Month: April 2023

Ethan Hamilton boosted Accrington’s hopes of avoiding relegation from Sky Bet League One as a 1-0 win left Bolton sweating on their play-off chances.

John Coleman’s side went into the top-versus-bottom clash on the back of four defeats, with Wanderers unbeaten in seven.

However, Hamilton earned the visitors an unlikely win with his sixth goal of the season after 42 minutes.

Hamilton nearly made it 2-0 in the second half but was denied by goalkeeper James Trafford’s fine save.

Ian Evatt’s side kicked off needing five points from their remaining three games to clinch a top-six berth.

Instead, they suffered a frustrating night against opponents they had previously beaten twice this season.

The Trotters’ mood was summed up when Danish goalkeeper Lukas Jensen produced a stunning double save from Kyle Dempsey and Shola Shoretire with 10 minutes remaining.

Despite a first ever success at the University of Bolton Stadium, Stanley stay in the bottom four, two points from safety, with Bolton still two points above seventh-placed Peterborough.

Gassa Ahadme’s instinctive finish was the difference for Burton as they stole a 1-0 win over Lincoln at Sincil Bank.

The goal ensured Dino Maamria’s men secured their survival in Sky Bet League One, whilst also ending Lincoln’s six-match unbeaten run.

Dylan Duffy came closest to scoring for the Imps in the first period. In the 10th minute, the 20-year-old drove a left-footed shot wide of the upright.

Early in the second half, Jonny Smith curled over and Zach Ashworth sliced a volley wide as Burton came out strongest.

The Brewers started to bubble and Smith cut inside onto his left foot before crashing an effort off the crossbar in the 54th minute.

Midway through the second half the home side’s Olamide Shodipo dinked the ball over the onrushing Craig MacGillivray, but Lasse Sorenson failed to convert on the line.

The visitors made the decisive breakthrough with 11 minutes to play when Ahadme flicked home from two yards out for his fourth league goal of the campaign.

Ipswich took a massive stride towards promotion to the Championship after goals by attacking trio Nathan Broadhead, George Hirst and Conor Chaplin sealed a 3-0 triumph at Barnsley.

Broadhead also had a penalty saved by Harry Isted as the Tractor Boys racked up a 12th win from their last 13 League One contests.

Another one at home to Exeter on Saturday will guarantee a return to the second tier following a four-year absence as third-placed Sheffield Wednesday are four points adrift with two fixtures left to play.

But defeat extinguished Barnsley’s automatic promotion hopes and they will need to settle for a play-off place.

Ipswich almost took the lead in the 10th minute when Massimo Luongo thumped the home crossbar from the edge of the box following a Leif Davis lay-off.

They forged ahead a minute before half-time from a Davis corner that Broadhead headed past Isted at his near post.

Hirst doubled the advantage in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, jostling with home defenders Mads Andersen and Liam Kitching before finding himself clear on goal and emphatically drilling a 15-yard strike beyond Isted.

Ipswich earned a penalty in the 55th minute when Wes Burns had his heels clipped as he burst into the home box but Broadhead’s penalty was saved by Isted low to his right.

Ex-Barnsley striker Chaplin completed the scoring in the 81st minute, lifting the ball into an unguarded net from 20 yards after Isted had raced out of his goal to stop Hirst.

Jamie Reid was the matchwinner as Stevenage moved to within touching distance of a place in Sky Bet League One after beating Swindon 1-0 at the County Ground.

Reid’s 25th-minute strike means Boro need just one more win to guarantee automatic promotion.

Stevenage had an early free-kick on the edge of the box that was tapped to one side to tee up Jordan Roberts and his strike flew just over the top.

After Swindon failed to properly clear, Alex Gilbey was able to get in behind and cut back to Reid, who firmly placed his shot into the bottom corner from six yards.

In first-half stoppage time, Rushian Hepburn-Murphy ran the length of the field before teeing up George McEachran, but his side-foot finish was too close to goalkeeper Timothee Lo-Tutala.

Within a minute of the restart, Hepburn-Murphy played a one-two with Luke Jephcott to find space, but his shot was well saved by Lo-Tutala.

Danny Rose was handed a golden chance to double Boro’s lead shortly after half-time when Roberts picked him out at the back post, but he headed the ball back across goal towards no one.

Harrogate made sure of another year in the English Football League with a 3-2 victory at Newport.

They were all-but safe due to their goal difference but they rubber-stamped their place in League Two thanks to Sam Folarin and George Thomson’s first-half strikes and Luke Armstrong’s late winner.

Omar Bogle had given Newport the lead and equalised with 11 minutes to go, but Armstrong had the final say.

