josh Eppiah was back from injury to take a place on the bench.
Bowie started through the middle with Appéré on the left but Bradford had the game’s first chance after just a couple of minutes when Harry Chapman got away down right, side-stepped Sam Sherring and rifled over the crossbar.
A slippery surface on a drizzly winter’s afternoon made for a frantic opening and both sides had promising spells without creating a clear chance. Lee Burge was the first goalkeeper to be called into action when showing good hands in difficult conditions to save and hold Abo Eisa’s low drive.
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Hide AdTown’s first opening fell to Bowie but he could only nod wide after Sherring nodded Mitch Pinnock’s free-kick across goal while Bradford were only managing to create half chances as Banks’ shot again proved straightforward for Burge.
The first-half had been a generally tight, cagey affair but it burst into life with two goals either side of the half-hour mark as Town seized control. Bradford gifted their visitors the opener when Richie Smallwood’s misdirected back pass fell straight to Pinnock and he made him pay by chopping back inside and finding the far corner.
And it got even better for Northampton barely 90 seconds later. This time the goal came from their good play rather than a mistake and it was all about McWilliams who drove forward from halfway, played a one-two with Bowie and passed a calm first-time finish into the bottom corner.
McWilliams could and should have made it three five minutes before the break when pulling a shot wide of the far post after being sent clean through on goal by Pinnock.
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Hide AdPinnock himself was next to squander a glorious opportunity to extend the lead three minutes after the restart but he was off balance and stretching when completely unmarked from Bowie’s cross and could not hit the target.
Alex Gilliead almost immediately punished Cobblers when clipping the top of the crossbar from range and Eisa’s low fizzing shot had to be held by Burge with Andy Cook waiting to pounce, but the visitors continued to cause all kinds of problems on the break and after Appéré saw a strong penalty shout turned down, Ben Fox shot just too high from the edge of the box.
A third was only a matter of time and it duly came on the hour. Patient possession play culminated in Odimayo’s right-wing cross being glanced home via the post by Sherring for his first Town goal.
Incredibly, the visitors could have scored a fourth with Appéré denied by Lewis after wriggling his way into the penalty box while a rare effort for Bradford saw Smallwood’s free-kick fly wide.
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Hide AdVadaine Olliver’s shot was held by Burge but again the better chances continue to come at the other end with Lewis saving well from both Bowie and McWilliams.
Frustratingly, Cobblers could not keep the clean sheet they deserved after Sherring gave away a penalty in stoppage-time and Cook converted to pull level with Sam Hoskins in the race to be top goalscorer, but that barely even counted as a consolation for Bradford, with the full-time whistle met by boos in the home ends and loud cheers among the jubilant away supporters.
Bradford: Lewis, Halliday, Platt, Songo’o, Smalwood ©, Foulds, Chapman (Oliver 62), Gilliead (East 79), Eisa (Wright 62), Banks (Pereira 79), Cook
Subs not used: Doyle, Odusina, Sutton
Cobblers: Burge, McGowan, Sherring, Guthrie ©, Odimayo (Haynes 87), Sowerby, McWilliams, Fox (Dyche 76), Pinnock (Lintott 87), Bowie (Hylton 87), Appéré (Leonard 72)
Subs not used: Dadge, Eppiah
Referee: Anthony Backhouse
Attendance: 18, 666
Cobblers fans: 539