Northampton Town played out a 0-0 draw with Stevenage in their first home game managed by Kevin Nolan.

A stalemate between two sides promoted together in 2023 saw neither side show the quality required to steal the points, as the Cobblers continue to wait for their sixth league win of the season, with the side also dealt a blow after captain Jon Guthrie was stretchered off with an injury.

A point means Northampton sit 3 points ahead of the relegation zone after 24 games of the season, with Nolan’s side sat 19th in the table. The Cobblers have however failed to win any of their last five outings.

After starting his tenure as Northampton boss with two away games, Nolan took charge of a game at Sixfields for the first time in the Cobblers’ first contest of 2025.

Despite their injury list remaining lengthy, with top scorer Cameron McGeehan joining the absences, Northampton did make a bright enough start against Stevenage, with TJ Eyoma having a header kept out by away goalkeeper Murphy Cooper and Will Hondermarck seeing a strike shave the post on the way out.

Guthrie and Tom Eaves both saw attempts repelled by Cooper in the visiting goal, before the host’s momentum dipped as skipper Guthrie suffered an injury following an awkward fall. He would require on-pitch treatment before being stretchered off.

This lead to 8 minutes of stoppage time, during which Stevenage had their first real chance of the half when Jordan Roberts sent a strike wide.

Half time Cobblers sub Tarique Fosu would come close after the break, with the winger seeing a strike curl its way narrowly wide of the mark.

The hosts however would struggle for chance creation after half-time, and Stevenage had the best chances when Nik Tzanev denied Jamie Reid and Roberts before Dan Philips missed the target with an effort.

Ultimately, the contest fizzled out with neither side really coming close to a late winner, ensuring just a point for Northampton in their first assignment of the new year.

Northampton will seek to return winning ways in their first away outing of 2025 on Saturday, when they travel to play bottom side Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium.