Northampton Town v Torquay United - 29/3/13

[Dutchgull]

If referees are bad at premiership level its obviously o.k to put them in charge of "lower league " football because as we all know it doesn't matter to anybody does it ????

[al roxzar]

Still ,only need 4 points from remaining 5 games ( 3 of which are at home) cannot be difficult?

[nickbrod]

Was at Northampton last night and although we lost by the only goal against a very direct and physical side I came away with belief that we can still avoid the drop.
The team gave their all and the newly re-found confidence was there for all to see. Yes, the ref was terrible booking Torquay players yet only talking to Northampton ones when their fouls looked worse.
For example early on Poke was clattered by a late challenge when catching a cross yet later when Howe did the same he was immediately carded. This was his 14th so only one more before a suspension. With the inevitable going to happen I think I would prefer him to get this over by being booked on Monday so he's back for the Bristol Rovers fixture. Of course I would prefer he wasn't booked again this season.
For me Benyon ran his socks off, should have had a penalty when his legs were taken from behind and had a goal bound equaliser saved by the keeper's legs.
Labadie although he played well was not as effective as he has been since he joined and Chapell was very quiet.
Tellingly the disallowed goal and the winner came from our left leading me to the sad conclusion that Cruise should return against Bradford.
For all this talk about our destiny being in our own hands I really would like Exeter to beat Plymouth and Bristol Rovers to dispatch York today.
Bradford and Gillingham will be tough but I remain upbeat under Knill and Brass.

[AustrianAndyGull]

Overall it was a dogged display not unlike what we became accustomed to under Ling but 2 things made the way we went about this game stand out and differ from Ling. Firstly this was a game perhaps more suited to defending and frustrating as we know they are a strong powerful unit and have by far and away the best home wins record in the division. I can accept that and i know that we didn't do that at Dagenham and Southend ( as Ling would have done ) and we probably won't do it at Morecambe either as they are beatable. To go gung ho, for all i would have liked to have seen it, that would have been suicide last night so although it was a crap game i think Knill got his tactics correct in this one.

Secondly, we had a lot more attacking opportunities last night that under Ling and it was great to see 5,6,7 yellow shirts in well advanced positions when we attacked rather than the tired old predictability under Ling of Howe up front on his own trying to hold it up for a few years until another yellow shirt came into view. Ok so we didn't create too many clear cut opportunities on the night apart from Benners at the end who had one saved but we kept it tight, competed well and gave ourselves the opportunity score on attacks by maximising the number of bodies in forward areas. Let's not forget that this is a team who have now won 16 home games, are in the top three and playing against us who went months without a win. Not a bad evenings out IMO and we deserved a draw i feel. For all their intent, Northampton are the worst side in the top 7 or 8 in my opinion but they are effective and somehow get the job done but we restricted them to few clear cut goalscoring opportunities apart from a few goalmouth scrambles they should have done better with and a shot that hit the foot of the post.

These comparisons above aren't supposed to be a Ling bashing it's just to highlight the glaringly obvious differences in tactics, gameplan and performance between Knill and Ling and why we'll be safe under Knill and down already under Ling.

Everbody was generally excellent last night, thought Chappell was quiet, MacDonald a few ropey clearances but another solid display, Poke again keeping us in it. The disappointment was Bodin, ok so he only got the last 20 minutes but he just stands and watches the ball, he stands and watches play instead of trying to get stuck in there and although i did watch him off the ball trying to run into promising areas, when you've just come on and the team has been battling hard for 7o minutes it's just not acceptable to stand there like a wet fish ( fish without legs obviously ) and not get stuck in there. Maybe i'm being harsh and he struggled to adjust to the game after coming on but it was again, laziness IMO.

Knill only used the one sub and on another day i would have been disappointed with that but we were well in the game until the goal and he probably thought not to change it too much would have been better to secure a point so no complaints apart from the one he DID bring on.

Anyway, great night singing and meeting up with the 'usuals' and it was a bitterly freezing night remimniscent of Scotts polar missions. Absolutely taters out there it was and i was disappointed not to have got to say hello to some of you like Luke, Skybluegull, i believe SG went and others. Fans were great last night all over the stands people were singing and i began a rousing non stop YELLOW ARMY chant which went on for a good few minutes before my glands screamed ENOUGH!!! Bitter cold, dark night and a great turnout so well done everyone!!

Oh and the ref, he was atrocious and should maybe have given us a pen but the one thing i DID like about him is he wouldn't blow up all the time when players fell over even under some robust tackles and tried to let the game flow. If another ref had of taken charge the game would have been stopped every few seconds so refreshing in that respect but he got loads of decisions wrong for both sides. Disallowed a late Howe effort for offside but also did the same to one of their players when again, like the goal we conceded, a free unmarked header went in.


Anyway, once again i turn up and we don't score or win. Am i actually a jinx? No of course i'm not but what i DO know is that despite the result, the performance was ok and i left the stadium feeling still confident we'll be safe. If Ling were in charge last night i'd have left wanting to get home to come on here venting my spleen about it. There's the difference and there's the difference between going down and staying up. We'll be fine, relax peoples!!

Hope the big yellow fun bus got home without anybody perishing of asphyxiation due to toxic gases!

