Fleetwood Town vs Bristol Rovers. Sky Bet League One.
Highbury StadiumAttendance2,890.
Monday 2 April 2018 19:21, UK
Fleetwood Town took one mighty leap to League One survival with a 2-0 victory as 10-man Bristol Rovers became John Sheridan's latest victim.
Sheridan has steered Fleetwood from the bottom four to 13th in a seven-match unbeaten run since taking the reins from Uwe Rosler and his side hit the 51-point mark with a gritty performance against Rovers.
It was a clash that was as grey as the skies above Highbury until a second-half sending-off woke the game up.
Bristol's Chris Lines only had himself to blame as he picked up two bookings in quick succession.
The Bristol man was livid by referee Ross Joyce's refusal to award a set-piece after Ellis Harrison and Cian Bolger tangled in Town's half and received a yellow for his protestations in the 55th minute.
But just two minutes later - even after Joyce had told skipper Tom Lockyer to calm his man down - Lines still persisted with his complaints and Joyce sent him for an early bath.
Fleetwood used that man advantage to take the lead through Ashley Hunter, although Rovers nearly struck back but the woodwork thwarted a late Harrison screamer.
Sheridan's men finally put the game to bed in the 89th minute as Jordy Hiwula latched on to Bobby Grant's through ball to calmly slot home with the hosts securing their fifth-straight clean sheet.
