Match ends, Northampton Town 0, Crewe Alexandra 1.
NorthamptonNorthampton Town0CreweCrewe Alexandra1
Northampton plunged deeper into relegation trouble at the bottom of League One after losing at home to Crewe.
Owen Dale's late goal settled a poor game as the Cobblers dropped to 22nd position, while Crewe moved up to 14th.
Charlie Kirk squandered the game's first big chance when denied by Jonathan Mitchell after 13 minutes before Mark Marshall saw a shot blocked at the other end.
Those were the only chances of note in a scrappy and low-quality first half as both attacks struggled to make any impact on the contest.
Mickel Miller saw a strong penalty appeal turned down late in the half before Sam Hoskins blazed over the bar shortly after the restart.
Goalmouth action remained at a premium in the second half but the big moment arrived with 16 minutes to go.
After Ryan Edmondson fluffed a gilt-edged chance for Northampton, Crewe went straight up the other end and scored the winner as Dale tucked away Luke Murphy's through pass.
Report supplied by PA Media.
Line-ups
Northampton
Formation 4-3-3
- 13Mitchell
- 15Kioso
- 28Jones
- 6Horsfall
- 23Mills
- 18Morris
- 17McWilliamsBooked at 47minsSubstituted forJonesat 78'minutes
- 8Watson
- 45MarshallSubstituted forRoseat 55'minutes
- 7Hoskins
- 14MillerSubstituted forEdmondsonat 72'minutes
Substitutes
- 2Harriman
- 5Bolger
- 10Jones
- 11Korboa
- 26Edmondson
- 29Rose
- 35Berry
Crewe
Formation 4-3-3
- 1Jaaskelainen
- 5Daniels
- 16Lancashire
- 29BecklesBooked at 45mins
- 3Pickering
- 11AinleySubstituted forWintleat 71'minutes
- 8Lowery
- 28MurphyBooked at 45mins
- 19Dale
- 9PorterSubstituted forMandronat 86'minutes
- 10KirkSubstituted forAdebisiat 90+3'minutes
Substitutes
- 4Wintle
- 12Mandron
- 13Richards
- 21Adebisi
- 31Walker
- 32Evans
- 33Wood
- Referee:
- Sam Allison
Match Stats
Home TeamNorthamptonAway TeamCrewe
- Possession
- Home49%
- Away51%
- Shots
- Home6
- Away3
- Shots on Target
- Home0
- Away2
- Corners
- Home1
- Away4
- Fouls
- Home18
- Away15
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Northampton Town 0, Crewe Alexandra 1.
Post update
Corner, Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by Sam Hoskins.
Substitution
Substitution, Crewe Alexandra. Rio Adebisi replaces Charlie Kirk.
Post update
Foul by Fraser Horsfall (Northampton Town).
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Donervon Daniels (Crewe Alexandra) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Joseph Mills (Northampton Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Owen Dale (Crewe Alexandra).
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Foul by Alexander Jones (Northampton Town).
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Oliver Lancashire (Crewe Alexandra) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Mikael Mandron (Crewe Alexandra).
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Peter Kioso (Northampton Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution
Substitution, Crewe Alexandra. Mikael Mandron replaces Chris Porter.
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Corner, Northampton Town. Conceded by Harry Pickering.
Post update
Foul by Danny Rose (Northampton Town).
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Donervon Daniels (Crewe Alexandra) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Joseph Mills (Northampton Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Owen Dale (Crewe Alexandra).
Substitution
Substitution, Northampton Town. Alexander Jones replaces Shaun McWilliams.
Goal!
Goal! Northampton Town 0, Crewe Alexandra 1. Owen Dale (Crewe Alexandra) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Luke Murphy with a through ball.
