Mansfield miss out on the League Two play-offs on goal difference; Salford's defeat to Gillingham gives Stags hope but 2-0 win at Colchester not enough as Nigel Clough's side narrowly lose out; Northampton secure final automatic promotion spot after win at Tranmere
Monday 8 May 2023 16:36, UK
Mansfield Town missed out on the final play-off spot in League Two on goal difference despite a 2-0 victory at Colchester United.
Mansfield, who started the day in eighth, needed results to go their way and Salford's 1-0 home defeat to Gillingham gave Nigel Clough's side hope.
The Stags secured victory through goals from Riley Harbottle and James Gale at the end of each half but it was not enough to pip Salford to seventh place.
Both Mansfield and Salford finished level on 75 points but the Ammies, who lost 1-0 at home to Gillingham, claimed a play-off berth courtesy of a better goal difference of just one.
Bradford secured their place in the play-offs with a 1-1 draw against Leyton Orient.
Right-back Brad Halliday scored his first goal for over two years to earn the point they needed after Jordan Brown had put the visitors in front.
The point secured sixth place for Mark Hughes' side and they will play Carlisle in the play-offs.
Carlisle got the point needed to guarantee a play-off place with a 1-1 draw at Sutton.
Joe Kizzi's late own goal ensured the entertaining encounter finished level while Sutton, who led through Kylian Kouassi, ended their run of six straight defeats.
Meanwhile, Northampton Town secured the final automatic promotion spot with a 1-0 victory at Tranmere.
A superb early strike from Sam Hoskins was enough to ensure there was no last-day heartbreak for the Cobblers this time around having missed out on goals scored 12 months ago following Bristol Rovers' incredible 7-0 victory.
Stockport County needed a win and a Northampton slip-up to have any chance of finishing third and winning promotion to League One, but they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by relegated Hartlepool.
Dave Challinor's side will now have to negotiate the play-offs if they are to join the Cobblers in League One
You can follow all of the Sky Bet League Two play-off matches live across Sky Sports.
Each match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Football, while there will be full digital coverage and free in-game clips on skysports.com.
Semi-final first legs
Saturday May 13, 7.45pm - Salford vs Stockport
Sunday May 14, 7pm - Bradford vs Carlisle
Semi-final second legs
Saturday May 20, 12.30pm - Stockport vs Salford
Saturday May 20, 3pm - Carlisle vs Bradford
Finals
Sunday May 28, 1.30pm - League Two play-off final
Stevenage clinched second place after Jake Reeves' first-half goal earned a 1-0 victory at Barrow.
The midfielder netted his first goal since the start of December, which came in the 5-0 rout over Pete Wild's Bluebirds, as Boro claimed a 24th win of the season and secured a top-two spot behind champions Leyton Orient.
Grimsby rounded off their first season back in League Two with a 1-0 victory over AFC Wimbledon at Blundell Park.
An own goal from Isaac Ogundere settled the scores as Grimsby finished 11th in the table, with their opponents 21st after going seven matches without a win.
New manager Mike Flynn watched from the stands as Swindon got one over old boss Scott Lindsey by beating Crawley 2-1.
Swindon announced before kick-off that Flynn had signed a two-year contract to replace the sacked Jody Morris and he was paraded on the pitch at half time.
Omar Bogle's late double looked to have earned Newport a final-day victory over Crewe but the visitors claimed a 2-2 draw thanks to Lachlan Brook's stoppage-time leveller.
Crewe led in the 56th minute thanks to a stunning strike from Rio Adebisi, but Bogle levelled from the spot 13 minutes from time.
And the striker was in the right place to bundle home what looked certain to be the winner in the 91st minute, before Brook's 93rd-minute equaliser secured a share of the points.
Walsall leapfrogged Doncaster on the final day with a 2-1 victory at the Poundland Bescot Stadium.
Goals from Conor Wilkinson and Isaac Hutchinson earned Walsall a first win in 10 games as they rose to 16th - while an 11th loss in 16 pushed Rovers down to 18th despite Bobby Faulkner's consolation.
Rochdale ended 102 years as a Football League club with a 1-1 draw at Harrogate.
A Jimmy Keohane effort midway through the first half had given the already-relegated visitors hope that they might sign off with a fourth win in eight games.
But Toby Sims earned the Sulphurites a share of the spoils with his first goal in the English pro game, following a January move from US second-tier outfit the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.