Eastwood saves penalty as Cobblers & Oxford share points
Northampton’s Matty Taylor saw a penalty saved by Oxford goalkeeper Simon Eastwood as the two sides drew at Sixfields.
Eastwood tipped a penalty he gave away onto the post a few minutes into the second half. Over the course of the 90 minutes, both sides had their opportunities but couldn’t turn them into goals.
Few chances came in the first half, with the best coming for the hosts, as Aaron Phillips saw an effort denied by Eastwood before Zander Diamond headed over the bar. Oxford’s best chances saw Connor McAleny & Tony Martinez fail to calibrate efforts on target.
The livelier second half began with the penalty, as Eastwood fouled Paul Anderson but tipped Taylor’s penalty away from danger. Marc Richards then hit the side-netting in a near-immediate move.
Kane Hemmings was then denied late on by Adam Smith in Oxford’s best chance for a winner, while the goalkeeper had also denied a Curtis Johnson effort. Michael Smith and Richards then couldn’t turn in late chances, and ultimately the two sides promoted from League Two last season shared the points.
The result takes the Cobblers up to 50 points for the season. They remain 14th in the table, and 8 points clear of the bottom four.