Author: horse-racing-free-tips

Carlisle became the first team in League Two to secure promotion following their 1-1 draw at Mansfield. The Stags looked to have delayed the promotion party when top goal scorer Ritchie Barker netted after 63 minutes but the Cumbrians levelled in the 92nd minute through their leading marksman Karl Hawley. The draw, available at 12/5 before kick-off, secured Paul Simpson’s side their second successive promotion.

Two goals in three second-half minutes kept Northampton in second place after a 3-1 win at Oxford. Chris Doig opened the scoring for the 13/10 Cobblers after 17 minutes while Martin Smith on 69 and Josh Low on 71 sealed a sixth win in seven matches. Defender Chris Willmott scored a consolation for United four minutes later.

Grimsby kept their hopes of automatic promotion alive with a 1-0 win over play-off chasers Cheltenham. Gary Jones scored the decisive goal for the 5/6 Mariners after 69 minutes.

Leyton Orient remained on the fringes of automatic promotion after being held 1-1 by fellow play-off hopefuls Lincoln. John Mackie gave Orient a dream start after two minutes but Jamie Forrester levelled on 36 for the match to end all square at 9/4.

Wycombe ended a run of six straight defeats with an emphatic 3-1 win at Rushden & Diamonds, putting Barry Hunter’s side on the brink of relegation. Marcus Kelly gave Diamonds the lead after 24 minutes but two goals in three minutes for Tommy Mooney on 62 and Roger Johnson 65 and a Mooney penalty two minutes from time saw a much-needed 2/1 for the Chairboys.

Torquay remain in the bottom two but have given themselves a fighting chance of survival after a 1-0 defeat of Wrexham. Martin Phillips netted the winner for the 7/5 Seagulls after nine minutes.

Stockport edged closer to safety by beating Shrewsbury 3-1 at Edgley Park. Jamie Ward broke the deadlock for the 13/10 Hatters nine minutes before the break and Kevin O’Connor double the advantage on 54. Glynn Hurst pulled one back for the Shrews 10 minutes later but a Mark Robinson penalty six minutes from the end ensured a precious home win.

Caretaker coach Steve Bleasdale quit his post at Peterborough just an hour before Posh ran out 3-2 winners against Macclesfield. John Miles gave the Silkmen the lead after 62 minutes, but Posh, under Barry Fry and Andy Legg, equalised through Danny Crow on 71 and took the lead through David Farrell on 83. Miles netted his second a minute from time to draw Brian Horton’s side level but Crow struck a last gasp 8/11 winner.

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.

Southend were crowned League One champions following a 1-0 win against Bristol City. Wayne Gray came off the bench to score the winner with three minutes to go for the 4/5 Shrimpers.

Colchester only needed to avoid defeat to secure automatic promotion and earned the point they required with a goalless draw at Yeovil. The 12/5 draw means Colchester will play in the second tier of English football for the first time in their history next season.

Brentford’s hopes of automatic promotion were ended by veteran striker Steve Fletcher as he equalised for Bournemouth in stoppage time. Sam Sodje gave Brentford the lead after 22 minutes but the Cherries equalised through Steve Foley on the stroke of half-time. Andrew Frampton put the Bees back in control on 65 but Fletcher snatched a 12/5 draw at the death.

Fourth placed Huddersfield were held to a 9/4 goalless draw at relegated Swindon and will face local rivals Barnsley in the play-offs. The Tykes secured their place with a crucial 2-1 win at Walsall. Marc Richards gave 4/5 Barnsley the lead after 31 minutes but Dean Keates equalised from the penalty spot on the hour. Daniel Nardiello struck the winner, also from the penalty spot, with seven minute left.

Swansea confirmed their place in the play-offs with an emphatic 4-0 win at Chesterfield. Leon Knight needed just five minutes to break the deadlock and Rory Fallon added a second on 33. Knight struck again on 79 and completed his hat-trick with one minute left for the 9/10 Swans.

Nottingham Forest’s late rally was in vain as they missed out on the final play-off spot following a 1-1 draw at Bradford. Dean Windass gave the Bantams the lead after 20 minutes but Julian Bennett salvaged a 12/5 draw with two minutes remaining.

A win wasn’t enough for outsiders Doncaster to sneak into the play-offs despite winning 2-0 at managerless Tranmere. Lewis Guy after 12 minutes and Neil Roberts on 43 scored the decisive goals for the 13/10 Rovers.

Hartlepool were relegated after failing to get the win they needed against Port Vale to avoid the drop. Michael Cummins gave Vale the lead after 77 minutes but James Brown scored a 13/5 equaliser with four minutes remaining.

Milton Keynes Dons were also relegated after they could only muster a goalless draw against Rotherham. The Dons needed a win while the Millers were content with a 5/2 draw.