Luke Williams said Macaulay Langstaff is “adored” at Notts County after League Two’s leading scorer hit a first-half hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Morecambe.The Magpies have bounced back from a four-match losing run by scoring eight goals without reply in wins over Doncaster and the Shrimps since Christmas, Langstaff with four of them.And Williams said: “He is adored becaus...Full Story »

Swindon assistant manager Wayne Hatswell said that he will not be getting much sleep after the joy of their 2-1 victory over Forest Green.Robins goalkeeper Lewis Ward saved Mathew Stevens’ penalty deep into stoppage time to earn the hosts a first win in five in League Two.Daniel Kemp had scored a brace either side of Matt Taylor’s equaliser, while Rovers boss Troy Deeney was sent off...Full Story »

Bristol Rovers manager Matt Taylor saluted veteran striker Chris Martin after he took out his “frustration” on Charlton with both goals in a 2-1 win at The Memorial Stadium.Martin came off the bench to put the Gas ahead after 68 minutes and then had the final say four minutes into stoppage time after Manchester City loanee Slobodan Tedic had drawn Charlton level late on.Taylor sang t...Full Story »

Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick hailed the “unbelievable” spirit of his players after the 2-1 victory over Huddersfield at the John Smith’s Stadium.Both sides missed easy chances in the first period, with Boro’s Isaiah Jones miskicking the ball two yards in front of an open net before Town’s Josh Koroma crashed off the crossbar after rounding the goalkeeper.Secon...Full Story »

David Wagner criticised his Norwich players for ‘losing their heads’ and ‘doing everything wrong’ as they slipped to a second consecutive 1-0 defeat in a fiery Championship clash at 10-man Millwall.Tom Bradshaw grabbed the decisive strike in the first half at a rocking Den as the Canaries were unable to convert sustained spells of possession into clear-cut chances.Millwal...Full Story »

Matty Etherington insists his Colchester players “let themselves down” after suffering a chaotic 5-3 League Two defeat at AFC Wimbledon.Josh Davison and Joe Lewis both grabbed doubles for the hosts at Plough Lane as Asian Cup-bound Iraqi international Ali Al Hamadi also netted.Cameron McGeehan, Joe Taylor and Tom Dallison all scored for the Us, though McGeehan was sent off in the clo...Full Story »

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna admitted his sickness-ravaged promotion chasers did not do enough to take all three points as they were held to a goalless draw by struggling QPR.The Tractor Boys lost the chance to pull away from the chasing pack in the Championship and have now gone four games without a victory and failed to score at home in a league game for the first time since October 2022.The...Full Story »

Gillingham boss Stephen Clemence hailed his team’s mentality shift after League Two’s lowest scorers carved out a 1-0 win over struggling 10-man Sutton.Substitute Scott Malone’s screamer with 18 minutes remaining proved the difference after Sutton’s Harry Smith was sent off midway through the first half at Priestfield Stadium.It is the first time the Gills have found the ...Full Story »

Burton interim manager Gary Mills was “proud” of his side after claiming back-to-back wins at the Pirelli Stadium with a hard-fought 1-0 success over Shrewsbury.The home side took the lead with their first chance of the game, Joe Powell’s corner whipped perfectly onto the head of striker Beryly Lubala, who guided his effort into the back of the net on 16 minutes.Mills said: &ld...Full Story »

Watford held out for a 1-1 draw at home to Stoke despite losing Vakoun Bayo early in the second half to a straight red card for lashing out at Luke McNally.Jake Livermore’s first Watford goal was cancelled out by an equaliser from Ryan Mmaee before the break.Bayo saw red in the 52nd minute but Stoke could not find a winner.Watford head coach Valerian Ismael handed a first start to Giorgi C...Full Story »

Watford head coach Valerien Ismael hailed his players for holding on for a point from a 1-1 draw with Stoke despite Vakoun Bayo’s 52nd-minute dismissal.Striker Bayo was shown a straight red card for an off-the-ball clash with Potters defender Luke McNally.The pair initially tussled for the ball and both ended up on the turf – but when they picked themselves up referee Scott Oldham wa...Full Story »

