League Two Round-Up: Shrewsbury Hold On With Nine Men as Grimsby Lose Again

Grimsby had more of the ball and more shots, 13 to 10, and lost for the fourth league game running. Northampton put six of their ten shots on target to Grimsby's three of 13, and two of the six went in. It was their first away win of the season, and it lifted them out of the relegation places.

There were chances at both ends before the break. Connor Lemonheigh-Evans had a header cleared off the line from Lee Evans's free-kick, Owen Dale's follow-up was turned wide in a scramble inside the six-yard box, and Matty Warhurst saw two shots saved by Christy Pym. In the 34th minute he beat Pym with a longer one, a right-footed strike from the left channel into the far bottom corner. Zach Jeacock then made strong saves from Iwan Morgan, Justin Amaluzor and Kieran Green to keep the lead at one.

Soon after the break Jamie Walker hit the post and Charles Vernam blazed over from close range. Jon Guthrie, Northampton's captain, knocked in the second after 58 minutes from Moore's assist. Three minutes later Edon Pruti was sent off and left the field on a stretcher with a nasty injury. Andy Cook headed wide in the 85th minute, and the fourth official announced 12 minutes of added time, in which Finlay Cartwright also headed wide.

Grimsby were unbeaten after seven games, with three wins and four draws, and have lost four in a row since: at Newport, at home to Shrewsbury, at Port Vale and now at Blundell Park. They have scored twice in the four, and none in the last two. They were 11th before the round and are 15th on 13 points, three clear of the relegation places. The match page's reaction clip for David Artell is headed "Artell on Pruti and Tharme injuries following loss", and Chris Hogg's reaction was captioned "It's everything I want a team to look like". Grimsby are at Rochdale on Tuesday and at Gillingham on Saturday.

George Lloyd's penalty in the 77th minute was enough for Shrewsbury, who then had to see the game out after Jay Turner-Cooke and Isaac Fletcher were both sent off. It was the first penalty the club had been awarded in 67 league games. The last one, at Exeter in March 2025, was missed by Josh Magennis, and this time Lloyd placed it to Brad Young's right.

Little in the first half pointed that way. Shrewsbury pressed early, with Kian McMahon-Brown and Sam Stubbs both going close inside the opening 20 minutes, and Rovers grew into it, Bobby Kamwa and Tom James each having a try before a goalless interval. After the break Stubbs headed Tom Sang's corner straight at Young.

The penalty came when Will Boyle was brought down in the box by Joe Quigley. Turner-Cooke was dismissed in the 80th minute for a late tackle on Shaq Forde, and Fletcher, on since the 84th, was shown a straight red card in stoppage time for a high challenge on Arvin Appiah. Rovers had an extra man from the 80th minute and never found the equaliser.

Shrewsbury had 11 shots to nine, three on target to one, and 45 per cent of the ball. They have lost once in their last seven league games, and Gavin Cowan's reaction was captioned "I'm just full of pride". It was Rovers' fifth defeat in six league games, and Steve Evans's reaction was captioned "I think the game was a poor game". Shrewsbury rise from 18th to 14th on 14 points, and Rovers stay ninth on 15, with five wins and six defeats and no draws.

Kabongo Tshimanga scored twice to turn the game round, and Barnet are unbeaten after nine league games with the best goals tally in the division, 22. Tranmere had led from the 22nd minute, when Will Vaulks, scoring for the first time for the club, hit a 20-yard shot past Matthew Cox after good work by Charlie Whitaker.

The hosts had chances to add to it before the break. Whitaker went close, and Dylan Jones dragged an effort wide just before half-time. Barnet drew level soon after the restart, in the 55th minute, when Harrison Male saved from Charlie Lakin and Tshimanga reacted quickest to head in from close range.

The winner came from the spot in the 87th minute, after Bobby Faulkner tripped Lakin inside the box and Tshimanga converted. Tranmere finished with ten, Joel Senior sent off in added time for a second yellow card after a challenge on Romoney Crichlow-Noble. Tranmere's winless league run, five games going in, is now six.

Barnet had 56 per cent of the ball, 16 shots to 14 and six corners to one, though Tranmere put five shots on target to their three. Barnet stay second on 21 points, and have played nine games to the eleven of Salford and Crewe. Tranmere fall from 13th to 17th on 12 points. Darrell Clarke's reaction was captioned "Really angry with that second half", and Barnet host Swindon on Tuesday.

Fleetwood ended a run of five league games without a win, and Rotherham did not put a single shot on target all afternoon. The hosts had 16 shots to eight, five of them on target, and nine corners to six, though a quiet first half gave little away. Mark Helm tested Julian Eyestone from close range, and Harrison Neal's volley was kept out low down.

