League Two round-up: Portsmouth win title, Hartlepool relegated
Sunday 7 May 2017 08:44, UK
Portsmouth became Sky Bet League Two champions and Hartlepool's 96-year stay in the Football League came to an end as Newport beat Notts County to avoid the drop in a frantic afternoon on the final day of the campaign.
Pompey thrashed Cheltenham Town 6-1 to secure the title as Plymouth, who would have won the league with a win over Grimsby Town, were held to a 1-1 draw to close the season in second, ahead of third place Doncaster Rovers.
The top three places were already decided ahead of the closing fixtures and, with just two points separating first and third spot, it was all to play for in the title-chase while, at the bottom, Hartlepool United were dramatically denied survival when Newport County grabbed an 89th-minute winner to prevent dropping into the National League.
Champions Portsmouth's display at Fratton Park saw them leading by five goals after 75 minutes before the visitors pulled one back, only for the hosts to round off an emphatic victory by adding a sixth shortly before the end.
Meanwhile, Hartlepool thought they had beaten the drop when Devante Rodney scored his second of the game to give Pools a 2-1 lead over Rovers in the 83rd minute, only for Newport's Mark O'Brien to fire home the winner for the Exiles to ensure their survival with a 2-1 win over Notts County.
Elsewhere, wins for Carlisle United and Blackpool sealed play-off spots for the sides who finished sixth and seventh respectively.
Keith Curle's Carlisle staged a dramatic second-half fightback in a 3-2 win at Exeter, with a brace from Danny Grainger and a third from Jamie Proctor cancelling out goals from Reuben Reid and Jordan Moore-Taylor.
Blackpool booked their play-off date with Luton after securing a 3-1 win over already-relegated Leyton Orient at Bloomfield Road, on a day dominated by pre-match protests.
Neil Danns nodded the ball home from close range to give the Seasiders the lead before Mark Cullen's low shot doubled his side's advantage.
Orient pulled one back after 50 minutes through Jens Janse, but Blackpool restored their two-goal lead when Andy Taylor fired home from 15 yards to secure their play-off position.
Colchester missed out on a top-seven finish, despite Tariqe Fosu-Henry scoring twice as the U's beat Yeovil 2-0.
Fosu drilled a fine low 25-yard shot into the bottom corner to give his side the advantage after 36 minutes, before the 21-year-old added a second with 13 minutes remaining.
Mansfield's slim play-off hopes ended with a 2-2 draw at Crawley, after the Stags let slip a two-goal lead in Steve Evans' return to one of his former clubs.
Danny Rose slotted Mansfield in front after just 12 minutes and Ben Whiteman made it two 11 minutes later.
Dean Cox replied for Crawley on 34 minutes by cashing in on some poor defending with a neat finish from inside the area, before Jordan Roberts scored the equaliser 10 minutes after the interval when he blasted home from the edge of the box.
Scott Kashket secured Wycombe a 1-0 win over Cambridge but it was not enough to earn the hosts a place in the play-offs.
Kashket missed an open goal in the second minute but made amends by scoring the only goal of the game after 65 minutes.
Elsewhere, Stevenage ended their season in 10th place with a 3-0 defeat to Accrington.
A Billy Kee brace and Seamus Conneely's late penalty consigned the hosts to another season in the Football League's bottom tier.
Chris Dagnall hit a hat-trick as Crewe drew the curtain on a disappointing term with a 4-1 win over Barnet at Gresty Road.
Curtis Weston scored the visitors' only goal before Zoumana Bakayogo contributed the hosts' fourth in the 76th minute to put the game to bed.
Substitute Jack Marriott's late double ensured Luton ended the regular season on a high with a 3-1 win at home to Morecambe.
Isaac Vassell's first-half opener was cancelled out by Michael Rose's penalty but Marriott's brace secured a third successive victory for Luton ahead of a play-off semi-final against Blackpool.