Bogle struck after just three minutes when he converted Will Evans’ cross from the left.

But Harrogate stunned the Rodney Parade crowd with a quickfire double to turn the match on its head by the ninth minute.

First Folarin fired into the bottom corner from distance in the fifth minute and then he turned provider four minutes later, crossing for Thomson to tap in at the far post.

Bogle thought he had rescued a point for the hosts 11 minutes from time when he volleyed in his 16th goal of the campaign and his third against Harrogate.

But Armstrong took advantage of more lax marking from the home defence to slide in an 83rd-minute winner.

Champions Leyton Orient came from behind to win 2-1 at promotion-chasing Mansfield, despite having Shadrach Ogie sent off.

Defeat left the Stags outside the play-off places on goal difference with just two games to play.

The Stags gave Orient, who made six changes, a guard of honour on to the field, but they were first to strike after 10 minutes as Hiram Boateng ran into the area after getting to the right byline and then crossed low for Davis Keillor-Dunn to net from five yards.

But Orient were level seven minutes later when Craig Clay fired a 20-yard volley against a post and Charlie Kelman reacted quickest to head the loose ball home.

Ogie cleared a Rhys Oates header off the line after 21 minutes and Orient went in front 10 minutes later as Ruel Sotiriou netted from 12 yards from Kieran Sadlier’s left-wing cross.

Orient were reduced to 10 men after 62 minutes as last man Ogie brought down Keillor-Dunn after he had run clear on to Boateng’s through ball.

In the dying minutes Callum Johnson headed wide for the Stags and Jordan Brown made a crucial block to deny Ollie Clarke as Orient held on.

Jamie Vardy struck a late equaliser to clinch Leicester a vital point in a 1-1 draw at relegation rivals Leeds.

Luis Sinisterra headed Leeds into an interval lead but Leicester were rewarded for their second-half pressure when substitute Vardy fired them level with 10 minutes left.

Patrick Bamford spurned a golden chance to snatch victory for Leeds in the final minute as he missed from a yard out at the back post and that could prove costly for the Yorkshire club come the end of the season.

Leeds remain 16th in the table, one point and a place above 17th-placed Leicester, who stay one point above the bottom three – who all have six games to play to Leeds and Leicester’s five.

Leicester were celebrating in the seventh minute when Youri Tielemans crashed a 25-yard shot into the top corner, but his effort was ruled out after VAR adjudged Boubakary Soumare to have been offside.

Leeds fans celebrated that decision as if their side had scored a goal before hush descended again when James Maddison was inches away from connecting with Kelechi Iheanacho’s cross.

Leeds had made an encouraging start themselves without creating a clear-cut chance until the 20th minute, when they took the lead with their first effort on target.

Jack Harrison tricked his way into space on the right and his brilliant cross to the far post picked out Sinisterra, who scored his fifth league goal of the season with an emphatic downward header.

Sinisterra was replaced by Crysencio Summerville after limping off in the 32nd minute and a tetchy first half – Leeds pair Luke Ayling and Rodrigo were both booked – concluded without further goalmouth incident.

With so much at stake for two struggling sides, it was not a night for pretty football but both were showing plenty of fight.

Patrick Bamford’s shot was blocked by Caglar Soyuncu early in the second period and Rodrigo almost wriggled clear in the box, but Leicester then had their best spell.

The Foxes pushed Leeds on to the back foot. Marc Roca and then Liam Cooper were both booked for the home side – the latter for a desperate challenge on Iheanacho on the edge of the box.

Leicester pair Soumare and Tielemans were also shown yellow cards but the visitors began to build momentum, with Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier twice denying Iheanacho to preserve his side’s slender lead.

The visitors’ pressure told in the 80th minute. Cooper held up Iheanacho on the edge of the box but the ball broke to Maddison and he slipped in Vardy, who converted into the bottom corner.

Vardy had another effort soon after ruled out by VAR for offside as the Foxes went in for the kill, but it was Leeds who almost snatched the win.

Marc Roca’s flick-on from a last-minute corner forced Leicester goalkeeper Daniel Iversen into a brilliant save before Victor Kristiansen booted the ball off the goal-line.

Bamford then somehow blazed wide from the subsequent corner after the ball had fallen for him at the back post and the points were shared.

Burnley clinched the Sky Bet Championship title with a gritty 1-0 win at rivals Blackburn.

Vincent Kompany’s men were far from their vintage best in a keenly contested east Lancashire derby but displayed why they are champions with a dogged determination to keep Blackburn out and a moment of magic midway through the second half through Manuel Benson’s sumptuous curling strike.

