Stafford Rangers saw off Northampton 3:0 in the first round qualifying of the FA Cup on Friday evening. The home side collected all three points at their ground in a straightforward afternoon of football. The result moves them into the next stage of the competition with a comfortable margin.
And here's the thing about the hosts — they arrived in decent form. Their most recent outing was a 2:0 victory over Corby Town on August 29th, and before that a goalless draw with Shrewsbury back in July. Those results suggested a team finding its rhythm ahead of the cup campaign.
To be fair, Northampton were not in the same position. Their last two recorded matches both ended in defeat — a 0:3 loss at Lincoln United and a 2:3 home defeat to Barton Town Old Boys. They had won six goals past Leicester Nirvana earlier, but those results offered little confidence heading into this fixture.
By then the match itself passed without incident. Stafford Rangers controlled proceedings from the opening whistle and never allowed the visitors back into the game. A clean sheet and a three-goal margin meant they saw out the contest without unnecessary complications.
The victory puts Stafford Rangers on course to progress further in the competition. Northampton's run comes to an end, and they will need to regroup ahead of their next league commitment. One team moves forward, the other goes home.