Breath of life for Gray and Town

Accrington Stanley 0-3 Northampton Town
Tuesday, August 18th 2009

In what has seemed a hell of a long time coming, The Cobblers are finally off the mark in League Two, tonight scoring their first goals and securing a first win of the season that not only lifts the players but gives Stuart Gray a more than timely boost. Accrington Stanley away was surely not the fixture Gray would have wanted with his future becoming more uncertain as the games go on but his strikers finally found form and the fact that both Steve Guinan and Billy McKay both opened their Town accounts would have left the Cobblers boss a happy man.

We still had to work hard defensively for a lot of the game after a terrific start that saw Guinan bag his opening strike as a Town player after just three minutes with a lovely goal from twenty yards, curled into the top corner. After Bayo Akinfenwa had been hauled down on seventeen minutes, the big man picked himself up to slot home the second and we were up and running for the season.

Stanley had their chances and right at the start of the second half, Dean Winnard had their best chance, heading wide when well placed from a free kick. The Cobblers were holding firm though and the defence was only breached on a couple of occasions, once from a free kick that Chris Dunn did very well to tip away and again from another effort from Winnard.

But it was Gray’s men that would have the final say after Stanley had rattled the woodwork and substitute Billy McKay sealed a good night for our strikers by finishing well from twenty yards. There was still time for Steve Guinan to bring down James Ryan for a penalty to Accrington but Ryan got up and shot wide from the resulting kick, meaning that we had kept a clean sheet in difficult circumstances and scored three goals in what should be a morale boosting win.

Gray himself won’t be out of the woods just yet with a massive test at home to Bournemouth on Saturday looming large. The Cherries have stormed through the first three games, taking maximum points along the way and will be a big step up from this game tonight.

So panic buttons are on hold for now anyway...the roller coaster has well and truly begun and we’re only just over a week in. Hold on tight...