Cobblers stunned by Aldershot revival
With a minute to go in this game it looked like being another case of two points dropped for Northampton Town.
In the end they flushed all three down the toilet.
Coblers were in control of the contest through Luke Guttridge's 17th-minute goal, limiting their hosts to pot shots from distance.
But in the final 10 minutes a combination of some floodlite robbery and a defensive unravelling saw the team finish the game pointless.
Manager Ian Sampson was visibly furious when a 70th-minute Shots penalty was saved by Dunn but then retaken.
Of course, Scott Donnelly scored the second time. Then, with the clock showing 90 minutes, Marvin Morgan picked Chris McCready's pocket, skipped past Patrick Kanyuka and slotted beyond Dunn.
Akinfenwa was the focal point for Cobblers' goal, collecting a pass into him in the same way he did for both goals on Saturday, and playing a dead-weight pass to Guttridge down the right. The midfielder took a touch and advanced before burying the ball past Mikhael Jaimez-Ruiz.
Cobblers had the majority of attacking play in the first half and after the restart Akinfenwa only managed the first five minutes before making way for Gary Mulligan but his contribution was a valuable one.
Without him in the forward line, the ball came back a little quicker for Northampton but Aldershot still struggled to provide anything for Dunn to deal with.
It took the home side more than an hour to register an effort on target but it was worth the wait when it arrived, Dunn diving at full length to tip away John Halls' curling effort from 25 yards.
Their second came in hugely controversial circumstances.
A long ball over the top saw Paul Rodgers get tangled up with Anthony Charles, with the end result being Charles hitting the ground and referee Graham pointing to the penalty spot. Sampson was furious with the verdict but what was to follow saw his rage turn to absolute apoplexy.
After waiting what seemed like an eternity to get everyone outside the box, the referee whistled for the kick to be taken; Scott Donnelly stepped up, Dunn saved, and then saved again, from Ben Harding's follow-up header. The referee ordered a retake, and Donnelly made no mistake this time, going the same way to sink Northampton hearts.
Maybe those same defenders were feeling a bit sorry for themselves in the final minute when Morgan scored the decisive goal. But they need to pick their chins up quickly if this team is to have any chance of getting involved in the play-off mix. It's still early in the season, but the horrible fact of the matter is that – like in this game – the team aren't picking up many points when they play well, never mind when they play badly.
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Weather for Kettering
Sunday 27 May 2012
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