"Exceptional" free-kick not enough
A youthful Town development side were held to a 1-1 draw by a stronger Northampton side at Ely Way on Tuesday afternoon.
The Hatters included six players who were involved in Saturday’s FA Trophy win over Wrexham and one of those players, Alex Wall, fired the Town ahead with a stunning free-kick.
After taking the lead the Town spurned a number of opportunities to double the lead and put the game beyond the Cobblers. Charlie Smith saw an effort strike the post while Zane Banton skied an easy chance from close range.
In the final few minutes the Hatters made a number of changes and soon after the Cobblers levelled to earn a share of the spoils.
First team coach Hakan Hayrettin told lutontown.co.uk: “We should have won. We created numerous chances but couldn’t take them, but it’s still an encouraging performance.
“We played with a good tempo throughout and the only disappointment was their equaliser in the closing stages.
“The team might have been younger than it was on Saturday but the philosophy and ethos remained the same. We approach games in a positive frame of mind and always want to play quick, attacking football.
“We’ve always maintained that these games are for the benefit of the football club as a whole; developing players and creating a healthy competition for places. We want a successful club and want all of our players to be on their toes.
“Alex Wall’s come through another 80-odd minutes and he looked very good and scored an exceptional goal.”
Town: Justham; Longden, Trialist, Davis (sub Tamplin), Chabata; Amu (sub Trialist), Rees, C. Smith, Viana; Wall (sub McKenzie-Lowe), Banton.