League One: Ipswich held and Plymouth beaten in boost for chasing pack | Ipswich Town


Ipswich missed the chance to go top of League One after conceding an equaliser to Fleetwood in the sixth minute of added time at Portman Road. The Tractor Boys stay second behind Plymouth, who lost 2-0 at home to Port Vale.

The league leaders suffered their first home league defeat of the season courtesy of second-half goals from Tom Conlon and James Wilson, which lifted Port Vale up to ninth. Ipswich led from the second minute when Luke Woolfenden struck, but were denied victory by Cian Hayes’ equaliser deep into added time.

There was still time for Fleetwood’s Josh Earl to be shown a red card before the final whistle confirmed a result that, combined with Plymouth’s defeat, gives hope to the chasing pack. Third-placed Sheffield Wednesday visit Derby in a Saturday lunchtime game while Barnsley are up to fourth after they won 2-1 at Peterborough.

Luca Connell’s opener for the visitors at London Road was cancelled out by Jack Taylor’s 21st-minute header, but Adam Phillips scored Barnsley’s second-half winner as they climbed above Posh in the table. Dion Charles scored in stoppage time to earn Bolton a point at Bristol Rovers, who led through Josh Coburn’s early goal.

Alfie May’s 84th-minute goal gave Cheltenham a 1-0 victory in a mid-table battle at Charlton, while Morecambe’s winless run extended to a sixth match after a 1-1 draw at home to Exeter. Cole Stockton’s 34th-minute goal was cancelled out by Joshua Key just two minutes later to leave the Shrimps five points from safety.

Luca Connell (centre) celebrates after scoring for Barnsley at Peterborough.
Luca Connell (centre) celebrates after scoring for Barnsley at Peterborough. Photograph: Nigel French/PA

In League Two, Stevenage closed to within two points of leaders Leyton Orient with a 5-0 home win over fellow promotion chasers Barrow. Jake Reeves fired the hosts in front from distance after 18 minutes and Jamie Reid doubled their advantage five minutes into the second half.

Dan Sweeney nodded in a corner to make it three at the Lamex Stadium, before Luke Norris converted from the spot and Tyrell Warren’s late own goal thoroughly buried Barrow, who remain in fourth place but are now nine points behind Steve Evans’ side.

Walsall climbed to eighth with a 2-0 victory at Doncaster thanks to second half goals from Tom Knowles and Danny Johnson, while Newport produced a dramatic comeback to beat Crewe, with Offrande Zanzala getting the 85th-minute winner.

Birmingham takeover bid breaks down

Paul Richardson has said he is “gutted” after his takeover bid for Birmingham City collapsed. Businessman Richardson and his partner, the former Barcelona player Maxi Lopez, had been in talks with the current owners for five months.

After extensive due diligence, Richardson accepted it was not possible to continue. Maxco Capital, the company backing the duo, issued a statement saying it had been left with “no alternative. [We] are bitterly disappointed as we know what this club means to the community and the very loyal fanbase.”

“The club means a lot to me and I am gutted that we have not been able to complete the deal,” Richardson told Birmingham Live. “I feel for the loyal staff and supporters, as I have been a Blues fan since I was a young lad.”

League One: Burton deny Plymouth as Ipswich and Sheffield Wednesday win | League One


Adrian Mariappa’s last-gasp header denied League One leaders Plymouth victory as Burton grabbed a late point.

The defender’s equaliser – just his second goal in English football in nine years – secured a 2-2 draw for the hosts after Plymouth looked to have turned the game around. Bobby Kamwa put the Brewers ahead in the first half, but Ryan Hardie’s penalty and a goal from Norwich loanee Bali Mumba put the visitors in front.

Ipswich closed the gap at the top with a 2-0 victory at Exeter. Freddie Ladapo and Marcus Harness struck to give the Tractor Boys a comfortable win, while third-placed Sheffield Wednesday kept in touch as Mark McGuinness’ header was enough to earn a 1-0 home win over Shrewsbury.

The gap between the top three and the chasing pack is now nine points after fourth-placed Peterborough lost 1-0 at Bristol Rovers. Scott Sinclair grabbed the winner for the Pirates before Ronnie Edwards was dismissed for the visitors with 15 minutes left. Barnsley moved into the play-off spots after a 3-1 home win over struggling MK Dons, with Adam Phillips and Herbie Kane securing victory for the Tykes.

Bolton also climbed into the top six after a dramatic late comeback at Fleetwood. Carlos Mendes Gomes’ classy first-half finish put the hosts in front but they conceded twice in the final five minutes, Conor Bradley tapping in from close range before Oladapo Afolayan won it in stoppage time. Daniel Butterworth’s winner earned all three points for Port Vale as they beat Charlton 1-0.

Mark McGuinness heads home the winner at Hillsborough.
Mark McGuinness heads home the winner at Hillsborough. Photograph: Barrington Coombs/PA

At the bottom of the table, Forest Green earned a morale-boosting 1-1 draw at Oxford after Harry Boyes’ own goal was cancelled out by Jamille Matt. Morecambe lost 2-1 at Lincoln, with Joe Walsh and Ben House on target for the Imps, who climb to ninth. The bottom four, which also includes Burton and MK Dons, all have 14 points each.

