In a second half that could save the Cobblers’ season, results elsewhere and a complete change of fortune at Brisbane Road turned this campaign suddenly back in our favour. At the break, so many things were going against Stuart Gray and his side, particularly the 1-0 lead given to Orient by Jason Crowe’s own goal mid-way through the half.
Gray had started with Ikechi Anya up front with Adebayo Akinfenwa but it was a former Cobblers striker that helped to deliver what could have been a killer blow to our survival hopes on the half hour mark. After a nervy first half hour, it was a Sean Thornton free-kick that caused problems and a combination of McGleish and Crowe that scrambled the ball into the net.
Andy Holt had the best chances to level before the break with a header and a left footed effort but the perilous league position was looking even worse as news came through from the other sides around us in the scrap. Come half time, combined with our result, Carlisle were leading against Swindon whilst Brighton and Crewe also had the lead.
The situation was getting critical but who could possibly have predicted what happened next, a stunning fight back that we may well look back on in the summer months as the minutes that saved our season and kept us in League One.
Early on, we had the better of the action but McGleish came close to doubling the advantage with a near post effort that Chris Dunn did well to turn away. At the other end, Holt headed wide again, this time from a Danny Jackman cross.
But we did, vitally, have the equaliser on the hour mark. Luke Guttridge, who made the game despite a niggling injury this week, put in a free kick and Adebayo Akinfenwa met the ball with a powerful header to start a comeback out of nowhere.
Aleksander Prijovic had come off the bench just before Bayo’s goal and he would be the one to put us in front just three minutes after the equaliser. Akinfenwa and Guttridge combined to set up the Derby loan man and he shot low past Orient keeper Jamie Jones.
Now it was a case of hanging on and the time seemed to stop as suddenly results elsewhere also began to swing in our favour. Danny Jackman managed to head the ball off the goal line after Jordan Spence had headed the ball to what looked like a leveller.
The dreaded four minutes of stoppage time would be played and hearts were in mouths as the home side attacked but suddenly, beautifully, we broke away and the ball fell to Anya who sealed the win with a well taken goal and to send the hardy travelling support, deprived of this sort of win on the road for so long, into delirium.
The full time whistle moments later brought scenes of utter joy and relief from anyone connected with the club up and down the country. It’s, of course, far from being over but with two games in hand and this sort of reversal in fortune the tide has turned just at the last and most vital of times. Scunthorpe visit on Tuesday night in the biggest game of the season so far and even a draw at Sixfields would lift us out of the bottom four with three to play.
This could be the one that gives us the breath of life we so badly, badly needed.
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