Northampton Town and Southend United have been unable to break the deadlock in a goalless first 45 minutes of their League Two encounter which has ended 0-0.

Northampton began on the front foot and Lawson D'Ath had already flashed a shot wide of the target by the time Ryan Cresswell's header rebounded back off the bar in the seventh minute.

Brendan Moloney then ventured forward from the back and sent a powerful strike narrowly wide of the upright before Daniel Bentley tipped Ricky Holmes's dipping effort over the bar.

Southend then struck the woodwork twice in the space of 10 seconds as Ben Coker's free kick shattered the underside of the bar before Shaquile Coulthirst's follow-up header rebounded back off the foot of the post.

Coker was unperturbed and teed up Barry Corr with a precise cross 10 minutes before the interval, but the forward couldn't guide his header on target.