Northampton followed Carlisle into League One after beating Chester 1-0. Scott McGleish scored the winning goal for the 6/10 Cobblers after 26 minutes, his 24th goal of the campaign. The win saw Northampton five points clear of fourth-placed Grimsby Town with one match left to play.
Leyton Orient played for 70 minutes with 10 men, but saw off Peterborough to keep their hopes of automatic promotion alive. Matt Lockwood gave the 4/5 O’s the lead from the penalty spot after 15 minutes before Paul Connor saw red on 21. Orient went further ahead after 70 minutes through Wayne Corden before Lloyd Opara pulled one back for Posh five minutes before the end.
Grimsby’s hopes of automatic promotion were dented as they could only manage a 12/5 draw at Macclesfield. Gary Jones gave the Mariners the lead after 40 minutes but Marcus Richardson equalised three minutes later for the Silkmen.
Rushden & Diamonds became the first team in League Two to have their relegation confirmed as they lost 2-0 at Boston. Lawrie Dudfield broke the deadlock with a minute to go and Danny Thomas secured victory for the 6/5 Pilgrims a minute later.
Torquay boosted their chances of escaping the drop with an unlikely victory at Carlisle, denying the Cumbrians the chance to clinch the League Two title. Kevin Hill gave Ian Atkins’ side an eighth minute lead and Jo Kuffour doubled the 5/1 Seagulls’ lead on 41. Zigor Aranalde pulled one back for Carlisle three minutes after the break but Torquay held out to win.
Oxford slipped into the bottom two following a draw at Wrexham. Matt Crowell gave the Dragons the lead after 28 minutes but Tcham N’Toya equalised from the penalty spot on 64 to set up a 5/2 draw.
Cheltenham guaranteed themselves a place in the play-offs following a 2-0 victory over Notts County. Steve Guinan gave the 8/15 Robins the lead after three minutes and Ashley Vincent rounded off the win with a second on 82.
Lincoln edged closer to a fourth successive play-off spot with 1-0 victory at Shrewsbury. Defender Gareth McAuley scored the decisive goal for the 9/5 Imps after 62 minutes.
Darlington kept their outside chance of a play-off spot alive by beating faltering Wycombe. David Duke got the winner for the 23/10 Quakers five minutes into the second half.
Rochdale preserved their League Two status and ended Bristol Rovers’ hopes for a play-off berth in the process. Rickie Lambert scored from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time and Ernie Cooksey sealed a 7/4 home win in stoppage time.
Bury’s third goalless draw in four matches edged them ever closer to survival with opponents Mansfield doing well to earn a point. Draw hunters will have picked up on the 11/5 available on the match ending all square.
A goalless draw at Underhill keeps both Barnet and Stockport in danger of relegation with 23/10 available before kick-off.
