Stevenage defender Nathan Thompson was sent off for a second yellow card in the 22nd minute and Reading took advantage when Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan nodded home in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time.
Ehibhatiomhan, 20, tapped in his second goal – and fourth of the campaign – in the 57th minute to secure Reading’s second successive victory.
Stevenage had opened their league season with three successive wins but they were rocked when Thompson received a second yellow, then red, for a late challenge on Harvey Knibbs.
They responded positively, with home keeper David Button having to make fine saves to deny Aaron Pressley and Jordan Roberts.
Reading, deducted one point by the EFL on Wednesday for financial breaches last season, gradually regained control and were rewarded when Ehibhatiomhan headed home firmly from a Charlie Savage corner.
Stevenage offered little in the second half and were undone again by Ehibhatiomhan, who touched in after keeper Krisztian Hegyi had parried Amadou Mbengue’s cross-shot.
The Cobblers controlled most of the opening half, with Reading only staying in contention thanks to a series of fine saves from goalkeeper Joel Pereira.
But the home side struck in the 65th minute, with what proved to be the winner, when substitute Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan fired home from an angle after cutting in from the left flank.
Reading, buoyed by the recent news that owner Dai Yongge had agreed “exclusivity” terms with an as-yet unnamed potential buyer of the club, created little in a poor first-half showing.
Ben Elliott, Harvey Knibbs and Sam Smith squandered a string of half-chances before Northampton dominated the remainder of the period – and Pereira had to be at his best.
An alert and agile double save denied Town’s 15-goal top scorer Sam Hoskins, with Pereira also keeping out firm efforts from Ben Fox and Louis Appere.
Reading improved after the break and went ahead when Ehibhatiomhan exchanged passes with Jeriel Dorsett before curling a superb shot past Town keeper Louie Moulden.
It was the tall striker’s 11th goal of the season in all competitions.
Northampton tried hard to find an equaliser late on but Reading held firm to secure a vital win in their relegation battle, moving six points clear of the bottom four.
Jordan Rhodes handed the hosts the advantage before Wigan’s Josh Magennis headed Latics level as full-time approached.
However, Dougall’s injury-time strike secured three points for Blackpool.
The Tangerines took a fifth-minute lead when CJ Hamilton’s cross found Rhodes, who produced a clinical finish to score his first Seasiders goal.
Jensen Weir’s curling effort in the 10th minute was parried away by Wigan’s Sam Tickle before Callum Connolly’s free-kick tested the Latics stopper.
After the break, Tickle kept another Weir effort out before opposite number Daniel Grimshaw produced a great stop of his own to deny Callum Lang after a sweeping Wigan counterattack before the hour mark.
Latics stopper Tickle’s impressive game continued when he stopped Jake Beesley’s effort.
Magennis levelled with two minutes remaining by nodding past Grimshaw from Stephen Humphrys’ fine cross as Latics thought they had grabbed a point.
But the late drama continued as Matty Virtue’s low cross was turned in by fellow substitute Dougall to secure victory for Blackpool.
Clarke watched from the stands at Sincil Bank as a first-half double from Lasse Sorensen earned Lincoln a comfortable 2-0 win.
It means the Robins have failed to score in their first 10 league games of the season – a new EFL record – and have taken just one point, leaving them rooted to the foot of the table behind Tuesday’s opponents Fleetwood Town.
Clarke will have just one day to work with the players before that already crucial looking game, but Russell says the former Bristol Rovers, Walsall and Port Vale boss will be up for the fight.
“The manager will have his own philosophy and how he wants to do things,” Russell said.
“He has some experienced boys in there he can tap into and he’s an experienced manager for this level, so hopefully he can find the formula.
“But it’s going to be a battle, it’s going to be tough.
“The position we’re in isn’t great so it’s going to be a battle, but speaking to him earlier, it looks like he’s relishing the challenge so hopefully he can get what’s desired out of the players.”
Danish wing-back Sorensen struck after five minutes to put the Imps in front after Ted Bishop’s pass.
His second arrived in the 21st minute after Aidan Keena lost possession for Cheltenham, allowing Reeco Hackett to supply Sorensen, who beat Luke Southwood with another low finish.
