Northamptonshire’s search for an overseas player is still on after their number one target rejected a contract offer.

New South Wales seamer Trent Copeland, who has played three Test matches for Australia, has opted to stay at home during the southern hemisphere winter rather than ply his trade at the County Ground.

And chief executive David Smith has stated that the club have their eye on other potential recruits.

He said: “Obviously we’re disappointed because we’d earmarked Trent as a bowler who could do a good job for us in the first eight or nine Championship games.

“He ticked all the boxes for a frontline bowler, he’s got a very good fitness record and would suit that particular time of year.”

“We always had a shortlist and we weren’t totally reliant on one individual.

“We’ll start to make contact with other players and see where that takes us.”

For more reaction to this story and all the other news from Wantage Road see this week’s paper.

A SUSPECTED robber has denied committing a spree of hold ups of stores and betting shops in Northampton while armed with a baseball bat.

Mohammed Hassan, 23, entered not guilty pleas to the six charges he faces alleging armed robberies of Corals and Betfred outlets and Co-op shops in Northampton.

He is accused of robbery of cash from Corals, in Farm Field Court, Thorplands, on February 29, and again on May 19, as well as robbery of the Co-op in Bushland Road, Headlands, on March 12.

Hassan is also charged with armed robberies of the Betfred bookies in Kettering Road and St Leonard’s Road, Far Cotton, and the Co-op in Fieldmill Square, Bellinge, all on March 9.

Adjourning the case and remanding him in custody, Recorder Oscar Del Fabbro said: “This matter is going to go for trial and we are told it’s going to last two days, maybe a little bit longer.

“We’re going to try to find a fixed date for this trial because it’s likely expert witnesses will be called by the prosecution.”

Hassan, of Lashan Court, Bellinge, Northampton, was further remanded in custody.

Henry James, defending, said: “The defendant’s position is he was not involved in any of the robberies.”

Detectives hoping to trace 28 unnamed people pictured at the Lava & Ignite tragedy have now identified three of the mystery clubbers following last week’s fresh appeal for information.

Police launched the reappeal a year after Nabila Nanfuka, aged 22, and Laurene-Danielle Jackson, aged 19, died after they were crushed to death on a stairwell.

On Friday, officers told the Chronicle & Echo how 6,000 hits had been recorded on the dedicated section of the Northamptonshire Police website.

Thousands of people have also watched CCTV footage on YouTube, while almost 200,000 people have clicked on an appeal placed on Facebook.

Detective Inspector Louise Hemmingway has this afternoon revealed the team of officers investigating the tragedy has now “positively identified” three people from the photo while a number of further names are being followed up.

She said: “We have been extremely pleased with the response we have received from members of the public since we launched the appeal last week. We have now positively identified three of the people in the poster and have further names we are actively following up.

“Our sincere thanks go to the people who have come forward identifying themselves and also everyone who has contacted us with information around people they recognise.

“We have been overwhelmed by the response from the public and the support they have shown the campaign. We have received hundreds of retweets and shares on Twitter and Facebook and the CCTV footage has been viewed over 3,000 times on YouTube.

“We would again reiterate that no-one is in trouble – we don’t suspect anyone in the images of a crime – we just need their help as key witnesses to what happened during the tragedy so that we can bring our investigation to a conclusion.

“The images are still available to view on our website or on Facebook. We also have a dedicated account on Twitter where people can follow us @ClubTragedy.”

A father-of-two who was caught growing cannabis plants in his Earls Barton home has been jailed for eight months.

Derek Bevan, aged 51, of Broad Street, Earls Barton, was arrested when police raided his home on August 5 and found 40 immature cannabis plants.

Bevan, who admitted producing class B drugs, was jailed at Northampton Crown Court.

A former employee of the John Lewis Partnership has admitted plotting to steal more than £200,000 of 
electrical goods.

Marcin Bakowski, aged 29, of North Holme Court, Thorplands, Northampton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle the Brackmills depot in October last year.

He appeared at Northampton Crown Court with five other men accused of involvement in conspiracy. Bakowski also pleaded guilty to five charges relating to the theft of a digital camera, camcorder, Macbook computers and converting criminal property.

Piotr Kozlowski, aged 31, of St James, Northampton, also pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge and will be sentenced with Bakowski at the conclusion of their co-defendants’ trial.

