COCA-COLA LEAGUE ONE
Saturday April 5th, 3pm
Sixfields

MATCH SPONSOR
Chalky Whites

MATCHBALL SPONSOR
Buckingham Flooring

PROGRAMME SPONSOR
GRS Roadstone

PREMIER MATCHBALL SPONSOR
Evans Halshaw

NORTHAMPTON TOWN 2
Poul HUBERTZ 34 pen, Alex DYER 41

Attendance: 5,132 (846 away fans)

Cobblers: Mark BUNN *, Jason CROWE, Daniel JONES, Liam DOLMAN, Mark LITTLE, Giles COKE (sub Joe BURNELL 77), Alex DYER (sub Jonathan HAYES 66), Danny JACKMAN, Poul HUBERTZ, Adebayo AKINFENWA (sub Ian HENDERSON 82), Andy HOLT
Substitutes not used: Chris DUNN, Chris DOIG

* Chalky Whites man of the match

Luton: Dean BRILL, Don HUTCHISON, Sam PARKIN, Stephen O'LEARY, Lewis EMANUEL, Keith KEANE, Matthew SPRING, Sol DAVIS (sub Darren CURRIE 55), Paul McVEIGH, Calvin ANDREW, Ed ASAFU-ADJAYE
Substitutes not used: Marlon BERESFORD, Steve ROBINSON, George BEAVAN, Alan GOODALL

Referee: Mr K Friend

Booked:
Cobblers: Giles COKE (42, 3rd of the season), Poul HUBERTZ (90, 8th)
Luton: Stephen O'LEARY (69)

10 cautions on or before 13 April; 2 match suspension
15 cautions at any time in season; 3 match suspension

Sent off:
Cobblers: none
Luton: 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.

Northampton Town welcomed Luton Town to Sixfields for their latest Coca-Cola League One fixture. Stuart Gray made two changes to the side that had drawn at Cheltenham Town seven days previously, with Poul Hubertz and 17 year old youth team midfielder Alex Dyer replacing Jonathan Hayes and Joe Burnell. Chris Doig returned to the bench as he recovered from injury.

The pre match rain had just about stopped by the time the game began, and it was youngster Dyer who had the first effort at goal, shooting over the bar after running on to Danny Jackman's lay back in the 3rd minute.

For the Hatters, former Cobblers loanee Sam Parkin headed wide at the far post after meeting a 13th minute cross from Stephen O'Leary. Mark Bunn then did well to hold a powerful shot from Calvin Andrew.

There then followed a spell of play where both sides fired shots wide, Jones most notably for the Cobblers and Andrew for Luton, before that passage of play was broken by the award of a penalty for the Cobblers. Sol Davis clearly pulled the shirt of Poul Hubertz in the area, the big Dane picking himself up to score from the spot.

The Cobblers then seemed to move up a gear, and Andy Holt saw his header from a Jackman corner knocked off the line by Don Hutchison via the cross bar, before Bunn saved well from Parkin at the other end.

The lead was doubled when Alex Dyer met a Daniel Jones cross from the left with a header that beat Brill, before Giles Coke was harshly booked for a foul on Matthew Spring.

Andy Holt was then denied by Keith Keane after playing a one:two with Akinfenwa and beating Brill with a left foot shot in the final action of the first half.

Calvin Andrew held off a couple of challenges to fire a shot just beyond Mark Bunn's far post in the opening moments of the second half. Ten minutes later, in Luton's first change, Darren Currie replaced Davis.

Daniel Jones headed wide from a Jackman cross after the full back had started the move and continued his run forward, while at the other end Andrew headed wide after meeting a cross from Ed Asafu-Adjaye.

Currie then fired a shot straight at Bunn, the keeper doing brilliantly to hold onto the ball after the substitute had got clear of the Cobblers defence. Moments later, Bunn saved a shot on the turn from Parkin.

Stuart Gray introduced Jonathan Hayes for Dyer midway through the second half.

Luton were certainly enjoying the benefit of a strong wind that hadn't been present to assist the Cobblers before the break. The visitors kept the pressure up, but their cause was not helped when Stephen O'Leary was booked for diving.

It was the turn of Paul McVeigh to be denied by Bunn on 74 minutes, before Joe Burnell came on for Giles Coke in Stuart Gray's second change.

A Hubertz cross eluded keeper Brill and the onrushing Akinfenwa and Holt, before a powerful run forward that mixed skill with power from Liam Dolman drew a standing ovation from the West Stand.

The Cobblers final substitution saw Ian Henderson come on for Akinfenwa, before Sam Parkin set up a nervy finish when he scored from close range after Mark Bunn had pushed a shot from Currie away.

Hubertz was booked for kicking the ball away in injury time, but there was to be no dramatic ending, and the Cobblers secured the three points.

COBBLERS MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (5) 5
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (2) 4
CORNERS: (4) 5
FOULS: (7) 13
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (0) 2

LUTON MATCH STATS (first half in brackets, match total out of brackets)
SHOTS ON TARGET: (3) 8
SHOTS OFF TARGET: (3) 9
CORNERS: (1) 5
FOULS: (5) 9
CAUGHT OFFSIDE: (2) 4

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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