Nene Derby winner against Peterborough United was not a total fluke- reveals goalscorer

Whether or not the effort actually crossed the line still remains disputed as, despite multiple camera angles appearing over the weekend, no conclusive proof could be found.

There was no doubt in the mind of the linesman though and the 90th minute winner gave Northampton their first win league win over Posh at Sixfields since February 2002.

The game looked as if it was heading for a goalless draw until that point when the ball dropped to Pinnock wide on Posh’s left-hand side and he hooked a first time effort from around 40 yards over has shoulder and ultimately over Nicholas Bilokapic, who had to scramble back.

After the match, Pinnock was keen to point out that it was not a total fluke and he had been pre-warned by boss Jon Brady about Bilokapic’s positioning.

He told the Northampton Chronicle and Echo: "To be fair, when we were watching clips of them in the week, the gaffer did say, if you get a turnover in midfield, the goalkeeper is miles outside of his goal

"I actually text my mates this morning telling them ‘I bet you I score a goal from the halfway line or around there with a lob’ – I’ve still got the message on my phone to prove it! It fell to me in that position and it was just instinct when it came to me.

"I couldn’t see if it went over the line. I just saw the linesman flagging and I was buzzing.

"I don’t normally score in the first few games of the season but I should have scored the other night, I was a bit annoyed with that, but maybe I should stick to shooting from further out because they seem to go in more than when I’m closer.

"You could see how much it meant to the fans and we were desperate to win for them because we know it’s been a while. We put in that extra little bit so hopefully they've all gone home happy.”

Boss Brady added: "In the week we did analyse it because their goalkeeper is aggressive in his starting position, but to do what he did from where he did was outrageous.”