Chris Long’s first-half finish and a late header from Mickey Demetriou earned Crewe an important 2-0 win over play-off rivals Grimsby.
Long made the most of some poor set-piece defending to hand the Railwaymen an early lead and skipper Demetriou sealed the Railwaymen’s first success in six games.
Home goalkeeper Filip Marschall got behind Jason Svanthorsson’s drive from distance in the opening minutes.
But Crewe went ahead in the 14th minute after Ryan Cooney’s long throw into the box was helped on by Demetriou to leave Long unmarked with a simple finish from close range.
Jack Lankester was making his first start for Crewe in more than two months and the attacker forced a save from Jordan Wright with a low drive from the edge of the box.
Without leading scorer Danny Rose, Grimsby lacked guile in the final third but they pieced together a neat move which ended with Svanthorsson coming close to an equaliser as the Icelander’s volley crashed into the side-netting.
Lankester drove an effort across the face of the goal as Crewe looked more likely to add to their lead, although Luca Barrington flashed a drive wide on a rare Grimsby counter-attack.
But Crewe put the game beyond former boss Dave Artell’s side in the third minute of stoppage time when Demetriou headed in Tommy Lowery’s lofted corner at the far post.
Luton boss Matt Bloomfield was lost for words after his side enjoyed a 90th-minute 1-0 victory against Coventry that kept their hopes of staying in the Championship alive.It looked like the Hatters were going to be held to a frustrating stalemate, as they had initially been playing against 10 men when Jay Dasilva was sent off on 12 minutes.Town midfielder Liam Walsh was also shown red midway throu...

Noel Hunt is excited for Reading’s last game of the Sky Bet League One season with the Royals remaining in the mix for a play-off place.Hunt’s team have lost only once in their last eight games on the road and they weathered a storm at the Memorial Stadium to eventually see off Bristol Rovers 2-0 and stay in the chase for the top six.Reading will try to leapfrog Leyton Orient in the ta...

Burnley boss Scott Parker never doubted his players would maintain their intensity despite promotion having already been achieved.The Clarets emphatically boosted their Sky Bet Championship title hopes by hammering QPR 5-0 in their penultimate match of the season.It moved them to the top of the table, three points ahead of Leeds, although the Yorkshire side, who are at home to Bristol City on Mond...

Darren Moore could not hide his pride at steering Port Vale back into League One following a 2-0 win over AFC Wimbledon.Two second-half goals from Jayden Stockley and Jaheim Headley sealed an immediate return to the third tier for the Vale Park outfit.As players and fans alike celebrated in the away end, Moore reflected on the achievement – and admitted his focus in this match was on gaining...

Richie Wellens felt the overall display from his Leyton Orient team was excellent in their 1-0 victory over Wycombe.Orient took another step towards the play-offs after Randell Williams’ second-half header proved the difference at Brisbane Road.It was Orient’s fifth successive win and they now travel to Huddersfield next Saturday knowing that, with their superior goal difference, they ...

Notts County all-but guaranteed their place in the League Two play-offs courtesy of a 3-1 victory at Harrogate.The Magpies ended their four-match winless run thanks to Conor Grant’s second-half brace, leaving them fifth in the table and six points clear of eighth-placed Colchester.County took the lead in the 33rd minute when George Abbott fired home after David McGoldrick’s initial eff...

Luton climbed out of the Championship bottom three for the first time since January thanks to Shandon Baptiste’s 90th-minute goal as they beat play-off chasing Coventry 1-0.The Hatters looked like they would go to West Brom next weekend with their destiny definitely out of their own hands, only for Baptiste, who had been on the field for just 11 minutes, to find the net and lift the roof off...

Leyton Orient remain on course for the Sky Bet League One play-offs after a 1-0 win which dented Wycombe’s hopes of automatic promotion.Randell Williams scored the only goal of the game and Orient’s victory, their fifth in succession, leaves them ahead of seventh-placed Reading on goal difference.Defeat for the Chairboys, though, has handed the initiative to Wrexham, who could seal the...

Doncaster clinched promotion to League One after goals from Rob Street and Billy Sharp secured a 2-1 win over 10-man Yorkshire rivals Bradford.In an incident-packed encounter in front of over 12,500 fans – the Eco-Power Stadium’s biggest crowd of the season – Doncaster hit the post through Jordan Gibson before on-loan Lincoln striker Street gave Rovers a 33rd-minute lead with his...

Reading’s hunt for a Sky Bet League One play-off spot will go to the final day of the season after the Royals beat Bristol Rovers 2-0 at the Memorial Stadium.Lewis Wing’s eighth league goal of the season after 67 minutes and Chem Campbell’s added-time effort leaves the Pirates staring at relegation after Noel Hunt’s side had to survive a first-half onslaught from the hosts....



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