Weekend League 2 round-up

When considering the Brewers’ form coming into the game though, the disappointment amongst Grecian fans might be lessened: Gary Rowett’s side have won all of their three away games in October (Chesterfield and Wycombe their previous scalps) and are now also on a three-game winning streak in the league having gone without conceding a goal in the process.  With four wins from five, no League 2 side had a better record than Burton this month.


Elito was the stand-out man for the Daggers against league leaders Rochdale

Still, the top spot was up for grabs and Rochdale, who occupied it at the start of the day, were deposed after a 3-1 defeat at Dagenham & Redbridge.  Rhys Murphy put the Daggers in front with ten minutes gone and they never relinquished their advantage.  Medy Elito was the star of the show though, as he got a brace to kill off Dale, who had Gary Dicker to thank for their consolation.  Speaking to his club’s official website after the match, Daggers first-team coach Darren Currie praised high-flying Rochdale.  “As far as I’m concerned Rochdale are the best opponents we’ve faced this season,” he said.  “They move the ball around really well, they’ve got great movement and terrific players.”

With Chesterfield drawing 0-0 at Bristol Rovers in a match that was only noteworthy for the dismissal of Eoin Doyle for two bookable offences, the top spot was up for grabs, and it was seized by Oxford United, who managed an impressive 2-0 win at AFC Wimbledon.  James Constable took only six minutes to open the scoring, with the proven goal-getter heading in an Asa Hall cross, and Deane Smalley completed the win with a penalty in the last ten minutes.  The U’s top the table with 26 points, two ahead of Exeter in fifth.

There was an incredibly quick opener at Plainmoor as Torquay United took the lead against Portsmouth through Jordan Chapell after just 18 seconds.  Pompey got a 1-1 draw thanks to Ryan Bird, and will meet the Grecians at Fratton Park next Saturday.  Speaking to BBC Radio Solent, disappointed Portsmouth manager Guy Whittingham asked, “How do you sum it up when you’ve totally dominated the game and come away drawing?”  He continued: “It’s disappointing from our point of view obviously because we’ve played really well.  You can’t afford not to attack balls and we didn’t attack that first sort of ball booted up front by them, and paid for it because we couldn’t get the ball clear and they obviously scored.”

Accrington Stanley got their second win in as many games with a 2-1 victory at Morecambe.  Danny Webber converted a 19th-minute penalty as James Beattie’s Stanley demonstrated that they may have put their disappointing early-season form behind them.  Jack Sampson got a leveller on 50 minutes, but Peter Murphy struck in injury time to bring Stanley level on ten points with 23rd-placed Northampton Town at the bottom.  Another win next week might see Stanley depart the drop-zone completely, a remarkable achievement considering the gap that appeared to be opening between them and the rest as recently as last week.

Fleetwood Town went third with a 2-0 win at York City.  Gareth Evans headed in a rebound from Jamille Matt’s strike to open the scoring, before Matt got in on the act too, also converting a rebound, this time from Steven Schumacher’s effort.  Nigel Worthington’s York are now without a win since the 3-0 drubbing of Torquay at the start of October, a record the former Northern Ireland manager will want to rectify before it drags his side too close to the relegation zone.

A late winner secured Plymouth Argyle a 1-0 win and the three points in their encounter with Mansfield Town, and finally put a halt to their winless streak of seven games.  Neal Trotman was Argyle’s late scorer, his first goal for the club.  The early kick-off saw Northampton Town come back to draw 1-1 with Cheltenham Town at Sixfields.  Byron Harrison put the Robins in front early-on, but Luke Norris equalised just before half-time, his second goal in the week.

Bury secured a come-from-behind win at Wycombe Wanderers thanks to the goals of Tom Soares and William Edjenguele.  Anthony Stewart had put the Chairboys in front in the first half before the Shakers’ salvo in the second period to make it a 2-1 away win.  Newport County AFC rose to seventh with a 3-1 win over Southend United at Rodney Parade, leapfrogging their visitors in the process.   Conor Washington put the Exiles in front, and a Ben Coker free-kick levelled things for all of four minutes, Andrew Hughes re-establishing County’s lead before half-time.  Ismail Yakubu ensured a comfortable second half for Justin Edinburgh’s side with his goal on 53 minutes.  Finally, Sam Winnall ended Hartlepool United’s recent winning streak after making the most of a rare Pools defensive error. Scunthorpe United, 1-0 winners, rise to ninth.