Northampton Town (a) 5-0
Match 30: 21-1-1956: Division 3 (South)
No Third Division team could have lived with Town`s superb football in the mud. The score could have been doubled as the Cobblers had no answer to their style and pace in terrible conditions. Alf Ramsey`s gamble of playing Jimmy Leadbetter at outside left, despite the fact he had never played there for Brighton or for Town Reserves, was a huge success, Leadbetter having a hand in three of the goals. Northampton squandered an opportunity to upset Town`s rhythm in the 11th minute when they missed a twice-taken penalty, awarded when John Elsworthy brought down Roly Mills. Jack English, entrusted with a spot kick for the first time, hit the bar with his first effort and sliced the second wide. More
Heavy rain prior to the match kept the attendance down and left pools of water on the pitch. Ipswich strolled to victory, the only criticism being that they eased up when four goals clear and allowed Rangers, who were not in the same class, to reduce the arrears. This could be significant since Town had an inferior goal average to the other leading teams. Tom Garneys took his total of goals for the club to 100 in all competitions. With Orient losing at Coventry, Town were 3 points ahead of Brighton and Leyton who had played, respectively, one and two fewer matches. 
With Leyton Orient in FA Cup action, Town`s victory took them a point clear at the top of the table, although Orient had two games in hand. For 80 minutes Town made little progress until Billy Reed and George McLuckie combined on the right. McLuckie crossed for Tom Garneys to nod the ball into the net past Reg Matthews. 