Northampton Town had a dismal Boxing Day after they suffered a 5-1 beating at the hands of Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium.
The Cobblers found themselves 3-0 down within half an hour, as Jake Beesley, Jack Armer and a Max Dyche own goal gave them a mountain to climb.
Tom Eaves had scored a goal back, but Tyrese Shade’s double quelled any hopes Kevin Nolan’s side may have had about mounting a comeback as they slipped to a heavy defeat.
Defeat means Burton leapfrog Northampton in the table. The Cobblers now sit 16th in the League One table, with Northampton now 3 points clear of the relegation zone.
Things started to go wrong straight away for Northampton when they fell behind within three minutes. Nesta Guinness-Walker was judged to have fouled Kyran Lofthouse in the box, and from the spot, Beesley rifled in the penalty to give the Brewers the early lead.
Two goals in five minutes then made things worse for the visitors. In the 23rd minute, full-back Armer struck home after Northampton failed to fully clear their lines when his initial strike had been saved by Ross Fitzsimons.
As if that was enough, Northampton would fall 3-0 down in the 28th minute. Dyche was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was struck by a teammate’s attempted clearance, resulting in the ball spiralling home for an own goal. Northampton felt there had been a handball by Beesley in the build-up, but the appeals were rejected.
Northampton then had a flurry of chances, as Brad Collins denied Eaves and Cameron McGeehan hit the crossbar, and with 40 minutes on the clock, they did grab a goal back when Eaves flicked home from Terry Taylor’s cross.
But the comeback hopes wouldn’t last long. A few minutes later, Jake Burroughs was unable to intercept Julian Larsson’s pass. The ball was released Shade, who advanced and scored.
Northampton’s miserable day found a way to get worse when Michael Forbes limped off injured in the second half after they’d already made all their substitutions, meaning they played the final stages with 10 players.
With six minutes of the 90 to play, Sulyman Krubally released Shade for a charge forward, and the scorer of Burton’s fourth goal duly scored the team’s fifth and his second as he ran through before beating Fitzsimons.
That capped off a miserable day for Northampton, who will be seeking better in their final game of 2025 when they visit Huddersfield on Monday.
Luton Town recorded a fine win on Boxing Day as they recorded a 4-0 win over Wycombe Wanderers at Kenilworth Road.
Gideon Kodua scored a brace in the first half before second half strikes by Jordan Clark and Shayden Morris saw Jack Wilshere’s side record an emphatic victory against their fellow play-off chasers.
With their victory, the Hatters remain 8th in the League One table and are 3 points off the play-offs.
Having failed to win any of their previous four outings, Luton were chasing a boost as they welcomed a Wycombe side that began the day in the position directly behind the Hatters in the table, with both aiming to close in on League One’s play-off spots.
Wilshere’s side conceded an early goal in defeat at Reading in their last match before Christmas, but this time, they would make a fast start as they scored inside seven minutes. Liam Walsh and Lamine Fanne combined for the latter to thread through Kodua. The West Ham loanee, who had spent last season at Wycombe, duly placed a strike that went under Wycombe keeper Will Norris and into the net.
Kodua then nearly turned provider, as Cohen Bramall met his cross but headed the ball wide.
Sam Bell had Wycombe’s first major chance as he was denied by Josh Keeley, but the game’s second goal looked likelier to be for the Hatters. Kodua saw an effort just go wide, Norris made a good save to deny Nahki Wells and Fanne had a strike blocked on the line.
In the final minutes of the first half, Luton would make it 2-0. A poor back pass by Wycombe’s Anders Hagelskjaer released Kodua, who duly took the ball away from Norris before rolling it home for his second of the day.
After managing the game for much of the second half, Luton would grab a third with 20 minutes to go. A cross caused trouble in the Wycombe box, and it ended with substitute Jerry Yates touching the ball back for Clark to rifle past Norris.
Eight minutes later, Luton had goal number four. Wycombe’s Taylor Allen lost possession a few yards outside his own box, with Morris stealing the ball. The Luton sub duly charged through to shoot and score, wrapping up a fine afternoon for the home side.
Luton have one more game remaining in 2025, when they welcome Leyton Orient to Bedfordshire on Monday.
A man from the Fishermead area of Milton Keynes has been ordered to pay nearly £1,200 in fines and costs for dumping rubbish illegally.
Following an investigation by Milton Keynes City Council, the case was brought before Milton Keynes Magistrates Court where the man, pleaded guilty to two charges of fly tipping in Medbourne.
The Court heard that the man had previously lived at the property but moved away in June 2025. Despite this, he continued to return to the block and leave waste bags in the communal bin area reserved for residents.
On 21 July 2025, the man was seen driving to the bin store, checking inside the bins, and then leaving his waste beside them when he realised they were full. On 6 August 2025, he returned and dumped a further two bags next to the communal bins.
When interviewed, the man admitted leaving the waste and said he had previously raised concerns with his landlord about insufficient bin storage. He declined the option of resolving the matter through a Fixed Penalty Notice.
He was fined £400 and ordered to pay £624 in legal and investigation costs, along with a £160 victim surcharge.
Cllr Jennifer Wilson-Marklew, Cabinet Member for the Public Realm, said, “Misuse of communal bin stores creates real problems for residents and our collection crews. These facilities are provided for specific households only and dumping excess or unauthorised waste can lead to non collections and additional costs for those living nearby. We will continue to act against anyone who chooses to dispose of their rubbish irresponsibly.”
Police have released an e-fit image in connection with a sexual assault in Milton Keynes.
The incident happened between 1:45pm and 1:55pm on Tuesday 11 November and happened between Redmoor Bridge and Granby Court.
A girl in her teens was walking towards Granby Court when she was approached by a man, who asked her an inappropriate question.
The victim told the man to leave her alone, before the offender then touched her inappropriately over her clothing.
Thames Valley Police have released an e-fit image of the suspect, who is described as a white man, of a large build, around 5ft 7ins tall and had a round face.
At the time of the offence, he was wearing a muddy green hoodie with the hood up.
Investigating officer, PC Alex Qerreti said: “We are appealing for anyone who recognises the man in the e-fit to come forward.
“Additionally, if anyone has any further information and witnessed this incident, we would also ask them to get in touch.
“If you have information, please call 101 quoting reference 43250576338 or you can provide information on online reporting pages.”
Police are appealing for witnesses and dash-cam footage following a serious injury collision in Milton Keynes in which the driver of one of the vehicles involved left the scene.
The incident happened just before 10pm on Wednesday, there was a collision between a grey Peugeot 3008 and a red Toyota Auris near the top of the A509 Chichley Hill from Newport Pagnell.
The driver of the Toyota, a man aged in his 40s, sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital, where he remains at this time.
The driver of the Peugeot, described as a 6ft tall man in dark clothing, ran from the scene.
Investigating officer PC Richard Minney, from the Roads Policing Unit, said, “I am appealing for anyone who witnessed this collision or saw the man described leaving the scene to please get in touch with Thames Valley Police.
“If you were driving on Chichley Hill and saw anything or have dash-cam footage, please contact us.
“You can do so by calling us on 101 or by reporting online, quoting reference 43250640575.”