Hackett was close to adding a third two minutes later, curling a shot just past the post with Southwood at full stretch.
Hakeeb Adelakun saw a shot blocked in the box by Lewis Freestone as Lincoln dominated proceedings.
Adelakun had the ball in the net in the 66th minute, but the offside flag was raised and it was ruled out.
Lincoln boss Mark Kennedy insisted the afternoon’s work from his 10th-placed team was not as straightforward as it may have appeared.
“I was never really comfortable on the side, however it looked,” Kennedy said.
“We played really well until Cheltenham changed their shape in the first half and after that, it knocked us and we didn’t recover from that.
“But we’d arguably done enough and I kept thinking to myself ‘it’s a big ask for anyone to score three goals against us here’, which gave us the confidence with how we are.
“But it was a really tough game, so credit to Cheltenham and thankfully we had a strong lead.”
The Sky Bet League One club will take Barnsley Ladies, recently promoted from the sixth tier of women’s football, in-house at Oakwell from next season and rebrand them as Barnsley FC.
El-Ahmad said the move was part of his vision for the Yorkshire club after he became the first Swedish chief executive in British football in July 2021.
He told the PA news agency: “It’s not necessarily the timing of it, it’s just the right thing to do as a club with a 136-year history.
“We’re sure there’s the talent pool in and around Barnsley and we can play a big role in helping young girls and women achieve their dream.”
Barnsley aim to be “a leading club in the promotion of women’s football” and plan for Barnsley FC to play some of their games at Oakwell.
The club said in a statement: “The professionalisation of the women’s team will see Barnsley FC invest in a number of areas, including but not limited to increased matchday support, access to sport science, training and physio teams, increased marketing and promotion and much more.”
El-Ahmad, who oversaw a restructuring of Barnsley’s board of directors just over a year ago, said: “We asked was why does Barnsley Football Club not have a women’s team?
“So we started our due diligence, speaking to the Council, Barnsley Ladies, I had a meeting with another Barnsley women’s team, a meeting with a Premier League club and the FA.
“We decided to make the decision and took Barnsley Ladies first team into our organisation as the best step forward for us as a club and hopefully for the borough. We’re proud and very excited.”
Barnsley hope to celebrate Thursday’s announcement by taking another big step towards promotion back to the Sky Bet Championship at the first attempt.
Michael Duff’s side play the second leg of their play-off semi-final against Bolton at Oakwell on Friday after drawing 1-1 in last Saturday’s first leg.
The Reds finished fourth in League One in Duff’s first campaign in charge, winning 26 of their fixtures during the regular season.
“Hopefully, with a bit of luck and skill and support we can win another game,” El-Ahmad added. “Then we can speak again.”
Kieron Bowie’s second-half penalty was the only goal of an otherwise drab game as the Cobblers made it seven wins from their last 10 league games.
Tyreece Simpson’s early shot was no trouble for Luke Southwood and Cheltenham had the better openings in the first half as Tom Bradbury headed over and George Lloyd saw his goalbound shot blocked by a team-mate.
But both sides looked tired and flat at the end of the hectic festive schedule and clear-cut chances remained elusive in a goalless opening 45 minutes.
That changed within 90 seconds of the restart though when Cheltenham spurned two big opportunities as Will Ferry hit the post and Lloyd side-footed wide from the middle of the box.
Mitch Pinnock and Simpson both missed the target with decent chances for Northampton but the hosts broke the deadlock in the 67th minute when Bowie converted from the spot after being brought down by Lewis Freestone.
A smart stop from Max Thompson denied Aidan Keena an equaliser late on while Northampton could have increased the margin of their victory in stoppage time when Pinnock hit the post.
Shaun McWilliams fired the Cobblers in front in the first half before Jack Armer levelled.
Ryan Edmondson’s first goal of the season nine minutes from time looked set to earn Paul Simpson’s struggling side a much-needed victory
But Fulham loanee Kieron Bowie salvaged a share of the spoils with his dramatic 93rd-minute leveller for the visitors, who have lost just one of their last six league games.
McWilliams broke the deadlock in the 30th minute as his deflected effort beat Tom Holy.
