League Two leaders Cambridge beat Salford 2-0; Second-place Cambridge beat third-placed Forest Green 1-0; Tranmere, Bolton, Morecambe, in fourth, fifth and sixth, all win; There were also wins for Leyton Orient, Port Vale and Barrow
Cheltenham got their promotion bid back on track with 2-0 win over Salford but nearest rivals Cambridge remain hot on their heels following victory over third-placed Forest Green.
Sean Long gave them a flying start with a third-minute opener and Liam Sercombe added a second before half-time to seal a win that keeps Cheltenham a point clear of Cambridge, who edged out Forest Green.
Wes Hoolahan’s 38th-minute effort decided the match after League Two’s leading scorer Paul Mullin had earlier seen his 18th-minute penalty for Cambridge turned onto the post by Lewis Thomas.
Mullin, who has struck 24 times this season, would have broken their record for league goals in an EFL season had he converted the spot-kick.
Tranmere scored twice from the spot themselves – David Nugent and Danny Lloyd-McGoldrick both netting from 12 yards either side of Joel Randall’s equaliser – as fourth-placed Rovers defeated Exeter 2-1 to join Forest Green on 61 points.
Newport slipped down to seventh as they were beaten 1-0 by Leyton Orient in one of Saturday’s early kick-offs, with Conor Wilkinson netting a second-half winner at Cardiff City Stadium.
In the other early start, Stevenage extended their unbeaten run to nine matches with a 3-1 win over Carlisle, who played the majority of the match with 10 men following Rod MacDonald’s 18th-minute red card for pulling down Elliott List when through on goal.
Tom Pett put Stevenage ahead soon after the dismissal and although the visitors equalised through Brennan Dickenson, the hosts claimed the points thanks to efforts from Luke Norris and Arthur Read.
Bolton continued their remarkable form after fighting back to beat Walsall 2-1 and record their 10th win in a 12-match unbeaten run.
Walsall, chasing only a second win in 16 matches, took a shock first-half lead through Sam Perry but Kieran Lee levelled midway through the second half and, after Hayden White was sent off for the visitors, Eoin Doyle sealed Bolton’s win from the penalty spot.
At the other end of the table, Barrow are another team on the rise as they clinched a fourth successive win with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Crawley.
Chris Taylor’s winner came deep into stoppage time after Crawley had twice drawn level, Jack Powell and George Francomb cancelling out Tom Davies’s opener and Scott Quigley’s penalty.
Devante Rodney scored the only goal as Port Vale made it back-to-back wins with a 1-0 victory over Colchester while Morecambe beat Harrogate by the same scoreline. Will Smith’s early own goal was decisive despite Nathaniel Knight-Percival’s red card.
Bradford and Oldham drew 0-0, while Scunthorpe and Southend shared the points in a 1-1 draw. Ashley Nathaniel-George’s penalty, after Jordan Clarke’s dismissal, put Southend ahead but Alfie Beestin equalised in the last minute for the 10 men.
George Williams’ late equaliser helped rock-bottom Grimsby salvage a 2-2 draw at Mansfield – the Mariners’ fourth successive tie. Mansfield led twice, through George Maris and Jason Law, with Lenell John-Lewis scoring the first leveller.
