Very disappointing. The first half was quite promising, despite the horror defending for the opening goal, with some decent football, particularly down the left hand side through Perkins and the hugely impressive Pringle. We did not create a great deal, but had two or three good chances in addition to the equaliser. However, more kamikaze defending in the final minute of the half saw Northampton undeservedly retake the lead.
The second half was awful. I worried that if we made too many changes to the starting line up, with too many new faces, we would see a disjointed display, and that is what happened unfortunately. There was no pattern of play in the second forty five, with Norwood too isolated and lacking the support of a genuine strike partner, and a total lack of creativity when Pringle went off. I don't think Micky had his best night tonight. I could not understand the decision to remove Pringle, who had clearly been our best player, and move Jennings, who had a very poor game, to the left hand side, out of position. I thought Mullin was unlucky not to get on the pitch as well, as we needed more physical presence up front.
Of the newcomers, I thought Morris was pretty poor. He always seemed to cut inside into traffic, and did not really link up with Caprice, although I won't judge him on one game. Nelson started very nervously and there was clearly a lack of understanding between him and Monthe. However, he did improve in the second half and was noticeably more vocal than Manny. We missed Steve's organisational and leadership qualities at the back. Pringle was outstanding. Always available for the ball, linking the play and with an absolute wand of a left foot. Unless he was injured, I could not fathom why he was taken off.
Of the rest, I thought Luke McCullough had a decent game and Perkins was neat and tidy. The others were below par.
When you make major changes to the squad in mid-season, matches like tonight's become almost like pre-season games, with limited understanding between players and no real partnerships on the pitch. Hopefully the newcomers will bed in quickly, as we can't afford too many more displays like the second half.