D’Ath rues wasted opportunities at Morecambe

Town scored twice in each half at the Globe Arena, with D’Ath setting them on their way with a 31st-minute opener, but they could have scored plenty more.

Morecambe goalkeeper Barry Roche made a string of excellent saves to keep the score at respectable levels, especially when the Cobblers were leading 3-0 early in the second half.

D’Ath feels that if one of those attacks had resulted in a goal, then Morecambe would not have staged any sort of resistance.

“We are a little disappointed, because I think if we score another when it was 3-0 then we don’t concede,” said the former Reading man.

“We would have put the game to bed I think if we had got that next goal, and I think that would have been it, we would have won without conceding.”

Town dominated the game after the opening 25 minutes, and D’Ath believes the Cobblers really should have hit the goal trail.

“We could have scored seven or eight. That is a lot I know, but it is the truth,” said D’Ath.

“That is disappointing in a way, but at least we scored four!”

Another annoyance for D’Ath, was the fact that the Cobblers conceded twice to offer Morecambe lifelines they didn’t deserve.

“The disappointing thing out of the game is conceding the two goals,” said D’Ath.

“When we were 3-0 up, we really shouldn’t be conceding, and that’s not just the back four that’s the whole team.

“The game was a bit too open when we were 3-0 up, and we should have maybe made it more compact.”

The Cobblers are now up to eighth in Sky Bet League Two, four points adrift of leaders Leyton Orient, who they meet at Sixfields next Saturday.

D’Ath is looking forward to the challenge, saying: “We are very happy with the performance (at Morecambe), and we need to keep it going.

“We can’t get too high with it, and keep it going into next week.

“From last week (against Oxford), we have gone back to having a more compact shape, and then working up the pitch from there, and I think it’s working.

“It has helped us a lot in the past two games and we have been more solid from back to front.”

D’Ath’s opening goal on Saturday was crucial for the Cobblers, and it was a well-worked goal as well.

D’Ath volleyed home a Nicky Adams cross from close range to set Town on their way, the the former Reading trainee believes he is now on the same page as new team-mate Adams.

“I know Nick and how he plays now, and he wants to cross the ball, so I just judge how he is going to do it and time my run,” said D’Ath.

“Thankfully I timed it to perfection on Saturday and he put it on the spot for me.”