Northampton Town vs Luton Town FC (28th Mar 2015)

Hatters go down to defeat at Sixfields

The Town slipped to their sixth defeat on the spin as they surrendered the lead at Sixfields to drop out of the Play-Off places.

Alex Lawless curled the Hatters in front just 36 seconds into the second half but, the home side – themselves chasing a place in the top seven – levelled when Ricky Holmes converted a 64th-minute penalty after Michael Harriman was unfairly adjudged to have handled in the area.

And although the Town tried to get a winner, it was the Cobblers that took all three points when James Gray struck four minutes from time to condemn the Hatters to yet another defeat.

The Hatters began showing five changes to the side that lost at home to Wycombe on Tuesday with Aston Villa defender Lewis Kinsella given his debut at left-back. The Town also welcomed back midfielders Nathan Doyle and Jonathan Smith, while Mark Cullen and Lawless also started.

In what was John Still’s 100th league match in charge of the Hatters, it was the Cobblers that shadowed an even first half in which Elliot Justham was the busier of the two goalkeepers.

The Town stopper was called into action in the second minute to stop Joel Byrom’s daisycutter from the edge of the box.

Kinsella, in at left-back for the injured Jake Howells, was making his senior bow, and 11 minutes into it he was shown a yellow card for hauling down Holmes down the Cobblers’ right.

The Hatters’ defence was under pressure in the 12th minute when, from the free-kick in which Kinsella was carded, John-Joe O’Toole stabbed an effort across goal – but no teammate in maroon was on hand to turn the ball home.

Two minutes later the Town forced their first chance; Cullen escaping the home defence momentarily to drive a left-foot shot into the arms of home stopper Matt Duke.

Clear-cut chances, however, were at a real premium, especially for the Hatters, Cullen again guided a shot goalwards after seizing on Paul Benson’s knock-down but Duke was again equal to it.

As half-time approached the Hatters won a series of corners which put the Cobblers on the back foot. However, after one flag-kick was cleared, the hosts broke and Smith’s inadvertent sliced clearance found O’Toole unmarked inside the box – but thankfully for the Town the midfielder’s firm hit was held well by Justham.

Justham was then called into action twice more before the interval – once to gather Gray’s impudent flick following Jason Taylor’s left-wing raid and then diving on another low drive from Byrom from the edge of the penalty area.

However, the Town started the second half with a bang and took the lead just 36 seconds after the restart. Lawless received the ball on the left-hand edge of the penalty area and then curled a delicious effort into the top corner of the net with Duke beaten. It was the midfielder’s third goal of the season in just his fifth start.

Like he did in the first half, Justham was aware to the danger on 50 minutes to keep the Town’s lead intact as the hosts went in search of a quickfire leveller but the Hatters were dealt a blow three minutes before the hour when skipper Stephen McNulty picked up an injury and he was replaced by Alex Lacey.

But the Town’s lead was cancelled out on 64 minutes when the hosts were awarded a penalty when Harriman was adjudged to have handballed in the box and Holmes blasted the resultant spot-kick, giving Justham no chance.

With their tails up, the Cobblers went in search of the lead and the Town were indebted to a superb save from Justham on 68 minutes when he kept out Byrom’s close range effort after the hosts had worked a smart move from a free-kick.

The Town came close to sniffing out a second for themselves, only for the ball to drop out of reach when pinging around in the penalty area, and with 20 minutes left, Still sent on Ricky Miller for Cullen.

But the Hatters needed Justham to save once more from Byrom on 72 minutes as the Cobblers pressed and home sub Ivan Toney should have done better when well-placed six minutes later when he nodded wide with the goal at his mercy following a dangerous right-wing cross from Holmes.

As time ticked down the home side continued to push forward, and with four minutes to go the Cobblers took the lead. Justham kept out a heavily deflected shot from range, but Gray was first on the scene and after his first shot was blocked his follow-up was fired beyond Justham to make it 2-1.

Five minutes were added on at the end of the 90 but the Hatters couldn’t find a late leveller and they were left to reflect on a sixth successive defeat in League 2 to leave them out of the Play-Off places with seven games to go.