Armer’s cross-shot brought the hosts an unlikely leveller before Edmondson sent the home fans wild when he headed home from Jack Robinson’s fine cross.
But those jubilant scenes proved short-lived as Bowie turned home Sam Sherring’s flick-on from a long throw.
Promise Omochere fired the Cod Army in front, but the game was turned on its head when Bosun Lawal was sent off for a second bookable offence in first-half stoppage time at Sincil Bank.
And the Imps ended a painful eight-game wait for a win in front of their home fans through second-half goals from Ben House and Lasse Sorensen.
The game sprung into live when Omochere nipped between the defence and Lukas Jensen to poke the visitors ahead.
Lawal was booked twice in seven minutes to be shown a red card. First he felled Ed Bishop and was then sent for an early bath for his part in a melee.
Lincoln took full advantage as House rose highest to head home Reeco Hackett-Fairchild’s cross.
And four minutes later Hackett-Fairchild stood up another cross which fell kindly for Sorensen to smash home.
Conor McGrandles could have put the game to bed but was denied by a super Jay Lynch save.
The Danish wing-back struck after five minutes to put the Imps in front after Ted Bishop’s pass.
His second arrived in the 21st minute after Aidan Keena lost possession for Cheltenham, allowing Reeco Hackett to supply Sorensen, who beat Luke Southwood with another low finish.
Hackett was close to adding a third two minutes later, curling a shot just past the post with Southwood at full stretch.
Hakeeb Adelakun saw a shot blocked in the box by Lewis Freestone as Lincoln dominated proceedings at Sincil Bank.
Adelakun had the ball in the net in the 66th minute, but the offside flag was raised and it was ruled out.
Cheltenham rarely threatened to respond and their record-breaking wait for an EFL goal from the start of the season extends to 10 matches.
Their new boss Darrell Clarke was watching from the stands before he officially begins work on Monday.
Josh Windass was the Owls hero – following in the footsteps of play-off final winning dad Dean – with the last action of extra-time as he dived in to breath-takingly head home Lee Gregory’s pinpoint cross.
More than 40,000 ecstatic Owls celebrated wildly at the death after their team had finally seen off a gutsy Barnsley side who had played with 10 men following Adam Phillips’ 49th minute red card.
Wembley was again bathed in sunshine as the Owls made the more purposeful start.
Barry Bannan saw an early volley deflected wide after the Barnsley defence failed to clear Windass’ low cross.
From the resultant corner, unmarked defender Dominic Iorfa fired in an effort which Harry Isted palmed away superbly.
Barnsley, who had done the double over the Owls in the regular campaign, threatened first when Phillips blazed over after meeting Slobodan Tedic’s perfect cushioned header.
As the half-hour mark approached, both sides seemed to have settled somewhat amid the white-hot atmosphere, but goalmouth incident was proving elusive.
Another decent Barnsley opportunity then went begging.
Luca Connell’s corner was only half-cleared by Bannan, straight into the path of Nicky Cadden, who again smashed wastefully over the top from 15 yards.
Michael Duff’s men, who had barely half the amount of supporters inside the stadium compared to Wednesday, ended the first period just about on top.
With defences largely on top, both sides needed to step it up in the second period.
However, a huge potential turning point came four minutes after the restart when Barnsley midfielder Phillips lunged in on Wednesday striker Lee Gregory, earning himself a straight red card from referee Tim Robinson.
Incredibly, Barnsley were thwarted by the woodwork five minutes later, when Liam Kitching diverted Cadden’s initial strike onto the crossbar.
As the game was now opening up at both ends, Bannan curled an exquisite strike inches past the angle.
The Owls had now wrestled back the initiative in what was rapidly turning into a thriller, and Windass fizzed a low drive just off target.
Iorfa also headed over the top as a breakthrough remained elusive.
The 10 men of Barnsley were proving tough to break down, while at the other end they almost struck with 12 minutes left before the game was to head into extra-time.
Substitute James Norwood charged ominously past Reece James before crashing in a shot which Cameron Dawson beat away superbly.
Both sides went mighty close to an opener in a frenetic first period of extra-time.
