Wycombe win at Wigan, Burton batter Bolton, League Two's strugglers strike back and MK Dons put their foot on the Gas
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League One
Sam Parry
“It feels like we only go backwards, baby,” sang Tame Impala – probably not about Wycombe Wanderers, though it fits. For what feels like an age, Wycombe have looked like a side slowly sliding back, and tamely.
They’ve played 58 games since the opening day of 2024/25. Consider this:
2 February 2025 — P29 | W17 D8 L4 | 59 pts | 2.04 PPG
11 October 2025 — P29 | W9 D8 L12 | 35 pts | 1.20 PPG
A win this weekend over a ropey Wigan isn’t enough to say Wycombe are back, but Mike Duff is trying to wrestle new life into last season’s play-off semi-finalists, and he’ll be encouraged by Sam Bell scoring in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. He’ll also have liked a muscular first-half performance: Wycombe won their battles and found a bit of zip to play through their opponents. It’s only a platform, but all rebuilds start from the ground up.
As for Wigan, Ryan Lowe’s side have just seven points from their last eight games. After an encouraging start, the defence looks permeable and the midfield a little weak. The fixtures have been tough, but their next five – against Port Vale, Mansfield, Exeter, Reading and AFC Wimbledon – could be a barometer for the rest of their season.
To London, where Leyton Orient flexed their muscles by punishing a poor Doncaster Rovers display with four unanswered goals. Richie Wellens, facing both his former club and speculation about the vacant post at Luton, laid down a marker. Summer departures diminished his squad’s quality, but as Ali ‘Nostradamus’ Maxwell put it on Thursday’s Betting Show, new signing Dom Ballard “might be a proper goalscorer.” He proved it with a hat-trick against a sloppy Donny.
Sitting atop the coupon-busting pile was a match between two teams separated by two letters: Burton and Bolton. Perception says there’s a gulf in quality, too. But Burton, who hadn’t won at home since opening day, separated the sides with three goals to nil – 3-0! It might have been different had Sam Dalby, signed for big money in the summer, tucked away the gilt-edged chances that came his way. He didn’t. And Burton, who created little in the first half until Jake Beesley converted a penalty, lifted themselves in the second and landed telling blows to put Bolton to bed.
Rotherham came from behind to beat Northampton 2-1 and register their first away points of the season. It was a tight affair – Northampton had only three shots, and every shot on target in the game found the net. ‘Twas was a late free-kick wot won it, to the relief of an under-pressure Matt Hamshaw.
Finally, Stockport had the better chances to win a slightly drab affair against managerless Blackpool. They took one of those opportunities midway through the second half, then eased off to squeak home. Up to 4th and looking pretty… but even when they win, these performances feel a little more staid than we’re used to.
League Two
Huw Davies
The basement division’s most eye-catching scoreline was Bristol Rovers 0-4 MK Dons, as MK scored more goals at the Mem than all of Rovers’ first five visitors put together. As late as the 80th minute, the Gas trailed only 1-0 courtesy of an early own goal from Alfie Kilgour, who’d later be caught out for MK’s third. However, Laurence Maguire put a gloss on the result, Alex Gilbey added some more gloss, then Rushian Hepburn-Murphy just tipped the rest of the bucket over it.
Yet the big stories were at the bottom, where the strugglers struck back. While the bottom two were both victorious, Cheltenham in 22nd were only a 95th-minute equaliser away from winning at 4th-placed Gillingham (who did deserve the draw) and Crawley in 20th battered leaders Walsall… 1-1. Myles Roberts made a great double stop and a penalty save just in the first five minutes, and although Harry McKirdy’s high cross set up a Ryan Loft conversion for 1-0, Connor Barrett’s arrowed effort nicked Walsall a point thanks to two more big saves from Roberts in the second half.
As for the winners, Shrewsbury lifted themselves out of the relegation zone by beating Cambridge for a first league home win since February 1st. Can we call a 2-0 win A Match That Happened? Probably not, but there were 10 shots in total, with Shrews scoring from their first two (George Lloyd robbing Korey Smith, Will Boyle heading in a corner) and then not taking any for 45 minutes. Newport also got their second win of the season when Accrington’s Isaac Sinclair scored at the wrong end. County’s Michael Spellman had earlier borrowed some of sister Sabrina’s magic to head a chance not just over the bar but out of the stadium, which takes some doing.
Elsewhere, Chesterfield pooh-poohed any suggestion of defensive vulnerabilities by calmly dismissing Salford 2-0. It was their first clean sheet in 10 league matches, having shipped four goals at Gillingham, six at Colchester and seven in a cup game against Crewe in the time since. Salford did have one good opportunity when Zach Hemming tipped Daniel Udoh’s shot onto the post, but the Spireites were in control.
AOB? A-OK. Fleetwood came from behind twice to beat Harrogate 3-2, Barnet beat Tranmere in the two clubs’ first ever meeting, and a controversial winner gave Colchester three points at Grimsby. High boot or high performance? You decide – the neat finish that followed means it’s No.1 on our 5iveLights reel below…
🎦 Our Top 5 clips from the EFL weekend
Mbick lob falls on Grimsby from Asteroid City
Beasley does it as Bolton’s keeper fails to Rushmore
Bottle Rocket from the right foot of Mr Aaron Connolly
Fantastic Mr Fox in the Box as Gilbey reacts fastest
And finally, The Life A Hattrick with Dom Ballard
📊 Your Monday morning cheat sheet
🔥 The Cheek Elite — Bromley’s Michael Cheek has scored 31 league goals since the start of 2024/25 – no other player in all four divisions has more.
🌟 Mbick Makes History — At 18 years and 337 days, Colchester’s Micah Mbick (on loan from Charlton) became the club’s youngest scorer of a league brace since Kwame Poku in 2020, and he didn’t turn out too shabbily.
🏨 Five-star Marriott — Reading’s Jack Marriott is the first player to score in his first five League One starts since Nouha Dicko for Wolves in 2013-14.
🃏 No Fooling — Bolton haven’t won on the road since April Fools’ Day, with 9 winless attempts (D4 L5) marking their worst away run since 2020.
🎯 Vernam vision — No player in the top four tiers has more assists than Grimsby’s Charles Vernam (5).
🏠 Shrews Start Fast… finally — This weekend, Shrewsbury scored more than one first-half goal at home for the first time since November 2024, also ending a 13-game first-half home drought.
🧤 Slate cleaned — Newport’s win at Accrington brought their first league clean sheet of the season, leaving Watford as the only EFL team yet to record a shutout.
6️⃣ Six of the worst — None of League Two’s top six, going into the weekend, managed to win.
Sky Bet League One
AFC Wimbledon 1-1 Port Vale
Burton Albion 3-0 Bolton
Exeter 1-1 Reading
Leyton Orient 4-0 Doncaster
Northampton 1-2 Rotherham
Stockport 1-0 Blackpool
Wigan 0-1 Wycombe
Sky Bet League Two
Accrington 0-1 Newport
Bristol Rovers 0-4 MK Dons
Chesterfield 2-0 Salford
Crawley 1-1 Walsall
Crewe 0-1 Bromley
Fleetwood 3-2 Harrogate
Gillingham 1-1 Cheltenham
Grimsby 1-2 Colchester
Oldham 0-0 Barrow
Shrewsbury 2-0 Cambridge
Tranmere 0-2 Barnet
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