Lukasz Srodecki, 32, Kryzstof Bogszewski, 33, and 25-year-old Przemslaw Chyla, all of Northampton, pleaded not guilty to involvement in the conspiracy and will stand trial next year, along with Vitalijs Razadovskis, 25, who denies possessing the money obtained by selling the stolen goods.

However, Razadovskis did admit handling stolen iPads taken during the break-in. It is alleged the defendants used insider knowledge to steal iPads and computers worth £220,000, some of which were sold via a shop in Coventry, on the Gumtree website. All but Bakowski were bailed.

A secondary school in Northamptonshire has become the first in the county to be rated “outstanding” in the new Ofsted framework.

Sponne School, in Towcester, has completed a remarkable improvement from February 2010, when it was rated “satisfactory” after a visit by representatives from the Government’s education watchdog.

The new Ofsted inspection framework has been toughened up in many areas and to get “outstanding”, schools need to have high-achieving pupils as well as teaching of the highest quality in all departments.

The report, of the Ofsted visit on October 2 and 3, stated the “quality of teaching is outstanding and has shown rapid improvement”.

Robert Jones, lead inspector, said: “Achievement is outstanding.

“Students consistently make better-than-expected progress and the attainment of all students is rising.

“The quality of teaching is outstanding and has shown rapid improvement. Lessons are engaging, varied and fun. Students make good progress in lessons because they are fully involved in their own learning through group work, with ample opportunities to discuss issues with each other.”

Headteacher Jamie Clarke said: “We are absolutely delighted with the judgement. This is great news for pupils and staff and people in Towcester. We believe the teaching overall has always been good and the students performed really well in their summer exams.”

Teenagers from secondary schools in Northamptonshire were given the chance to drive a Mercedes-Benz at Silverstone as part of a new road safety project.

Dozens of 15 and 16-year-olds from Sponne, Guilsborough, Wrenn and Chenderit Secondary Schools were given the chance to drive a car and learn about road safety from the perspectives of drivers, passengers and pedestrians.

The RoadSense initiative is run at the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy, based at the Silverstone Motor Racing Circuit.

Robert East, National Operations & Development Manager at the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy, saidd: “RoadSense is designed to equip this vulnerable younger age group with the power to take responsibility for road safety.

“Our experience shows that younger teenagers are more receptive to learning and if we can teach them about road safety early on, there is a higher chance that the skills will be put into practice on the public roads.

“Through working with schools in the Northamptonshire area to offer RoadSense as an add on to the curriculum we are confident that when local pupils start to drive, or be driven by their friends, they will have a more responsible attitude towards driving and will be aware of the wider risks involved.”

Good to see Labour borough councillor, Danielle Stone, keeping abreast of what’s happening in her part of town. During a brief chat with a Chron hack the other day, she inquired: “So where is your office now?”

We felt obliged to inform Dani that the Chron is still in the same place in Upper Mounts. We haven’t moved and we are still one of the biggest employers in Castle ward. Your ward, Dani, try to keep up.

We don’t recommend you try this at home, but how many of you caught the county council cabinet meeting webcast where you really can hear Gonzo talking about Northampton in terms of “24/7 metro living”.

Being an old crust, Aufona Googled this for a clearer description, but all we could find were 10 characteristics that define “metro” such as “dress hot”, “wear awesome (possibly Church’s) shoes”, read style magazines, love the gym and, oddly, “can’t deal with a mess”. Any of those familiar, councillor?

THE Mack deftly handled the odd potential pitfall during last Friday’s Chron webcast where he gamely sat and took online questions from readers.

Like the Market Square fountain – “I wouldn’t have designed the fountain the way it is and I inherited this from the Lib Dems. But it would cost too much now to change it significantly so I have a tough decision when I get that report” – or on Andrew Mitchell.

Yes or no, should he be fired for “Plebgate”: “It is difficult to know in the situation because there are conflicting accounts of what happened. I do think the whole thing was unfortunate and the Chief Whip should never become the story, so we’ll see what happens next week when Parliament comes back”. And so on.

In his final question he surprisingly admitted he’d choose The X Factor over Strictly. Surprising because he is taking part in this year’s Strictly Northampton competition, under the tutelage of a brilliant dance instructor named Doris who, for the third year running, has a politician under her wing.

Binners was first up in 2010, followed by the eminent Professor Glynane last year. With The Mack taking this year’s berth with Doris, 2013 surely beckons for another political colossus, perhaps Norman Hacker in his 70th year or gym slave Mikey Ellis, whose body mass index could be transformed still further following a twirl or three with our Doris.

