Derby will have to wait until the bitter end for result

DERBY will have to wait for the final weekend of the season to try to clinch promotion back to the Championship but Fleetwood and Port Vale have been relegated from League One.

Nathaniel Mendez-laing’s 39thminute goal earned Derby a 1-0 victory at Cambridge but Bolton remain just about in touch, three points behind and with an inferior goal difference, after a 2-0 victory over Vale.

That spelled the end of Vale’s two-year stay in the third tier, with Aaron Collins and Cameron Jerome scoring in the last 20 minutes.

Fleetwood defeated Leyton Orient 1-0, Xavier Simons netting in injury time, but that was not enough to keep their hopes of survival alive because Burton held on to beat Reading 3-2.

Cheltenham have two games left but are five points behind Burton after losing 2-1 at home against Lincoln.

At the other end, Peterborough are also just about in the automatic promotion hunt, six points behind Derby with two games left, after a 2-0 victory at Bristol Rovers.

Champions Portsmouth suffered their fifth league defeat of the season, going down 2-1 to Wigan, while Blackpool’s 3-2 victory over Barnsley made it a four-way fight for the final two play-off spots.

Barnsley will be looking over their shoulders after failing to complete a comeback, with Blackpool now only two points behind them.

Elsewhere, 10-man Exeter beat Northampton 2-1, in-form Wycombe won 3-1 at relegated Carlisle and Charlton and Shrewsbury drew 1-1.

Sutton’s three-year stay in the Football League looks certain to end after they were pegged back late on in a 2-2 draw with Crawley. Colchester were beaten 1-0 by Notts County, but they also have a game in hand.

Doncaster’s storming finish to the season continued with a ninth win as they came from two down to defeat Barrow 4-2, Joe Ironside scoring twice.

Rovers are now level on points with Crawley in a tense play-off fight and a point behind Barrow, while Walsall remain in the hunt despite losing 3-2 to 10-man Bradford.

Crewe in fifth are also not yet assured of their place after losing 3-0 to promoted Wrexham.

MK Dons, the only side definitely in the play-offs, had an eventful afternoon, coming from behind twice to beat Harrogate 5-3.

Kyle Wootton scored twice as champions Stockport beat Accrington 4-2 while fellow promoted side Mansfield were 2-1 winners over Gillingham after late goals from Davis Keillor-dunn and Stephen Mclaughlin.

Already-relegated Forest Green won 2-1 at Morecambe, Tranmere prevailed 3-2 against 10-man AFC Wimbledon, Grimsby beat Swindon 2-0 to guarantee their safety and Salford won 1-0 at Newport.