Northampton opened the brighter and put us under a little pressure for the first ten minutes and then we took over and bossed the rest of the half without any clear-cut chances from both teams. This of course was apart from our goal which gave us a 1-0 lead at half-time.
There was a couple of half chances inside the area blocked by defenders until a loose ball fell to Verschave who drilled a neat low shot into the net.
Only one real incident of note was when Lacey thought we had a throw and tried to wrestle the ball from Frame who fell like a ton of bricks, resulting in the usual hand bags and a booking for both players. The Swans played some very neat football especially the three French players, but everyone had contributed to a well-deserved lead after that shaky opening.
The second half was very similar with us more than matching the Cobblers. We were still holding our own with players not giving Northampton the time on the ball. The only worrying aspect was that we were now starting to defend deeper. The turning point came with the introduction of ex Swan John Hodge about half way through the second half.
Although carrying a bit of weight he still showed some nifty footwork and got in a few telling crosses. Pressure was mounting with tired legs starting to tell. Thomas replaced Verschave to bolster midfield, but the inevitable came when we looked as if time was to be on our side. A sickening equaliser minutes from the end and before that had sunk in they got their second.
Both goals coming from hopeful crosses into a crowded area. Football can be a cruel game but each player can hold his head high as although there were a few silly mistakes, each had earned the applause of the fans tonight.
No criticism they had played to the best of their ability and we can ask nothing more. The sickening gut twisting feeling is that yet again we have played a team on the edge of the play-offs and on the day have matched them. We were fielding a weakened team and with a couple of regulars who knows we may have got all 3 points.
With displays like this at least we will be relegated showing some pride. With the addition NOW of the 2 experienced players we all cry for, we could even run staying up a close thing. A crowd of 4300 was swelled by 130-140 fans who although not singing continuously showed throughout that they were fully behind the team
To finish on a phrase we have already used FOOTBALL IS A CRUEL GAME the players deserved more tonight.
