The odds were stacked against the Cobblers going into this game with Leicester City well clear at the top of League One so the early news that Adebayo Akinfenwa had to be pulled out of the game through injury wasn’t the nicest of ways to start the afternoon. Colin Larkin came in to replace the big man up front but that piece of injury news wouldn’t have done much for the Cobblers fans’ hopes.
There was to be an early sight of promise for those home fans as we threatened what would have been a shock in terms of league placing between the two sides. After two goal line clearances, the ball was somehow bundled into the Leicester net to give us a scrambled lead. Whether it was Jason Crowe or Leon Constantine who got the final touch was debatable but no-one in a claret shirt would have bothered as they took the lead.
But it was a familiar face that levelled the scores soon after following more controversial refereeing decisions going against the Cobblers. This time it was Mike Dean, a Premier League standard referee, who gave a strange decision against us to put the game level again. Matt Fryatt appeared to go down under the challenge of Mark Hughes on the edge of the area but Dean pointed to the spot and former Cobblers man Steve Howard who stepped up and slotted home the penalty for 1-1.
After the goal, there were numerous Leicester supporters celebrating in the home ends and they were ejected after making themselves known in and around the Town fans. Those fans left in blue in the right end were almost celebrating again moments later as Liam Davis had to clear a Howard effort off the line. Matt Fryatt went close again before the break but the Cobblers went in level at half-time.
The visitors took more control after the break despite a short period of pressure from the Cobblers early in the half. Fryatt was again looking dangerous in the early stages of the half and shot right into the side netting before Jason Crowe presented the Foxes striker with a golden chance by miscuing a back header but Chris Dunn made a good save to keep the visitors out.
But Leicester’s possession did pay off with around fifteen minutes to go as a cross in from the right hand side was swept in by Lloyd Dyer to give his side the lead and the Cobblers with a mountain to climb. In a frustrating end to the game, we couldn’t find a way through and despite a late chance for Billy Clarke it was the travelling support who went home happy with another win on the way to what will surely be an immediate return to the Championship.
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