Draw ends pre-season on a high note

Northampton Town 2-2 Birmingham City
Pre-season friendly
Sunday, August 1st 2010

Much in the same manner that you shouldn’t get too downbeat about a pre-season friendly defeat, it’s the same argument for games like this one. Birmingham City came to town with a squad littered with internationals and only went away with a 2-2 draw – the second time in a row that we’ve punched above our weight in the friendly season.

The Cobblers were in front early on with Billy McKay racing onto a flick on from Tadgh Purcell to poke the ball past Maik Taylor in the City goal. James McFaddon hit the post with the visitors’ best effort of the first half – a rasping free kick – and continued to be their best player.

But it took until five minutes after the break for the Blues to get back on terms with Cameron Jerome blasting home an unstoppable shot that gave young keeper Paul Walker no chance. The Premier League outfit turned things up a gear and were in front with twenty minutes to play when McFaddon did find the net following a neat flick on from Kevin Phillips.

It looked like a narrow defeat that in itself would have been deemed respectable enough but Liam Davis came off the bench to get on the end of a Michael Jacobs cross and equalise. The midfielder could even have won it for the Cobblers but shot over when well placed a few minutes later.

So a fine result to round off pre-season and it’s been a very good period of preparation for the Cobblers.

But all this will mean nothing should we fail to pick anything up at Torquay on Saturday afternoon and this steady and impressive pre-season will be sent into the forgotten history of the friendly vaults.

It’s time to play for real!