Rovers held but make the grade

FOREST GREEN

sealed promotion to Sky Bet League One for the first time after drawing 0-0 at Bristol Rovers.

The point was enough to secure automatic promotion for Rovers in their fifth season in the English Football League, with three games to play.

Forest Green, promoted from the National League via the play-offs in 2017, saw their lead at the top cut to three points, but are assured a top-three finish.

Exeter

remain on course to join them in the third tier.

They made it six wins in seven matches as goals in either half from Timothee Dieng and Matt Jay earned them a 2-0 home win against Rochdale.

Northampton climbed into the automatic promotion places after winning 4-2 at Leyton Orient.

The Cobblers raced into a 4-0 lead through Mitch Pinnock (above), Jon Guthrie and Josh Eppiah’s double before Orient responded through Theo Archibald and Jordan Brown either side of half-time. Orient’s Shadrach Ogie was sent off for clashing with Cobblers’ Danny Rose.

Port Vale were dealt a blow in their bid for automatic promotion as they lost 2-0 at Walsall. Mansfield kept their faint hopes of automatic promotion alive with a 2-0 home win against Crawley,

who had James Tilley sent off.

Sutton

slipped to seventh after losing 1-0 at 10-man Barrow. Tranmere lost to Luke Norris’s double at Stevenage.

Harry McKirdy’s double helped Swindon to a 3-0 win at Hartlepool,

while Bradford

registered their first home victory under manager Mark Hughes by beating already relegated Scunthorpe

2-1.

Harrogate halted a run of four straight defeats with a 3-0 home win against Carlisle.