PASSION PLAY
SAFC 3 SOUTHEND 0 - REPORT AND REACTION ON
Portsmouth saw their lead at the top of League One cut to two points on Saturday after they were held by Accrington and nearest rivals Peterborough defeated Burton.
Pompey had briefly been on course for victory at fellow high-flyers Stanley when Oliver Hawkins turned in Gareth Evans’ 62nd-minute freekick.
However, Accrington, who saw Billy Kee’s firsthalf penalty saved by Craig MacGillivray, were level inside two minutes thanks to Michael Ihiekwe’s header as the match finished 1-1.
Taking full advantage were second-placed Posh, who held off Burton to claim a 2-1 win.
Joe Ward and Siriki Dembele put Steve Evans’ men in charge and although Burton pulled a goal back through Jamie Allen with 30 minutes left, they could not find an equaliser.
Coventry made it five wins on the trot with a 2-1 victory over stuttering Doncaster, who had started the day one place and one point above the Sky Blues in seventh.
Jordy Hiwula and Luke Thomas struck before half-time for the hosts and Rovers could only reply through Joe Wright.
Barnsley bounced back from successive defeats with a 1-0 win over lowly Bristol Rovers.
Alex Mowatt netted the only goal of the game after 11 minutes as the Tykes moved up to fourth.
Luton climbed to fifth Accrington dropping two places to sixth - with a 2-0 triumph at AFC Wimbledon, who have now lost six on the trot.
It took a while for the Hatters to break down their opponents but goals in the final half-hour from Pelly Ruddock and Elliot Lee - either side of a missed Danny Hylton penalty- earned the visitors the spoils.
Fleetwood edged out local rivals Blackpool 3-2 thanks to strikes from Wes Burns, Ross Wallace and Paddy Madden.
Jordan Thompson and Nathan Delfouneso replied for Blackpool but it could not prevent the Seasiders - who had Armand Gnanduillet sent off late on - from slumping to only their second league defeat of the season.
There was also a fivegoal thriller at Walsall, where the hosts held on to beat Wycombe 3-2 in a dramatic encounter.
Andy Cook, Isaiah Osbourne and an Dominic Gape own goal were Walsall’s scorers, with Wycombe responding with a Luke Leahy own goal and a Alex Samuel effort - after Scott Kashket had missed from the spot - in the last 10 minutes.
Gillingham thrashed rock-bottom Bradford 4-0 thanks to four second-half goals.
Tom Eaves scored two of them, as well as missing a penalty, while Regan Charles-Cook and Elliott List were also on the scoresheet as the Bantams crashed to a fifth consecutive loss.
Goals from Joshua Ruffels, Gavin Whyte and Marcus Browne earned Oxford a valuable 3-0 win over Shrewsbury while Ian Henderson’s early strike helped Rochdale to a 1-0 win over Charlton, for whom Lyle Taylor missed a 20th-minute spot-kick.
Plymouth, who started the day in the bottom two, recorded only their third win of the campaign with a 4-1 mauling of Scunthorpe at Glanford Park. Freddie Ladapo, Niall Canavan, Joel Grant and Antoni Sarcevic struck for the Pilgrims, with Lee Novak netting for Scunthorpe.