Wanderers 1 Northampton 2

7:50am Wednesday 27th August 2008

WANDERERS slumped out of the Carling Cup looking anything but a club looking for an extended run in this year’s competition.

Having made five changes to the side which faced Newcastle at the weekend and dropping Kevin Nolan, Kevin Davies and Andy O’Brien to the bench, Gary Megson gambled on having enough experience and quality to see off a side 45 positions below them in the Football League.

And although all three emerged to try and salvage something from a desperately disappointing night, the Wanderers boss must concede that his decision did not pay off.

Adebayo Akinfenwa’s two first-half strikes put the Cobblers well in front before Gary Cahill’s straight red card for a rash challenge on Giles Coke made the task nigh-on impossible. Nolan’s late effort – his 50th in club football – proved only a consolation.

The defeat evoked memories of recent embarrassments in the Carling Cup against Macclesfield Town and Bury and closed the door on perhaps Wanderers’ best route into Europe.

Northampton’s last spate of giant-killing came nearly 10 years ago when they beat a West Ham side containing the likes of Ian Wright, Frank Lampard and Eyal Berkovic over two legs at the same stage of the competition.

They needed only 90 minutes to better Wanderers who, like the Hammers that night, had more than enough Premier League know-how to deal with the occasion.

Shorn of the injured Johan Elmander and Matty Taylor, Megson rested Nolan and Davies – who it later emerged both had slight injuries – and gave full debuts to both Riga and Danny Shittu.

Heidar Helguson was also handed his first start since April, but the experience proved just as unfulfilling as his last, a dismal 4-0 drubbing at Aston Villa.

Perhaps the writing was on the wall just 40 seconds in when Shittu’s slip on half-way allowed Adebayo Akinfenwa a clear run at Jussi Jaaskelainen. The Cobblers striker missed on this occasion but would be given ample chance to make up for his error.

Wanderers clicked temporarily into gear as Ricardo Gardner and Riga surged forward on the flanks at will but save for an acrobatic effort from the ever-unpredictable Shittu that glanced off Mark Bunn’s left-hand post, the visitors held impressively firm.

It was however, with a degree of misfortune that Megson’s men found themselves on the back foot on 21 minutes as, after a quick break down the left, Andy Holt sent a driven cross into the box, which bounced off the lower arm of the on-rushing Gavin McCann.

Ball to hand? It was an argument that no doubt resonated through the refreshment stalls at half time – but referee Graham Laws had no doubts, giving Akinfenwa the chance to send Jaaskelainen the wrong way from the spot.

Northampton’s opener should have been the signal for Wanderers to start exerting their Premier League class. Instead, it was the League One side who were able to conjure another telling blow within two minutes.

Abdul Osman was given two opportunities to cross from the right wing, and though there seemed ample cover in the centre, both Gary Cahill and Danny Shittu could not prevent the bandaged Akinfenwa from heading clear past Jaaskelainen for his second of the night.

It seemed unlikely the night would get worse but, somehow on 38 minutes, it did. Captain-for-the-night Cahill’s impossibly high challenge on Giles Coke would not have been out of place in the Olympic Taekwondo competition, and though the defender showed obvious remorse for his actions, match official Laws had little option but to flash a straight red card.

Joey O’Brien almost fashioned a consolation just before the break, forcing Bunn into a fine save with a low free-kick through the wall but it was with an understandable look of trepidation that the side trudged toward the dressing room for a debrief from the manager.

Wanderers improved marginally after the break. Riga nearly connected with a good cross from Samuel on the hour, before Megson made his move – bringing off the Dutchman for Kevin Davies and replacing Samuel with Kevin Nolan.

Both made an immediate impact. Davies should have had a penalty after being bundled down by Bunn, before the Cobblers keeper reacted smartly to deny Nolan’s scissor-kick from 10 yards out.

Bunn showed his quality once again by standing up to Helguson’s close range shot but there was nothing he could do about Nolan’s clever chip with just over seven minutes left on the clock after the goal-hungry skipper seized on the Iceland striker’s knockdown.

Helguson thought he had scored an equaliser with seconds remaining, heading home unmarked – but offside – at the far post.

Ultimately, however, it was a case of too little too late. The fans who had stayed around to voice their disapproval summed it up perfectly.