LEON McSweeney earned Stockport County a valuable point with 75th-minute strike.

Jim Gannon’s side kept battling despite enduring a frustrating evening against a Northampton side who had taken a fifth-minute lead through Karl Hawley.

Gannon said: “We had to be patient and try not to force the game. It was a poor goal to concede. They knew if they could play a nice, tight shape they could get something out of the game and they did that.”

Gannon was unable to name the same team that won at Orient 3-0 on Saturday, with James Tunnicliffe ruled out with a hamstring strain.

But there was a return for Johnny Mullins, whose knee ligament injury had kept him out since last month.

Mullins, normally a right-back, started in the centre of defence in place of Tunnicliffe, allowing Michael Raynes to continue just in front of the back four.

Hawley, who once scored a hat-trick against County for Carlisle a few seasons back, did some more damage to Stockport in just the fifth minute.

The Northampton striker, on a month’s loan from Preston North End, slotted the ball home from 10 yards after a clever step-over by Ryan Gilligan helped Colin Larkin’s cross from the right work its way through to him.

County were limited in a first half of few chances to long-range efforts with Anthony Pilkington, playing as a front man in place of Peter Thompson, Jim McNulty and Gary Dicker all trying their luck from distance.

Tommy Rowe’s glancing header from McNulty’s cross raised home hopes, but when McSweeney went down in the visitors’ box under the challenge of Stockport defender Danny Jackman, County were almost caught on the counter but for a timely interception by skipper Gareth Owen.

With Northampton happy to sit on their lead, Gannon changed his formation returning Mullins and Raynes to their normal defensive roles, allowing McSweeney to move forward.

The visitors’ stalwart defending continued to confound County at the start of the second half with Stephen Gleeson’s off-target 25-yard drive the only effort allowed before 10 minutes of sustained pressure from the Cobblers.

Pilkington made Northampton keeper Chris Dunn work with a shot on the turn in the 64th minute from the corner of the penalty area.

With a quarter-of-an-hour to go County's patience was rewarded when Dicker picked out Gleeson on the left. The Irish midfielder sprinted past Mark Little and sent in a cross that keeper Dunne knocked out to McSweeney whose shot took a couple of deflections before crossing the line for his second goal of the season.

Northampton captain Chris Doig almost spoiled County’s comeback four minutes from time with a header from a corner but hit the top of Owain fon Williams’ crossbar.

Stockport County: Williams 6, McSweeney 7 (Vincent 87), Owen 7, Mullins 6, McNulty 6, Gleeson 7, Blizzard 6, Raynes 6, Dicker 6 (Turnbull 76, 6), Rowe 6 (Thompson 76, 6), Pilkington 6. Not used: Rose, Rigby.

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