Harvey Rodgers’ first-half winner gave Accrington a 1-0 win at fellow strugglers Cambridge to open a six-point gap above the relegation zone, while Alfie May’s strike earned Cheltenham a 1-0 victory at home to Wycombe.

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League One results

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Exeter 0-2 Ipswich, Barnsley 3-1 MK Dons, Bristol Rovers 1-0 Peterborough, Burton 2-2 Plymouth, Cambridge 0-1 Accrington, Cheltenham 1-0 Wycombe, Fleetwood 1-2 Bolton, Lincoln 2-1 Morecambe, Oxford 1-1 Forest Green, Port Vale 1-0 Charlton, Sheff Wed 1-0 Shrewsbury

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League Two: Orient extend lead after Beckles winner

The league leaders, Leyton Orient, came from behind to claim a 2-1 victory over in-form Stockport. The Hatters took the lead through Myles Hippolyte in the fifth minute but Darren Pratley equalised 15 minutes later and Omar Beckles netted the winner for the visitors midway through the second half.

Orient have a five-point cushion over their nearest rivals, Stevenage, who thought they had found a winner at Grimsby through Jake Reeves’ goal 11 minutes from time – but Niall Maher popped up with a last-minute leveller. Northampton boosted their automatic promotion hopes with a 3-1 win at Bradford, taking charge of the game through Mitch Pinnock and Shaun McWilliams in the first half.

Carlisle’s Ryan Edmondson celebrates with the away fans at the Peninsula Stadium.
Carlisle’s Ryan Edmondson celebrates with the away fans at the Peninsula Stadium. Photograph: Tim Markland/PA

Barrow climbed above Mark Hughes’ side and into fourth with a 3-1 home win over Hartlepool, who drop back to the bottom of the table. Josh Gordon, Ben Whitfield and Billy Waters got the hosts’ goals inside the first 21 minutes. Carlisle moved into the top six thanks to a 4-1 victory over Salford, with Kristian Dennis on target twice for the visitors.

Colchester climbed off the bottom after ending a seven-match winless run in the league with a 3-0 success against Doncaster. Alex Newby and Samson Tovide scored either side of half-time, with Luke Jannant adding a late third. Gillingham are in the bottom two after Priestley Farquharson’s double earned Newport victory.

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League Two results

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Barrow 3-1 Hartlepool, Bradford 1-3 Northampton, Colchester 3-0 Doncaster, Grimsby 1-1 Stevenage, Harrogate 3-0 Mansfield, Newport 2-0 Gillingham, Salford 1-4 Carlisle, Stockport 1-2 Leyton Orient, Sutton 1-0 Rochdale, Swindon 0-1 Crewe, Tranmere 0-2 Wimbledon, Walsall 2-1 Crawley

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Luke Armstrong struck twice for Harrogate in a 3-0 victory over Mansfield, while Ayoub Assal scored his seventh goal in eight matches as Wimbledon beat 10-man Tranmere 2-0. Daniel Agyei’s penalty earned Crewe a 1-0 victory at play-off chasers Swindon, while Sutton beat Rochdale by the same score thanks to Will Randall.

Danny Johnson grabbed a stoppage-time winner for Walsall in a 2-1 success against Crawley. Dominic Telford put Crawley ahead in the 11th minute but Hayden White quickly equalised before Ludwig Francilette saw red. The visitors held out for most of the second half before Johnson’s late strike.

FA awards Jack Leslie posthumous England cap 97 years after call-up | England


The Football Association is awarding Jack Leslie, the first black player to receive an England call-up, a posthumous honorary cap. The inside-left, who scored 137 goals in 400 appearances for Plymouth between 1921 and 1934, was called up to the national team in 1925.

But Leslie would disgracefully be denied an England appearance because of the colour of his skin after selectors discovered his heritage. The Argyle favourite died in 1988 and has been immortalised by a statue that was formally unveiled outside Home Park on Friday.

The FA chair, Debbie Hewitt, confirmed that Leslie has been posthumously awarded an England cap 97 years after his call-up. “Jack Leslie is a true football legend who, through his own adversity, has positively shaped attitudes and behaviours to identify and remove discrimination from football,” she said in a statement released to PA.

“The FA is awarding Jack a posthumous honorary cap to recognise his unique contribution and set of circumstances – and to right the historical wrong. I had the privilege of meeting Lesley, Jack’s granddaughter, at a recent international game at Wembley, where we had the opportunity to recognise the family’s determination, courage and resilience to have Jack’s story told and through the efforts of Lesley and her sisters Lyn and Gill, to change perceptions in football and more broadly in society.

“We have made progress in recent years to ensure that English football is more diverse and inclusive and a game for all. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Jack and to his family for comprehensively and consistently driving positive change through football. We are pleased to support this campaign and to recognise Jack’s career.”