Jon Brady admitted it was "hard to comprehend" the fate suffered by Northampton Town after Bristol Rovers snatched promotion in stunning fashion on the final day of the League Two season.
Brady's Cobblers raced three goals ahead against Barrow on Saturday, meaning Rovers would need to score eight against Scunthorpe United if they were to pip them to the play-offs on goals scored. Josh Kay's header for Barrow just before half time made the task fractionally easier for the Gas, but Joey Barton's side still needed five second-half goals to sneak into third place.
Remarkably, that is just what the Gas did, with Aaron Collins and Antony Evans scoring braces before Elliot Anderson headed home five minutes from time lifting Rovers into the automatic promotion places for the first time all season.
Northampton, meanwhile, were stunned after winning 3-1 on the road but losing their top-three place. Brady has the difficult task of lifting his players for the play-off semi-final against Mansfield Town.
"It’s pretty hard to comprehend right now,” Brady told the Northampton Chronicle. “That’s all I can really say on it.
"I thought we were excellent. We started really well and to go 3-0 up after 20 minutes was the perfect start.
"They made a couple of changes and then started to get back into the game but for their goal it’s a clear foul on Shaun McWilliams.
"We have turned a lot of moments around this season. I’m still trying to comprehend it but we will dust ourselves down and get ourselves ready for the play-offs."
Northampton fans vented anger and frustration on social media after the game, not at their team but at Rovers' opponents Scunthorpe. Already relegated, Keith Hill continued his recent policy of fielding a young Scunthorpe team, with seven teenagers in the starting XI including a 17-year-old in goal, prompting claims from some supporters that the integrity of the competition was affected.
Brady, though, declined to go into detail on the matter.
"Barrow fielded a full-strength side today and they are a good team,” he said.
"I don’t want to say anything on the matter with Scunthorpe. It doesn’t concern me and I need to look forward and we need to look forward.
"Whatever’s done is done, whether it’s right or wrong.”
Hill shared his verdict on his team selection from the press room beneath the West Stand at the Mem. He said: "It’s the way that I’ve decided to go with the young players to try and give them the experience. I wanted them to enjoy the experience of playing in front of a big crowd against a good side, but from a football perspective, they were miles better than us.
“You can see why they’ve been promoted. They haven’t been promoted because they’ve beaten us 7-0 today even though everyone will be suggesting that from Northampton, through to Port Vale, through to anyone else in the promotion pack. The fact of the matter is they’ve done it over 46 games, and we haven’t irrespective of whatever squad of players we have got.”
Tensions have brewed between Gas boss Barton and Northampton manager Brady after an ill-tempered meeting of their teams in March, which Rovers won 1-0. However, after Saturday's drama he wished the Cobblers the best in the play-offs.
"I feel for Northampton, I do," Barton said. "They’ve gone and won 3-1 away from home, they’re five goals clear. Colin Calderwood is a great guy as I’ve said. I know I’ve rubbed Jon Brady up the wrong way but he has done a fantastic job this year as well.
"They’ve sat in the top of three for a lot of the season. We’ve come and done them on the line. It’s still yet to sink in but they’ve had a fantastic season as well and I hope they go up in the play-offs."
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