Shaun Cunnington had what was probably his last chance to cement his claim to be the new Harriers manager today when the team went down valiantly to a couple of well taken goals by Northampton.

In the crowd was the ex Tamworth and Notts County manager, Gary Mills, looking at what he will be inheriting.  He's really all we could expect but his record is not too good.  Did well with a non league club that are still where they were twenty years ago and at Notts County where he made a right old mess of it.

Him being at Aggborough does not mean that he's certain to get the job but why, if as we are led to believe, the interviews have finished, would he be there otherwise.

What he saw would have impressed him just on work rate alone but not on some terrible defending that led to both goals and a reticence to shoot.

Changes to last weeks defeat at Grimsby had to be made seeing as Jesper Christiansen, Youssou Diop and Simon Brown are no longer with us but Shaun did give a start to Pedro Matias and Simon Russell along with the return appearance of James Keene.

Keene and Shaun Cooper made what was probably their last appearances for us.  It's a shame because Cooper was one of the best loan players that we have had in a long long time.  We can only hope that the club will try and get him on a season long loan because we can't get any more loans in can we.

Unless we buy him with the £50,000 that was set aside for Simon Brown.

Right from the first whistle the Harriers looked up for a game but it was the Cobblers that made the first effort to score when the ball was played forward for Eric Sabin to run onto but Ryan Clarke got down well to stop his progress and the ball rolled away for a corner.  It could so easily have gone the other way though.

In reply we went close at the other end when Darryn Stamp saw a shot blocked on the line but then followed up by skying the rebound over the bar.

On sixteen minutes the Harriers conceded the first goal, against the run of play.  Abdou Sall was again lax in marking his man and allowed him to get goal side of him.  Scott McGleish coolly and calmly picked his spot to tuck it under Clarke.

A bit of a sickener after all our good work but it was early in the game with plenty of time to get a goal back.

Dean Keates tried to inspire us and he came oh so close with a stunning volley that the Cobblers keeper, Harper, miraculously pushed over the bar.  We took control of the game then but without making much impression on the Northampton back line.  They were solid.

Minutes before the half time whistle Stamp managed to find a way through but his shot came off the foot of the post.

The second half was all Harriers with some more good football but it was again the old failing of not being able to get the ball in the net.  We came close on numerous occasions without really troubling the Cobblers custodian.

The soon to depart James Keene was unlucky not to score his first goal for us when he flew inches from the ground to connect to a low cross but only just failed.  We saw more shots come off the bar and another stunning strike from Dean Keates that dipped at the last minute only to see another great save from the keeper.

The longer the game went on the more we knew that we weren't going to win this one, or even pull a goal back.  Our luck had deserted us yet again and now the referee, Mr Andy 'look at me I'm a Prem ref' D'Urso started to flash the cards around.  In the space of ten minutes he had booked Hats, Keates and substitute Gleeson for trifling offences.

Against the run of play Northampton killed us off with a second goal following another mistake by the central defence.  Lee Williamson ran straight past everyone and with them all backing off he let fly only to see it come back off the post straight to the waiting Julian Alsop.  Alsop, who had only been on the pitch minutes, couldn't miss and sent the ball into the back of the net.

Heads did drop then and we never looked like getting a goal back let alone two.

The only saving grace to the day was that both Shrewsbury and Cambridge lost to maintain the status quo at the foot of the table.  If Gary Mills, or whoever, does take charge then he would have seen some promise in todays performance, but not the result.

The new managers first job should be to get Shaun Cooper here for the rest of the season.  That is imperative.