LEAGUE TWO

NORTHAMPTON TOWN 2

Pierre 63, Williams 96

FOREST GREEN 1

Reid 44

FOREST GREEN’S unbeaten start to the season ended in dramatic fashion in a heated encounter at Northampton Town.

Reuben Reid handed Rovers the lead just before the break, but a dominant second-half display by Northampton saw Aaron Pierre level things up and then Andy Williams pinched the points on 96 minutes.

It was certainly fractious at the end, boss Mark Cooper involved an altercation with his managerial counterpart Keith Curle after a clash involving Rovers’ Liam Shepherd and Northampton’s Kevin Van Veen sparked a frenzy. Cooper was booked in added time as tempers continued to boil.

Earlier boss Cooper made two tweaks to his side – LIoyd James and Nathan McGinley coming in for Gavin Gunning and Tahvon Campbell, who failed to make the squad.

Northampton, boosted by the recent arrival of the wily boss Keith Curle, started on the front foot – charging down a James clearance and Matt Crooks heading over.

Rovers responded – Dayle Grubb gliding through the middle to force David Cornell into a sprawling save.

Both teams were cancelling each other out in the middle part of the first-half. However, Rovers started to paint pretty passing pictures, and in one flowing move, a James fizzer brought the best out of Cornell, who did well to glove the ball wide of the bottom corner.

Northampton offered little, but former Cheltenham striker Billy Waters should have done better with just Robert Sanchez to beat, the pint-sized attacked slicing wide.

Play was halted on 34 minutes – Matt Crooks poleaxed during a collision with Farrend Rawson – play halted for Crooks to receive treatment before returning to the action.

Following the break in play, Rovers missed a chance to break the stalemate. James, always looking to pull the midfield strings, released the scampering Liam Shephard, but his lob dropped over the bar.

Rovers pressed on with increasing intent. Grubb, cutting in from the left, clipped the top of the bar on 42 minutes.

Rovers were rewarded on the cusp of the break. Reece Brown rolled in Reuben Reid, who slipped beyond Cornell to roll the ball home for his fifth goal of the season with 44 minutes on the clock.

From the second-half get-go, Rovers were on the money. James’ delicious ball set wing-back Shepherd free. Despite his shirt being tugged, he arrowed a ball across the face of the box but nobody was in support to finish a killer move.

Northampton were gaining a foothold and Sanchez had to be on his mettle on 58 minutes – gloving a sumptuous Sam Foley hit wide from the edge of the box.

Rovers buckled under the pressure – Aaron Pierre nodding home from Jordan Turnbull’s headed assist on 63 minutes. Cooper had seen enough – swiftly hooking off Reid and Brown for Gavin Gunning and George Williams.

As the game enter the final 10 minutes, Cooper tinkered with his formation and switched to a 4-3-3 It was helter-skelter. Grubb was adjudged to have handled on the edge of the box – Cooper incandescent with rage following the decision, but Sanchez was on hand to superbly deny Hoskin’s teasing free-kick and he reacted sharply to block again as the ball pinballed in the box – Waters getting in the way of team-mate Pierre’s fizzer.

A touchline flair-up saw Rovers’ Shephard and Van Veen go toe-to-toe, which resulted in a bout of handbags involving a melee of players, with Cooper and Curle also exchanging head-to-head verbals.

When all was quite bookings were dished out to Rovers’ Shephard, Rawson and Northampton’s Van Veen.

In six minutes of added time, Hoskins missed a glorious chance and as the temperature rose Cooper was yellow carded from the bench.

Northampton pinched it seconds later. Shephard had his pocket-picked by Van Veen for Andy Williams to poke home on 96 minutes.

Northampton Town: Cornwell, Facey, Buchanan (Bridge 78), Hoskins, Foley, Williams, Pieree, Turnbull, Waters ( Powell 90), O’Toole, Crooks (Van Veen 57)

Bookings: Crooks 54, O’Toole 73, Hoskins 86, Van Veen 89

Forest Green: (3-5-1-1) Sanchez 7; McGinley 7, Rawson 8, Digby 7; Mills 7, James 8 (Pearce77), Brown 6 (Williams 66), Shephard 7; Grubb 6; Reid 6 (Gunning 66) Bookings: Sanchez 60 , Shepherd 89, Gunning 89

Star Man: LIoyd James

Attendance: 5,073

Away fans: 234

Referee: Ollie Yeates

Next up: Forest Green welcome Gloucestershire rivals Cheltenham Town next Saturday, 3pm