Cobblers share spoils with City

Norwich City Reserves 1, Northampton Town Reserves 1: A youthful City Reserves' side shared the points with Northampton Town in last night's Pontins' Combination Reserve clash at Carrow Road.

With several of the reserve team regulars included in the travelling party to Turf Moor, Ricky Martin had just one professional at his disposal in the shape of Matthew Harriday and it was he who had the first opportunity of the match when he fired over the bar after the visitors failed to clear a free-kick.

It was the Cobblers however, who opened the scoring on 12 minutes when Daniel Green raced clear down the right flank to send in a low cross at Shaun Goodall which slid past Steve Arnold in the City goal.

City might have drawn level when Jordan Yong connected with a Kurtis Byrne cross but Town 'keeper Chris Dunn produced a fine point blank save. Yong then returned the compliment for Byrne who could only send his effort into the side netting. Norwich almost made it two with an identical move to that what brought them the opening goal of the game but Sam Maude could only direct his effort into the arms of Arnold.

With five minutes of the half remaining, City found themselves back on level terms when a Yong cross was cleared only as far as Damon Lathrope who took just one touch before lashing the ball past Dunn.

Into the second half and it needed a timely tackle by Alvin Quaye to deny Jamie Arlick, while Town captain Liam Dolman tried an audacious effort from his own half that saw City 'keeper Arnold back-pedalling to tip the ball over the bar. Both sides worked hard to create further openings in the final third of the game but their efforts came to little.

Norwich City line-up: Arnold, Matthews (Kelly 71), O'Toole, Lathrope, Halliday, Quaye (McLean 69), Byrne, Eames, Miller, Muddel, Yong (Daley 80) Northampton Town line-up: Dunn, May (Thorogood 61), Coker, Dyer, Haines, Dolman, Green, Maude, Arlick (Walton 71), Goodall Jones. Subs not used: Taylor and Avill. Attendance 483.