Draw specialists Northampton plumbed new depths of tepid football in a sluggish goalless encounter with Crawley Town at the PTS Academy Stadium.
The hosts recorded their fifteenth tie of the season- the highest of any team in the Football League- in a contest desperately lacking in quality from either side.
Crawley were quicker out of the blocks but found themselves unable to capitalise on an early opportunity when Tom Dallison-Lisbon saw his header cleared off the line by Cobblers left-back David Buchanan.
Minutes later, Jack Bridge carved out Northampton’s best chance of the match when his neat cross into the box was side-footed over the bar by John-Joe O’Toole.
The fact that these two moments of goalmouth action were to prove the apex of the afternoon’s footballing entertainment in Northamptonshire was a damning indictment of the paucity of attacking potential on show.
A depressing potpurri of misplaced passes, cynical scrimmaging, bird-brained hoofball and prolonged exchanges of head-tennis proved more than enough to put this match right in contention as one of the very poorest games to be seen in League Two this season.
The lethargic inability of either side to move out of first gear resulted in lengthy spells of the contest during which no team could retain possession of the ball for long enough to even attempt the fashioning of a goalscoring chance.
Northampton’s Joe Powell did at least manage to get a shot away from 25 yards just before the interval, but his attempt was little more than a frustrated punt towards goal, easily gathered up by Crawley keeper Glenn Morris.
Those who hoped that Keith Curle and Gabi Cioffi had used half-time team talks to instruct their charges to buck their ideas up were to be bitterly disappointed, as it was very much a case of ‘as you were’ after the break.
Powell did provide Morris with another brief examination of his shot-stopping abilities when his volley from the edge of the box was saved, and the Cobblers midfielder had another attempt late on from a right-sided free kick which slipped just the wrong side of the post. Dominic Poleon saw his shot gathered by David Cornell in Crawley’s sole chance of note in the second half.
Northampton’s unyielding persistence in playing ‘route one’ long balls to diminutive lone striker Sam Hoskins resulted in the latter failing to win a single header or forge one shot on target all afternoon.
Crawley’s lack of pace and cohesion as an attacking outfit was all that prevented them from taking advantage of their dire opponents in a game which was littered with calamitous individual performances on both sides.
The Cobblers were even handed a last-gasp opportunity to steal a win at the death when breaking loose on a counter-attack deep into stoppage time, but 18-year-old substitute Morgan Roberts headed Andy Williams’ cross high into the stands seconds before the final whistle sounded.
A loud chorus of boos at full-time made supporter feelings plain, the lone crumb of comfort being that both sides had claimed one more point in the battle to remain in League Two. On this evidence, neither team can be sure of safety just yet.
Northampton manager Keith Curle had mixed feelings about his players’ performance, saying:
“It was a point earned and a clean sheet. It was not a classic by any stretch of the imagination.
“The back four looked solid defensively. It was pleasing after the last home game [a 0-4 loss to Colchester United] to come away with a clean sheet. We showed that the team’s got a backbone, building on the win against Tranmere and the draw at Lincoln away. It was important that we showed resolve today.
“At the minute, we’re lacking a little bit of quality and a little bit of creativity.
“There needs to be improvement, both individually and collectively. Ultimately, and I’m not going to shy away from it, we need to be better in the final third.”
Crawley boss Gabi Cioffi was satisfied with his side’s defensive showing, saying:
“We looked solid. A 0-0 is fair. It was another good performance in terms of solidity and effort. But in terms of football I think we played much, much better against Mansfield and Stevenage.
“If we can’t win, we don’t have to lose.”
Teams and Player Ratings
Northampton Town: Cornell 5/10, Buchanan 6, Taylor 5, Pierre 6, Goode 7, O’Toole 5, McWilliams 5, J Powell 6, Elsnik 5, Bridge 5, Hoskins 4
Subs: Roberts (for Elsnik, 72′) 4, Williams (for J Powell, 85′) 6, Morias (for Hoskins, 90′) 6
Crawley Town: Morris 6, Francomb 6, McNerney 7, Dallison-Lisbon 6, Young 5, Bulman 5, Morais 6, Poleon 6, Sesay 7, Camara 5, Palmer 5
Sub: Payne (for Morais, 70′) 6
Referee: Nick Kinseley
Attendance: 4581 (123 away fans)
Star Men: Charlie Goode for Northampton and Joe McNerney for Crawley.
words Toby Foster, D3D4 Northampton Town correspondent