Tranmere moved to within a point of Nottingham Forest at the top of League One.
Tranmere moved to within a point of Nottingham Forest at the top of League One after the leaders were held to a goalless draw at home to Carlisle, whilst Rotherham finally moved into positive figures.Colin Calderwood's side failed to win for only the third time this season against the high-flying Cumbrians, giving the chasing pack the chance to play catch-up.
Tranmere grasped the opportunity with both hands as they secured a 3-1 win at Northampton Town.
Calvin Zola got the visitors off to a flying start after just 14 minutes, and Gareth Taylor (35) ensured a two-goal cushion at the break.
John Mullin's penalty after 58 minutes secured the victory for Ronnie Moore's side, but Scott McGleish (74) grabbed a consolation for The Cobblers.
Bristol City moved joint third with Port Vale as they won 3-1 at home to Chesterfield.
Scott Brown (40) and Jennison Myrie-Williams (51) scored the decisive goals after Colin Larkin (21) had replied to Louis Carey's early opener.
Vale remain on 15 points from nine games after Colin Miles' first half dismissal compromised their efforts in a 2-0 win for Bradford City.
Miles was dismissed for a professional foul after 33 minutes, and the Yorkshire side took advantage with strikes from Marc Bridge-Wilkinson (60) and David Graham (64).
At the other end of the table Rotherham finally put their ten-point deduction for going into administration behind them when a 0-0 draw with Doncaster Rovers saw them move onto one point, whilst the tie between Brentford and Bournemouth also ended goalless.
Millwall remain second from bottom after losing their sixth game of the season when Luke Varney's 65th minute strike gave Crewe all three points at Gresty Road.
Leyton Orient's woes also continued in a dismal 4-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Seagulls were given a boost when Orient saw John Mackie dismissed after just 15 minutes, and Paul Reid (16), Adam El-Abd (31) and Dean Cox (47) gave them an unassailable lead.
Even when Orient scored a late penalty through Matthew Lockwood (83), Brighton still had the last word as Doug Loft scored in injury time.
Blackpool occupy the last relegation slot and only earned a point due to a late goal in a 2-2 draw with Oldham Athletic.
When Scott Vernon scored on 41 minutes the Bloomfield Road faithful were hopeful of seeing their side claim just their second win of the season, but Oldham had other ideas and Richard Wellens (63) and Chris Porter (72) put them in the ascendancy.
However Andy Morrell's injury time intervention ensured the spoils were shared.
Andrew Keogh also scored late on when Scunthorpe beat Cheltenham 1-0 at Glanford Park.
Swansea City missed the chance to go third as they succumbed to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Gillingham.
The home side built up a formidable three goal lead through Ian Cox (14, 79) and Matthew Jarvis (30), before Leon Knight scored a consolation five minutes from time.
Yeovil Town had to work hard for their 3-2 win over Huddersfield Town after twice seeing the hosts equalise at The Galpharm Stadium.
Mark Hudson (27) and Gary Taylor-Fletcher (pictured, 63) replied to strikes from Lee Morris (14) and Arron Davies (51), but there was no way back when Chris Cohen scored Yeovil's third on 77 minutes.
Click below for individual match summaries:
Blackpool 2-2 Oldham Athletic
Bradford City 2-0 Port Vale
Brentford 0-0 Bournemouth
Brighton & Hove Albion 4-1 Leyton Orient
Bristol City 3-1 Chesterfield
Crewe 1-0 Millwall
Gillingham 3-1 Swansea City
Huddersfield Town 2-3 Yeovil Town
Northampton Town 1-3 Tranmere Rovers
Nottingham Forest 0-0 Carlisle United
Rotherham United 0-0 Doncaster Rovers
Scunthorpe United 1-0 Cheltenham Town
