Lincoln level at League One summit, Bromley bounce along, MK move third, and Newport sack David Hughes
Your season ticket to everything EFL, all season and every single weekend.
League One
Huw Davies
There were only five fixtures and seven goals in League One, but every game was a tight one.
Burton Albion beat Blackpool 1-0 with Jake Beesley scoring against his old club. His glancing header from a fine Kyran Lofthouse cross was the Brewers’ only shot on target and the only one they needed, thanks to Bradley Collins demonstrating why he’s the best goalkeeper in League One by making two excellent saves in stoppage time. We also called Lofthouse the division’s best wing-back in that article, so it aged pretty well within 24 hours or so of being published. Burton have been quietly impressive this season. Less impressive was Blackpool’s Michael Ihiekwe almost scoring an own goal that would’ve merited a Nick Hancock voiceover.
Away at Leyton Orient, Exeter rode their luck for a time, taking the lead before escaping a strong penalty shout and a superb double effort by Reece Cole. Then came the Icarus concession (fitting, for a team nicknamed the Grecians) as Idris El Mizouni robbed Jack McMillan and scored with his nether regions. Substitute Tyreeq Bakinson notched his first goal since March 2024 with a finessed volley, and Orient saw it out: 2-1.
Lincoln beat Doncaster Rovers by the same scoreline. Francis Okoronkwo’s headed goal was every bit as good as his later miss was awful: central as can be and presented with an open goal, Donny’s Thimothée Lo-Tutala having gone for a wander, Okoronkwo shot wide. Soon after, Luke Molyneux set up Brandon Hanlan to score with a lovely two-touch take, so could Donny go on to get something from the game? No. They did, in fact, go behind again less than a minute later.
That unfortunate Robbie Gotts own goal settled the affair and so, after taking 16 points from their first 7 matches, Donny have since picked up just 2 from 9. Their results in the last month read like a mic check – 1-2, 1-1, 1-2, 1-2 – so they’re not far away, but something needs to change. Grant McCann says the problem is poor finishing, and with five big chances missed in this game, per Opta, maybe he has a point.
As a result, holy cow: Lincoln are joint-top! What an achievement from Michael Skubala & Co.
The top half is so densely packed, however, that the real table and the points-per-game table do look very different…
Finally, there was a pair of very different 0-0s. While Port Vale v Wycombe featured approximately three expected goals and Fred Onyedinma hitting the post from six yards, Luton v Rotherham was a painful watch with some painful statistics. For the first hour of the match, Jack Wilshere’s side averaged one shot for every 150 or so completed passes, while Rotherham made 7 successful passes in the first 17 minutes and didn’t have a shot after the 23rd (though they were denied a one-on-one chance by the referee failing to play advantage). For their 69% possession, Luton rarely and barely threatened their injury-ravaged visitors.
League Two
Matt Watts
Saturday was a great day for one taxi company in Walsall, even if it wasn’t such a good day for the town’s football club. Colchester overcame a broken-down team bus to beat Mat Sadler’s Saddlers 2-0 at The Bescot. First-half strikes from Samson Tovide and Kyreece Lisbie proved to be enough for Danny Cowley’s Us, who have now taken 13 points from the last 18 available. Walsall made all of the running after the break, but even the introductions of Jamille Matt, Albert Adomah and Kemar Roofe (what a trio!) couldn’t get them back in the game. Colchester’s win meant Swindon went top with a 1-1 draw at Fleetwood. This was a tale of two headers and two Ryans: Tafazolli put the visitors in front and Graydon levelled it up.
MK Dons moved up to 3rd with a 2-0 win over Karl Robinson’s Salford. The former MK boss was far from impressed with the officiating, including the decision just before half-time to award the hosts a penalty, which Nathaniel Mendez-Laing duly dispatched. Despite some late Salford pressure, Callum Paterson put the result beyond doubt in the 94th minute after some excellent work from Alex Gilbey.
MK replaced Notts County in the top three, after the Magpies drew 1-1 with a depleted Harrogate. And we do mean depleted – they named only three substitutes. Yet Tom Cursons’ 40th-minute opener set the visitors on course for their first league win since the end of September. Despite the best efforts of the returning James Belshaw, however, a 93rd-minute penalty for Matthew Dennis earned Notts a draw.