Leeds manager Daniel Farke insisted his side should have had a penalty after losing more ground in the battle for automatic promotion from the Championship with a 1-0 defeat at West Brom.Farke was frustrated at referee Graham Scott’s refusal to award a spot-kick for a challenge by Baggies defender Cedric Kipre on Wilfried Gnonto in the 30th minute as Leeds suffered a second successive loss...Full Story »

Tranmere boss Nigel Adkins hailed his team’s “fantastic” first-half performance in a 2-0 triumph at Harrogate even though they failed to register a single shot in the opening 45 minutes.The visitors secured a third successive win thanks to second-half goals from Charlie Jolley and Tom Davies but Adkins was just as impressed by the resilience his players showed before the break ...Full Story »

Derby head coach Paul Warne hailed his team’s 3-2 comeback win at League One promotion rivals Oxford as “magical”.The U’s led 2-0 after 13 minutes when Cameron Brannagan converted a penalty then hammered in a 25-yard free-kick.But the Rams fought back brilliantly.Craig Forsyth gave them a lifeline by turning in a flick-on corner at the far post in stoppage time at the end...Full Story »

Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens was satisfied with his side’s 0-0 draw against Wycombe.Although the O’s recorded back-to-back clean sheets in the league for the first time since August, they were unable to find a way past Chairboys keeper Max Stryjek even with the seven minutes of added time caused when a linesman sustained an injury in the first-half and swapped roles with the fou...Full Story »

Crewe manager Lee Bell saw his depleted side slip out of the League Two play-off places after a 1-1 draw at Newport but he was full of praise for their character and resilience at Rodney Parade.Bell’s men drop to eighth in the table after a sixth game without a win in the league, but he was pleased to hang on for a draw after defender Zac Williams hobbled off with an ankle injury late on a...Full Story »

Jon Dahl Tomasson felt lacklustre defending was the key factor behind the 3-2 defeat at Hull as Blackburn slipped to a fourth consecutive defeat in the Sky Bet Championship.Rovers were twice sloppy early in the game when Liam Delap and Aaron Connolly gave the hosts a commanding lead.Sammie Szmodics and Harry Pickering thrust the visitors back into the match by half-time but Alfie Jones scrambled...Full Story »

Cheltenham boss Darrell Clarke said he would have “snapped your hand off” to be on 20 points at the halfway stage of the League One campaign after their 2-2 home draw with Reading.The Robins led 2-0 before a quickfire double from the Royals just before half-time levelled things up and Cheltenham had to settle for a point against the team directly above them in the table.But when Clar...Full Story »

Lincoln boss Michael Skubala believes Paudie O’Connor’s game-changing red card in his side’s 2-1 defeat to Northampton was harsh.Jon Guthrie and Kieron Bowie put the visiting Cobblers 2-0 up with goals either side of the break at Sincil Bank.Timothy Eyoma halved the deficit on the hour mark, before O’Connor was sent off for a stray elbow with 15 minutes to go.Skubala said...Full Story »

Stockport boss Dave Challinor admitted his league leaders deserved no more than a point in their goalless draw at Bradford.It was a competitive contest on a difficult Valley Parade pitch that had only passed referee Lewis Smith’s inspection 90 minutes before kick-off following the recent wet weather.Challinor said: “You always want to win a game but I can’t stand here and say w...Full Story »

Wayne Rooney was pleased to see Birmingham keep a clean sheet after his side drew 0-0 with Bristol City at St Andrew’s.Rooney, who has had only two wins from his first 14 games as Blues boss, unashamedly admitted that after shipping nine goals in the previous three matches, he wanted to end that defensive rot.“I am really pleased with the clean sheet, from the last three games and th...Full Story »

Sunderland head coach Michael Beale is calling for his players to show more of a cutting edge after his side drew 1-1 at Championship strugglers Rotherham.Jack Clarke’s deflected effort earned a point for the visitors and cancelled out Sam Clucas’ thunderbolt volley.The result against the division’s bottom side saw Sunderland slip out of the play-off places.Beale said: “W...Full Story »

