Ten-man Exeter continued their excellent form with a late 2-1 victory at Northampton.

The Grecians played the whole second half a man down but extended their unbeaten run to nine games thanks to Will Aimson’s 83rd minute winner.

The visitors opened the scoring at Sixfields when Harris collected Dion Rankine’s pass on 20 minutes and fired in off the post.

Jake Richards went close to adding to City’s lead before an almighty goalmouth scramble at the other end saw Louis Appere, Mitch Pinnock and Marc Leonard all have efforts either blocked or saved.

Exeter lost a man in first-half stoppage-time with Ryan Woods sent off for violent conduct after clashing with home captain Jon Guthrie.

Northampton inevitably dominated possession in the second half but it took until the 74th minute for the equaliser to arrive when Exeter failed to deal with a long throw and Guthrie stabbed in the loose ball.

But despite their numerical disadvantage, the visitors snatched victory thanks to Aimson, who ghosted in at the back post to convert Zak Jules’ cross seven minutes from time.

Manager Paul Simpson admits Carlisle have “fallen well short” after his side’s relegation from League One was officially confirmed by Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Northampton.

A long way adrift at the bottom, Carlisle’s immediate return to League Two has looked inevitable for some time and their fate was duly sealed by goals from Kieron Bowie and Ali Koiki at a blustery Sixfields.

“It’s obviously a huge disappointment but the relegation isn’t on today, it’s on the whole season,” said Simpson.

“We had all of the excitement of the promotion last season but unfortunately we haven’t been able to follow it up and we have fallen well short.

“What we have to do now is regroup, have a look into what’s gone wrong and make sure we come back stronger and better next season and that’s the challenge going into the summer.”

Reflecting on the game itself, Simpson added: “It’s such a poor first goal to concede. We spoke about it and we worked on it about getting in early because they’ve got good delivery from set-pieces but we switch off and we allow them the first contact and they bundle it in.

“It wasn’t a great game and the conditions didn’t make it easy with the wind but it’s the story of our season because we started the game well and we got into good areas but we didn’t score when we were on top and then we conceded a poor goal.

“Now we need to make sure we get a strong group together so we can bounce back straightaway next season.”

Northampton are now up to 59 points, their second-highest points haul in the third tier this century.

“It’s a really good achievement and it’s testament to the players and their attitude,” said Cobblers boss Jon Brady.

“The wind and the conditions made it quite a turgid game today and it was hard for both teams.

“We actually wanted to win the toss and turn it around so we’d have the wind behind us but obviously we lost it and we had to go against the wind.

“The first half was really difficult and we couldn’t get out but we were gritty and determined and it was great to get the result.

“You feel for Carlisle, before the game you have to be focused and there’s no room for any sympathy but I had a chat with Paul Simpson afterwards and they are a good club with good people.

“We have similar budgets so it shows how well we’ve done and it’s taken a lot of hard work from everyone.”

Carlisle’s relegation from League One was confirmed after they were beaten 2-0 by Northampton.

The Cumbrians won promotion last season but their immediate return to League Two was sealed thanks to goals from Kieron Bowie and Ali Koiki.

Carlisle had a strong wind behind them in the first half at Sixfields and they used that to dominate territorially but the conditions did not help either side find their flow in a scrappy contest.

A rare chance saw Lee Burge tip over Georgie Kelly’s header before Northampton scored with their first real chance of the first half.

It came on 33 minutes when Sam Sherring’s header from a Mitch Pinnock corner was blocked and fell to Bowie who stabbed into the net.

Carlisle tried to force the issue in their pursuit of an equaliser after the break but they struggled against the wind and barely created a chance of note.

And their fate was sealed in stoppage time when Koiki ran the length of the pitch from a defensive corner and rolled the ball home after rounding goalkeeper Harry Lewis.

Charlton boss Nathan Jones gave Harry Isted an ‘earful’ after the goalkeeper’s calamitous error cost his side two vital points against Northampton on Saturday.

