Ten-man Cobblers dig in to earn battling point after Evans' red card

Town were without doubt second best in a sloppy and disappointing opening 45 minutes at Sixfields but they held a somewhat undeserved lead at half-time thanks to Nathan Opoku’s smart finish.

However, Evans was dismissed for an unnecessary lunge 10 minutes after the break and from then on the home goal was under siege.

Crawley levelled when Dion Pereira pounced on Jon Guthrie’s mistake and they had several chances to win it but a combination of the woodwork and Zach Jeacock’s brilliance in goal ensured Town earned a battling point.

Nathan Opoku came in for his full Cobblers debut up front and Joe Wormleighton started at right-back as Matty Warhurst dropped to the bench and Janoi Donacien missed out with injury.

Deadline day recruits Josh Powell and Sam Chambers were named among the substitutes, but Owen Dale had not been registered in time.

Cobblers were lively in the opening stages and they would have had a second-minute lead had Joe O’Brien-Whitmarsh kept his shot down after the ball broke to him on the edge of the box.

Sam Hoskins also saw a shot blocked but Crawley had far more possession in the first half and they flashed one dangerous cross into the box before having another effort smuggled away.

Cobblers were sloppy and loose in possession and therefore found themselves pinned back as Crawley knocked the ball about with confidence, much to the mounting frustration of home supporters.

However, eight minutes before the break, and against the run of play, Town nudged themselves in front. Lee Evans’ cross was flicked on by O’Brien-Whitmarsh and Opoku took a good first touch, spun his defender and poked beyond the goalkeeper.

That did not deter Crawley and they continued to impress with Jeacock needing to get down smartly to claw away Osman Kamara’s low shot late in the first half.

Cobblers improved at the start of the second half and it looked as though they had done a good job of wrestling back some of the initiative, but they were then dealt a major blow when Evans dived in unnecessarily and was sent for an early bath.

That left the home side with a man less for more than 30 minutes but they had a big chance for 2-0 when Opoku released Hoskins on goal, however his poor first touch allowed the goalkeeper to smother.

And that proved a hugely pivotal moment in the game as Crawley went up the other end and levelled. Jeacock made an excellent initial save but Guthrie failed to clear the loose ball and Pereira nipped in to score.

The visitors almost scored an immediate second with Klaudio Krasniqi hitting the post before Jeacock kept out Pereira’s curler.

Town’s goalkeeper was an increasingly busy man in the second half and he produced an even better stop to deny Louie Watson as Crawley’s pressure grew and grew.

The away side also saw a goal disallowed but for all their pressure and dominance, Town showed good resolve to dug in and come away with a valiant point.

Cobblers: Jeacock, Wormleighton, Moore, Guthrie (c), Maxwell, L Evans, Fornah, O'Brien-Whitmarsh (Dyche 68), Briggs, Hoskins (C Evans 81), Opoku (Saunders 82)

Subs not used: Fitzsimons, Powell, Chambers, Warhurst

Crawley: Izquierdo, Barker, Farquharson, Watson (Di Biase 87), Aderoju (Orsi 65), Kamara, Arthurs (c), Odimayo (Russell 76), Krasniqi (Tinsdale 87), Morgan (Pereira 65)

Subs not used: Michalski, Ewens-Findlay

Referee: Alan Dale

Attendance: 4,890

Crawley fans: 270