Michael Ihiekwe, Michael Smith and Bannan all failed to take opportunities for the Owls, while the otherwise impressive Connell incredibly missed an open goal for Barnsley.
The drama dissipated in the final 15 minutes, until that unforgettable last play of the game when Windass finally broke brave Barnsley’s resistance.
The match looked set to end in a frenetic but ultimately goalless draw, but the home side broke through seven minutes from time to take the points.
James Brophy burst into the box and squared for Okenabirhie to slam home from eight yards, the second home game in a row in which he has opened the scoring as a substitute.
Cambridge had almost gone ahead within the opening minute, with Gassan Ahadme’s header somehow kept out by Reading keeper David Button.
At the other end U’s stopper Will Mannion produced a fine double stop to deny Caylon Vickers and Ben Elliott.
It was Cambridge who piled forward after half-time, with Button pushing a Paul Digby effort wide at his near post.
After Okenabirhie provided the game’s decisive moment, Reading almost snatched an equaliser five minutes into added time, but ex-Cambridge man Harvey Knibbs smashed his effort onto the underside of the bar and down onto the goal line.
A flowing move deep into injury time saw Pirates left wingback Harvey Vale roll the ball across goal after good work in midfield from Grant Ward, with Thomas arriving at the back post to score his third league goal of the season and cap a pulsating Boxing Day contest at the Memorial Stadium.
Substitute winger Paddy Lane had scored in the 76th minute, after running on to meet a Marlon Pack through-ball, to level for the visitors and make a score-draw look likely, until Thomas’ late intervention.
Lane’s goal levelled the game after Antony Evans had earlier curled home sublimely from the edge of the box on 66 minutes with a free-kick that left Pompey goalkeeper Will Norris rooted, after Joe Morrell had scythed down Rovers’ Aaron Collins.
Substitutes Kusini Yengi and Christian Saydee were unable to take advantage of late opportunities that fell Portsmouth’s way, while Tristan Crama also hit the crossbar with a second-half volley on 56 minutes.
Dino Maamria’s in-form visitors looked on course for a fifth straight win when Mark Helm shot them in front against the run of play after 28 minutes.
But the Cumbrians, winning for only the second time in 11 games in all competitions, produced one of their best performances of the season to fight back.
Tom Hamer’s goal-line clearance denied Garner a first-half leveller but Paul Simpson’s rejuvenated side kept up the pressure after the break.
And they were full value for Jordan Gibson’s fifth goal of the season after 53 minutes. Gibson drilled in a low shot after receiving the ball from Dan Butterworth.
Gibson was denied a second goal by keeper Max Crocombe while Josh Walker went close for Albion with a shot into the side netting.
But Carlisle kept pressing and when substitute Terry Ablade headed goalwards, Garner nipped in to score the winner.
Substitute Josh Grant’s header in the fourth minute of stoppage time saw the hosts equalise late in the game when the 24-year-old met an Antony Evans corner with the ball deflecting in.
Lincoln took the lead in the 53rd minute through captain Adam Jackson when he bundled home from close range after goalkeeper Matt Cox had palmed out an Ethan Erhahon volley into a crowded area.
The Rovers players claimed that there had been a handball in the build-up when the ball came off Alistair Smith, but referee Lewis Smith disagreed and Jackson capitalised as the ball broke to him.
The home side dominated possession and territory for much of the game, but failed to make the most of several first-half chances.
Jackson blocked a low Aaron Collins effort after Luke Thomas’ good run after 15 minutes, and Sean Roughan’s sliding challenge stopped Collins volleying home in the 32nd minute.
Despite the teams’ contrasting form of late, Pompey had only won one in 10 against the Addicks before this game and experienced another stern test during a first half in which both sides struck the woodwork – Daniel Kanu hitting a post in the third minute for the home side and Paddy Lane’s header coming back off the crossbar for Portsmouth after 16 minutes.
In a much less open second period, the visitors had the chance to snatch an 88th-minute winner when Myles Peart-Harris was sent through on goal but he was denied by a last-ditch challenge from Macaulay Gillesphey.
It is a draw that is of little use to either side.