The second half opened with a worked corner. Finley Potter backheeled the ball into Shaun Rooney's path in the middle of the area and Rooney slotted it in at the far post, just over 40 seconds after the restart. Rotherham had barely settled.

Alex Bruce answered with four substitutions in one go in the second half, and one of them, Klaidi Lolos, headed narrowly off target from just outside the six-yard box. Ronan Coughlan, Fleetwood's top scorer, made it safe ten minutes from time with a header from Crispin McLean's cross. Fleetwood rise from 16th to 12th on 14 points. Rotherham fall from 20th to 23rd on 10 and are at home to Newport on Tuesday.

Josh Woods scored twice for Accrington, both headers from Stefan Mols corners, and Gillingham are recorded with no shot on target. Stanley had 23 shots to six, seven of them on target, and 11 corners to one. Gillingham's goal was a deflection off Stanley's own Devon Matthews.

Stanley led after 11 minutes, when a mix-up between the Gillingham goalkeeper Ollie Wright, a former Stanley loanee, and Armani Little let Mols in to score from close range. Woods made it two on 28 minutes, heading in Mols's corner. Three minutes later a volley from Omar Beckles took a deflection off Matthews and Gillingham had a goal they had hardly asked for.

After the break Wright saved efforts from Woods and Connor O'Brien before Woods got the third on 66 minutes, powering in another Mols corner for his fifth goal of the season. Conor Grant clipped a post in the 81st minute. Stanley are unbeaten in five league games and unbeaten at home this season, and rise from 15th to 10th on 14 points. Gillingham drop from fourth to sixth on 16. John Doolan's reaction was captioned "There's fine margins in the league", and Gareth Ainsworth's "Big off day we weren't good at all".

Colchester had 19 shots and Exeter eight, and one apiece were on target. Josh Gordon's early strike was held at his near post by Thimothee Lo-Tutala, and at the other end Bradley Ihionvien headed in Oscar Thorn's cross for a goal that was ruled out for offside. Charlie Cummins's deflected shot was collected by Lo-Tutala, and just before the break a deflection took Thorn's effort just past the far post for a corner.

The nearest thing to a goal came in the 55th minute. Moses Sesay shot, and Jack Tucker's strike on the follow-up hit the underside of the crossbar. Thorn then sent a dipping volley from the edge of the area over, and Jack Bycroft had to push away Ihionvien's low shot for a corner as Colchester kept coming. They looked the likelier winners at the end and did not take it.

Danny Cowley's reaction was captioned "We have to try to see the positives", and Matt Taylor's "We're in the mix now". Colchester have played ten games, five of them draws, and are 20th on 11 points. Exeter slip from 14th to 16th on 13 points, with six goals scored and six conceded in eleven games.

Jordan Gibson had a hand in all three Crewe goals, two scored and one made, and Crewe are still unbeaten after eleven league games. Matus Holicek put them ahead after 39 minutes with a drive from outside the box that Sam Waller got a hand to, Gibson having played him in. Six minutes later, on the stroke of half-time, Owen Lunt got the better of the young Chelsea loanee Kaiden Wilson and squared the ball for Gibson to tap in.

Gibson's second, poked in from 10 yards ten minutes into the second half, looked to have settled it. Rochdale pulled one back in the 65th minute when Glenn Middleton's cross struck Joel Tabiner and went in, and Aden Flint headed in substitute Ed Francis's cross in the 90th. It came too late to matter, though not too late to make the last minutes uncomfortable.

Rochdale had 60 per cent of the ball, 15 shots to 10 and seven corners to one, and still lost, Crewe putting four shots on target to their three. It is Crewe's third win in a row and Rochdale's first league defeat in six. Crewe stay third on 21 points, level with Barnet, who have played two fewer games. Rochdale fall from 10th to 13th on 14. Lee Bell's reaction was captioned "That's what it takes in this league", and Ian Watson's "There is lots to like".

Kion Etete, a Cardiff City loanee making his first appearance for Newport, scored within two minutes of coming on to earn a point against ten-man York. York had led since the fourth minute, when Ollie Pearce swept in Alex Hunt's through ball for his fifth league goal of the season.

Jovan Malcolm was sent off in the 24th minute for elbowing Lee Jenkins in the face, and York's manager disagreed. Scott Lindsey said "it is not an elbow", that Malcolm was "pivoting his body round to try and protect the ball", and that York would probably appeal. Hayden Mullins said of the second half: "We controlled the second half really well. We didn't lose, we take the point."

