Anderson late show cheers up Cobblers
ROCHDALE manager Keith Hill refused to single out any of his players for criticism after Paul Anderson’s 93rd-minute equaliser earned Northampton a point.
Nathaniel MendezLaing’s long-range effort seemed to have sealed the points for Dale, but Anderson capitalised on some sloppy defending to score late in the game.
However, Dale boss Hill was not going to start lambasting his players despite admitting the draw felt like a loss after the game.
He said: “We had chances in the last 15 minutes where we could have gone on and won it 2-0.
“When the opposition goalkeeper has the ball in his hands it represents a chance in the English game because of the direct style of certain teams. We had players out of position but I am not going to point the finger and I didn’t go into the dressing room ranting and raving after the game.
“The lads are very flat, very disappointed. We haven’t been beaten but it feels like a defeat when you concede in the last seconds of the game.”
Ian Henderson and Marc Richards were both wide of the target at either end as the first half ended without any clear chances.
Mendez-Laing ensured that would not be the case in the second as his curling
effort from the edge of the box found the top corner.
Anderson’s low effort rebounded off the post before the same player was denied by a brilliant Conrad Logan save.
Henderson fired over for the hosts and Anderson was somehow stopped again for Northampton, this time by Harrison McGahey.
But he was not going to be denied for a fourth time as he latched onto a goal kick and chipped Logan in the dying moments.
Cobblers boss Justin Edinburgh was full of praise for his man of the moment as his side picked up a hard-fought point. He said: “I thought it was probably what we deserved and I’m pleased for Paul because I thought he was the catalyst for a lot of our good attacking play.
“He was unlucky on a couple of occasions but credit to the players, they’ve gone right til the end and it was a well-earned and welldeserved point. We’ve certainly been getting stronger on our travels.
“I thought we looked really strong and tight in our shape without the ball. We were a bit loose with possession. There were a couple of balls which we could’ve slipped through and maybe got a better result.”