Portsmouth failed to capitalise on losses for both Derby and Bolton and although the stalemate meant Charlton claimed another impressive point, they are now 18 games without a victory, matching the longest winless streak in the club’s history.
The home side, in the drop zone as a result of their eight-point deduction, started the brighter and took the lead after 27 minutes.
Charlie Wyke and Scott Smith helped the ball on to Martial Godo and the on-loan Fulham winger slotted into the far corner of the net.
The lead only lasted four minutes, however, as Jack Sparkes’ corner was flicked on by Colby Bishop for Regan Poole to get the final touch.
Portsmouth took the lead eight minutes before the break when Paddy Lane fired the ball past Sam Tickle, via a slight deflection off Kell Watts.
Wigan’s task became even tougher when Wyke was shown a straight red card four minutes after the restart for a rash challenge on Marlon Pack.
But the home side never gave up the ghost and were denied what looked to be a stonewall penalty for handball, which saw both benches involved in the technical area and yellow cards for Wigan No 2 Graham Barrow and his Portsmouth counterpart Jon Harley.
Gregory lost his protective mask during the Owls’ celebrations following their stunning fightback against Peterborough at Hillsborough in Thursday’s semi-final.
Darren Moore’s side overcame a 4-0 first-leg deficit to win 5-1 on the night after extra time and 5-3 in a penalty shoot-out, sparking wild scenes of joy among players and fans, who invaded the pitch.
The Owls said on Twitter on Sunday: “Can you help!? In the aftermath of our stunning comeback win on Thursday, Lee Gregory’s mask is missing!
“The custom-built protective cover was near the dugout. Due to a short turnaround, we cannot replace in time for next week. Any ideas where it might be!?”
Their appeal was answered later on Sunday and they confirmed on Twitter that the missing mask had been retrieved, posting a picture of it alongside a signed shirt from Gregory with the caption: “A short road trip later for admin.”
Gregory had the mask fitted after sustaining a facial injury in training which forced him to miss the club’s 1-0 home win against Derby in their final game of the regular season.
He returned to action as a substitute in the semi-final first leg at Peterborough and was back in the starting line-up for the return, putting the Owls 2-0 up on the night and also scoring an own goal in extra time.
Goals from Stanley Mills, Billy Bodin and Kyle Edwards earned the visitors a dominant victory.
Fleetwood sit bottom of the table, with just one point to their name after seven matches, and new boss Johnson knows he has a lot of work to do.
“It was certainly not the start I wanted,” Johnson said.
“I thought it was neck and neck for the first 15 minutes, but then they scored a very good goal from their point of view and a very disappointing goal from our point of view.
“I’m looking at the boys and we have to commit. The biggest thing for me is that commitment.
“We had to commit to executing what we’ve worked on during the week and putting their bodies on the line – and we didn’t.
“Obviously we’re in this position and we are where we are. There’s a lot of hard work to do.
“But don’t get me wrong, I’ve lost no enthusiasm for the hard work which lies ahead.
“However, at the same time, we’ve got to be really honest with an evaluation of the game today.
“It’s a big job, but I understand that. You don’t normally get jobs which are top of the league, the club are flying and ready to go.
“But I won’t shirk the challenge, I’m very grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given here.”
Oxford boss Liam Manning paid tribute to his side’s togetherness registered their fifth win in their last six league outings.
“There was an unpredictability element with their change of manager, so it was never going to be an easy place to come,” Manning said.
“We knew it would be a tough opening to the game, which we spoke about, and to be fair it was.
“It took us seven hours of travelling to get here, so you have to take things like that into account.
“But huge credit to the lads.
“It was a professional performance which, ultimately, got us what we deserve.
“The goals were high-quality moments. We know we’ve got players who can produce moments of quality like that.
“We’ve got a variety of attacking players now who can chip in. We don’t want to be dependent on one person to score 20-25 goals, everybody has to chip in and play their part. We did that today.
“It could have been more as well because we hit the woodwork twice.
“But overall I’m delighted for the players because you can’t just turn up and do that, you have to work every single day.
“They’ve trained terrifically this week – and that’s their rewards for it. You can just see how together the group are.”