[standupsitdown]

Another freezing night - felt even colder than Dagenham.
I wasn't impressed with Northampton and thought we deserved a point. Had we not appeared to settle for a point with half an hour to go we might have scored. It was only after conceding that we looked more positive and made a few chances.
Ref was awaful - one of those that both sets of fans thinks is favouring the other team Definate penalty - everyone stopped expecting him to point to the spot and no idea why he didn't.
Again we didn't look like a team that will be relegated, but with games running out we can't afford too much more bad luck now.

[Plymouth Gull]

Disappointing but we didn't expect anything, so we move on to Monday.

[AustrianAndyGull]

Be interesting to hear Northampton views on this game and more specifically, the ref.

You can see why they win so many at home. Referees influenced by the noisy crowd!

Oh and this is complete b*llocks. They had a group of 20 or so right next to the away the away end who were singing apart from that it was like being in a mortuary. Also colder too!!

[AustrianAndyGull]

Also about the ref. He had a shocker but he also reffed us in our 2-1 win at home against Port Vale last season, my first ever game at Plainmoor. He sent off one of their lads and gave us a penalty which Howe converted. Nobody had any complaints then. Yes he was sh*t on the night but we didn't score from open play and they did. I'm not defending refs as most of them are totally out of their depth at this level but i didn't think he was THAT bad. He could have easily given them a penalty first half no probs. I just think he got it badly wrong on BOTH sides last night not just for us.

[brucie]

The sixfields might as well have been renamed heartbreak ridge last night as we were cruelly denied a deserved point against a physical Northampton side.
A rearguard action but a really decent peformance for me.
It is impossible to convey how bad the prick of a referee was though racking up four yellow cards for us whilst refusing to book any of their players. Total home bias - in fact he only boooked a home player when he should have produced a red card for a lunging over the top challenge.
Key moment in the game was the referee turning down a stonewall penalty when the excellent Benyon had his legs chopped in the box.
It was a blatant,stonewall penalty - their player got nothing on the ball - make no mistake if that had happened at the other end the ref would have given it for certain.
Whilst we didn't much the goal galvanised us into action and Northampton were hanging on desperately at the end. A Labadie header cleared from under the bar, a Benyon toe poke looked for all the world a goal flicking off the keepers shoulder when he new nothing about it and a goal from Howe chalked off in injury time. My impression from behind the goal was that he was offside but more galling afterwards was the home supporters saying that the decsion was "touch and go".
We had some upset players at the final whistle - a crying shame that we didn't get anything out of the game.
With Barnet and York still to visit the Sixfields lets hope Sheldrake referees both games as the visitors will lose.
I have got a nasty feeling Plymouth and York will win today so we need three points on Monday.

[ntfcfan]

Hello all, Cobblers fan in peace.

First off, about the ref, I thought he was bad for both teams. You say about a penalty you could have had for a foul on Benyon, but we also could have had a couple of penalties for fouls on Clive Platt, who was a trouble for Angus M at the back. You also mention a foul where your keeper was flattened and then Howe booked for a similar tackle, Howe was guilty of a forearm smash to Lee Nicholl's face so it was a bit different.

Thought we were the better team because you were just so negative. Only started playing after we scored, and you threatened us after that, and would have got a point if you'd have started like that. We had the better chances, hitting the post etc. and a disallowed goal, which was a close call. Your goal was a massive offside so you can't complain with that one. Thought Benyon was a little s*** up front all night, played well.

Thought Poke took 3 hours for every restart and the referee actually helped you in that regard, because it seemed every offence committed (both teams) warranted a 15 minute chat each time. Anyway, you lot will be fine if you play like that, good luck for the rest of the season.

Also, credit to that excellent following of 250+ on a barsteward of a trip. Thought you lot were strangely muted though.

The lunging, over the top challenge mentioned, was that committed by our winger, 50 yards away from where you were sat Brucie?

[brucie]

I couldn't see anything like a penalty for you in the first half - Platt was a handful but was all over Macdonald just as much as the other way round.
I am suprised you took him off actually as akinfenwa was useless.
Suggesting that Howe smashed your keeper in the face is ridiculous (read comments from our manager)
Not sure we were that negative, its difficult when the referee is blowing up for free kicks against you every five seconds.
Interesting that you didn't mention the foul on Benyon in the box- it was the key moment in the game (again see the comments from our manager) - you will never see a more blatant penalty.
The referees refusal to book any home players whilst booking anything in a yellow shirt showed clear bias.
Our local radio match commentator is an Exeter supporter - even he was lampooning the referee which just about sums it up.
Long way to travel, all you want is consistency and there wasn't any.

[stevegull]

Thanks for the alternative view, ntfcfan, even if most of our posters won't agree! - The joys of football support!

Good to know you also think Benyon was good, as he had been off the boil since his return but if even you say he was a good little pest up front then he might well be back on the road to good form.

And I think you can forive the 'muted' away travelling support when you look at our away form in the league!

[brucie]

Benyon was indeed excellent last night - cannot see why you think he has been off the boil though. He has been very good, for me.

[stevegull]

Benyon was indeed excellent last night - cannot see why you think he has been off the boil though. He has been very good, for me.

I have only seen him once Brucie so I will bow to your judgement. I think he just needed to get some fitness back after a few seasons on subs benches! Good to know you think he's still the same old Benyon. Out of curiosity, Brucie, how many goals do you think a fully-fit Benyon can contribute over a season in League Two?

[brucie]

Difficult one to answer - I do think he is improving game by game. He hasn't really looked like scoring too many but his work rate has been fantastic and he was our best player last night. I would definately sign him for next season if he would come here.