Back in December, the Cobblers and Scunthorpe played out an extraordinary 4-4 draw. Tonight there was all that drama once again as six goals were shared between the same two sides in a heart stopping, engrossing and truly dramatic game that both sides will come out of thankful that they weren’t beaten.
Going into the clash at Sixfields, The Cobblers were desperate for a second win on the bounce but knew a point would be enough to lift us out of the bottom four on goal difference. On the other side, Scunthorpe needed a win to regain a playoff place. What happened after the game kicked off willgo down in memory as a Sixfields classic!
Adebayo Akinfenwa, Jason Crowe and Paul Rodgers all passed their fitness tests and started the game. Ikechi Anya, impressive in the 3-1 win at Orient on Saturday, started again and forced the first real effort of the game as he volleyed the ball towards goal but Joe Murphy was equal to it. At the other end, Chris Dunn saved well from Gary Hooper as the game began to reach a pace that it wouldn’t slow down from for the rest of the night.
On the twenty minute mark, Luke Guttridge came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock as he sent in a cracking volley from distance that hammered against the cross bar. But after an Adebayo Akinfenwa shot that flashed wide, we did have the lead as Sixfields rose as one to celebrate Jason Crowe ran onto the end of a good ball from Andy Holt to poke the ball home and put us into the lead.
Stuart Gray must have been preparing his positive team talk when Scunthorpe suddenly hit back in first half stoppage time. The visitors were packed with physical players and one of those, Liam Trotter, rose to head home a corner late in the half to bring things level and change the game completely.
Akinfenwa had struggled through the first half but was replaced at the break by Aleksander Prijovic and could now miss Saturday’s game with Hereford United. But business was about to pick up before that at Sixfields as Scunthorpe took the lead in the opening few minutes of the half as they were awarded a penalty and Grant McCann converted from the spot.
With hearts pumping faster than ever inside Sixfields and around the country as Cobblers fans found any radio coverage they could, we drew level just before the hour mark. Anya, coming more and more into his own by the game, met a Guttridge cross and headed past Murphy to bring us out of the bottom four once again!
The league table was going backwards and forwards through the night with Scunthorpe battling for points at the right end of League One. It was they who struck next and restored their lead mid-way through the half as Matthew Sparrow fired home following a corner that the Cobblers failed to clear. At 3-2, we were back in the bottom four.
But there was one more, dramatic, twist in this tale. The Cobblers came again. Leon Constantine, returning from a spell on loan at Cheltenham, came off the bench and won a corner. The ball was swung in and Mark Hughes leaped to head us back onto terms once again. There was still fifteen minutes to go and all to play for but despite both sides having chances to win it a draw was a fair result and neither side after a draining night will say no to that.
For Scunthorpe, their playoff hopes are kept alive and for the Cobblers we now sit above the relegation zone on goal difference alone. Hereford United, under no pressure at all after their relegation was confirmed last weekend, visit on Saturday before the MK Dons home game next Tuesday. Victory on Saturday combined with defeats for both Crewe and Carlisle would mean that we would be virtually safe whatever happened in the last two games.
It’s anyone’s guess as to what happens next but if it’s anything like the last two games, we’re in for more heart stopping moments than ever before. Onwards we go!
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