WE previously reported on Suresh Patel helping to drive the campaign to create St James Parish Council. So it was surprising not a single Tory councillor bothered to show up for the public meeting on the plans. Funny that.

Is Peter “Sven” Bone mellowing? The answer is probably “not that much”, but he has said something nice about the Government. “What a star we have in the Home Secretary”, he told the Commons, in reference to Abu Hamza and the Government winning an opt-out of the EU on crime and policing. He’s now on Twitter as 
@peterboneMP. Look forward to more of this “Sad, Missed church due spilling hot tea twice and need to take son to tennis. Mrs Bone downloading Archers. Sanity restored!!”

Smiles all round for the “30 days to go photocall” for Adam Simmonds’s campaign to be the county’s first PCC.

Two observations: Adam, rather than Norman Hacker, should have been centre stage and who are all those Conservatives trying to fit in the photo? Like you, Big Phil Larratt . . .

A woman had her hand twisted as a mugger stole her mobile phone in Northampton town centre.

Police officers have appealed for witnesses following an incident which took place at around 12.30pm on Friday, October 19, in the Grosvenor Centre.

A 41-year-old woman was standing outside the BHS store when a man took her mobile phone from her by twisting her hand.

The offender is described as 6ft tall, white, unshaven, aged 37, of medium build with short mousey coloured hair.

He was wearing a silver stud in his right ear, a cream Henley’s jacket with a lumberjack style shirt underneath, light blue jeans and dirty white trainers.

The Bradford City game on Tuesday night takes place at Sixfields against a backdrop of people wondering what might have been.

It could all have been so different had Friday’s game against Barnet gone with the form book and not turned out to be a catastrophic mess of a fixture.

If the Cobblers, as they should and most definitely could have done, beaten the Bees they would have gone as high as fifth in the npower League Two table, and the weekend results would have ensured they stayed in the play-off places.

There would have been a real buzz around the ground this week.

Supporters would have rubbed their hands at the FA Cup draw pairing the team with Bradford City at home - as it was, they groaned.

Attendances, which have been decent but not spectacular, would have risen for these two games.

There wouldn’t have been queues back to the cinema, but the club could reasonably have expected to get a few hundred more souls in the place.

So it’s back to being ‘under the radar’ again.

The club is spared speculation from outside that they might do something special this season.

The pressure, in a sense, is off.

Alex Nicholls commented in an interview not so long ago that the players don’t mind this - they like the fact that people don’t talk about them, that they are allowed to quietly do their thing.

So it is now a time to take stock and get back to the basics.

Maybe, with thoughts of a big win in everyone’s heads on the way down to Barnet on Friday night, we were in danger of getting ahead of ourselves.

A little stability is needed now. Progress, too, and league points of course, but mainly stability, a reassertion of resilience and certainly no results like the one last Friday.

After all, as Aidy Boothroyd has consistently stated, it’s all about staying in the pack...

Extra officers are to be drafted into Northampton town centre this weekend to make sure Halloween fun does not spill into disorder and anti-social behaviour.

Police across Northamptonshire have also been taking crime prevention and safety messages into the classroom before the school half-term holidays, next week.

Safer Community teams have been “working closely” with schools to ensure kids know the pitfalls of trick or treating, while extra patrols have been organised to deal with any problems this weekend.

Inspector Jen Helm, of the south-west sector in Northampton, said: “We have been working closely with schools in our area and we are focusing on our hotspot areas and vulnerable residents.

“We expect 99 per cent of people to respect the wishes of others and still enjoy themselves, but we will come down hard on those who choose to behave anti-socially.

“Please let us know if there are issues in your community and we will send out dedicated officers to deal.”

Inspector Dave Rayfield, of Northampton’s central sector, added: “We will have extra resources on duty in the centre of Northampton to basically provide a response to any unwanted issues of anti social behaviour.

“We would encourage people to enjoy both the Bonfire and Halloween celebrations but to do so in a way that is respectful and considerate to all sections of the community.”

Increased patrols in anti-social behaviour hotspot areas will take place in Daventry.

Inspector Dave Spencer said: “Extra officers will be out and about in locations where incidents have been prevalent in the past and we will be making sure young children stay safe in the days ahead.

“But our key message is around responsibility, and it is a message that applies to parents and local traders as well as the children themselves.”