Leicester manager Enzo Maresca says his Sky Bet Championship leaders have surprised him after passing the 60-point mark before the turn of the year with victory at Cardiff.The Foxes strolled to a 2-0 win in the Welsh capital with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Justin James producing brilliant efforts.Leicester now have 62 points from 25 games – eight clear of second-placed Ipswich – and a...Full Story »

Barrow boss Pete Wild was unhappy with the officials after seeing his team held to a 1-1 draw by Accrington.Stanley’s Joe Pritchard cancelled out Ben Whitfield’s opener to earn a battling draw but Wild was convinced his team was denied a late penalty for a challenge on Emile Acquah.“Acquah was brought down in the box for a clear penalty,” said Wild. “It is not subje...Full Story »

Grimsby head coach David Artell described his side’s 3-0 win at Salford as a “professional performance”.Harry Clifton put the Mariners in front after 39 minutes before Toby Mullarkey and Danny Rose sealed the points with second-half strikes.It was Grimsby’s first away win since April.Artell said: “We controlled it from start to finish, scored three really good goals...Full Story »

Swansea interim head coach Alan Sheehan was proud of his side after Liam Cullen’s last-gasp free-kick earned a 2-2 draw at Coventry.Liam Walsh had put Swansea ahead in the seventh minute before they were pegged back by Haji Wright.Ellis Simms then fired the Sky Blues in front before Cullen’s superb free-kick in the third minute of added time.The point came after the Swans had been ha...Full Story »

Danny Rohl hailed his Sheffield Wednesday side’s defensive discipline as they held on for a vital 1-0 win over Preston.The Owls picked up their fourth victory in seven games thanks to Marvin Johnson’s first-half strike but were forced to hang on for their win after George Byers was sent off late on.Preston had nine shots, but only two on target, as they desperately searched for an eq...Full Story »

Mansfield manager Nigel Clough was delighted with his side’s festive points haul despite being held 1-1 at home by Doncaster.Callum Johnson’s 21st-minute header was levelled by Joe Ironside’s fine 59th-minute equaliser but the Stags still moved up a place to second thanks to Wrexham dropping points.“It was a good point on the back of the three wins to get 10 points out of...Full Story »

Promotion-chasing Mansfield had to be content with a point as visiting strugglers Doncaster hit back for a 1-1 draw.But Wrexham’s loss at Walsall meant the Stags still edged up into second place.Mansfield dominated the opening stages and were rewarded with the opener on 21 minutes. Stephen Quinn floated over a great cross from the left and Callum Johnson buried it with a powerful diving he...Full Story »

Striker Ben Whitfield came off the bench to score a brilliant goal but Barrow had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Accrington in Sky Bet League Two.The Cumbrians were heading for three points until Joe Pritchard netted a 71st minute point-saver.Stanley’s Shaun Whalley went closest to scoring in a poor first half before AFC boss Pete Wild introduced top-scorer Whitfield.The change had an al...Full Story »

Scott Malone’s superb second-half winner earned out-of-form Gillingham a hard-fought 1-0 victory against 10-man Sutton.After U’s striker Harry Smith was dismissed midway through the first half, Gills substitute Malone finally broke the visitors’ resistance 18 minutes from time as the home side claimed a first win in four.Sutton goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis produced a brilliant fing...Full Story »

Northampton made it two wins from their last three League One games with a 2-1 victory over Lincoln at Sincil Bank.Goals either side of half-time from Jon Guthrie and Kieron Bowie were the difference as Jon Brady’s side inflicted a third straight defeat on Michael Skubala’s Imps.The visitors opened the scoring after half an hour when Guthrie out jumped Imps goalkeeper Lukas Jensen to...Full Story »

Walsall halted Wrexham’s promotion charge as goals from Jack Earing, Isaac Hutchinson and Taylor Allen earned a 3-1 victory at the Bescot Stadium.The Saddlers opened the scoring after 16 minutes with a high-quality goal.Freddie Draper’s backheel sent Earing behind the defence and the midfielder, making his first start after a year out with an ACL injury, slotted past Arthur Okonkwo.T...Full Story »