Saints were knocked out of the Checkatrade Trophy in dramatic fashion as they squandered a three goal load in the space of just 17 minutes before losing a penalty shootout at Northampton.

The club’s under-21s were by far the better side for the vast majority of the game at the Sixfields Stadium, and deservedly led 3-0 through two goals from Jake Hesketh and one via Tyreke Johnson.

However, they ended up being eliminated at the group stage as Northampton eventually equalised with the last kick of the game to make it 3-3, before running out 4-2 victors in a penalty shootout to qualify from Group H along with Peterborough.

Saints got off to the perfect start as Hesketh, showing great signs of progress after returning recently from a long term hamstring injury, gave them the lead after just seven minutes.

He intercepted the ball and quickly broke through the Northampton backline to get himself one-on-one with David Cornell.

Hesketh showed great composure to wait for the keeper to start to dive out towards him before lifting the ball over Cornell and into the far corner.

Saints were comfortably the better team in the first period.

Northampton, in fairness much changed from their regular League One side, looked like a team unfamiliar with each other and were very disjointed.

Saints, in contrast, were slick, particularly going forward.

Hesketh was at the heart of most of their good attacking work, setting up Callum Slattery for a shot that was straight at Cornell and getting in a shot the Northampton keeper saved.

At the end other end the physical strength of Northampton meant Saints had to defend doggedly in difficult conditions.

If the only slight regret of the first half for Saints was that their dominance hadn’t put them further ahead, it didn’t take much of the second period to put that right.

It was no great surprise that Hesketh picked up a second goal that his efforts merited six minutes after the restart.

He started and ended a superb forward move, with a one-two with Jonathan Afolabi putting him in on goal where he again finished clinically past Cornell.

Saints bagged a third on 59 minutes.

Yan Valery produced a superb turn on the right and whipped in a cross. Tyreke Johnson made a darting run across the face of his defender and hit a wonderful first time finish that flew into the bottom corner.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink responded by throwing on more experience and it paid off.

Northampton got onto the scoresheet on 73 minutes as Sam Foley guided a half volley into the top corner.

It was 3-2 with seven minutes remaining as a corner was headed clear to Lewis McGugan, whose wonderful volley from 25 yards out was central but too good for Alex McCarthy to get a hand to.

Saints seemed to be seeing out the game with ease until deep into stoppage time when Ash Taylor got his head to a corner to equalise with what was, quite literally, the last kick of the game.

The match went straight to penalties, where Johnson saw his spot kick saved before Ollie Cook blazed over as Saints went out.

SAINTS: McCarthy, Valery, Cook, O'Driscoll, Wood, Jones, Hesketh (Little 75), Slattery, Tella (Obafemi 62), Johnson, Afolabi.

NORTHAMPTON: Cornell, Moloney, Taylor, McGivern, Smith, Kasim (McGugan 69), Foley, Crooks (Grimes 63), Bowditch, Hanley (Long 64), Richards.