After the fine win at Cardiff on Saturday, the fans who turned up for this encounter were full of optimism and hope that something special would be repeated again tonight. It wasn't to be however as Blackpool took all the points back up the M6.
Right from the kickoff it was Blackpool who began in an attacking fashion, putting Northampton under presure. It took the Cobblers well into the half to come up with any sort of attack and the first a Paul Harsley effort went over the crossbar.
Harper then appeared to bring down Danny Coid in the box but the referee decided to book the Blackpool player for what he saw as a dive. Minutes later it was the Cobblers who had screams of a penalty turned away when Hargreaves attempted a shot only to be cleared out by Martin Bullock. The fans were sure of handball but the referee was having none of it. Forrester seemed to be obstructed by the Blackpool keeper as he tried to chase a ball in the box and a Hargreaves shot afterwards went just wide to end the half with chances from both sides few and far between.
The second half began yet again with Blackpool adding the pressure on the Cobblers defence almost right from the off. For a few minutes the Northampton players were unable to clear the ball from the 18 yard box with corner after corner being put behind followed by more dangerous throw ins. The Cobblers also had another penalty waved away when Harsley was brought down in the Blackpool area.
With the game nearing the end, the Cobblers came to life and with little over 5 minutes left Derek Asamoah was introduced for Jamie Forrester. Asamoah was only prevented from a goal attempt by a timely intervention from Peter Clarke.
The fourth official then signaled 4 minutes of added time which might have gave the Cobblers an extra life line to steal something from a game which was surely going to end 0-0. Blackpool however had other ideas and made one final attack deep into stoppage time with a run from Bullock was finished off by Murphy and semmed to come off loan defender Jerry Gill and ended up in the roof of the Cobblers goal.
A cruel end to a game which although the Cobblers didn't deserve to win, they held off a superior Blackpool side for 94 minutes. There would have been no complaints had the Seasiders took the points early on in the half but the goal came after what was arguably one of the most creative periods in the game for the home side.