Dean Austin: Bad luck has cost Northampton

Posted Sunday, April 29, 2018 by PA

Northampton caretaker manager Dean Austin lamented the Cobblers’ bad luck as they were all-but relegated with a last-gasp 1-0 defeat at fellow strugglers Walsall.

Back-to-back wins had revived Northampton’s survival hopes but George Dobson’s stoppage-time winner for Walsall left them needing a miracle.

Only a nine-goal win over Oldham next weekend would give Northampton a chance of staying up and Austin admitted they were down.

But he felt Lady Luck was against the Cobblers as they struck the woodwork three times through Daniel Powell and Matt Grimes twice.

Austin said: “It’s very raw at the minute and it probably just sums this season up really.

“But, as I’ve said to the players, I cannot fault the attitude, application and desire that we’ve shown in the last few weeks.

“I’m gutted for the boys but also for the 2,000 fans we had here today because they were absolutely phenomenal and I thought that they were sucking the ball in for us in the second half. But it just didn’t run for us.

“It’s raw for me as well because this is the first time, in 29 years in this game, that I’ve ever been involved in a relegation.

“It just hasn’t run for us today but it’s not about today – let’s get things in perspective, this is about nine months.

“We gave ourselves a chance and we had enough chances today to win the game. For 75 minutes we were far, far, far the better team.”

Dobson’s stoppage-time strike, meanwhile, was a massive boost for Walsall’s survival bid and they need just a point from their last two matches.

Saddlers boss Dean Keates, who took over from Jon Whitney last month, said: “Since I’ve been here the lads have given everything and they did that today.

“It was just about getting a result today and we got that. That late goal was euphoria, relief, everything although it’s not good for your heart!

“The emotions are sky high and we’ve got to bring the lads back down to earth because we’ve got a massive game at Bradford on Tuesday, our game in hand.

“Come 10pm on Tuesday, we can be a guaranteed League One football club.

“The lads were well worthy of the win and they worked hard. We’ve got a little bit of luck with the one that hit the post and came back and hit our keeper on the head then off the crossbar.

“But you need that bit of luck. You need it in any sport, in any walk of life. We worked hard and earned that bit of luck.”