With five members of the first team squad on show you would have hoped that things would have gone a lot better. Rossi, Edghill, Padula, Miller and Thorpe all started the game and it was Miller that came closest to notching for Rangers with a freekick that cleared the bar of Cobblers keeper Dunn. 

Northampton scored both of their goals before the halftime break. With half an hour played Lee Barnard, on loan from Spurs, beat Rossi with an effort from the edge of the area. Ten minutes later David Hicks curled home from fully twenty five yards to double their advantage.

Things didn’t pick up much for Rangers after the break with Tony Thorpe heading their only decent chance wide of the target. Even the halftime introduction of youth team livewire Shabazz Baidoo couldn’t pep things up and the game ended with Waddock far from pleased with the players.

He said of the display, “We just seemed really flat, even in our warm up. We were poor and that statement sums everything up”. Harsh words indeed.