League One & League Two: Pompey win; Derby and 10-man Bolton draw; Stockport win 3-1

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Forest Green showed some signs of improvement in their first two games under Steve Cotterill and had their moments against Mansfield, but a 4-0 home defeat leaves them with one point from three matches under the new boss and still bottom of the table, nine points from safety.

Like Sutton, the other team in the relegation zone, who lost 1-0 at Morecambe, they will be relieved that fellow strugglers Colchester and Grimsby both lost, at Harrogate and Stockport respectively.

But Doncaster did manage to take a big step away from danger. Their 2-1 home victory over Tranmere leaves them 10 points clear of Sutton.

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Stockport and Mansfield continue to march towards automatic promotion from League Two, but the same cannot be said of Barrow.

While Stockport maintained their four-point lead at the top with a 3-1 win at Grimsby and the second-placed Stags predictably won 4-0 at bottom side Forest Green, Barrow’s wobble goes on.

The Bluebirds lost 2-0 at AFC Wimbledon and have won just two of their past nine matches. And they have been replaced in the top three, by Crewe, who moved above them with a 1-0 win at home to Crawley.

Wimbledon’s win leaves them just one point and one place outside the play-off places. Harrogate sit just above them, having won 1-0 at home to Colchester. Fifth-placed Wrexham, on the other hand, lost 1-0 at home to Bradford.

Elsewhere in the battle for a play-off place, a stoppage-time winner by Joe Tomlinson took fifth-placed MK Dons nine points clear of Accrington, who travelled south knowing that a win would put them very firmly into the promotion picture.

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Chaltenham have boosted their survival hopes with a 1-0 win at Cambridge and are now just five points behind Charlton having played two fewer games.

Port Vale's 98th-minute equaliser against Stevenage moves them level with the Addicks, also with two games in hand, after Charlton went down at Reading, whose renaissance continues.

Fleetwood remain in the mire after letting a lead slip at Lincoln but Burton hauled themselves away from danger with a good win at Bristol Rovers while Wycombe produced arguably the result of the day with a 5-2 thumping of playoff-chasing Peterborough.

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Portsmouth fans have had to deal with a succession of injury blows in recent weeks but today, just for a couple of hours, everything seemed to go just right for John Mousinho's men.

The title might not be in their hands quite yet, but promotion now is, and Derby and Bolton dropping points has given their hopes a boost, with the Trotters fixture backlog not one for the squeamish.

Barnsley burgled the points against Leyton Orient to strengthen their hand in the play-off race while the Os, Oxford and Blackpool were unable to close the gap on the top six

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• Leaders Stockport claim all three points in a dominant display at Grimsby and remain top after a 3-1 win.
• Second-placed Mansfield were equally impressive and thumped basement boys Forest Green Rovers 4-0.

• Crewe beat Crawley 1-0 to jump into the top three.
• Losses for both Barrow and Wrexham move them down a spot but they remain inside the division's top seven.
• Harrogate scored in injury time to beat Colchester 1-0 and enter the playoff places.
• Both Newport and AFC Wimbledon won their matches and remain well in the hunt, just outside the top seven.
• MK Dons scored a 93rd minute equaliser against Accrington and Doncaster beat Tranmere 2-1
• Sutton lost at Morecambe, while Swindon and Salford shared the spoils.

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A brilliant day for Portsmouth who have strengthened their grip at the top of the table.

• Paddy Lane's goal ensured the Blues a 1-0 win at bottom side Carlisle.
• Derby are now six-points back after conceding a late equaliser at home to Shrewsbury.
• 10-man Bolton earn a point at Northampton but are seven off the top with three games in hand.
• Barnsley, who also had a man sent-off, come from behind to snatch a dramatic win over in-form Leyton Orient to go fourth.
• Peterborough slip to fifth after stunning 5-2 loss at Wycombe.
• Stevenage, Oxford and Blackpool take a point apiece in play-off race.
• Lincoln move into top 10 after coming from behind to beat Fleetwood who slip to second-bottom.
• Cheltenham leapfrog them after 1-0 success at Cambridge.
• Femi Azeez double gives Reading win over freefalling Charlton in Nathan Jones' first game.
• Addicks level on points with fourth-bottom Port Vale after managerless Vale were pegged back to draw at home to Stevenage.

What a breathless couple of hours that was.

The EFL for you, ladies and gentlemen!

But what does it all mean? Let's find out...

Probably the most predictable result of the day as second-placed Mansfield crush bottom side Forest Green, who did have their moments but ended up suffering another heavy defeat. Ollie Clarke got two of the goals, with Tom Nichols and Will Swan scoring the others. Job done for the Stags.

A huge win for MK Dons, secured by Joe Tomlinson’s stoppage-time winner. It cements their position in the play-off places and puts them nine points clear of Accrington, who took an early lead.

A big win for AFC Wimbledon in the race for the play-offs. Ronan Curtis marked his first start for the club with his second goal since a recent loan move from Portsmouth, and Omar Bugiel's header doubled the lead. Barrow’s stutter continues as they struggle to stay in contention for automatic promotion.

It's not been particularly pretty, but Pompey have got the job done.

The manager knows this is how to win promotion, and that it might prove to be a big three points come the end of the season.

We're six points clear at the top of League One!

What a day this is for Portsmouth.

The leaders have extended their advantage at the top of League One while Carlisle's gloom deepens at the foot of the table.

The visitors struck the post in either half through Tom Lowery and Conor Shaughnessy but it was Paddy Lane who turned in a low shot on 66 minutes to win it after good work from sub Abu Kamara.

It's a 10th away clean sheet in just 17 matches for John Mousinho's men.

A pair of thunderous volleys from Femi Azeez have ensured the points for Reading and continued their climb away from the foot of League One.

The visitors came close to a breakthrough through Freddie Ladapo before the break but Nathan Jones saw his side extend their winless run to 13 matches and slide ever closer to the drop zone.

Reading are unbeaten in five and followed the 1-0 win at Stevenage on Tuesday with another memorable win.

Barrow are reduced to 10 men as Jamie Proctor is sent off. He was red-carded following an off-the-ball incident and his team look to be heading for defeat in south London.

The spoils are shared and Oxford remain five points ahead of the Seasiders in the race for the play-offs.

Blackpool are unbeaten in six at home and led through Matthew Pennington's header but Mark Harris' seventh goal in nine matches ensured parity - though they might both have won it with other chances.

Oxford were indebted to keeper Jamie Cumming for superbly keeping out a Pennington header while Billy Bodin struck the post for the Us late-on.