The Addicks led after just four minutes at Sixfields thanks to Karoy Anderson’s deflected strike and they rarely looked in trouble thereafter as Northampton struggled to create anything in attack.

But Isted was caught on the ball with 10 minutes to play and that presented Louis Appere with a simple tap-in, earning the hosts a 1-1 draw and denying Charlton a crucial victory in their battle against the drop from Sky Bet League One.

“I’m just so disappointed,” admitted Jones. “It was a difficult game in the first half but I thought we were excellent in the second half.

“We won every first ball, we landed on the seconds, we played some really good stuff and we created two glorious chances to put the game to bed.

“We’ve drawn through a huge error. We were in total control and I couldn’t see them scoring and that’s the disappointing thing because they didn’t create anything all afternoon.

“We defended superbly and we won every first ball and every second ball, and we also had two great chances, but you can’t legislate for such a big error like that. It’s cost us three points.

“I’ve hammered him (Isted). I probably shouldn’t have done but he’s a good goalkeeper and I’m just so disappointed because it’s a huge error. He got an earful from me but he’s a great kid and he’ll bounce back.

“It’s good that we’re still unbeaten but we want to win games and we should have won today because we were the better side and they didn’t deserve anything.”

Cobblers boss Jon Brady was thankful for a point, saying: “It was really tough in the first half because out of nowhere the rain came down and the wind kicked up and it was hard for us to get out.

“I watched Charlton play Derby on Tuesday and they are direct and competitive and they don’t give you time or space, but we conceded a poor goal.

“We then started to get to grips with the game and we tried to play and open them up but we didn’t really create any chances and then we just had to say in the game in the second half.

“The game ebbed and flowed a bit and Alfie May hits the post for them but we go up the other end and score through a mistake.

“Charlton have drawn with Bolton and Portsmouth and they beat Derby the other night and they have very good players for the level but it shows how good our group can be to take four points off them this season.

“To get a draw in the end was really positive.”

Louis Appere scored with 10 minutes remaining as Northampton fought back to draw 1-1 with struggling Charlton in Sky Bet League One.

The Addicks led after just four minutes at Sixfields when their opponents failed to clear their lines and the ball dropped to Karoy Anderson on the edge of the box and his shot took deflected past goalkeeper Louie Moulden.

Daniel Kanu was close to converting Conor Coventry’s fizzed cross before Moulden saved from Alfie May as Charlton enjoyed much the better of the first half.

Northampton failed to create anything of note before the break but they were almost level early in the second half when Mitch Pinnock slammed the ball into the side-netting.

The visitors continued to threaten on the break and May headed against the post.

However, they were pegged back in calamitous circumstances.

Goalkeeper Harry Isted was caught in possession by Sam Hoskins and the ball fell to substitute Appere, who gleefully rolled it into an empty net to rescue a point for his team.

Substitute Tony Springett earned Northampton a late 2-2 League One draw at near-neighbours Oxford with a stoppage-time equaliser.

The on-loan Norwich winger showed good composure with a tidy finish in a crowded goalmouth after collecting Will Hoskins’ left-wing cross as the hosts recorded their fifth draw from their last six games.

Northampton also inflicted late pain on Oxford just before Christmas when they grabbed a stoppage-time win at Sixfields.

Josh Murphy gave the U’s the perfect start here by taking a pass from Billy Bodin and hammering a 20-yard drive into the net after just five minutes for his second goal in successive games.

Northampton levelled in the 35th minute from their first effort on goal. Brighton loanee Marc Leonard crossed the ball deep from the right and Will Hondermarck headed powerfully home for his first goal of the season to equalise.

Cobblers goalkeeper Louie Moulden beat out a drive from Cameron Brannagan before the break and Greg Leigh shot narrowly wide just after it.

Will Goodwin diverted Owen Dale’s right-wing cross home the 81st minute for his first Oxford goal to put them 2-1 up, but Springett had the final say to give Cobblers a point at the death.