After a 3-0 defeat to Oxford in his first game last weekend, Johnson was pleased to see his work on the training ground paying off.
“It was better today,” he said. “It was progressive and the stuff that we worked on during the week, the lads worked their socks off to try and buy into it and that transitioned into the game, which was important.”
Fleetwood fell behind when Joe Powell struck for Albion after 17 minutes, the midfielder netting after seeing his penalty saved by Jay Lynch following Ben Heneghan’s foul on Mark Helm.
But an instant replay from Junior Quitirna, a rare moment of quality in the game, salvaged a point.
“We weren’t without chances,” Johnson added. “We had some good chances particularly in the first half and we defended much better.
“Burton test you a lot in terms of putting those balls into the box from all angles. We just need to keep building. What has gone has gone and now we have to move forward and that, today, was at least a start in terms of spirit.
“Do I like drawing? Absolutely not but it gives us another week to work towards what is a big home game.”
And the new Town boss was pleased with the contribution of his goalscorer and fellow youngster Promise Omichere, a handful on the wing.
“He is a talented young player,” he said of Quitirna. “I like my teams to have that pace on the counter-attack and him along with Promise both showed that today.”
Burton manager Dino Maamria was more frustrated that his side could not build on their midweek victory over high-flying Port Vale to make it back-to-back wins.
“We are disappointed,” he said. “Our performance wasn’t at the level that we expected today but if I am honest the players gave so much on Tuesday.
“I scratched my head today whether to stay with the same team or freshen things up but I felt we were that good on Tuesday it was a risk to change it.”
Maamria’s other frustration was conceding so quickly after hitting the front and felt his side should have done better.
“They scored a great goal. For some reason we were rushing to take a throw in after we had just scored and we just gave it away for them to counter-attack,” he said.
“It was madness really. When you score it is important, for the next five minutes to keep your head on and stay in the game and then go from there. Although it was a brilliant finish, we gifted them that goal.”
The Cod Army had to withstand early pressure before Jack Marriott hit the game’s only goal 10 minutes into the second half.
And manager Johnson was happy that his team got to show their quality after weathering the early storm.
“First and foremost I’m delighted with the first win of the season, both for myself and, mainly, for the players and the staff,” said Johnson, who got his maiden win in charge.
“If I’m honest the first 20 minutes was really poor from us, I thought we were passive, we didn’t play with anywhere near the right enthusiasm, both to press and to make angles and space for our team-mates, we had to change our shape a little bit and we got a lot closer to Leyton Orient and from 30 minutes on we were the better side.
“We could have had a second but we stayed organised and the work we did on the training ground bore fruit and that’s nice to see.
“They had half-chances early on but we made them look like Barcelona by not applying pressure. We have to be a front-foot pressing team, that’s my style and that’s what I demand.
“Once we did that you can see the quality of individual players coming out, because there are good players in that dressing room. They are getting fitter and starting to show what they’re about.
“I’m delighted for Jack to get his first goal of the season and he’s going to be so important for us.”
O’s manager Richie Wellens was critical of his side’s failure to make their early pressure count.
Though they rallied late on in a bid to salvage a point, they returned home empty-handed, with second yellow cards shown to Fleetwood’s Carl Johnston and Orient’s Ethan Galbraith the final act of the afternoon.
“We’ve wasted three points today,” said Wellens.
“In the first half hour we were totally dominant, the atmosphere in here was really quiet, they’ve obviously been struggling and we had an opportunity to be ruthless and we should have been one or two up.
“Fair play to them, they stuck at it and turned the game around with about 10 minutes to go in the first half, and then we started the second half really poorly.
“They got the crowd involved, but I still think it’s a game we should have won. We had a couple of chances late on but with the amount of balls we’ve had in the box and with the amount of opportunities early on, the amount of situations we had in the first half we’ve got to score, and if you don’t then you run the risk of the opposition coming into it.
“Fair play to Fleetwood, they ran a little bit more, won second balls and won a few duels and that’s probably won them the game. We’ve got to take shots on, we turned too many shots down.
“We need to be more ruthless, attack quicker and make decisions quicker and if we do that we probably win the game today.”
