The Cobblers claimed their first away win of the season with a 3-1 success at Crewe yesterday afternoon. Danny Jackman, Adebayo Akinfenwa and Abdul Osman got the goals as Stuart Gray’s side move up four places to sixteenth in League One.
Gray made one enforced change to his starting line-up with Danny Jackman replacing Colin Larkin who was missing with a hamstring injury. And it was the Cobblers who made a good start to the game with loan man Karl Hawley forcing home keeper Steve Collis into a good save early on.
After Adbul Osman had headed wide from a corner, the former Gretna man had a volley deflected over the cross bar as the Cobblers stepped up the pressure on the home side. Danny Jackman and Karl Hawley went close in quick succession as the half wore on but it was Jackman that gave the Cobblers a deserved lead right on the stroke of half-time.
Osman was brought down on the left hand side of Crewe’s penalty area for a free kick and Jackman stepped up to delightfully glide the kick over the Crewe wall and into the top corner of Collis’ net. Crewe hadn’t been in the game in the opening 45 minutes and it was a well earned lead for the Cobblers at the break.
After Jackman went close again just at the start of the second half, Crewe got into the game a bit more and Tom Pope sent a low shot in that Frank Fielding did well to divert away. Minutes later, Crewe’s new loan signing Dennis Lawrence rose highest at a corner but Fielding again did well. But the Cobblers’ keeper could do nothing on 55 minutes as Crewe got an equaliser. A long ball up field was met by the advancing Tom Pope and he had the simplest of tasks to finish past Fielding and give his side an equaliser from just a few yards out.
The Cobblers did well to come back into the game though and Abdul Osman again went close with a shot over the bar. But we didn’t have long to wait to find the lead once more. Mark Little made a good run forward but he was brought down in the area by Billy Jones. Referee Mr Haines pointed to the spot and Adebayo Akinfenwa stepped up to score his seventh goal of the season.
There was still more to come though as Staurt Gray’s side refused to sit on their lead and instead push for number three. Karl Hawley broke well before having a shot blocked with twenty minutes to go and from the resulting corner we had the vital third goal. The impressive Abdul Osman met Danny Jackman’s corner and powered a header into the corner of the net for 3-1.
In late substitutions, Akinfenwa and Hawley were replaced by Leon Constantine and Ryan Gilligan and despite a late flurry from the home side, we held on for three vital points at Gresty Road. We now turn our attention to Hartlepool’s visit to Sixfields on Friday evening in a game rearranged because of the England game on Saturday afternoon.
No comments:
Post a Comment