Bristol Rovers manager Matt Taylor has warned his players to buck up their ideas or risk being sold after Saturday’s 3-1 loss at Northampton.

Rovers trailed as early as the third minute at Sixfields through Patrick Brough’s close-range finish, and he then turned provider to set up Mitch Pinnock for a second shortly before half-time.

The visitors did rally in the second half and Chris Martin briefly restored hope, but Marc Leonard’s sensational late goal rubber-stamped Northampton’s victory.

Rovers have now lost seven of their last 10 league games and drop to 12th in League One.

Taylor said: “I have to be careful what I say because I’m incredibly frustrated but I can’t stand here and keep saying the same things.

“The first half was poor and we couldn’t get any aggression in our running and we were second best too often, but goals are still so important and both are preventable.

“There’s a softness which has been apparent for a long time. We were brighter in the second half, we ran harder and we had more purpose.

“We got back in the game but then another poor goal from a set-piece has cost us again. All three goals are incredibly preventable and that’s a recurring theme.

“The fans are frustrated and rightly so because the way we run at the start of the game was poor.

“We don’t seem to value certain things as a team so I need to find a way to hammer that home on the training pitch or some players will struggle to stay at the football club.

“We need to change things because you can see how soft we are with the goals we concede and when we concede those goals, we’re having to chase games.

“Football is a simple game. Do your job first and foremost.”

The win was Northampton’s first in five games and it lifts them back above Rovers and into 11th.

“We’re really pleased,” said Cobblers assistant manager Ian Sampson. “It’s a great result after a couple of frustrating games and it gets us back on track.

“It was so disappointing to concede in the last minute on Tuesday but it’s testament to the lads and their character because every time we have a hiccup, they respond really well and they did that again today.

“We’ve had one or two problems in certain areas of the pitch but we managed that better today and obviously we’re delighted to win the game.

“It’s really pleasing to score three goals, and they were good goals as well, but we were also better defensively and that’s pleasing for the back four and the whole team.”

Northampton earned their first win in five games with a 3-1 home victory over Bristol Rovers.

The hosts were ahead inside just three minutes at Sixfields when a 23-pass move ended with Patrick Brough picking up the pieces and firing home after Tyreece Simpson could not sort his feet out.

Scott Sinclair curled narrowly wide at the other end as Rovers chased an equaliser, but the visitors struggled to turn pressure into chances and they found themselves further behind at the break.

With five minutes of the first half to go, Kieron Bowie switched play to Brough and his low cross found Mitch Pinnock who took a touch before drilling a low shot into the bottom corner.

Brough crashed a volley against the crossbar at the start of the second half before Rovers halved the deficit with 11 minutes to go when Chris Martin headed in from Elkan Baggott’s knockdown.

But Marc Leonard calmed home nerves with a sensational goal just five minutes later as his first-time strike flew into the top corner from all of 30 yards.

Managers Shaun Maloney and Jon Brady both declared themselves satisfied after Northampton and Wigan shared the points in a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Sixfields.

The Cobblers led through Sam Hoskins’ 16th-minute penalty, awarded for a foul by Latics goalkeeper Sam Tickle on Kieron Bowie, but the visitors struck back and netted a deserved equaliser through Josh Magennis after 64 minutes.

It was a match of few clear-cut chances, with Wigan dominating possession for the most part, and both bosses were pleased to come away with a point for their efforts.

“Wigan are a good side, they move the ball well and cause you all sorts of problems with their shape,” said Brady.

“They pull you apart constantly, and we knew that would happen.

“It was the hardest I have had to work all week to try and nullify all of that, and the boys worked extremely hard.

“Then you look at their resources and what they bring on, Charlie Wyke, Callum McManaman, the Smiths, and jeez.

“But what we have got is heart and huge desire, and we dig in.

