LEAGUE TWO
DUFF DRINKS TO TITLE
AFTER ordering his players to stick to a strict diet and limit drinking throughout the season, CHELTENHAM boss Michael Duff told them to party hard after they took the title in style. Cheltenham went into the final day at home to HARROGATE with CAMBRIDGE, only two points behind, hosting bottom side GRIMSBY. Duff’s Robins went 1-0 down after seven minutes, but they responded with four goals in 45 minutes to go up as champions, having recorded their highest ever League points total of 82. ‘The lads have made history,’ Duff said. ‘They deserve every bit of credit and they deserve to get very drunk tonight. I know I will be.’ Wins for Cambridge and BOLTON meant those sides went up in second and third place respectively. Paul Mullin capped a fine Cambridge display by scoring his 34th goal of the season in a 3-0 win over Grimsby. Manager Mark Bonner praised his players for ‘holding their nerve’. A year after leading Barrow to the National League title, Bolton manager Ian Evatt celebrated a second consecutive promotion after his side won 4-1 at Crawley. Evatt said: ‘Without doubt this is the best and biggest experience I’ve had in the game.’ MORECAMBE will play TRANMERE and NEWPORT face FOREST GREEN in the play-off scrap to reach League One. Morecambe, who narrowly missed automatic promotion, are the favourites following a 2-0 win over BRADFORD and boss Derek Adams expects his players not to pass up the chance to get the club into the third tier for the first time in their history. He said: ‘We are the form team and are delighted with the season, winning 23 games. We’ve shown the world it’s not about how big a club you are.’ Michael Flynn led Newport to the League Two play-off final two years ago before losing at Wembley to Tranmere. The two could meet again in the final this year, although Newport might be without captain Joss Labadie after he suffered a blow to the knee during the 1-1 draw at relegated SOUTHEND. Flynn said: ‘It’s such an innocuous injury. The stud has gone through the skin. But they couldn’t stop the bleeding, so it looks like it’s gone through to muscle. ‘I am hoping it’s not too deep. If it is that much deeper, then he is done for the season.’