Barnet did not kick a ball on Saturday and are still top of League Two. Their trip to Crawley and Port Vale's home game against Northampton were both postponed, so matchday eight was ten games rather than twelve, and those ten brought Grimsby's first league defeat of the season, a club record for Bristol Rovers and a stoppage-time equaliser that kept Walsall unbeaten but left them short of first place.
Newport beat Grimsby 2-1 at Rodney Parade and Grimsby drop from third to sixth. Bristol Rovers beat Exeter 1-0 for an 11th straight home league win and climb from sixth to third, and Cheltenham beat Chesterfield 2-1 with seven shots to Chesterfield's 27 and go second. Twenty-eight goals went in across the ten games. Four were won at home, two away and four were drawn, and both dismissals were for a second yellow card, one for Rochdale at Fleetwood and one for Gillingham at York.
The top of the table has closed up around a side that was not there. Barnet, Cheltenham and Bristol Rovers are all on 15 points, York and Walsall have 14, and Barnet have a game in hand on every club around them. Three sides are still unbeaten: Barnet after seven games, Walsall and Crewe after eight, and Crewe have drawn their last six.
Full time
Newport County2-1Grimsby Town
First League Two defeat of the season, and down to sixth
Grimsby had two thirds of the ball at Rodney Parade and lost. Newport, with 33 per cent of possession and the long ball as their most effective route forward, sat through a cagey first half in which Jordan Wright was only called into action by efforts from Mark Shelton and Charles Vernam, and Grimsby's best chance fell to Iwan Morgan, who slid in on Kieran Green's ball but could not get enough contact. The game turned on 57 minutes. Cameron Norman intercepted midway inside the Grimsby half, the ball broke kindly to Christian Doidge on the edge of the area, and the forward skipped past a defender before firing beyond Christy Pym.
Newport's first shot on target was that goal, and their second was the next one. It came on 69 minutes: Harrison Biggins' corner, headed back across goal by Ciaran Brennan, and Shaquille Gwengwe on hand to nod in from close range for his first goal in six games. Pym then made a double save to keep Biggins from a third. Grimsby's reply arrived on 83 minutes, when Justin Amaluzor's dangerous delivery squirmed under Wright and the final touch appeared to come off the Newport goalkeeper, so it goes down as an own goal. Newport held on for their first league win since the opening day.
David Artell said Grimsby had enough chances to win probably two games and were punished for two lapses, and he also blamed, less conventionally, the length of the grass for Morgan's miss. The numbers only half agree with him. Grimsby had 31 touches in the Newport box to 18 and the shots were level at ten each, but three of Grimsby's were on target against five of Newport's. It is Grimsby's first League Two defeat of the season, and they slip from third to sixth on 13 points, two behind the three clubs on 15. They are at home to Shrewsbury on 3 October.
A win at Prenton Park would have taken Walsall top, and for long spells they were only in the game because of Jed Ward. Tranmere had 21 shots to Walsall's seven, 11 of them on target, and Ward made ten saves. He blocked Charlie Whitaker's strike, parried a fizzing Tom Ince drive, and when Whitaker danced past Sven Sprangler and won a penalty, Ward went down to his right to deny Joe Ironside. Aaron Pressley spurned a glorious chance at the other end, blazing over from close range.
Tranmere's pressure eventually told in the second half, when Bobby Faulkner rose highest to power Will Vaulks' corner past the stranded Ward. Walsall had two shots on target all afternoon, and one of them came in the first minute of stoppage time: late substitute Will Etheridge found Reece Smith inside the box, and Smith rolled the ball past Harrison Male to send the travelling fans wild.
The point extends Walsall's unbeaten run to eight matches, which is the whole of their league season so far, three wins and five draws, and their five goals conceded are the fewest in League Two. It still costs them three places, from second to fifth, because Cheltenham, Bristol Rovers and York all won. Tranmere stay tenth on 11 points, with more shots on target in one afternoon than Walsall have conceded goals all season.
Bristol Rovers have now won 11 home league games in a row, and the PA Media report says that is club history. Shaq Forde almost opened the scoring before the break, turning on the ball around the penalty spot and blasting it just over, and the goal that made it came midway through the second half. Kofi Balmer's long throw was flicked on and Fabrizio Cavegn lashed an acrobatic finish in from close range, his third League Two goal of the season. Jack Sparkes struck the near post two minutes later, and substitute Reiss Russell-Denny thought he had the second on 81 minutes until Jack Bycroft got just enough on his low strike to divert it wide.