“I think their position in the table is pretty false, and without the points deduction they’d be in and around us, so I feel overall, although it can be better, I am quite pleased with that today.”

Maloney felt the point was the least his team deserved.

The Latics enjoyed a 67 per cent share of possession as the away team, and Maloney said: “The performance was right up there with the levels we showed in the 1-1 draw at Barnsley on New Year’s Day, but in a different way.

“At Barnsley we played on the counter-attack, today I thought we were very good with the ball on a really difficult pitch, and it is even harder when you go 1-0 down.

“Mistakes like the one for their goal happen, you are going to get that with some of the younger boys, but I thought we played very, very well. I was really happy with everybody.

“We went in 1-0 down, but the performance in the first half was very, very good.

“We didn’t need to change anything, we just needed to be a bit more aggressive and the response in the second half was good.

“It is difficult sometimes when you stand here if you draw or you get beaten and the performance has been good, but today I have nothing but good things to say about my players.”

Burton boss Dino Maamria was heavily critical of his side’s “really poor” performance as they were beaten 2-0 by out-of-form Northampton at Sixfields.

A tight first half ended in stalemate but the Cobblers dominated the second and goals from Marc Leonard and Sam Hoskins ended their six-game winless run in all competitions.

Burton themselves are now five games without a win in all competitions and their manager had no complaints.

“It was a poor performance,” admitted Maamria. “We were outfought and outplayed and the second half especially was really poor.

“There wasn’t much in the first half so the message at half-time was to push more bodies forward and play more forward but we didn’t do that.

“They scored a brilliant goal and that probably galvanised them but I’m really disappointed with our response because we didn’t get going after that and they dominated us.

“The most disappointing thing is that we were outfought in every department. They won first and second balls, they closed us down, they got behind the ball quicker and they asked more questions.

“There are ways to lose games and you don’t lose like we did today. Northampton are in a difficult moment and the goal helped them and they finished the game better, but we were outfought and that’s not like us.

“We missed easy chances. We should have got one goal back near the end and if you do that, it’s a different game, but we deserved absolutely nothing today and I’m gutted for our fans because they turned up in their numbers.”

It was a much-needed win for Northampton boss Jon Brady.

“I’m really pleased with the performance,” he said. “We needed that and every player came to the table.

“That’s the type of energy, work-rate and tempo we need because that’s our tempo.

“It’s been tough because we’ve been playing the same players week in, week out but today we were able to freshen it up with players coming back in. That makes one hell of a difference and we looked more physical and had more about us.

“The game opened up in the second half. Tactically, they went to 4-4-2 so the midfield opened up more and if we won their balls in good areas, we were able to get in behind us and play forward and more space opened up.

“That helped us and then we broke on them brilliantly after we got the first goal.

“On top of that, our energy to get back into shape was excellent so a lot of key things worked for us today and the boys implemented what we had worked on so full credit to them.”

Northampton ended their six-game winless run by beating Burton 2-0 at Sixfields in League One.

After a tight first half, the Cobblers dominated the second and came away with all three points thanks to goals from Marc Leonard and Sam Hoskins.

Joe Powell curled an early free-kick over the angle of post and crossbar as Burton made a bright start before the home side grew into the game and enjoyed a good spell of their own.

But goalmouth action was at a premium in the first half as both sides lacked quality and creativity in the final third, with neither goalkeeper forced to make a save of note.

Northampton broke the deadline nine minutes into the second half when Leonard picked out the top corner with a terrific strike from long range.

Burton goalkeeper Max Crocombe kept out Mitch Pinnock’s header from a fast counter-attack and he was also alert when denying Leonard on two separate occasions.

But the Cobblers did eventually wrap up all three points when Hoskins showed excellent composure in a crowded penalty box to find the bottom corner 12 minutes from time.

Barrow upset League One Northampton in the first round of the FA Cup with a 3-1 victory at Sixfields.

