COCA-COLA LEAGUE ONE
Tuesday November 6th, 7.45pm
Sixfields
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NORTHAMPTON TOWN 0
BRISTOL ROVERS 1
Rickie LAMBERT 70
Attendance: 5,126 (284 away fans)
Cobblers: Mark BUNN, Jason CROWE, Daniel JONES (sub Danny JACKMAN 85), Liam DOLMAN, Mark HUGHES (sub Andy HOLT 62), Chris DOIG, Ryan GILLIGAN*, Alex RUSSELL, Bradley JOHNSON (sub Colin LARKIN 76), Andy KIRK, Poul HUBERTZ
Substitutes not used: Chris DUNN, Joe BURNELL
Bristol Rovers: Steve PHILLIPS, Ryan GREEN, Danny COLES, Steve ELLIOTT, Joe JACOBSON, David PIPE, Stuart CAMPBELL, Craig DISLEY (sub Sammy IGOE 46), Lewis HALDANE (sub Chris CARRUTHERS 86), Sean RIGG (sub Craig HINTON 76), Rickie LAMBERT
Substitutes not used: Andrew WILLIAMS, Richard WALKER
Referee: Mr A Taylor
* O'CONNOR & CO MAN OF THE MATCH
Booked:
Cobblers: Liam DOLMAN (18, 2nd of the season), Mark HUGHES (26, 5th - misses Crewe 17/11/07), Andy KIRK (69, 2nd), Jason CROWE (75, 4th)
Bristol Rovers: Joe JACOBSON (16), Stuart CAMPBELL (71)
5 cautions on or before 28 February; 1 match suspension
10 cautions on or before 8 April; 2 match suspension
15 cautions at any time in season; 3 match suspension
Sent off:
Cobblers: none
Bristol Rovers: none
Sending offs: 2 cautions in one game; 1 match suspension but cautions do not count towards above totals. Other sendings off; 1 or 3 match suspension. Extra match ban for additional sendings off.
On a chilly November evening, Northampton Town welcomed Bristol Rovers to Sixfields for their latest Coca-Cola League One fixture. Stuart Gray named an unchanged team to the side that had been narrowly beaten by Southend United in their last match. The only change in the sixteen came on the bench where the fit again Joe Burnell replaced Alex Dyer.
While it had taken Southend more than an hour to win their first corner in the previous game, it took Bristol Rovers just a matter of seconds to win their first flag kick. From Stuart Campbell's delivery, Steve Elliott missed a golden chance to score, firing wide from six yards.
Ryan Gilligan drove just wide from the edge of the box for the Cobblers on 12 minutes, while shortly after that Rovers keeper Steve Phillips went down low to save from Hubertz.
Sean Rigg miss-kicked when well placed for the visitors after a quarter of an hour before Joe Jacobson became the first player to be booked for a late foul on Jason Crowe.
Liam Dolman was also booked in what seemed a very harsh decision after a tackle on Craig Disley, but if you thought that booking was undeserved, you didn't have to wait long to see that surpassed when Mark Hughes was cautioned after cleanly winning the ball away from Lambert.
Ryan Gilligan shot over the bar following a determined run from Jason Crowe, while at the other end a Sean Rigg shot from 20 yards beat Mark Bunn but hit the post and bounced behind off the back of the Cobblers keeper.
At half time Paul Trollope made a change for Rovers, with Sammy Igoe replacing Craig Disley.
Mark Bunn made a good save low down from a powerful Stuart Campbell drive on 49 minutes, while at the other end Ryan Gilligan shot wide from the edge of the box after a forceful run.
A neat move on 59 minutes started by Chris Doig and involving Bradley Johnson ended with Andy Kirk finding the side netting before Stuart Gray made a change with Andy Holt replacing Mark Hughes.
Rickie Lambert stabbed over the bar on 66 minutes, before Andy Kirk was booked after a foul on Jacobson.
Rovers had the lead on 70 minutes when a Stuart Campbell corner was headed home through a crowd of players by Rickie Lambert.
Campbell was then booked for handball, before Jason Crowe was cautioned for holding back Lambert.
Paul Trollope's second change saw Craig Hinton come on for Sean Rigg, while for the Cobblers Colin Larkin replaced Johnson.
The Cobblers third substitution was Danny Jackman for Daniel Jones, before Rovers introduced Chris Carruthers for Lewis Haldane.
Hubertz headed a Larkin cross just wide on 88 minutes, but that was to be the final opportunity on a night of few chances, with most of the 4 added minutes taken up by an assistant referee asking Mark Bunn to put the ball in the right area for a free kick, and the Cobblers suffered their second successive 1-0 home defeat.
COBBLERS MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (1) 1
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (4) 7
CORNERS: (2) 8
FOULS: (8) 14
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (0) 1
BRISTOL ROVERS MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (1) 3
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (2) 4
CORNERS: (5) 7
FOULS: (8) 15
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (2) 2
The above stats are recorded by club staff. The stats shown elsewhere on this page are recorded by the Press Association.
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