Crawley Town vs Northampton Town. Sky Bet League Two.
Broadfield StadiumAttendance2,389.
Saturday 8 December 2018 20:18, UK
Kevin van Veen's second-half penalty earned Northampton their first win in four Sky Bet League Two games as they beat 10-man Crawley 1-0.
Van Veen struck in the 53rd minute and just two minutes later the hosts' top-scorer Ollie Palmer was shown a straight red card by referee Craig Hicks.
Crawley went close to taking the lead in the 16th minute when Panutche Camara cut inside and drove a fierce shot against the crossbar.
Former MK Dons midfielder Dean Bowditch should have done better for Northampton when he shot wastefully over following defensive hesitation.
Clear-cut chances were few and far between in the first half and Cobblers defender David Buchanan had a close-range shot blocked shortly before the break.
The visitors broke the deadlock eight minutes after the interval when Aaron Pierre was pushed by Palmer in the area and Van Veen blasted home the penalty for his 10th goal of the season.
Palmer, returning from suspension, was dismissed soon after following a flare up with Pierre.
Despite the dismissal, Crawley pushed for an equaliser and Josh Payne had a shot parried by goalkeeper David Cornell before Camara fired wide in the closing stages.