Bromley climbed to 5th with a 2-1 win over Barrow. Marcus Ifill’s first senior goal was cancelled out by an emphatic equaliser from Ben Whitfield, but substitute Nicke Kabamba found an 88th-minute winner (ahem). It’s now three league wins in a row for Andy Woodman’s Ravens, who are well worth keeping an eye on. Hot on Bromley’s heels are Chesterfield, who beat Grimsby 1-0; the Mariners were on top before a 55th-minute red card for Christy Pym and a 72nd-minute own goal from Harvey Rodgers.
Gareth Ainsworth’s return to Priestfield saw Gillingham play out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Crawley in the Saturday teatime game. The Sky cameras were treated to an end-to-end affair featuring 37 shots (17 on target), a couple of set-piece goals, a questionable penalty award and an equally questionable offside call. Thankfully, both sides were on the wrong end of one of the decisions and they were both good value for a point, so all’s well that ends well.
At the bottom, Newport parted company with head coach David Hughes following their 1-0 defeat at Shrewsbury. Despite winning at Accrington and Harrogate in October, the Exiles are four points from safety. As for Shrewsbury, Anthony Scully’s excellent strike secured a third consecutive home win for Michael Appleton’s side, who’ve moved out of the relegation zone at Cheltenham’s expense after their 3-2 defeat at Tranmere.
🎦 Our Top 5 clips from the EFL weekend
Faster than The Simpsons’ intro: two goals in a minute in Imps v Donny
Who Shot? Mr Bakinson with an excellent connection for O’s.
Training ground routine brings a bit of love for Old Gil
Klang for the strike, Kudos for three-bounce pause as Scully scores for Shrews
📊 Your Monday morning cheat sheet
🎯 Pointy end of the record books — Billy Sharp made his 700th league appearance, 21 years after his debut for Sheffield United, taking him into the Football League’s all-time top 50. Our own Huw Davies noted the 700 club in his list of 72 things he wanted to see in the EFL this season – that’s one ticked off.
🏆 League One’s Lead Leaders — Stockport have spent 48.7% of all match minutes in the lead. Close behind are Lincoln on 47.7%, and then the rest are way back, with Barnsley third (33.8%).
🏠 Home boys — Chesterfield and Bromley are both unbeaten in their last 8 home games, the longest such streak in League Two, while poor old Newport have yet to win at Rodney Parade in any competition this season (8 league matches + 4 in cups).
⚫ Beyond the Vale — Port Vale have now failed to score in four straight league games for the first time since October 2023.
🟠 Tangerine Trouble — Blackpool’s 15 points from 16 games is their third-worst tally at this stage of a Football League season, better only than 1992/93 (11) and 1999/2000 (12).
🔴 Swindon’s Spread Betting — Ryan Tafazolli became Swindon’s 15th different league scorer this season, more than any other team in England’s top four divisions.
📼 Not straight Tovideo — Samson Tovide’s 15 goals and 12 assists since 2022/23 puts him second, behind Blackpool’s Dale Taylor, for most EFL goal involvements by players under 21 in that time.
Sky Bet League One
Burton Albion 1-0 Blackpool
Leyton Orient 2-1 Exeter
Lincoln 2-1 Doncaster
Luton 0-0 Rotherham
Port Vale 0-0 Wycombe
Sky Bet League Two
Accrington Stanley 3-1 Bristol Rovers
Bromley 2-1 Barrow
Cambridge 0-0 Barnet
Fleetwood 1-1 Swindon
Gillingham 2-2 Crawley
Grimsby 0-1 Chesterfield
MK Dons 2-0 Salford
Notts County 1-1 Harrogate
Oldham 0-0 Crewe
Shrewsbury 1-0 Newport County
Tranmere 3-2 Cheltenham
Walsall 0-2 Colchester
▶️ NTT20 EFL Fantasy League — Join Now
Top 5 Scorers (Total
Top 5 Scorers (Gameweek)
NTT20 League leaderboard (Overall)
NTT20 League leaderboard (Gameweek)
Thanks for reading!
Elsewhere on NTT20.COM
🚨 Features: Weekend Notes | 25/26 Transfer Window | Season Previews
🖋️ Writers: Ali Maxwell | George Elek | Huw Davies | Sam Parry | Guests
🎙️ Podcasts: Under The Lights | Dear Ali & George…