Weekend League 2 round-up

Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, a happy Bury manager Ronnie Jepson said, “The performance was fantastic and we could have been three or four up at half-time.  We set up nice and positive to win the game and the players expressed themselves fantastically.  We created chance after chance and all in all you’ve got to be pleased with a performance like that.”  With 26 points from 19 games, Exeter City are now 11th in the Sky Bet League 2 table.


Kevin Ellison was the match-winner for Morecambe

There was an exciting match at Field Mill, as Morecambe came from behind to secure a 2-1 win at Mansfield Town.  Ross Dyer took 17 minutes to put the Stags in front, but sub Jack Redshaw and then Sam Clucas’s tenth league goal of the season sealed the points for Jim Bentley’s side.  Now ten games without a win, Mansfield will be desperate for three points next time out in two weeks, as they play away at AFC Wimbledon.  

Speaking of Neal Ardley’s Dons, they had a day to forget as they were roundly beaten 3-0 at Bristol Rovers.  David Clarkson put John Ward’s Rovers in ahead, before Tom Parks doubled the advantage and Matt Harrold added a third with his 89th-minute penalty.  Wimbledon had already lost Sammy Moore to a second yellow shortly before Harrold’s spot-kick.


Dave Kitson powers in an equaliser for Oxford at Fleetwood

With nearest rivals Chesterfield in action at Newport County AFC on Sunday lunchtime, Oxford United managed a 1-1 draw at fellow high-fliers Fleetwood Town thanks to Dave Kitson’s equaliser one minute from time.  The former Reading and Sheffield United forward’s goal cancelled out Steven Schumacher’s free-kick and salvaged a 34th point of the season for the U’s.  On a run of four consecutive wins, Southend United started the day as the league’s form side, but were denied a fifth by another late goal, as Matt Richards’ injury-time penalty for Cheltenham Town forced a 1-1 draw and denied Phil Brown’s side the chance to go top.  Kevan Hurst’s sixth goal of season, his third in his last three, had put the Shrimpers in front just before half-time.  “I think we’re playing pretty solidly, not letting in the goals that we stupidly conceded early on, and I have every confidence in the group we’ll start catching teams up eventually,” Robins boss Mark Yates told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

A 3-1 win for Scunthorpe United over Torquay United sent the Iron fourth.  Sam Winnall’s ninth of the campaign was Scunny’s first, before Anthony O’Connor found his own net and Hakeeb Adelakun got the third.  John Marquis got the consolation for Alan Knill’s side, who now foot the table after Northampton Town’s 1-0 win at home over Accrington Stanley.  Stuart Dallas scored the only goal of the game at Sixfields.  And there was a comfortable 2-0 win for Dagenham & Redbridge at Victoria Road, as Afolabi Obafemi and Rhys Murphy (the Daggers striker and League 2 top scorer getting his tenth of the campaign from the penalty spot) saw them past Wycombe Wanderers.


Adam McGurk downed Plymouth for Burton

Burton Albion completed a clean sweep of wins over the Devon sides in League 2 so far this season thanks to Saturday’s 1-0 win at Home Park over Plymouth Argyle.  Adam McGurk was their goalscorer, just as he had been in October’s home win over Torquay.  Rochdale were held to a goalless draw at York City, when three points would have sent them to the league’s summit.  Finally, Portsmouth ended their five-game losing streak with a 0-0 draw at Hartlepool United.