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John Trewick’s anger after the astonishing turnaround on Saturday resulted in extra training on Sunday, we were led to believe. A meagre crowd at Edgar Street this evening endured a dire game, and could be forgiven for thinking that any additional preparation that took place had not been of any benefit. After a setback in the very first minute, the Bulls showed little creative flair, were comprehensively outfought by Northampton, and looked hesitant and nervous in defence. Trewick’s frustration was taken out on a poor referee who sent him to the stands for one verbal outburst too many, though it should be recorded that this was certainly the only evidence of passion from anyone connected with the home side.
As the mercury plummeted, the game’s first minute brought the main talking point of the night. James McQuilkin shot at goal and the effort was heading wide until Lee Morris, back in favour, stuck out a foot to divert the ball into the net. Cue celebrations, the players, the ball and referee Mr Salisbury all returning to the centre circle for the restart. Enter the villain of the piece, one Mr Turner (no, not that one, but the gentleman with the yellow flag). He had not yet made an indication that he wished to offer any “assistance”, but now belatedly realised that Morris had been offside. Mr. S. escorted across by the visiting players for a brief chin-wag ,the goal is duly chalked off and play resumes with a free kick.
Relieved by their early escape, the Cobblers started to exert pressure. Billy McKay, Liam Davis and Adebayo Akinfenwa showed good understanding and started to create openings. Akinfenwa’s considerable bulk brought some unkind comments, but he was proving tricky to shake off the ball. One clever turn, just before the half hour, finished with a neat lay off to McKay, whose low shot from 20 yards found the net, with Adam Bartlett not reacting quickly enough to prevent the opening goal. Hereford offered only a shot and turn from Leon Constantine in response. Indeed, the visitors always looked more likely to score, with Bartlett called on to make a couple of smart saves, and Kenny Lunt and Ryan Valentine making good blocking tackles. Ryan Green, back from injury, also cleared well under pressure.
HT: HUFC 0 NORTHAMPTON TOWN 1
Highlights from the second half were depressingly few and far between. Morris fell as he darted between two defenders, but calls for a penalty fell on deaf ears. Lunt then found Morris whose attempt to curl it in at the far post was blocked. Marc Pugh made a couple of promising runs, but the final pass was lacking in accuracy. Constantine crossed to Morris who shot wide. The paucity of entertainment on offer was not helped by an infuriatingly inept performance from the referee, who never really recovered from the farcical opening scenes. Northampton dealt easily with any threat from the Bulls, who showed little spirit or commitment.
Midway through the half, the game was over as a contest. Bartlett came out for the ball, and a lack of communication and a moment’s hesitation allowed Akinfenwa to nip in and steal it. It may seem unlikely that someone of his demeanour would be able to “nip”, but this is precisely what he did! He then rolled it into the unguarded net, with Jones in vain pursuit. The remaining twenty minutes or so were painful to watch, and indeed a record low crowd was further depleted by the final whistle due to a significant number of early departures. Mathieu Manset had the ball in the net, but was about ten yards offside, Northampton were content with their night’s work and wasted as much time as they could get away with (lots), and the home fans were aware that even an added 45 minutes would not lead to a Hereford goal. The 5 minutes that were actually announced only served as further punishment.
FT: HUFC 0 NORTHAMPTON TOWN 2
Attendance: 1266 including 102 from Doc Martenland.
HUFC: Bartlett, Valentine, Jones, Green, Lowe, Pugh, Lunt, McQuilkin, McCallum, Morris (Done 74), Constantine (Manset 74).
NORTHAMPTON: Lumley, Rodgers (Herbert 88), Johnson, Hinton, Beckwith, Curtis, Gilbert, Osman, Davis (Dyer 84), Akinfenwa (Harris 72), McKay.
