Exeter City were given a lesson in just how cruel League Two football can be as a dogged second-half defensive performance was undone by an 88th-minute goal from Marc Richards.
Richards hit a superb overhead kick from the eight yards to give Northampton Town a deserved 1-0 victory.
However having put in a strong defensive performance in the second half, in which they dealt with a number of corners thrown into the box admirably, City will have felt they had done enough to earn a point.
Grecians manager Paul Tisdale made one change to the side that drew 1-1 with York City on Saturday, giving Matt Jay only his second start for the club alongside Graham Cummins up front.
Matt Oakley, who started as centre back in the last game, moved into midfield, while David Wheeler and Arron Davies started as wing-backs in the 5-3-2 formation.
The first chance fell to Northampton, with six minutes played, as the lively Chris Hackett got in down the right wing and pulled a good ball back towards the penalty spot. However, Emile Sinclair scuffed his effort wide of the mark and then Christy Pym dived at the feet of Joel Byrom just as it looked as though he was going to put the ball in at the back post.
City responded three minutes later but Cummins' header, from an Oakley corner, was high and wide. Then Matt Grimes showed some tricky footwork to get away from two Northampton challenges and squared a ball to Jay on the edge of the box. However, the City youngster's effort lacked conviction and was easily blocked by Zander Diamond.
Diamond had to be alert again on 14 minutes to block a close-range strike from Davies after Grimes had threaded a ball into him on the left side of the box.
Northampton were finding plenty of joy down the right side of the pitch though and the City backline put in a few clearing headers as crosses came in from Hackett and Tozer.
There were even some optimistic appeals for a penalty as a ball bounced up and hit Davies on the arm as he struggled to cope with the amount of pressure he was being put under in the first half.
At the other end Liam Sercombe threatened with a couple of efforts, but his first was straight at Matt Duke and his second was handsomely over the crossbar. Cummins was equally woeful with his shot at goal on 40 minutes, which he managed to almost slice out of the ground.
However, City's best chance of the half came moments later as Wheeler delivered a low cross from the right that deflected off Diamond and forced Duke to tip the ball over his crossbar.
Wilder made one change to the Northampton line-up at the start of the second half as highly-rated youngster Ivan Toney came on for Emile Sinclair. However, their tactic remained the same as they tried to exploit the right-hand side of the pitch.
City had to wait until the 62nd minute to create a meaningful second-half chance. Substitute Jimmy Keohane picked the ball up in the Northampton half and fed Wheeler down the right who delivered a low cross that Sercombe failed to connect with at the back post. In fairness having watched the ball come all the way across the area he should have done better.
Two quick chances then fell to the Northampton substitute Toney, but he hit the crossbar with his first effort and then smacked a shot straight at Pym when Kaid Mohamed had played him through on goal.
Toney, who began to grow in the match, showed some great footwork to get away from Wheeler on the left and deliver a low ball into the box that Mohamed turned goalwards only for Pym to make a good save.
Pym then produced an even greater stop on 68 minutes to tip Hackett's shot – which was heading for the bottom right hand corner – around the post.
However, for all Northampton's pressure, as the game entered the final quarter of an hour, it looked as City were going to hang on for a point.
That was until one of Ben Tozer's infamous long throws was hurled into the box. Toney got a flick on and Richards did the rest as his overhead kick flew past Pym.
Northampton Town (4-4-2): Duke, Tozer, Collins © (D'Ath, 34), Diamond, Robertson, Hackett, O'Toole (Ravenhill, 75), Byrom, Mohamed, Sinclair (Toney, 48), Richards. Subs not used: Nicholls, Moyo, Archer, Roberts.
Booked: Richards, Bryom
Exeter City (5-3-2): Pym, Wheeler (Dawson, 78), Bennett ©, Baldwin, Woodman, Davies, Sercombe, Oakley, Grimes, Jay (Keohane, 58), Cummins. Subs not used: Keohane, Dawson, Hamon, Riley-Lowe, Tillson, Pope, Watkins.
Booked: Pym, Davies
Referee. Michael Bull.
Attednace 4,053. Away (203).