Emile Acquah’s early header was cancelled out by Mitch Pinnock but second-half goals from Tom White and Ben Whitfield secured Barrow’s place in the draw for the second round.

The League Two outfit made the better start and led after only nine minutes when Acquah headed in Elliot Newby’s corner.

Will Hondermarck curled wide and Sam Hoskins had a shot blocked before Northampton levelled a minute shy of the half-hour mark as Hoskins charged down Niall Canavan’s clearance and the ball rebounded kindly for Pinnock to slot home.

Barrow’s Dom Telford smashed just wide from 20 yards before Hoskins missed a good chance at the start of the second half, poking wide when through on goal.

That proved a big moment in the game as Barrow regained the lead moments later through White’s long-range shot, which took a wicked deflection and wrong-footed Max Thompson.

Victory was secured 18 minutes from time after a mix-up between Thompson and Ali Koiki allowed Whitfield to score into an empty net.

Mitch Pinnock scored a remarkable goal in the final minute of normal time as Northampton picked up their first win of the Sky Bet League One season by beating local rivals Peterborough 1-0 at Sixfields.

Pinnock’s volley from 40 yards out, carried over the line by goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic, gave the Cobblers their first win in this fixture since 2006 and ended Posh’s 100 per cent start to the season.

A shaky start from Northampton allowed Peterborough to take control and two early chances went begging for Will Randall, who blazed over and then glanced a header wide of the far post.

Bilokapic saved from Kieron Bowie at the other end but Posh continued to carry the greater threat in the first half and Kwame Poku was particularly dangerous as he went close with a couple of efforts.

The visitors continued to edge things in the second half as Ephron Mason-Clark had a goal ruled out for offside.

Northampton grew stronger though and finished well, and they snatched victory in the 90th minute when Pinnock’s volley from the right was carried over the line by Bilokapic.

Northampton boss Jon Brady hailed his side’s “outstanding” performance and said a point was the very least they deserved after Tuesday’s dramatic 2-2 draw against Lincoln at Sixfields.

Reeco Hackett-Fairchild’s sweet first-half finish was added to by a Paudie O’Connor header as Lincoln moved into a 2-0 lead, but both goals came very much against the run of play.

Northampton dominated the majority of the game but had to wait until the final few minutes to get their rewards as Louis Appere levelled on 86 minutes before Sam Hoskins salvaged a deserved point deep into stoppage time.

“It’s a bit bittersweet because I felt we deserved to win the game,” said Brady. “But if you don’t defend your box right you’ll concede goals, and unfortunately we didn’t.

“The second goal was potentially offside, I’ll have to watch to back, but to play the way we played and to have the patience and dominate all the stats, it’s very pleasing.

“We had 19 shots to their six and we kept being patient even when a few fans were moaning and wanted us to go long. The boys stuck to our beliefs and kept playing the way we want to play. It was really good.

“We got into a lot of crossing positions, we hit the post, we have shots cleared off the line, and how the challenge on Kieron Bowie isn’t a penalty, I don’t know. He rolls the defender, he has the goal open to drive at and the defender lands on top of him.

“For some reason it’s not given, but that doesn’t take away from a spirited performance. I thought we were outstanding.”

Lincoln manager Mark Kennedy said: “I’m gutted, absolutely gutted. But you have to take the emotion away from the game and look at the bigger picture.

“You’re 15 seconds from being euphoric, seeing plenty of high-fives and back-slapping and what would have been an amazing start to the season, but when I get away from that I think it’s a good point on the road.

“Without sounding silly, it’s a good point after a good win at the weekend. We’ve had a tough start to the season with a lot of away games but to be honest I was really impressed with them tonight, really impressed.

“I’ve seen their previous games and they’ve actually played very well but haven’t come out on the right side of the results so good luck to them. Jon will say he deserved a point and I probably can’t argue with him.

“I thought we were very good with how we dealt with their pressure and I thought we looked dangerous on the counter-attack and we were very clinical.”