Cobblers still waiting for Sincil Bank win

Lincoln City 1-1 Northampton Town
League Two
Saturday, March 27th 2010

The wait for a win at Sincil Bank goes on as Lincoln City ended our five game winning run at the weekend meaning that we’re still without a win since March 1992. At least Ian Sampson’s men managed to grab a late point from this one to keep in touch with the playoffs after Aldershot climbed into the top seven with a big win at Bury.

It took a deflected goal from John Johnson with four minutes to go to earn a point from a game that looked dead for the Cobblers to at least keep an unbeaten run going into the crucial Easter period. In a game where we struggled to get into our normal passing game and where the likes of Liam Davis and Paul Rodgers were strangely out of the game we can be grateful that we escaped with a share of the spoils.

Lincoln were making all of the early running and Jason Steele was busy in the opening exchanges as he had to save a Joe Anderson free kick before danger man Davide Somma went close twice in the first ten minutes.

The Cobblers calmed the game down a bit though and started to get more of a foot hold in it with Adebayo Akinfenwa having a shot blocked curling a good effort just over the bar. Bayo would once again go close with a header late in the half and Ryan Gilligan had a shot saved as the half came to an end with no score.

That would all change though just ten minutes into the second 45 as Matthew Saunders’ free kick curled into the top corner of Steele’s net, giving the Cobblers keeper no chance.

Craig Hinton and Abdul Osman headed over the bar as the Cobblers looked like they would go home pointless but salvation came just in time with Johnson’s volley deflecting in to the delight and relief of the large away following. We could even have won it late on with Bayo chipping just over but Lincoln would also come close to having the final say.

The last scare for Town came when Chris Herd forced Steele into a fine save right at the end of the game but it ended in a draw and the Cobblers dropped out of the playoffs ahead of Friday’s trip to Grimsby.