Town: Justham; Harriman, Kinsella, McNulty (sub Lacey 57), Wilkinson; Smith, Doyle, Drury, Lawless (sub McGeehan 82); Cullen (sub Miller 70), Benson.

Subs not used: Guttridge, Stockley, Hall, Gooch.

Attendance: 5,668, the highest of the season at Sixfield, helped by 913 supporting the Hatters.

http://www.lutontown.co.uk/news/article/gallery-northampton-2-1-town-2363642.aspx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypr4fl4RlMs

League Two: Northampton Town 2 Luton Town 1

Luton Town slipped out of the League Two play-off places after suffering their sixth consecutive defeat at Northampton Town this afternoon.

The loss, Luton’s eighth in nine games was made even more galling by the fact they had led through Alex Lawless’ strike moments after half time, but couldn’t hold on as Ricky Holmes’ penalty and then James Gray’s effort won it for the hosts.

Both of the Cobblers’ goals through were shrouded in controversy with Michael Harriman penalised for a handball in the area, and then for Gray’s winner, Paul Benson charging down keeper Matt Duke’s clearance for a throw, only for the officials to bafflingly award a goal kick.

However, there was no questioning the Cobblers were worthy winners though, as had it not been for the reflexes of Luton keeper Elliot Justham, they could have been staring down the barrel of a heavier defeat.

Town boss John Still had made five chance from the 3-2 defeat against Wycombe as midfielder Nathan Doyle made his first start since a knee injury suffered against York City on February 10, while Jonathan Smith was back in after missing the last three games.

Aston Villa loanee Lewis Kinsella was handed his debut at left back, with Mark Cullen and Alex Lawless included, as Elliot Lee, Jake Howells and Fraser Franks were all injured, while Luke Guttridge and Cameron McGeehan dropped to the bench.

Striker Ricky Miller also was back on the bench too after recovering from injury, where he was joined by fit-again winger Ryan Hall.

The hosts had the first shot in anger with some neat passing opening up an opportunity for Joel Byrom as he fired straight at Elliot Justham from 20 yards.

Northampton had easily the better of the early exchanges as a long spell of pressure saw Kinsella harshly booked and from the free kick an unmarked John-Joe O’Toole prodded wide at the far post.

It took Hatters 14 minutes to test home keeper Matt Duke and that was an easy low stop as Cullen opted to go alone from range after picking up Luke Wilkinson’s clearing header.

From there, barely anything happened in either side’s goal area, in what was a desperately poor spectacle for the near 6,000 in attendance, Cullen sending another tame effort straight at Duke.

With five minutes of the half remaining, Northampton fashioned their best opportunity as Smith’s sliced clearance fell invitingly for O’Toole but Justham stood firm to clutch his powerful close range volley.

The hosts then looked like finishing with an advantage as Ricky Holmes flicked straight at Justham, while Byrom again had an opening, but once more, could only pick out the Town stopper.

The second half had barely got underway when Luton were in front though and it came in superb fashion as Lawless picked up possession outside the box and curled a delightful effort past Duke for his third of the season.

Finally, proceedings were enlivened as the goal injected some urgency into both sides, but Town were dealt a telling blow as skipper Steve McNulty had to go off injured, replaced by Alex Lacey, making his 50th appearance for the club.

Without their influential captain, Town’s lead didn’t last long though as from a cross, Michael Harriman was adjudged to have handled the ball by referee Graham Scott and received a yellow for his troubles.

The game’s stand out player Holmes stepped up and confidently gave Justham no chance from the spot.

Town’s keeper then made a wonderful point blank save from Gray though as a marvellous pre-planned free kick routine saw Justham display brilliant reactions to keep his side in it.

The Luton stopper made another decent block from Byrom’s blast, ungainly parrying it away as the hosts were now clearly in the ascendancy.

Hatters boss John Still made two further changes, as Miller and McGeehan replaced Cullen and Lawless, but Northampton looked by more likely as after more trickery on the wing from Holmes, Ivan Tony headed badly wide from inside the six yard box.

