Plymouth Argyle go bottom after controversial defeat

Plymouth Argyle are facing a crucial week in their fight to stay in the Football League after losing to Northampton Town on Saturday.

Back-to-back 1-0 defeats, at home to Oxford United and then against Northampton at Sixfields Stadium, have plunged the Pilgrims to the bottom of the npower League Two table.

Two vital games against relegation rivals are next on the agenda for Plymouth. They are away to AFC Wimbledon, who have picked up seven points from their last three matches, tomorrow night.

Then the Pilgrims will play Barnet – Edgar Davids and all – at Home Park on Saturday.

It has the potential to be a defining week in the season, one way or another, for Argyle and they enter it licking their wounds from losing to Northampton.

There was much anger and frustration among the players and staff after the final whistle on Saturday.

They were convinced Northampton's goal, which came in the 70th minute, should not have been awarded because of a foul on goalkeeper Jake Cole. Referee David Phillips thought otherwise and television evidence backed up his belief.

Cole was actually impeded by team-mate Paris Cowan-Hall as he tried to catch a corner and the ball spilled from his grasp.

Northampton striker Clive Platt was subsequently credited with touching the ball over the line.

Argyle's sense of frustration after the game was heightened by the fact they thought their fighting spirit deserved the reward of at least a point.

Northampton now have the best home record in League Two with 12 wins and two draws from 17 games. Yet, for much of the first half, the Pilgrims were the better team and created the best chances.

Northampton adopted more of a more route-one approach after half-time, using the strength and height of their players to put Argyle under pressure. The visitors were coping with that defensively until the 70th minute when they were undone at a corner.

Argyle manager John Sheridan sent on a trio of attacking substitutes after that goal, but without much success, as his side chased an equaliser. However, that meant Northampton had more space to attack into and they could have extended their lead with better finishing.

It was a much more committed performance from the Pilgrims than against Oxford the previous Saturday. But Argyle's lack of goals, with only two coming in the last five games, has to be a cause for concern.

Wins, not draws, are needed and they must find the firepower from somewhere to achieve the required results.

Northampton were well contained by Argyle in the first half, with Cole not forced into any saves of note.

Plymouth-born midfielder Ben Tozer, a former Argyle youngster, unleashed a barrage of long throw-ins but the Pilgrims stood up to that threat. If they did not win the ball initially, they made sure of getting the next touch to it.

With Paul Wotton in a midfield holding role, there was some solidity about Argyle and they played with increasing confidence.

On-loan Crystal Palace winger Jason Banton was their main threat with some strong, positive running.

The Pilgrims had a good chance to take the lead in the 17th minute when midfielder Conor Hourihane swung a free-kick into the Northampton penalty area.

Centre-back Guy Branston got on the end of it, but could not direct his header on target.

Midfield duo Ben Harding and Chris Hackett both shot wide for Northampton before Banton almost broke the deadlock. He skipped past a couple of challenges and created an excellent shooting opportunity. The 21-year-old let fly with a powerful strike but the Cobblers' centre-back Kelvin Langmead threw his body in the way of it.

Wotton fired narrowly wide from 35 yards as Argyle had a good spell before half-time. They could not get a goal, though, with their former Northampton defender Anthony Charles having a weak header saved by Lee Nicholls in the 41st minute after a cross from Hourihane.

Northampton upped the tempo after half-time and forced the Pilgrims more on to the defensive.

Cole saved a free-kick from Hackett before experienced centre-back Clarke Carlisle headed over the crossbar from one of Tozer's many long throw-ins.

The decisive moment of the match came in the 70th minute, by which time the burly Adebayo Akinfenwa had been sent on as a substitute.

Akinfenwa chased after the ball as it was launched forward and Argyle defender Maxime Blanchard, running towards his own goal, could not deal with it. Instead, Akinfenwa got on the end of it and his header was superbly tipped over the bar by Cole.

Harding took the resulting corner and aimed it to the far post where Cole initially seemed to catch the ball, only to drop it and the ball ended up in the net, although Platt claimed he got the crucial touch.

Argyle's protestations were all in vain as the Cobblers held on comfortably for the win.