United 1 Northampton 0
Match Sponsor: BARTLETT DAVIES BICKS
Matchball Sponsor: DAVE CHITTY
Man of the Match: Michael Poke
It was a victory that has been a long time coming but United and Northampton Town served up a ding dong contest at Plainmoor on Saturday afternoon which was eventually won by the Gulls who came up with the only goal in a match that could have finished up at least 4-4 but for two superb displays of goalkeeping by Michael Poke and the visitor's Chris Dunn.
Paul Buckle made two changes from the line-up that started the match at Lincoln last weekend: Tyrone Thompson & Danny Stevens made way for Elliot Benyon and new loan signing Jake Thomson.
A perfect day for football; some excellent pre-match entertainment, mild temperatures, little wind and no chance of rain with a soft pitch underfoot and United were at the races from the off. Loan signing Jake Thomson made a blistering start with a pacey, direct run at the Northampton defence in the fourth minute which was followed soon after by a long throw from Kevin Nicholson which was flicked toward his own goal by John Curtis and only an acrobatic tip onto his own crossbar by Dunn stopped United taking the lead. From the resultant corner Tim Sills powered a header past Dunn but it also struck the crossbar and fell to safety. Sills tested Dunn again but this time his effort lacked the power to trouble the visitor's 'keeper.
Kieran Charnock was booked in the 16th minute for a foul but the contest between Chris Robertson and ex-Gull Adebayo Akinfenwa was proving a rugged affair with no quarter being given. More then once the referee had to talk to the pair and Akinfenwa almost scored from an impossible angle as the ball skimmed across the United goal line and inches past the far post with numerous players stood watching.
Northampton are in the middle of a purple patch of form and they started to assert themselves on the game. Guinan pulled a shot from twelve yards wide of the right hand post midway through the half and Bucks made a tactical change at this point by swapping Wayne Carlisle and Jake Thomson on the wings.
In an end-to-end contest it was the Gulls who had the next opportunity after Chris Hargreaves chased the ball down and crossed for Tim Sills to force an excellent save from Dunn with an acrobatic effort.
Poke produced a superb one handed palm away to deny a Guinan header as Northampton finished the half the stronger. Jake Thomson was shown a yellow card for what looked like a well timed challenge in what was a full blooded, one hundred mile and hour period of play.
Half-Time: United 0 Northampton Town 0
The second half was, if anything, even more high tempo than the first but this suites United's quick, more direct style although it was Northampton who had the better of the early second period exchanges. Akinfenwa produced another fine save from Poke with a header and from the following open play Guinan beat Poke with a superbly struck shot from 20 yards but thankfully his effort cannoned back of the crossbar.
A minute later and Thomson had a decent chance but his header went over in a packed penalty area as the match was stretched almost to breaking point. Dunn in the visitor's goal was the next to be tested when Sills forced him into a good one handed stop. Elliot Benyon thought he had opened the scoring from the open play that followed but the assistant had spotted and offside and the goal was disallowed.
Jake Thomson was the next to try and beat Dunn but his 25 yard effort after another positive break forward was straight at the 'keeper. After a string of fine saves from both 'keepers perhaps the best of the lot came midway through the second half when Cobbler's substitute Marshall finished a strong forward run with a 25 yard effort that dipped in front of Poke who did well to parry it clear, the ball though bounced up in front of Akinfenwa who must have thought he had scored with his header before Poke flung himself across the goal and, one handed, tipped the ball around the left hand post; world class stuff.
The match was still being played out at a frenetic pace and had it finished 0-0 it would have gone down as one of the most entertaining goalless draws ever seen at Plainmoor. The fact that it didn't finish goalless was down to a tried and tested Kevin Nicholson long throw and a captain that has lead by example during this barren spell. Nicholson's throw wasn't cleared by Northampton and eventually Hargreaves jumped highest and nodded the ball down and past Dunn to send the Plainmoor faithful wild with only eight minutes remaining.
Goal: United 1 (Hargreaves 82) Northampton 0
To be fair to the visitor's they were far from finished although they didn't test Poke again in the remaining moments. Benyon did test Dunn but he was yet again up to the challenge and denied the Gulls' forward with another fine stop. Four minutes of added on time had everyone in the ground biting their nails but United weren't to be denied. It is now definitely a strong unbeaten run Torquay are on and the excitement of the FA Cup First Round Proper should have the locals back in numbers after this entertainment next weekend.
