Town progressed to the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup for the first time in 10 years after a comfortable 3-1 victory over Northampton at Portman Road, despite having gone behind. Liam Davis put the League Two side ahead but goals from Carlos Edwards, Damien Delaney and Tamás Priskin sealed the tie for the Blues.
Boss Roy Keane fielded a more experienced side than anticipated with Brian Murphy returning in goal, Gareth McAuley and Damien Delaney at the centre of the defence, Tommy Smith on the left and Tom Eastman, the starting line-up’s only teenager, at right-back.
Keane chose to go with a four-man midfield with Grant Leadbitter and skipper David Norris in the centre, Andros Townsend on the left and Carlos Edwards on the right. Tamás Priskin partnered Jason Scotland up front with Connor Wickham the player who picked up an ankle injury in training on Sunday, a problem which isn’t understood to be too serious.
In sodden conditions after heavy afternoon and early evening rain, the Blues might have gone ahead in the fifth minute when Gareth McAuley nodded the ball back across goal but Tamás Priskin took a poor first touch rather hitting it first time and eventually scuffed his shot wide.
For the Cobblers, their first shot was a 20-yard strike through to Brian Murphy by former Coventry man Kevin Thornton.
On nine Priskin won a foot race with Northampton skipper Craig Hinton before lashing a shot into Cobblers’ keeper Chris Dunn’s midriff. The Blues continued to dominate the early stages and, after a jinking run by Edwards, Townsend belted the ball well over from distance.
The League Two side went in front in the 16th minute with a goal out of nothing. Liam Davis received the ball from Thornton in what appeared to be an unthreatening area midway inside the Town half. But, after turning inside Leadbitter, the midfielder unleashed a 25-yard shot which struck Tommy Smith’s boot and looped over Brian Murphy and under the bar.
The Blues — both those on the field and in the stands - became subdued after Northampton’s rather fortuitous goal, Town having started the game strongly. Edwards shot wide on 25 as the Blues began to regain their impetus.
A minute later the former Sunderland man got Town back on terms. Scotland found his fellow Trinidadian in space on the right and with Northampton scorer Davis slipping, Edwards man brought the ball into the area and struck a shot across Dunn and into the net for his second goal of the season.
Tamás Priskin saw a low strike saved on 29 as the game picked up where it had left off prior to the Northampton goal. Three minutes later Damien Delaney thought he ought to have been awarded a penalty after being pulled back at a corner, referee Eddie Ilderton feeling otherwise.
On 42 Grant Leadbitter forced Dunn to parry a low shot, the keeper beating Norris to the loose ball. From the corner the Blues went in front. Townsend whipped in a low ball, which was stabbed away from McAuley to Damien Delaney, who slammed his first goal for the Blues into the roof of the net.
In injury time Priskin flicked a Townsend cross into Dunn’s arms, the final action of a half in which the Blues had been comfortable, Northampton goal aside. Town had deserved to be ahead at the break, although they might have made Cobblers’ keeper Dunn work more significantly at times.
Despite this, the Blues had managed to score twice in the first half in the Carling Cup for the second time this season, something they are yet to do in the league this season.
Priskin saw the second half’s first effort deflect wide in the 47th minute after neat work from Delaney and Scotland, prior to the Irish central defender scraping well wide as he looked for his second of the game.
Townsend sent a dangerous ball across the face of goal on 53 but no one had taken a gamble, then five minutes later the on-loan Spurs man struck a low effort from the edge of the box which Dunn grabbed at the second attempt.
The Blues were having virtually all the game but weren’t really looking like adding to their lead. There was almost a scare for the home side in the 62nd minute when Tommy Smith played a poor pass across the field to right-back Tom Eastman. Michael Jacobs intercepted but lashed wildly over.
Town came close to adding a third on 65 when Priskin flicked Townsend’s path into Scotland’s path just inside the area, the Trinidadian’s shot deflected into the air and Dunn was out quickly to block from Priskin on the edge of the six-yard box.
That was Scotland’s last contribution, Ronan Murray replacing the former Wigan man moments later, while Jaime Peters took over from Andros Townsend on the left of midfield. For the Cobblers, Andrew Holt came on for Thornton a couple of minutes later.
Murray and Priskin exchanged passes as the Blues broke on 72 but the Republic of Ireland U19 international hit his shot too close to Dunn.
Northampton, currently second bottom of League Two, were beginning to come more into the game, throwing players forward in numbers but without forcing Murphy into a save. For their part the Blues were looking to catch the visitors on the break, but without too much success.
Hinton got his head to the ball in front of McAuley after Peters had nodded back in a half-cleared corner on 79 with the Blues still looking for the goal which would cement their place in the quarter-finals.
Northampton continued press for the equaliser which would take the game into extra-time with the Blues defending in depth. Holt sent in a long throw on 86 which McAuley rather deftly chested back to Murphy when under pressure.
Tamás Priskin finally sealed the Blues' victory and their first Carling Cup quarter-final place for 10 years with two minutes remaining, glancing Grant Leadbitter’s freekick from deep on the left past Dunn and into the net from eight yards for his fourth goal of the season.
In injury time Jamie Griffiths was handed his debut, the 18-year-old replacing Carlos Edwards for the final moments, although going to the left of midfield with Peters swapping flanks. Town were good for the victory with the two-division distance between the sides evident throughout. The goal was the only time the visitors significantly threatened Brian Murphy’s goal and once Carlos Edwards’s equaliser had settled any Blues nerves there was only going to be one winner.
The home side perhaps lost their way a little midway through the second half, but finished strongly and Priskin’s late goal didn’t particularly flatter Roy Keane’s side and saw them through to Saturday’s quarter-final draw.
Town: Murphy, Eastman, Smith, Delaney, McAuley, Norris, Leadbitter, Townsend (Peters 66), Edwards (Griffiths 90), Priskin, Scotland (Murray 66). Unused: Fülöp, O’Connor, Hyam, Brown.
Northampton: Dunn, Rodgers, Davis, Hinton, Hall, Gilligan, Osman, Wedderburn, Jacobs, Thornton (Holt 68), McKay. Unused: Walker, Kaziboni, Slowe, Harris, Guinan, Konstantinou. Referee: Eddie Ilderton. Att: 12,929.