A public-spirited neighbour who confronted three burglars in Northampton during an early-hours break-in has been awarded £250 from public funds.

Neil Andrews, of Hunsbury, Northampton , was praised by Judge Richard Bray at Northampton Crown Court today while sentencing Adam Kightley, 23, for the burglary.

Rachel Law, prosecuting, said Mr Andrews was returning home at 1.45am on March 31, after a Saturday night out, when he spotted Kightley in Cinnamon Close, East Hunsbury.

She said: “ He was standing outside a neighbour’s house and had three mountain bikes on the ground near him. He went back into his house but was suspicious so looked out of the window and saw another male using a torch in his neighbour’s garage.

“He went out and asked if they were stealing bikes and the defendant said he was waiting for someone called Steve so Mr Andrews knocked on his neighbour’s door to say there was someone in his garage.”

The court heard that when the neighbour discovered his £450 mountain bikes was missing, Kightley and his accomplices ran off but were chased by Mr Andrews as they abandoned the stolen bike.

Miss Law added: “One of the other males was carrying a set of bolt cutters and swung them at Mr Andrews, who ran away but was hit in the back suffering a cut, but not by this defendant.”

Kightley, of London Road, Far Cotton, Northampton, who was previously jailed for 18 months in 2009 for burglary, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment.

Judge Bray said: “This was a night-time burglary where the householder was asleep.

“I bear in mind your basis of plea that you did not play a major role but nevertheless this was a plainly planned enterprise involving several people and one who had bolt cutters.

“You have a poor record including for burglary and were given 18 months last time.

“There must be a custodial sentence.

The judge added: “I would like to make an award out of public funds to the neighbour Neil Andrews, who interrupted the burglary and attempted to tackle the burglars, at some risk to himself.”

David Everett, mitigating, said: “The defendant made is clear to the police and to the court that he initially did not want to be involved and only went along because one of them was his brother and wanted to ensure his brother did not get into any trouble.

“Unfortunately, that meant he got into trouble himself.

“Tragically, his baby son died a week or so before this offence and and has a ffected him and his partner greatly. They have not been able to bury their son yet because of the long, protracted police investigation which does not seem to be going anywhere, not surprisingly perhaps.”

Jamie Elliott scored twice in his return from injury as the Wanderers beat Oxford University 26-0 at Franklin’s Gardens on Monday night.

Elliott, who hasn’t played for Saints since February 11 due to a hamstring injury, got a brace inside nine minutes and was then withdrawn 17 minutes later.

The decision to replace the 20-year-old wing wizard was merely a precaution as it was always planned to haul him off before the 30-minute mark.

The Wanderers went on to score two more tries, through replacements Alex Wootton and Matt Williams, to clinch a comfortable victory.

Oxford had been hit by a red card to captain and No.8 John Carter, who put in an ugly elbow charge on Wanderers fly-half Will Hooley.

And the home side, already in control, proceeded to shut out the Dark Blues, making it a Varsity double after their recent win against Cambridge University.

Prop Soane Tonga’uiha is set to miss at least three Saints games in November after he was named in Tonga’s 35-man squad for their autumn international series in Europe.

Tonga’uiha and Co will play four matches, starting with a game against Italy in Brescia on Saturday, November 10, the same day as Saints host Harlequins in the LV= Cup.

They then face Newcastle at Kingston Park three days later, before a game against USA Eagles in Wales on November 17.

And Tonga complete their campaign against Scotland in Aberdeen on November 24.

It means as well as the Quins clash, Tonga’uiha is set to miss the trip to Newport Gwent Dragons (November 18), also in the LV= Cup, and the Aviva Premiership clash with London Welsh at Franklin’s Gardens. (November 24).

Bradford City boss Phil Parkinson is hoping striker Nahki Wells can enjoy another dream 90 minutes at Sixfields when the Bantams square up to the Cobblers tonight (Tues, ko 7.45pm).

The Bermudian was brilliant in the previous meeting between the sides at Northampton in April, scoring a fantastic hat-trick as the Cobblers failed to handle him and strike partner James Hanson on their way to a 3-1 defeat.

City are back at Sixfields tonight, fresh from their win over play-off rivals Cheltenham at Valley Parade on Saturday and sitting pretty in fifth place in npower League Two.

Both Wells and Hanson starred again in that win, and Parkinson is hoping they will produce more of the same against the Cobblers.

