Colchester United suffered an agonising late defeat to Northampton Town on the opening day of the season, losing 3-2 at Sixfields.
The hosts struck first, with Hoskins converting well from a neat through-ball by Danny Hylton, before Freddie Sears got off the mark, converting from the penalty spot to make the scores level before the break.
Hoskins scored a penalty of his own after half time after a harsh decision of handball on the far side, before Frank Nouble provided an assist for Noah Chilvers with just over ten minutes to go to make it 2-2.
But Ryan Haynes bagged the winner, with Hoskins turning provider with eighty-nine minutes on the clock.
As ever with the opening game of the season, the first exchanges between the two teams were tentative with both the U’s and the Cobblers trying to find their feet in the game.
Jon Brady’s Northampton side were a little more confident in possession, and generated their first real chance of the game on the ten-minute mark. One of last season’s leading assist makers in the fourth division Mitch Pinnock, delivered an inviting in-swinging corner from the far side with Guthrie getting his head to the ball, forcing a reaction save out of Sam Hornby.
And the U’s struggled to relieve the pressure immediately with Hornby’s save parried out to Sam Hoskins on the edge of the penalty area, with a couple of scuffed effort towards the target from the hosts before the offside flag went up against Magloire, giving the visitors a breather.
But Wayne Brown’s side were quick to create their own chances in the game, with Luke Hannant going close five minutes later with a powerful strike. Hornby tossed the ball up towards John Akinde, who was able to bully his man and flick the ball into the path of Hannant who unleashed a left-footed strike down the middle of the goal that was pushed over the bar by Lee Burge.
It was the hosts who drew first blood though, with Sam Hoskins on target for Brady’s side. Hylton picked the ball up near the half way line and spotted the run of Hoskins, finding him with a neat pass, allowing him to fire the ball high into the top right corner of the net from just inside the penalty area after twenty-seven minutes.
The hosts would keep the pressure on, with Hylton happy to tussle with either of the U’s centre backs, coming together in a tense altercation with Eastman with the officials having to intervene.
Good defensive work from Eastman and Chambers would pave a way back into the game for the U’s though, with Freddie Sears getting his side level three minutes before the break. Noah Chilvers was able to re-take possession on the edge of the penalty area before his quick feet got the better of Magloire bringing him down for a penalty. Sears wasn’t going to miss from twelve yards, with Burge getting a slight hand on the equaliser, but the teams would head into the break level.
The early action in the second half saw some good moves forward from the U’s on either flank, before attacking progress was brought to a halt with a nasty challenge on Junior Tchamadeu. The challenge seemed to stutter the U’s moves up the field, with the game falling into a pattern of fouls that broke up play.
Wayne Brown looked to freshen his side up with Frank Nouble and Cameron Coxe introduced, with both instantly involved with play. Frank Nouble saw the ball fall just behind him from Luke Chambers’ cross with the hosts able to clear, taking the other end of the pitch and almost instantly regaining the lead.
The second Cobblers’ goal came from the penalty spot, after a harsh looking handball decision given against the U’s on the far side, with Sam Hoskins converting for his second of the game.
But Colchester United weren’t done yet – Frank Nouble controlled the ball on a masterful run down the left flank beating his man three times before forcing his way into the penalty area. It would have been easy for Nouble’s final ball to let him down, but he picked out Chilvers, who finished accurately from all of twelve yards off the inside of the post to level the scores yet again, with ten minutes to play.
In a cruel twist for the battling U’s though, Wayne Brown’s side would have to travel back to Essex empty-handed after Ryan Haynes’ eighty-ninth minute winner. Sam Hoskins who had already got two to his name, added an assist to his man-of-the-match performance, driving a low cross to Haynes at the back post who obliged with a simple finish with Hornby taken out of the game by the delivery.
And it would finish 3-2 to the hosts, with the U’s perhaps thinking they should have taken a point home with them on the opening day.
But Wayne Brown’s side will need to pick themselves up again from the agonising late defeat as they host Carlisle United at the JobServe Community Stadium next weekend in the first home game of the season.
Northampton Town starting XI: Burge, Magloire (Lintott 86’), Sowerby, Guthrie, Sherring, Hoskins, Appere, Hylton, Pinnock (Leonard 90’), Koiki, McWilliams.
Subs: Maxted, Leonard, Lintott, Haynes, Abimbola, Cross, Dyche.
Colchester United starting XI: Hornby, Clampin (Coxe 69’), Chambers, Hannant (Newby 90’), Skuse, Judge (Cooper 90’), Sears, Chilvers, Eastman, Tchamadeu, Akinde (Nouble 69’).
Subs: Collins, Dallison, Newby, Coxe, Marshall Miranda, Cooper, Nouble.