Ex-Don Dan gets Cobblers climbing
NORTHAMPTON got their recent revival back on track thanks to a vital victory at AFC Wimbledon, with a clinching goal by ex-MK Don Daniel Powell rubbing the home fans’ noses in it.
It’s been a successful 2018 so far for the Cobblers, who are now three points clear of the relegation zone after they put last week’s disappointment against Rochdale behind them to make it four wins in six games.
But for Wimbledon, January must feel a long time ago, as they slumped to a third defeat in a week and only a point now separates them from the bottom four.
Northampton manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink said: “This is not an easy place to come, but I think we deserved everything we got.
“We were the better team, especially in the first half – we looked sharp, we played well, found the extra man in the right areas.
“When we did, we looked dangerous and it was really good to see.
“The commitment from the boys was really there and they were ready for whatever was coming to them, in whatever shape or form.”
But Wimbledon boss Neal Ardley wants his side to deal with adversity better.
He said: “We’ve had a bad week. We’ve gone from a team not conceding a goal and full of beans to completely the opposite.
“We’ve looked disjointed, we haven’t handled adversity very well and we’ve defended poorly.
“I’ve seen their penalty back and it’s not a pen. I asked the two lads nearest him if they’d had any contact with him and they said ‘gaffer, we never touched him’.”
Wimbledon should have led in the third minute when Joe Pigott was put in the clear but he miscued his shot horribly wide.
They were soon behind after John-Joe O’Toole was judged to have been brought down in the area by Dons goalkeeper George Long, with Matt Grimes slamming his resulting penalty into the top corner.
The Dons drew level just two minutes into the second half when Lyle Taylor’s corner was headed in by Deji Oshilaja from close range at the back post.
But Northampton restored their lead just after the hour when O’Toole flicked the ball back for Matt Crooks, who finished neatly into the bottom corner.
The Cobblers gave themselves breathing space with 18 minutes left, as an excellent move ended with O’Toole finding Powell, who sent a precise effort past Long.