League Two leaders Northampton enjoyed a "good Saturday" - Chris Wilder
ByPA Sport
Published 06/02/2016 at 23:39 GMT
Northampton boss Chris Wilder reflected on what could prove a pivotal win after seeing his side extend their lead at the top of Sky Bet League Two.
Chris Wilder was pleased with Northampton's win against York
Image credit: PA Sport
With some of their promotion rivals out of action, the Cobblers went five points clear with a 2-0 victory over plucky York.
John-Joe O'Toole and skipper Marc Richards netted either side of half-time against a City side then reduced to 10 men after Luke Hendrie's red card.
Northampton manager Wilder said: "I've been in football a long time but I can't recall playing in conditions like that, either as a player or manager.
"It was difficult to get the ball down and play but, whether it's in late summer or the middle of winter, it's all about the result.
"That's another big three points for us on a day when some teams in and around didn't play. It's been a good Saturday for us.
"York are a spirited team. That was us 12 months ago, we were gone and everybody had written us off. It was top versus bottom and they had nothing to lose.
"It was a dangerous game for us and we had to put it to bed. We didn't come out for the second half as well as I would have liked but the second goal and the sending off has made it comfortable for us in the end.
"We got caught in the early part of the game. You try and keep the game shorter but York pressed and didn't let us out.
"So we had to go from back to front a bit quicker than normal and that put pressure on our back four and keeper, but we still looked dangerous in difficult conditions."
York manager Jackie McNamara saw his strugglers produce a battling performance against the leaders but they remain in deep trouble.
"I was pleased with a lot of things about the performance, but disappointed with the two goals we gave away," he said.
"We lost one goal from a corner and the second one from our corner on the break after we had an effort cleared off the line.
"That was really disappointing because I thought we were on top at that time but we switched off at crucial times and Northampton punished us.
"We've lost a player from another break but I didn't think it was a red card at the time and I don't now having seen it back.
"We played for more than half an hour with 10 men against a very good side who are top of the league.
"But the players didn't let their heads drop and I think we had more chances them. We passed the ball very well and had a couple of opportunities to get back into the game.
"Northampton are a very good side but I didn't think there was much of a gulf between the two sides at times. I was delighted with our response after going down to 10 men."
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