ED Upson almost marked his Ipswich Town return with goal but was denied by the woodwork as the reserves were held to a goalless draw at Northampton.

Derek Davis

ED Upson almost marked his Ipswich Town return with goal but was denied by the woodwork as the reserves were held to a goalless draw at Northampton.

Upson, who was brought back from his loan spell at Stevenage after not getting the first team experience expected, also had a shot saved by Chris Dunne after smart turn.

Dean Bowditch, who was on loan at Sixfields last season, hit a shot wide after being put through in a one on one.

With Tommy Smith and Pim Balkestein both out injured, academy coach Gerard Nash played as centre-half, while Danny Haynes played for an hour and Jaime Peters also got 90 minutes.

The Cobblers' best chance came in the final minutes when they also hit the woodwork after corner when Alex Dyer's header was knocked onto the bar by Shane Supple.

Supple also made a good save from Giles Coke, but had his blushes spared following an error when Paul Watson cleared off the line from an Ian Henderson effort.

Reserves: Supple, Clemo, Robinson, Nash, Hyam, Watson, Reason, Upson (Lambe 65), Peters, Bowditch, Haynes (Murphy 62). Unused: Ainsley, Ward, Daniels.

Referee: S Ross. Attendance: 136.