LEAGUE 1 ROUND-UP
DAVID BALL created one and scored another as high-flying Fleetwood rallied to a 3-0 victory over Northampton.
It stretched their unbeaten run to 17 games and if it wasn’t for a late Scunthorpe goal at Bristol Rovers, the Cod Army would now be occupying a top-two spot.
The Cobblers made the early running and should have gone ahead when Marc Richards got goalside of Cian Bolger and lofted a neat ball to Michael Smith who rattled the woodwork from five yards out.
Richards was then denied by goalkeeper Alex Cairns, but the game turned just before the break when Devante Cole put them ahead.
Fleetwood doubled their lead when Bobby Grant skipped around two men and fired home from inside the six-yard box after 56 minutes.
A second goal in the space of four minutes ended any hopes of a Cobblers comeback, Ball this time the architect and scorer.
He made the most of David Buchanan’s slip, racing in from the left and picking the moment to lift the ball over the advancing Smith, the former Manchester City man deservedly bagging his 13th of the campaign.
Bolton’s promotion ambitions took a knock when they lost 2-0 at leaders Sheffield United.
United were ahead after 12 minutes when defender Mark Beevers let John Fleck’s through ball to Billy Sharp go under his foot and the striker slotted the ball past keeper Mark Howard into the bottom-left corner. Beevers was at fault for the second goal, bringing down sub Samir Carruthers in the area.
Sharp slotted the penalty into bottom right for his 23rd goal of the season. The defeat leaves Bolton in fourth and without an away win since late November.