Early Bird special puts the Rams on path to promotion
DERBY sealed automatic promotion back to the Championship as the outgoing Max Bird set them on their way to a 2-0 win over alreadyrelegated Carlisle.
Bird marked his 200th and last appearance for them by firing home from outside the area early on.
James Collins’ secondhalf goal made sure of the points that rendered Bolton’s 3-3 draw at Peterborough academic as Derby ended a two-season stay in League One.
The Trotters join Posh in the play-offs. “I’m just relieved,” Derby head coach Paul Warne said.
“My missus will tell me off in a minute for not having any promotion emotion but I’m just exhausted.
“I’m taking my coaches and their wives out and I’ll be blind drunk whereas now I just want to get back to my own house, sit down and think ‘thank God’ because emotionally it’s just exhausting. It won’t sink in for a few days.”
Cheltenham were unable to get the victory they needed to stay in the division after going down 2-1 at Stevenage, who had Nick Freeman to thank for a last-minute winner.
Matt Taylor cancelled out Kane Hemmings’ corner and although Cheltenham pressed desperately – with Tom Bradbury’s header cleared off the line – Freeman had the final say.
“It’s an agonising day,” Cheltenham boss Darrell
Clarke said. “I am gutted for our supporters and gutted for everybody at the football club.
“To miss out by a couple of points is gut-wrenching. But we’ll bounce back.”
While Burton were beaten 3-0 as relegated Fleetwood signed off in style thanks to goals from Carl Johnston, Phoenix Patterson and Tom Lonergan, Cheltenham’s slip-up means the Brewers survived.
“I’m delighted because everything was stacked against this club, but we’ve done it and we’ve survived,” Burton boss Martin Paterson said.
Louis Appere’s last-gasp effort helped Northampton draw 1-1 at Barnsley, who only held on to a play-off spot after Lincoln lost 2-0 at home to champions Portsmouth and Blackpool were defeated 3-2 by Reading.
Daniel Mandroiu missed from the spot for Lincoln when the score was 0-0 before Myles Peart-harris and Paddy Lane secured victory for Pompey.
Oxford finished fifth as a Mark Harris strike and Cameron Brannagan’s penalty gave them a 2-1 win at Exeter.
Luke Leahy’s early penalty gave Charlton a 1-0 victory over Wycombe, Leyton Orient won 3-1 at Shrewsbury, Wigan overcame Bristol Rovers 2-0 while Cambridge’s trip to relegated Port Vale finished goalless.