Wells scored twice to take his tally for the season to nine in 15 games, while Hanson has scored five in 19.

Bantams boss Parkinson told the Bradford Telegraph & Argus: “That was a really big day for us. I remember Northampton pulled a goal back and we went straight down the other end and Nahki lobbed the keeper.

“It was a really good all-round display and tonight will have to be just like that. If we could perform like that, it would be great.

“If you’re a goal-scorer like Nahki and you scored a hat-trick there, you’ve got to be relishing it tonight.

“When he plays with the desire he showed on Saturday, he’s a very difficult player to handle. You can try to stop him but he’s always on the move, always closing down and proving a real handful.

“The work ethic of the team starts with the front two and Hans does so much for the team that people don’t notice.

“The work he does off the ball is not the glory part of the job but he doesn’t moan about it and the lads really appreciate it.”

Parkinson feels City’s front two are as good as any in league two on their day – but will tell them both that there can be no let-up against a Northampton side smarting from a 4-0 thrashing at lowly Barnet.

“They are still young players and at the early part of the learning stages of their career,” he said.

“When they play with the effort and commitment they showed on Saturday, they are very tough.

“They are both extremely good athletes. For Hans to be able to run and move as much as he can at 6ft 3in is very unusual.

“But they’ve got to keep it going and I’ll be reminding them that tonight is another test for us.

“That’s the way football is. If you want to be a top player, the games come just as thick and fast but there’s more spotlight on you.

“Every time you cross that white line, you have to perform to your maximum.”

Parkinson was at Underhill to see Northampton cave in against the division’s bottom team and he expects City to face a stiff response from Aidy Boothroyd’s men.

He said: “The 4-0 scoreline wasn’t a true reflection on the game. Northampton could have been ahead at half-time.

“They will play with a lot of energy and there will certainly be a reaction to that. They will be hurting and we’ve got to be ready.

“But if we play in the manner we did on Saturday and stay strong and committed, it gives us a great chance.”

Two 14-year-old boys have today been arrested in connection with the manslaughter of Joanna Smith, who died as a result of a car crash on the A45 in April this year.

The two teenagers, one from Hardingstone, the other from Grange Park, are currently being questioned by officers at the Criminal Justice Centre in Northampton.

Both have been arrested on suspicion of committing criminal damage and the manslaughter of Joanna Smith.

The arrests come three weeks after officers revealed Joanna’s death is now being investigated as manslaughter and appealed for witnesses to come forward.

It is believed Mrs Smith’s tyres were deliberately slashed near her home in Wilks Walk, Grange Park prior to her death.

Today’s arrests are part of a planned approach by detectives which is likely to see further arrests made in the near future.

Mrs Smith was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash near Earls Barton less than a year after she married John Smith, a former sports reporter at the Chronicle & Echo’s sister newspaper, the Northamptonshire Telegraph.

Mrs Smith did not realise the tyre had been sabotaged and died on her way to work on the Tuesday after the Easter weekend.

Her husband John, aged 36, said the vandals had “shattered” his life. He said: “I suppose there are apologists out there who will say that this kind of thing is just the way society is now, but it isn’t. Why would people do this?”

Mr Smith met Joanna, who worked as a pharmacy manager in Irchester, in 2005. They had only been married for nine months when the tragedy happened. He added: “Our lives have been shattered and now we are going through the process of rebuilding. It’s been hard but I’ve had a lot of support from family and friends.

Detectives said the manslaughter probe into the tragic death of Joanna Smith was the first of its kind in the UK. The East Midlands Special Operations Unit major crime team is leading the investigation. DCI Martin Kinchin said: “This is a complex investigation and as such has a large number of resources from various departments within the force working on it. We do not believe Joanna was specifically targeted but was the tragic victim of senseless vandalism.”

Following the collision, officers were informed by members of the public that another three cars, all parked close to Mrs Smith’s black Honda Jazz, also had tyres damaged on the evening before the crash.

Their suspicions were confirmed after the tyre was sent to specialists in Warrington for analysis.

Police are unsure what weapon was used on the tyres.

Remains of the walls of Northampton Castle have been discovered at an archeological dig ahead of the £20 million redevelopment of Northampton railway station.

Preparations for the development start at the end of the week, and the dig is taking place until Thursday to learn more about the building which once stood on the site.

Experts from Northamptonshire Archaeology dug a trench within the area currently used for short-stay car parking, and discovered part of an old stone wall, a stone line drain and a late-Saxon pit.