Benson’s 12th goal of the season – Burnley’s only shot on target – was a goal worthy of winning the league and to do so at the home of their fiercest rivals caps a perfect season for the Clarets, who could still top the 100-point mark.

Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side put in another spirited performance but it was painfully obvious their visitors possess the firepower they lack after they got into plenty of promising positions but could not fashion a telling contribution.

Rovers remain outside the play-offs on goal difference after their winless run stretched to seven matches.

A broken metatarsal ruled Tyler Morton out for the season so Rovers had to reshuffle, with Ben Brereton Diaz and Ryan Hedges recalled. Burnley, meanwhile, opted to start with a different centre-back pairing in Charlie Taylor and Ameen Al-Dakhil.

Al-Dakhil glanced a header wide early on but Burnley offered little else as Blackburn nullified their opponents.

Tyrhys Dolan saw a header saved midway through the half and Joe Rankin-Costello had a better chance soon after but he headed wide from close range.

Blackburn’s fans were encouraged by their team’s courage to push the Clarets high up the pitch, and Dominic Hyam saw a shot saved by Arijanet Muric late in the first half.

It felt like the pressure was building and only a stunning 61st-minute from Al-Dakhil prevented Brereton Diaz from pulling the trigger inside the area after he had taken the ball down with a wonderful first touch.

However, the Clarets showed why they are going up with the game’s only breakthrough in the 66th minute.

Benson jinked down the right before cutting in on his left foot and curling an unstoppable effort into the left corner of the net past Aynsley Pears’ despairing dive.

Benson tried to repeat the trick 11 minutes from time but this time got it all wrong and smashed his shot over the bar.

Gaps opened up for the visitors as Blackburn pushed for an equaliser and Benson almost scored a spectacular second late in added time as he chased a loose ball on the left with Pears scrambling back from a Rovers corner but his effort clipped the bar.

It did not matter though and the celebrations in the away end at Ewood Park were jubilant.

Boreham Wood missed the chance to confirm their place in the National League play-offs as two Adam Campbell goals gave Gateshead a 2-0 away win.

The visitors opened the scoring 24 minutes into the game when Stephen Wearne picked out Campbell in space and he slotted home to make it 1-0.

The hosts had a chance to get back into the game when Lee Ndlovu’s strike was well saved by James Montgomery.

In the second half, Boreham Wood had another chance to equalise but Tyrone Marsh volleyed high and wide from inside the penalty area.

Gateshead put the tie to bed four minutes from time after Boreham Wood thought they tapped over the line, Gateshead broke down the other end and Campbell finished the move off to make it 2-0.

Boss Julen Lopetegui believes Wolves have proved the doubters wrong as they close in on Premier League safety.

Joachim Andersen’s own goal and Ruben Neves’ late penalty gave Wolves a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at Molineux.

It left them 13th, level with the Eagles, and nine points clear of the relegation zone with five games left.

Lopetegui was appointed with the club second bottom but after four wins from their last five home games they are close to a sixth straight top-flight season.

He said: “They have been very important victories, we need points to achieve our aim. Four months ago all the people thought it was impossible. Now, it’s at least possible so we have to fight very hard to achieve our aim.

“It was a very bad situation but now we have hope and it’s possible. We have worked very hard, we have to continue because we haven’t achieved anything.

“It has been a very hard match. We were playing against a very strong team. They have played their last matches at a top level.

“We have to work a lot, to achieve our aim we have to get more points. It’s an important victory but we have to keep on working.

“We have to get more points. We have to be ready for the next five games.”

Andersen unwittingly put Wolves ahead after just three minutes when he turned in Neves’ corner from close range.

It was a goal Palace never recovered from but the hosts still needed Jose Sa to save well from Albert Sambi Lokonga in the first half.

Wolves had been on top before the break but the visitors improved in a second half of few chances and Sa turned over Eberechi Eze’s dipping drive.

With a slender lead the hosts were edging towards victory and Palace gave them another gift in injury time.

Sam Johnstone collected a throw-in but a heavy touch left him lunging into Pedro Neto. The goalkeeper escaped a red card but was beaten by Neves from the spot.

“Credit to Wolves, we had such a lot of the ball in the second half and some of the football was very good. They defended well”, said Palace boss Roy Hodgson, after a first defeat since his return last month.

“It was hard for us, with that number of players, to create a lot of space to get the equaliser I believed we were going to get and we deserved.

“Then the worst thing happens when you get robbed of those last three or four minutes where there is hope.

“I don’t think 2-0 is a fair reflection on how the game went. We do have a healthy margin to the bottom three but I’m not interested in trying to preach to the players that we need X amount of points to stay up.

“I enjoyed the performance but of course you don’t enjoy defeats.”