The League 2 season continued with the latest round of games played over the festive season to end 2016.
Plymouth ended the year at the top followed closely by Carlisle and Doncaster. The sides facing relegation going into the New Year are Cheltenham and Newport.
Here’s a round up of the League 2 action from the other games played.
Results
Friday 30th December 2016 – Sky Bet League Two
Cheltenham Town 0-1 Wycombe Wanderers 19:45
Hartlepool United 3-2 Morecambe 19:45
Yeovil Town 0-0 Portsmouth 19:45
Saturday 31st December 2016 – Sky Bet League Two
Mansfield Town 1-1 Doncaster Rovers 12:15
Leyton Orient 1-1 Cambridge United 13:00
Crewe Alexandra 0-1 Accrington Stanley 15:00
Grimsby Town 0-0 Blackpool 15:00
Luton Town 3-1 Barnet 15:00
Newport County 1-4 Exeter City 15:00
Notts County 2-3 Carlisle United 15:00
Plymouth Argyle 2-0 Crawley Town 15:00
Stevenage 2-4 Colchester United 15:00
Unlike games at a higher level all three in League 2 on Friday managed to survive the weather. However, the visibility at Yeovil was pretty poor as the Glovers and Portsmouth played out a 0-0 draw at Huish Park. Pompey would have hoped for a win to end the year to put pressure on the top three but it wasn’t to be.
The Wycombe unbeaten run was extended to nine with a seventh win claimed in that period when they went away from struggling Cheltenham with a 1-0 win – this took the Chairboys up to 4th at the time. The Robins’ fifth defeat in six meant they would remain in the bottom two to end the year.
A cracker to end the year at Victoria Park saw Hartlepool give the home faithful something to cheer – even if Pools fans had a worrying moment or two before the end! A three goal lead was reduced but Morecambe’s second came deep into added time with it too late as they slipped to a 3-2 defeat. A first win in five took Hartlepool five points clear of danger and above the Shrimps after a seventh defeat in 10.
Being involved in the early New Years Eve kick off gave Doncaster the chance to ensure they would lead the way into 2017. However, a 1-1 draw at Mansfield opened the door for Plymouth or Carlisle to take the lead at the summit.
The festive period proved positive for Leyton Orient as they collected four points from a possible six. Despite the game with in form Cambridge – who had been on a fine winning run – ending in a 1-1 draw at Brisbane Road this will feel like a home win for Orient in many ways following the equaliser deep into added time!
As Doncaster couldn’t claim all three points earlier in the day as Plymouth did against Crawley they ended the year top of the table. The Pilgrims recorded a 2-0 win at Home Park to see the visitors lose for a third time in five games.
Behind Plymouth in 2nd at the end of the year are Carlisle. The unbeaten run was extended to seven when the Cumbrians twice came from behind before eventually beating struggling Notts County 3-2 at Meadow Lane. County’s eighth straight defeat means they end the year just a place and a point above the bottom two.
After seven defeats in an eight game winless run Accrington ended the year on a high with a 1-0 win at Crewe. It boost the Stanley survival hopes but inflicted a fourth defeat in five on the Railwaymen.
The chance to move into a top seven place was missed by Blackpool. Gary Bowyer saw his side end the festive season unbeaten but the previous win couldn’t be followed up with another after a 0-0 draw at Grimsby.
Luton reacted to a defeat with a 3-1 win against potential promotion rivals Barnet at Kenilworth Road. This kept the Hatters in 5th and closed the gap on Portsmouth to a point.
A sixth straight defeat means Newport’s survival hopes were dealt another blow when they were thrashed 4-1 by Exeter City at Rodney Parade – victory took the Grecians up to 11th, five points off the play-offs.
Colchester made it five wins from – an unbeaten – six game spell when the U’s won 4-2 at Stevenage to mean they’re now just a couple of points from the play-offs when they were battling relegation a few weeks back.
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