Northampton Castle was situated on part of the current station site, but it is believed most remains were destroyed and displaced over time as the railway was developed.

Andy Chapman, senior archaeologist with Northamptonshire Archaeology, said: “We opened the trench yesterday and we are down on the cobbles of the old station yard.

“I didn’t expect this level of preservation. It is really well preserved. The pottery is medieval, it is exactly the right date. It is a really interesting find.”

Council leader, Councillor David Mackintosh, (Con, Rectory Farm) said: “There has always been a debate about where the castle is located. We want to make sure as we move forward with the station, we respect the historical site.

“This was a very important part of Northampton’s history, but also the country’s. We need to recognise the town’s history while also looking to the future.

“This is the entrance most people have to Northampton. It is not very inspiring and is pretty shabby. We want to create something iconic.”

County councillor Heather Smith (Con, Prebendal), cabinet member for community services, said: “We expected when we opened up the trench that we wouldn’t find anything at all, so to uncover part of the old walls is quite exciting.

“Knowing that is here helps us moving forward. We will incorporate things which will reflect the fact that a medieval castle was on this site.

Located in the Northampton Enterprise Zone, the new railway station will be almost twice the size of the existing building, which is already at capacity during peak hours. The detailed design will be finalised this year, with main construction works due to commence in 2013 and complete in 2014.

In the longer term, there are plans for a 1,270 space multi-storey car park and a 28,000 square metre commercial development, subject to securing future funding.

Funding for the station project was secured in May 2012. Central Government is investing £10 million while other partners, including Network Rail and Northamptonshire County Council, are meeting the remainder of the £20 million total development costs.

The Cobblers were beaten and failed to score for the second time in five days as Bradford City ran out winners at Sixfields.

Nakhi Wells, who scored a hat-trick at Northampton in this fixture last season, was again the match-winner, pouncing on a Danny East error to score the only goal of a 1-0 victory after 10 minutes of the second half.

It was another poor performance from Town, who did not look like scoring all night and who found their long-ball tactics completely nullified by the visitors.

Creativity was at a minimum and the game should probably have finished as a scoreless draw, with Wells’ presence of mind and sharpness the difference between the two sides.

But Aidy Boothroyd’s team did not create enough to lay claim to a share of the spoils and visiting keeper Jon McLaughlin enjoyed something of a night off.

His opposite number, Lee Nicholls, survived a scare on 12 minutes when he slid to collect a through-ball and lost it in contact with Wells before appearing to attempt to claw the striker’s legs from beneath him.

Nothing was given and the ball was then worked to Craig Forsyth, whose shot was well blocked by Kelvin Langmead and it squirted to the safe haven behind the goal.

Minutes later, Bradford somehow failed to score what look like it should have been a certain goal with James Hanson’s header scrambled off the line by Danny East as Town survived by the skin of their teeth.

At that point, there was little sign of the planned response to the Barnet result, with a solitary Alex Nicholls shot all the home side had to their name in a largely disappointing first 45 minutes.

The second period was not much better. It began with Wells’ goal, his fourth on this ground in just two visits and perhaps the easiest of the four.

A goal kick ran all the way through, East attempted to nod it back to Lee Nicholls but Wells was alert and alive and touched it past the advancing goalkeeper.

They should have doubled their advantage when Hanson blazed over the bar after Nicholls had parried Garry Thompson’s fierce shot on the run from 25 yards.

Town’s best chance game when Louis Moult, on as a substitute, arrived to meet a bouncing ball with his head, forcing McLaughlin to tip over his crossbar on the stretch.

But there was no more goalmouth action, with Bradford comfortably dealing with the long balls from the home defenders and the supporters greeting the final whistle with a chorus of boos.

Cobblers: L Nicholls, East, Langmead, Charles, Widdowson, Roofe, Tozer, Huws, A Nicholls, Platt, Akinfenwa

Subs: Moult (for Platt, 69mins)

Subs not used: Higgs, Demontagnac, Mukendi, Wilson, Hornby, Dias

Bradford City: McLaughlin, McArdle, Davies, Oliver, Meredith, Thompson, Ravenhill, Doyle, Forsyth, Wells, Hanson

Subs: Atkinson (for Forsyth 79mins)

Subs not used: Darby, Jones, Duke, McHugh, Connell, Hines

Attendance: 3,541

Away fans: 264