RESULT! Luke grounds Blues on big day
CARLISLE had to settle for a point on their return to Brunton Park after being held 1-1 at home to rock-bottom York.
In their first match on home soil in almost two months – following their enforced exile in the wake of floods caused by Storm Desmond – the Blues had looked set for a happy homecoming when Jason Kennedy gave them a 15th-minute lead.
But they had to settle for a draw as City’s Luke Summerfield snatched a last-gasp equaliser.
At the top of the table, Plymouth and Bristol Rovers shared a 1-1 draw.
Billy Bodin’s 79th-minute strike put fourth-placed Rovers ahead but Josh Simpson salvaged a point for Argyle with an 88th-minute leveller.
Northampton raced two points clear of Plymouth at the summit after beating Morecambe 3-1, their tenth win in 11 league matches.
Goals from James Collins, John-Joe O’Toole and Rod McDonald meant the game was as good as over before Paul Mullin’s 72nd-minute consolation.
Third-placed Oxford were
ON TARGET: McDonald 1-0 winners at fifth-placed Portsmouth, substitute Jordan Bowery scoring the only goal of the game 14 minutes from time.
The two other teams in the play-off spots at the start of the day – Accrington Stanley and Wycombe – were both beaten. Stanley went down 2-1 at Exeter, while Wycombe lost 2-0 at home to Leyton Orient.
AFC Wimbledon moved up to seventh with a 2-0 win at Notts County, thanks to goals from Tom Elliott and Andy Barcham.
Elsewhere, Yeovil climbed out of the drop zone with their second win in three games – a 2-1 win over Crawley. Dagenham & Redbridge dropped into the bottom two after letting a two-goal lead slip in a 2-2 draw at Newport, while Ben Williamson’s 89th-minute equaliser denied Hartlepool a win at Cambridge, who had taken the lead through Jake Gray.
Goals from Paddy McCourt and Pelly Ruddock earned Luton a 2-0 win at Mansfield, while Stevenage and Barnet shared a goalless draw.
Those that witnessed the unsettled West Brom striker enter the fray just after the hour mark – and do nothing for 26 minutes – will wonder how Hawthorns chairman Jeremy Peace can value him at £25million.
Certainly, it is hard to imagine Tottenham, Newcastle or any other club looking for firepower in this window risking such a hefty sum on Berahino right now.
Baggies boss Tony Pulis has been saying for six months that the hitman is a shadow of the talent that attracted so much interest last January and again over the summer.
And few would argue with that blunt verdict on the evidence of this non-existent cameo appearance.
Much the same applies to Aston Villa’s announcement last week that they will not try to spend their way out of trouble before deadline day.
Sure, that is a defeatist attitude and one hardly likely to inspire Remi Garde’s basement boys to pull off, arguably, the greatest escape of all.
But despite this goalless bore making it five games unbeaten in all competitions, Villa remain a whopping nine points from safety. Not even an open cheque book is going to rescue the free-falling Midlands giants from those depths.
“I’m disappointed with only one point because we were the better team – especially in the second half when we played well,” said Villa boss Garde.
“In our last three Premier League games, in terms of spirit shown, I have seen that I can rely on those players. Anything is still possible with spirit.”
Ten months ago, back-to-back wins over their local rivals in the league and FA Cup had been the spark to ignite Villa’s late surge for survival.
Unfortunately, for those with claret and blue blood, such heady days have long been forgotten amid a miserable fifth successive season battling relegation.
When you are so far adrift you need all the luck you can get – or at least officials to get the big calls right. Referee Robert Madley failed in that respect yesterday