3rd tier* League fixture
*Then known as Division Three

Notts County 3     Northampton Town 1
Lund 3                                                    Morley (pen) 53
Thorpe 47, 59

Attendance:- 8,149
Referee:- Jim Rushton (Stoke-on-Trent)
Weather:- Rain
Corners:- Notts 6 Northampton 5
Shots on target:- Notts 6 Northampton 4
Shots off target:- Notts 2 Northampton 4
Bookings:- Smalley & Yates (Notts), Chard, Logan & McPherson (Northampton).
Sendings off:- McPherson (Northampton) 34
 

Notts County
Colours:- Black & white striped shirts, Black shorts, Black socks
League Position:- before 2nd/24, after 2nd/24
Manager:- John Barnwell

1.   Mick Leonard
2.   Paul Smalley
3.   Chris Withe
4.   David Kevan *
5.   Dean Yates
6.   Gary Lund
7.   Gary Mills
8.   Ian McParland +
9.   Garry Birtles
10. Geoff Pike
11. Adrian Thorpe

Sub: Wayne Fairclough *75
Sub: Paul Barnes +87
 

Northampton Town
Colours:- All yellow with claret trimmings
League Position:- 8th/24, after 8th/24
Manager:- Graham Carr

1.   Peter Gleasure
2.   Philip Chard
3.   David Logan
4.   Warren Donald
5.   Russell Wilcox
6.   Keith McPherson Off 34
7.   Martin Singleton
8.   Eddie McGoldrick
9.   Glenville Donegal
10. Trevor Morley
11. David Longhurst *

Sub: Graham Reed *52
Other sub not used

Video of the match:- A Central Television camera recorded the match for a 1:50 minute local news report. This shows the Notts fans standing in the rain / Lund heading in a corner for 1-0 / The ref booking Yates (Notts), McPherson (Northampton) and Chard (Northampton) / The sending off of McPherson / 2nd half; Thorpe side footing in for 2-0 / Leonard's foul giving Northampton a penalty - Morley converting the spot kick / Adrian Thorpe beating two defenders and his brilliant strike for 3-1 - Nice panning shot of County Road faithful applauding / Morley shot hitting the upright / Morley missing a sitter / Ref blowing final whistle and a closing shot of the full moon in the Nottingham night sky.
 

Nottingham Evening Post Report

COUNTY IN COMMAND
…BUT IT’S SO TIGHT AT THE TOP

By Dave McVay

NOTTS COUNTY'S first double this season has failed to make the position any clearer at the top of the Third Division. In fact, it was something of a treble as the Magpies totted up their eighth point out of a possible 12 over the holiday period with Saturday's win over Northampton - their third against them, including a Freight Rover success.

ASKS QUESTIONS
Even so, the gap John Barnwell’s men are working for has not yet materialised. Walsall, Brighton and a very threatening Wigan, are all clinging onto Sunderland's and County's shirt tails at the top. But at least this Meadow Lane victory keeps the Cobblers out of the promotion picture and asks questions whether their Blitzkrieg from Division Four has now got stuck in the mud. For if anything, it was Notts' ability to master the conditions that forced the issue against Northampton's ten men. Town were reduced to that number after 34 minutes when Keith McPherson rashly lunged in on Ian McParland - with a little help from the slippery pitch, perhaps.

LABOURED
Maybe referee John Rushton was also a bit too eager and committed in reaching for the book before realising he had already cautioned McPherson. Anyhow, the defender had to go. But for so long afterwards, County laboured to improve on Gary Lund's third minute header and kill off the game as a contest. So relief was evident when Adrian Thorpe's first goal for the club after 47 minutes seemed to have ended the argument. Yet Trevor Morley's penalty, after Phil Chard had been up-ended by Mick Leonard in the box, got the blood pumping a little quicker in the legs of his team mates. Only with Thorpe's second coming did Northampton finally call it a day.

ANGLED
Not surprising really, because the quality of his 59th minute strike belonged to a higher level and would surely have deflated most teams. Cutting inside two players from the left, his angled right foot shot was a gem goalkeeper Peter Gleasure could only admire as it flashed by him into the top corner. Thereafter, the bog in the middle became increasingly impassable and it was hardly novel that County's two wingers, Gary Mills and Thorpe, should rise above the mire on the green grass of home. In able supporting roles, it should be added, were full backs Paul Smalley and Chris Withe and once again Dean Yates and Garry Birtles made central defending appear even easier than some people believe it is. But it was the Thorpe and Mills double act that tormented Northampton to the death with left back David Logan enjoying a spectator's pitch-level view of Mills' No.7 most of the time. Logan must have been pleased to see the front of Mills at last as they shook hands. Northampton, I suspect, will be more glad to see the back of Notts County.
 

FITNESS IS THORPE’S PRIORITY
By Dave McVay

ADRIAN THORPE today began reaching for the fitness which will bring him more goals. Notts County's £50,000 capture from Bradford City two months ago stole the show with a virtuoso performance - and a couple of goals - in the 3-1 Meadow Lane win over Northampton. But the Derbyshire-born winger still believes he has more to offer the Magpies.
"I know I'm not fully fit yet - I haven't even trained for the last two weeks with a back injury," said Thorpe, whose efforts helped keep County second in Division Three. "Hopefully, when I reach full fitness things will get even better. I was pleased to get those first goals for the club on Saturday. It was about time I put one away. All in all, however, it was a team performance. At the end of the day, all the lads have won the game for us. The heavy ground was murder but then it did work both ways. Defenders weren't able to turn so easily and because I'm smaller I was able to keep my feet a bit easier. I've got to admit, though, I was absolutely shattered in the last 15 minutes."
By that time, Thorpe had inflicted the necessary damage on the Cobblers with his second 59th minute goal, in particular, worthy of deciding any match - at any level.
"Thorpe is beginning to shape up to what we require of him." said manager John Barnwell, who saw his County team make it 11 League games without defeat. "I was more pleased with the way Thorpe passed the ball and found his own men rather than his goals. He drops his shoulder now, looks up and knocks a pass into feet.” Of Northampton defender Keith McPherson's 34th minute dismissal, Barnwell said: "I felt it might have been a bigger winning margin if he had stayed on. Down to ten men, Northampton rolled up their sleeves and made life very difficult for us."
 

Up the Maggies footnote:
Left winger Adrian Thorpe was the County Road terrace hero of this period, there was always a buzz of excitement whenever he collected the ball down in front of us when Notts were attacking the Meadow Lane end, the crowd would chant "Aidey, Aidey, Aidey" encouraging him to take on and beat another defender. Manager John Barnwell described him as "A bottle of pop" and by all accounts he was quite a character in the dressing room too. I remember this match as being probably Thorpe's best ever performance in a Notts shirt. I also recall that a coach load or two of Liverpool fans turned up at the ground as their game at Derby had been called off, they were led into an empty enclosure between the two rival sets of supporters on the Kop and they appeared to quite enjoy themselves.
Northampton's no.11 that day was David Longhurst who, three season's later, died after suffering a heart attack on the pitch whilst playing for York City.
 

Notts County Season 1987/88
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