Exeter were not passengers. They had 56.1 per cent of the ball and matched Rovers' five shots on target, and their goalkeeper's double save from Bobby Kamwa and then Joe Quigley in stoppage time kept it at one. Rovers climb from sixth to third on 15 points, a week after losing 3-0 at Gillingham. Exeter drop to 21st with four goals scored in eight games, although they have conceded only six, one more than Walsall.
Chesterfield had 27 shots, 11 on target, 11 corners and two thirds of the ball, and lost. Cheltenham had seven shots and scored with two of them. Charlie McCann's came on 17 minutes, Ryan Broom playing Jordan Shipley's forward ball into his path for a finish into the bottom right corner, his seventh goal of the season. Andi Weimann added the second when McCann found Jonathan Tomkinson, who nodded down for Weimann to thump it in, his fourth goal in four games.
Between the two goals Lee Bonis hit the woodwork and Joel Randall's shot was deflected on to the roof of the net, and Wyll Stanway saved brilliantly from Bonis before half-time. Stanway finished with ten saves. Louie Marsh pulled one back on 49 minutes after Randall's effort was blocked, and Liam Mandeville shot just wide in the 84th minute. Steve Cotterill's reaction, as the BBC captioned it, was "I suppose we'll take the 2-1 victory". Cheltenham go from fifth to second on 15 points, and Chesterfield drop from eighth to 11th.
Rochdale were two up inside 14 minutes at Highbury and spent the rest of the afternoon holding on. Dajaune Brown finished first time from Glenn Middleton's cross in the eighth minute, and Aden Flint coolly slotted in the second after Brown's shot fell kindly into his path. Mark Helm hit back on the half-hour, pouncing on a loose ball in midfield and finishing neatly into the bottom corner.
Fleetwood had 21 shots to Rochdale's 12 and dominated the second half, and the task got tougher for Rochdale on 69 minutes when Tobi Adebayo-Rowling was shown a second yellow card for a shirt pull. Lewis McCann cleared the bar by inches, Sam Waller denied Ched Evans, and Flint got his head to Ronan Coughlan's goalbound shot. It is a second straight league win for Rochdale, who move from 17th to 16th on 10 points, level with Fleetwood, who drop from 11th to 14th.
Crewe have now drawn six League Two games in a row, and this one came without a shot on target. Their goal arrived on 21 minutes, when Joe White swung in a corner and Dominic Iorfa, on his home debut for Rotherham, inadvertently headed into his own net. It took until the 34th minute for either side to register a shot on target. Rotherham levelled on 44 minutes: Aaron Nemane gave Kian Spence the chance to cross, and Paul Mullin steered it in with the deftest of touches for his fourth goal of the campaign.
Rotherham had the better of the second half and finished with four shots on target to none, but Crewe had the best chances, through Adrien Thibaut and substitute Jack Lankester, who had a late effort ruled out for offside. Crewe stay ninth on 12 points, unbeaten after eight games with two wins and six draws, and Rotherham move up a place to 13th on 10.
Moses Sesay scored the first goal of the afternoon and the last one. He put Colchester ahead on 19 minutes, weaving past two home defenders before slotting in, and Luca Hoole headed Shrewsbury level ten minutes later from Tom Sang's set piece. Shrewsbury finished the first half the stronger side, with Thimothee Lo-Tutala palming over a George Lloyd header and Lloyd then firing wide from a tight angle just before the break.
Kylian Kouassi cleared a Sam Stubbs header off the line in the second half and then, with seven minutes remaining, blasted a glorious chance over from seven yards. Isaac Fletcher looked to have won it for Shrewsbury in stoppage time when Lo-Tutala fumbled Lloyd's shot, and Sesay equalised moments later, slamming in Oscar Thorn's pass. Shrewsbury stay 18th on eight points and Colchester stay 15th on 10.
Accrington scored after 21 seconds and did not score again. Tyler Walton robbed Anthony Munda in the middle of the park, Stefan Mols ran clear down the right to centre, and Josh Woods calmly nodded in at the back post. Swindon captain Ollie Clarke curled wide with the goalkeeper stranded, and Aaron Drinan closed down the keeper's clearance only to watch the rebound trickle just the wrong side of a post.
The equaliser came on 31 minutes, when overlapping full-back Daniel Butler found space and slung in an early cross for Joseph Hungbo to head in at the back post. The PA Media report calls the second half dull, and it ended with Stephan Negru blocking substitute Cole Stockton's powerful shot on the line. Swindon move from 13th to 12th on 11 points, and injury-hit Accrington climb two places to 19th on seven.
York have won every home league game this season, and Gillingham did not manage a shot on target in this one. Joe Grey scored in the second minute, his scuffed shot from Ollie Pearce's inswinging cross bouncing up off the turf and looping over goalkeeper Oliver Wright, and before the interval Alex Newby and Alex Hunt both hit the frame of the goal.