The Cobblers then had the killer blow with just four minutes left as Justham saved superbly from a deflected long range attempt, and then blocked the rebound with his legs, but Hatters couldn’t clear and Gray tapped home.

There was huge controversy though as the move emanated from a goal kick after Benson charged down Duke’s clearance for what looked like a throw as the striker remonstrated with the officials afterwards.

Boss Still continued the protests after the final whistle as his side are now looking worryingly like missing out on the play-offs, leapfrogged by Plymouth Argyle who triumphed 3-0 at Accrington Stanley.

Hatters: Elliot Justham, Michael Harriman, Lewis Kinsella, Steve McNulty (C, Alex Lacey 57), Luke Wilkinson, Nathan Doyle, Jonathan Smith, Andy Drury, Alex Lawless (Cameron McGeehan 82), Mark Cullen (Ricky Miller 65) , Paul Benson.

Subs not used: Jayden Stockley, Luke Guttridge, Ryan Hall, Liam Gooch.

Cobblers: Matt Duke, Brendon Moloney, Lee Collins (C), John-Joe O’Toole (Ivan Toney 55), James Gray (Zander Diamond 90), Lawson D’Ath, Jason Taylor, Joel Byrom, Ricky Holmes, Tom Newey, Ryan Creswell (Darren Carter 55).

Subs not used: Chris Hackett, Sam Warburton, Danny Clifton, Shwan Jalal.

Referee: Graham Scott.

Booked: Kinsella 11, Moloney 41, Benson 50, Harriman 53, Doyle 89.

Attendance: 5,668 (Luton 913)

Hatters MOM: Elliot Justham. Keeper made a host of important saves to keep his side in the contest.

Frustrated Luton Town boss John Still labelled referee Graham Scott’s decision to award a penalty against his side during the 2-1 defeat at Northampton yesterday as ‘crazy’.

The official controversially adjudged Michael Harriman to have handballed inside the area, despite little or no protests from the home side.

Ricky Holmes converted the spotkick to bring Cobblers level just after the hour mark as Still said: “When I think of the penalties we haven’t got, he’s given a penalty and no-one’s appealed. He said it was for handball but I can’t for the life of me see why.

“There was nothing around it that would suggest it was anything other than a challenge, but he’s given it and we can’t do anything about it.

“I can’t control the uncontrollables, which is the referee’s decisions. We’ve had so many like that not go for us this year, penalties for us, it was a crazy, crazy decision.”

Hatters goalscorer Alex Lawless admitted he thought the decision had gone Luton’s way at first, as he said: “The view I had on it, I thought we were getting a free kick when the whistle went for leaning on Michael.

“The lads then said he’s given a handball and I don’t think anyone even seemed to claim a penalty, so that just adds to the frustration of the defeat.

“They are key decisions, but there are decisions all over that are key for getting us up the pitch and seeing a few of them go against us is frustrating, because at this moment you want to see as many go for you as possible.”

Debutant full back Lewis Kinsella echoed his team-mates thoughts, as he said: “I didn’t think it was handball, I think it was a bit unfair as he got a bit of a nudge in the back, so I’m not sure he deserved that.”

Town’s gripes with the officials didn’t end there as James Gray’s 86th minute winner came after Paul Benson had charged keeper Matt Duke’s clearance down for a throw-in, only for a goal kick to be awarded.

Both the striker and his manager remonstrated with the referee at the final whistle, as Still continued: “It’s a throw in, and I was just saying to him, he’s right there!

“I can moan about that as much as I like, but it’s not going to change the result.

“It was a long way from the goal to be fair, but it’s things like that, small margins that can hurt you.

“I felt for the players as we’ve made some mistakes in games which has led us to be beaten, but the performance was first class.”

Meanwhile, Lawless added: “I’d come off and couldn’t quite see that, but Paul being an honest guy like he is, it’s just another one and it seems to be not our mistakes which have got that.

“We’re not going to lull over referee’s decisions as hopefully they’ll go for us.”