League Two Round-up

A LOOK OVER THE LATEST ROUNDS OF GAMES IN LEAGUE TWO

by Mark Walker, PA Media

Cheltenham players celebrate promotion on Tuesday

Last Saturday, Conor Thomas’ 82nd minute goal On Tuesday night, Cheltenham secured promotion sealed Cheltenham Town a 1-0 victory against following a 1-1 draw with Carlisle. Chris Hussey’s Colchester United and sent his side back to the top stunning 56th-minute free-kick guaranteed the of the table as the yo-yo race for the Sky Bet League Robins would return to League One for the first time Two title continued. since 2009 after Joshua Kayode put the visitors Overnight leaders Cambridge United missed the ahead in the first half. chance to guarantee promotion with a win, and At Exeter, a dramatic collapse for 10-man Grimsby instead, slipped to second as Stevenage secured a condemned them to a 3-2 defeat - and relegation. surprise 1-0 win at the Abbey Stadium courtesy of a Lenell John-Lewis’s penalty and Jay Matete’s strike Luke Norris header just after the hour mark. turned the game in their favour after Luke Waterfall’s At the other end of the table, relegation-threatened own goal put the play-off-chasing Grecians ahead. pair Southend United and Grimsby Town both kept But, after Matete was dismissed, goals in the final their fights alive with victories. For Phil Brown’s eight minutes from Alex Fisher and Ryan Bowman Shrimpers it was win or bust, as it will be for each ensured the Mariners would return to the National of their last two games, and they edged Leyton League following a five-season stay in the fourth tier. Orient 2-1. Tyler Cordner gave them the lead, only Newport boosted their play-off hopes thanks to a for James Brophy to hit back before Matt Rush got thumping 4-0 success over lowly Scunthorpe lifting the winner in the 76th minute with his first senior the Exiles to sixth, while the Iron still require a single goal. For bottom-club Grimsby, there was an equally point to be mathematically safe. Salford climbed important win at Oldham Athletic. The Mariners into the final play-off spot after Ian Henderson’s went behind to Conor McAleny on the half-hour, but stoppage-time goal clinched a 1-0 win at Bradford. responded swiftly through Matt Green before Jay Elsewhere, Barrow guaranteed their safety with a 2-0 Matete won it with 10 minutes remaining. victory and dented Forest Green’s promotion hopes Bolton Wanderers beat Morecambe, with the latter as they dropped outside the play-off places. hampered by the early dismissal of Kevin Mellor. Ben Jackson gave Wanderers a 1-0 lead just before the interval and they held on TABLE 2020/21 1 Cheltenham Town P 44 HOME W D 12 5 L 5 F 33 A 20 AWAY W D 11 5 L 6 F 24 A 17 GD 20 Pts 79 with their numerical advantage. 2 Cambridge United 44 11 5 6 27 20 12 3 7 39 24 22 77 Elsewhere in the top seven, Tranmere Rovers 3 4 Bolton Wanderers Morecambe 44 44 11 12 5 5 6 5 26 36 21 27 11 9 5 4 6 9 28 29 26 31 7 7 76 72 beat Barrow 1-0 thanks to David Nugent’s 5 Tranmere Rovers 44 11 4 7 30 22 9 8 5 24 26 6 72 goal, Forest Green Rovers shared a goalless 6 Newport County 44 12 5 5 26 17 7 7 8 29 24 14 69 draw with hosts Crawley Town and Newport 7 8 Salford City Forest Green Rovers 44 44 10 9 11 7 1 6 33 29 15 26 8 9 3 6 11 7 18 25 18 24 18 4 68 67 County did the same at Exeter City. 9 Exeter City 44 11 6 5 37 19 6 9 7 31 29 20 66 Ten-man Salford City beat Mansfield Town 10 11 Carlisle United Leyton Orient 44 44 12 9 4 7 6 6 38 30 25 22 5 8 7 3 10 11 19 21 24 27 8 2 62 61 2-0 to keep the pressure on, Ashley Hunter 12 Port Vale 44 9 5 8 27 22 8 4 10 30 31 4 60 and Ian Henderson were on target despite 13 Crawley Town 44 10 6 6 29 23 6 6 10 23 32 -3 60 Richie Towell’s 68th-minute red card, while 14 15 Bradford City Stevenage 44 44 9 8 6 7 7 7 22 23 19 17 7 5 4 10 11 7 26 14 32 21 -3 -1 58 56 Emmanuel Osadebe scored one and set up 16 Oldham Athletic 44 6 2 14 31 39 9 7 6 40 35 -3 54 another in Walsall’s 2-0 win at Scunthorpe. 17 Harrogate Town 44 7 5 10 19 25 8 4 10 27 28 -7 54 18 Mansfield Town 44 5 10 7 29 30 6 9 7 21 24 -4 52 Port Vale beat Bradford City 2-1 and Carlisle 19 Walsall 44 7 6 9 20 25 4 13 5 25 26 -6 52 United rescued a 1-1 draw with Harrogate 20 Barrow 44 7 8 7 31 30 6 2 14 20 26 -5 49 Town due to a Joshua Kayode equaliser after 21 22 Colchester United Scunthorpe United 44 44 9 7 7 6 6 9 31 22 26 27 1 6 10 2 11 14 12 19 35 36 -18 -22 47 47 Jack Muldoon’s goal had given the visitors a 23 Southend United 44 5 5 12 15 28 4 9 9 11 28 -30 41 half-time lead. 24 Grimsby Town 44 4 8 10 16 30 5 5 12 20 36 -30 40