COBBLERS SINK TEN-MAN YORK
CHRIS Wilder was left toasting a job well done after Northampton extended their lead at the top of League Two to five points with victory over ten-man York in torrid conditions at Sixfields.
With Plymouth’s trip to Yeovil postponed, Northampton took full advantage thanks to goals from John-Joe O’Toole and Marc Richards.
And Wilder was especially delighted with the victory after admitting he had never seen conditions as difficult as those his side had to contend with.
“It was unbelievable, the players tried their best to get the ball down but the weather was against us, especially in the early part of the game,” he said.
“Once we sorted it out we played the ball forward well and looked dangerous in real tough conditions.
“We’ve been in York’s position before and we know how it is, teams at the bottom of the league will have a go at those at the top as there’s nothing to lose.
“It’s been a good day for us, teams in and around us haven’t got the results they wanted and a few teams haven’t played because of the weather which has worked well for us.
“We’ve had a good Saturday and we have to keep rolling the wins out if we want to achieve what we want to achieve at the end of the season.”
The wind was causing havoc early on as Northampton’s Adam Smith saw a goal kick travel only as far as the edge of his area.
But the the Cobblers settled quickly and created a moment of magic in the 21st minute after O’Toole neatly flicked Lee Martin’s pinpoint corner into the back of the net to put the high-flying hosts ahead.
The visitors came out in the second half with renewed confidence, almost equalising through David Winfield whose effort was cleared off the line.
But Northampton hit York hard on the counter seconds later, Ricky Holmes feeding a fine ball through to Richards who slotted home a second.
A minute later York’s woes worsened after they were reduced to ten men when Luke Hendrie was shown a straight red after clattering into the back of Holmes.
Despite their efforts the visitors couldn’t break down the Cobblers who secured all three points, leaving York City rooted to the bottom of the table.
York boss Jackie McNamara said:“I was pleased with a lot of things, we got behind them a few times and had a lot of chances on goal, one of which was cleared of the line. I’d say we were on top for periods of the game.
“We lost a player too, which was never a red card. I’ve watched it back and I think the referee’s decision was influenced by the players and the crowd.
“Having said that, we played over 30 minutes with ten men against a good side that are top of the league, I was pleased by the response from the players. “Northampton are a good side, but at times I didn’t think there was a big gulf between ourselves and them.”