P L AY- O F F M E M O R I E S CLUB HISTORIAN ETHAN GRANDE LOOKS BACK ON SOME P R E V I O U S N O R T H A M P T O N T O W N P L AY- O F F C A M PA I G N S .
2003/04 JUST AS THEY ARE THIS SEASON, T H E C O B B L E R S O P P O N E N T S I N T H E P L AY- O F F SEMI-FINALS WERE MANSFIELD TOWN.
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ack in 2004 the first of the two-legged semi-final took place at Sixfields. Mansfield took the lead five minutes before half-time when Rhys Day scored with a header from a Liam Lawrence cross. Halfway through the second half, Junior Mendes doubled the away side’s lead from close range after Lee Harper parried a Tom Curtis shot. In the final minute of the tie, the Cobblers were reduced to ten men when Ashley Westwood was sent off for a foul on Colin Larkin, and the match ended 2–0. The second leg took place four days 24 w w w. n t f c . c o . u k
later at Field Mill where, ten minutes before half-time, the Cobblers went ahead after Marc Richards scored with a volley from a Paul Trollope pass. Chris Hargreaves then scored with a header from a Martin Smith free kick to make it 2–0 at half time, levelling the tie on aggregate with two goals in two minutes. Thirty-four seconds into the second half, Smith made it 3–0 after Trollope capitalised on a misplaced pass from Wayne Corden and put the Cobblers ahead in the tie for the first time. Tom Curtis, who had already been booked, escaped further sanction for
a foul on halfway, and shortly after scored from a rebound to level the tie on aggregate. Regular time finished with the aggregate score 3–3 and the game went into extra time, but with no change to the scoreline, a penalty shootout was required to decide who would go to Wembley. Both sides scored their first three penalties before Northampton’s Éric Sabin saw his spot kick saved by Kevin Pilkington, the Mansfield goalkeeper. All the remaining penalties were scored, and Mansfield won 5–4 to progress to the final.
