Joel Shooter looks at the main talking points from the latest Sky Bet League One and Sky Bet League Two action.
Newport leave it late
League Two’s surprise leaders Newport snatched a vital late win against Port Vale to consolidate their position in first.
The Exiles had been in the driving seat for most of the match against the Valiants and should arguably have taken the lead earlier, especially after Vale saw captain Leon Legge sent off for a second bookable offence in the 68th minute. But the go-ahead proved hard to come by, with Vale’s experienced keeper Scott Brown in fine form.
The breakthrough did come, though, dramatically in the 96th through an even more experienced player. After coming on 10 minutes earlier, 41-year-old Kevin Ellison was on hand to hammer home a loose ball from a corner to seal the three points for Newport.
The win is their second on the bounce after a setback defeat against Carlisle at the start of the month. Port Vale, meanwhile, continue to struggle after a strong start to the season, with three defeats on the bounce in the league.
Hull take top spot
After a couple of tough results in recent weeks, Hull grabbed a second win on the bounce on Saturday against MK Dons to reclaim pole position in League One.
An early Josh Magennis strike set the Tigers off before they were pegged back by Stephen Walker a few minutes later. But Magennis was on hand again just another minute later to blast Hull back into the lead, and they sealed the result with a third off the head of James Scott.
After being knocked back by three defeats in October, this result sees the Tigers once again take the initiative in a tight battle for promotion from League One.
At the other end of the table, MK Dons find themselves frustrated once again after another good performance failed to yield any tangible reward. It brings their four match unbeaten run to an end and while the Dons are still out of the relegation zone, they are just a point clear in a congested bottom third of the table.
Blackpool seal impressive win
Hull’s climb to the top of the table was facilitated by Blackpool’s excellent win against promotion chasing Peterborough.
The Seasiders took a 19th minute lead after Jerry Yates’s excellent turn and finish in the box, and were able to hold it till the 84th minute when Frankie Kent headed in Dan Butler’s corner. The goal looked to have snatched a point for Posh, but the Tangerines grabbed the win thanks to a 90th minute strike from Gary Madine.
Having been consistently inconsistent for much of the season so far, Saturday’s win makes it three on the bounce in the league for Blackpool following victories against Burton Albion and Wigan.
A second consecutive defeat for Peterborough sees them relinquish top spot to Hull, as well as allowing Ipswich to draw level on points in an engaging contest at the top of League One.
Carlisle continue fine form
A new look Carlisle side under Chris Beech have enjoyed an excellent season so far. They closed the gap between them and the automatic promotion spots to just a point after a superb 3-0 win over play-off chasing Crawley.
Newly signed defender Rhys Bennett grabbed his first goal for the club to put the Cumbrians ahead before half time, and his side barely gave the Red Devils a sniff in the second half. Josh Kayode doubled the lead on 55 minutes after excellent work from George Tanner, before Bennett’s centre back partner Aaron Hayden made it three soon after.
It completed a disappointing afternoon for Crawley, who ended the game with 10 men after David Sesay was sent off late on for a cynical last man challenge.
John Yems’s are now winless in three, while Carlisle have lost just twice in the league since the start of October.
Oldham surprise Exeter
😱 How hard has he hit that?!
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) November 22, 2020
💥 Danny Rowe's unstoppable free-kick from 30 yards was the winning goal as Oldham beat Exeter 2-1.@OfficialOAFC | @DannyLRowe | #OAFC pic.twitter.com/hNGbyPxAxx
Oldham claimed another surprise win at the weekend thanks to a sledgehammer free-kick from Danny Rowe.
The Latics kicked off November with an excellent win victory over Cheltenham, and came up with the goods again on Saturday to end Exeter’s ten-match unbeaten run. After Randell Williams had put the Grecians in front early on, George Blackwood got Oldham level with a curling strike from the edge of the area following good work from Dylan Bahamboula.
And in the 32nd minute, the Latics found what would eventually prove to be the winner as Rowe struck a magnificently hit free-kick into the top corner from 35 yards out.
It was a goal that sealed Oldham’s third win in five games as they begin to creep up the table after a poor start to the season. Exeter remain in the play-offs following their first defeat since a 2-0 loss to Port Vale in September.
Fleetwood flying
Fleetwood claimed their fifth win in six games with another blitzing result on Saturday. After a 4-1 win against Bristol Rovers last weekend, the Fishermen stretched to a 5-1 victory this time around against a Plymouth side who had only lost once in seven games.
Sam Finley put Fleetwood in front after just four minutes with a deflected strike, before Callum Camps rounded the keeper to double the lead. Wes Burns finished coolly before half-time to make it three, followed by a header from Charlie Mulgrew and a fine strike from Camps for his second to put the Fishermen 5-0 ahead.
Luke Jephcott snatched a late consolation, but saw his side finish with 10 men after Niall Canavan was sent off for a second booking.
The result sees Fleetwood move further ahead of Plymouth to just a point outside of the play-offs, while Argyle slip to tenth in the table.