Gillingham substitute Zane Albarus was sent off on 70 minutes, booked twice for fouls on Hunt and Pearce. It took York five minutes to use the extra man. Jovan Malcolm, on loan from Stevenage, muscled into a shooting position and drilled in a low drive for his third goal of the season, and Pearce made it three when Harry Boyes' 25-yard shot took a nick off him and wrong-footed Wright. James Brophy hit the woodwork late on for Gillingham, who were fourth before kick-off and finish eighth. York climb from seventh to fourth.
Four for Salford, a fourth straight defeat for Oldham
Salford led in the fifth minute of the derby at Boundary Park, when Luke Molyneux's cross from the right flew into the far corner, eluding everyone. On 19 minutes a poor clearance from Matt Hudson found Kelly N'Mai, who lobbed him from 30 yards, and two minutes later Calum Kavanagh fired a low shot past Will Norris to bring Oldham back into it. The half then had an unusual ending: referee Isaac Searle signalled four added minutes, blew after three, and when his attention was drawn to the error, beckoned the players back on to finish them.
Brendan Wiredu squeezed a shot past Hudson on 57 minutes to restore the two-goal lead, and substitute Adebola Oluwo headed in Luke Garbutt's free-kick on 81 minutes. It is a fourth straight league defeat for Oldham, who fall from 16th to 20th, and a fifth league game unbeaten for Salford, who rise five places to seventh.
Snapshot: . P played · W won · D drawn · L lost · GF goals for · GA goals against · GD goal difference · Pts points.
League Two standings after this round
#
Club
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
1
Barnet
7
4
3
0
17
10
7
15
2
Cheltenham Town
8
4
3
1
16
12
4
15
3
Bristol Rovers
8
5
0
3
13
11
2
15
4
York City
8
4
2
2
16
10
6
14
5
Walsall
8
3
5
0
11
5
6
14
6
Grimsby Town
8
3
4
1
12
8
4
13
7
Salford City
8
4
1
3
12
10
2
13
8
Gillingham
8
3
3
2
11
9
2
12
9
Crewe Alexandra
8
2
6
0
8
6
2
12
10
Tranmere Rovers
8
2
5
1
10
8
2
11
11
Chesterfield
8
3
2
3
11
10
1
11
12
Swindon Town
8
3
2
3
9
12
-3
11
13
Rotherham United
8
2
4
2
11
11
0
10
14
Fleetwood Town
8
2
4
2
9
9
0
10
15
Colchester United
8
2
4
2
10
12
-2
10
16
Rochdale
8
3
1
4
9
11
-2
10
17
Newport County
8
2
3
3
12
12
0
9
18
Shrewsbury Town
8
2
2
4
7
13
-6
8
19
Accrington Stanley
8
1
4
3
11
14
-3
7
20
Oldham Athletic
8
2
1
5
9
13
-4
7
21
Exeter City
8
1
3
4
4
6
-2
6
22
Northampton Town
7
1
3
3
3
6
-3
6
23
Port Vale
7
1
2
4
3
9
-6
5
24
Crawley Town
7
1
1
5
6
13
-7
4
Three clubs share first place on 15 points and goal difference separates them: Barnet on plus seven, Cheltenham on plus four and Bristol Rovers on plus two, with Barnet a game behind in matches played. York and Walsall are a point further back on 14 with the same goal difference of plus six, York ahead on goals scored, 16 to 11. Grimsby and Salford follow on 13, then Gillingham and Crewe on 12, so the top nine are covered by three points. Barnet's 17 goals are still the most in the division, and Walsall's five conceded are the fewest.
Salford made the biggest climb of the round, five places from 12th to seventh, and Oldham and Gillingham made the biggest falls, four places each. At the bottom, Crawley are last on four points and Port Vale are a point above them, both with seven games played. Northampton, Exeter, Oldham and Accrington are next, all on six or seven points. Northampton and Port Vale have scored three goals apiece, the fewest in League Two, and Accrington's 14 conceded are the most.
06 / KEEP READING
League Two upcoming fixtures: 3 October 2026
Grimsby are at home to Shrewsbury on 3 October, Crewe host Bristol Rovers and Accrington host Cheltenham, while Walsall against Crawley, Colchester against Port Vale and Northampton against Oldham are already postponed. York and Barnet do not appear on the archived schedule for that day. Chesterfield against Tranmere starts the round at half past twelve.
League Two fixtures:
All kick-offs UK time. Schedule checked ; fixtures may change.