Newport had the better of it against ten men. Over the match they had 17 shots to 11, three on target to one, and six corners to none. Shaquille Gwengwe, starting up front in Christian Doidge's absence, headed against the bar, and Tanatswa Nyakuhwa's effort forced Alfie McNally into his first save just after the break. Etete then headed in Nyakuhwa's cross, and McNally was the busier keeper after that, saving from Harrison Biggins.

Newport are unbeaten at home and unbeaten in six league games, and rise from 12th to 11th on 14 points. York climb a place to fourth on 16 and again failed to win away from home. Newport are at Rotherham on Tuesday and York host Accrington.

Oldham won for the first time in seven league games, scoring three times in the first 41 minutes after scoring once in their previous four. Calum Kavanagh opened the scoring with his fifth goal of the season, turning in a Favour Fawunmi shot that was heading wide. Jamie Robson, the left-back, then headed in Fawunmi's corner at the far post, and Fawunmi, put through by Kavanagh, scored his second goal for the club.

Cheltenham pulled one back in first-half stoppage time when Freddy Willcox fired in from a corner, his first senior goal. Robson scored the fourth in the 81st minute with a low drive into the far bottom corner, his second of the game.

Oldham had 18 shots to 10 and five on target to four. They rise from 21st to 19th on 11 points from ten games. Cheltenham have lost three league games in a row and are still eighth on 15 points, but they have conceded 20 goals in 11 games, more than any other side in the division. Micky Mellon's reaction was captioned "We'll try and build on it" and Steve Cotterill's "Nowhere near good enough".

Port Vale won with five shots, no corners and 35 per cent of the ball. Onel Hernandez scored in the 45th minute, chipping over his marker and poking home when the defending hesitated, and his only other goal this season came in the Football League Trophy, also against Chesterfield.

The visitors' first effort on goal was a Lee Bonis header that Marko Marosi helped over the bar, and Marosi tipped over another from Ryan Stirk's long-range shot. Vale entered the game as the division's joint-lowest scorers and produced almost nothing in the first half, and neither side created much after the break. Hernandez sent a weak effort straight at Ryan Boot, Louie Marsh and Josh Koroma gave Marosi routine stops, and Boot saved from Keyrol Figueroa.

Chesterfield finished with 65 per cent of the ball and ten corners, and had eight shots to Vale's five, four of them on target to three. It is their fourth league defeat and they stay seventh on 15 points. Vale rise from 22nd to 21st on 11 points, with five league goals, the fewest in the division. Jon Brady's reaction was captioned "Really pleased with that".

Macaulay Langstaff scored twice for Salford, who have won five league games in a row and lead League Two on 22 points. Kallum Cesay set up both goals: a close-range volley in the 17th minute after a passing move involving Cesay and Luke Molyneux, and a low curler into the bottom corner in the 50th minute.

Crawley, bottom of the table, had not had an attempt on target when Dylan Morgan picked out the bottom corner from the edge of the box in the 59th minute, and it was their first. Vito Mannone also beat away a fierce Langstaff drive to deny him a hat-trick. The veteran goalkeeper had earlier made a diving save from Molyneux and caught a Langstaff header without fuss.

Salford had 16 shots to 10 and five on target to four. They are unbeaten in six league games and one point clear of Barnet and Crewe. Crawley are last on five points from nine games, five behind Rotherham and Northampton on 10. Peter Cklamovski's reaction was captioned "A mature performance" and Colin Kazim-Richards's "Massive week ahead". Salford are at Bristol Rovers on Tuesday and at Walsall on Monday 26 October.

Tai Sodje's equaliser at Swindon kept Walsall unbeaten in ten league games, though only three of the ten have been wins. Swindon went ahead in the fifth minute from a long Mitch Clark throw: Stephan Negru hooked the ball on and Aaron Drinan poked it in from two yards.

Walsall had 62 per cent of the ball and put eight shots on target to Swindon's five, though Swindon had 17 shots to their 16, and Connor Ripley in the Swindon goal held them off until the 55th minute. He clawed away Sodje's dipping shot, denied Mason Hancock at the near post, and kept out a Hancock piledriver before the equaliser. Sodje nodded home a looping deflection at the back post in the 55th minute.

Swindon had their moments. Joseph Hungbo slipped in Antwoine Hackford, who launched his shot well over, Clark ran 20 yards and hit a shot at the keeper, and Drinan thundered an effort just wide. Ripley also repelled a hard turn-and-shoot from Aaron Pressley. Walsall rise from sixth to fifth on 16 points, and Swindon slip a place to 18th on 12. Lee Grant's reaction was captioned "We were outstanding and should've won".