Manager Dave Challinor has challenged Stockport to take their impressive form into the play-offs after missing out on an automatic promotion spot with a 1-1 draw against Hartlepool.
County needed to win and hope Northampton didn’t if they were to overtake them but they will now have to face Salford in the post-season.
Callum Cooke’s second-half strike cancelled out Callum Camps’ penalty to give relegated Hartlepool a point, with the latter also having a stoppage-time spot-kick saved by Ben Killip.
Challinor, whose side are unbeaten since February, said: “In terms of the amount of chances we created and the amount of shots we had on goal, that’s probably the most we’ve had all season, which is really positive.
“We’ve not played that well but still created plenty of chances and that will be important going into the play-offs where those moments are few and far between.
“What I can’t complain about is how much we’ve hit the target, their keeper has made some brilliant saves and got them a point.
“We’re on a brilliant run, we have to make sure that continues into the play-offs. If we do we’ll have a really good chance of progressing.
“But the four teams are really well matched, four really good teams who are there on merit – it’s the toss of a coin how it will turn out.
“The play-offs are certainly the best way to go up but they’re also the worst way for your season to end. The jeopardy throughout a league season is always there, in the play-offs it’s enhanced tenfold.
“I’m looking forward to it because they’re moments you want to be involved in, we have to embrace it.
“We’ve got to win three football matches to get out of this division and if we’d been offered that at the start we’d have taken it.”
Hartlepool’s relegation had already been sealed but, thanks to Killip in his first game since January, they at least finished with a draw.
Killip couldn’t save Camps’ first-half penalty but his string of fine saves was completed by a stop from the midfielder’s second spot-kick of the afternoon deep into stoppage time.
Manager John Askey’s thought are already on rebuilding the Pools squad for a tilt at the National League title he won as Macclesfield boss in 2018.
He said: “As daft as it sounds because we’ve gone down, I’m pleased we’ve come here and got a point.
“Coming here we knew the situation and I was hoping the players would put on a performance for the supporters – and they did that. I couldn’t ask any more of them in a difficult situation to be in.
“It wasn’t easy for Ben to come in and play like that but you couldn’t ask any more from a goalkeeper, he made some tremendous saves, he’s shown what a good goalkeeper he is.
“Obviously it was still a little bit flat but we’ve got to forget this season and move on to the next one.
“It’s an important time for us now, we need to recruit well and get players in that will suit the way we want to play. There are one or two going, one or two who we’ll try to move on as well.
“We need more athleticism in the team, we need more pace and it’s up to us to try to get those players.
“We can’t have a massive overhaul but where we can we’ll try to bring in better players and I’ll be doing my best to try to get a winning team together.”
Leeds cut gap to automatic promotion spots with comfortable win over Coventry
Leeds United closed the gap to second place to just two points in the Championship, following a 3-0 victory over out-of-form Coventry City at Elland Road.
Wilfried Gnonto got the game off to a good start for Daniel Farke's side, expertly turning home a cross just inside the box with a first-time finish to open the scoring.
Last season's losing play-off finalists wrapped up a comfortable victory in the second half with goals from Jayden Bogle - his first as a Leeds player - and Joel Piroe, who has now scored three in four as a substitute.
The victory sees Leeds climb to fourth, significantly taking the opportunity to cut the gap to the automatic promotion places with both West Brom and Sunderland losing.
Coventry, meanwhile, have lost four and drawn one of their last five matches in all competitions. They are fourth-bottom, with just goal difference separating them from the relegation zone.
Second-placed Sunderland missed the chance to go top as they were beaten 2-1 away to Watford.
Regis Le Bris' side went a goal down in the first half to a Festy Ebosele volley before equalising shortly after half-time through Wilson Isidor. They were unable to push on for a winner, with Tom Dele-Bashiru scoring a late penalty to win it for the hosts.
The win leaves Watford in seventh place in the Championship, outside the play-offs on goal difference, while Sunderland stay second.
Managerless Cardiff City lost their fifth straight match in all competitions and are still searching for their first league win of the season after being thumped 4-1 away to Hull City.
The Bluebirds initially went a goal up in the first half through Callum Robinson, which was just their second league goal of the season.
They could only hold the lead for four minutes, before Bachir Belloumi equalised for the hosts. He grabbed a brace 10 minutes before half-time and Hull never looked back.
Two second-half goals ensured another miserable afternoon for Cardiff, who remain bottom of the Championship with just one point after seven matches. Hull are up to 12th.
Nottingham Forest 0-1 Fulham: Jimenez penalty seals Cottagers win
Fulham brought Nottingham Forest's unbeaten start to the Premier League season to a halt with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at the City Ground.
There was very little to choose between two sides separated by a mere point at kick-off, but Raul Jimenez’s second-half penalty, awarded for Murillo's foul on Andreas Pereira, proved decisive.
Forest had started brightly with Taiwo Awoniyi missing an early chance, while Chris Wood saw a potential opener disallowed for offside following a VAR review in the 25th minute.
However, Nuno Espirito Santo's team failed to find a spark without the suspended Morgan Gibbs-White as Fulham's own impressive start to 2024/25 continued.
The result leaves Forest ninth in the table with nine points, with Fulham leapfrogging their hosts to move into sixth on 11 points.
Data Debrief: Fulham maintain unbeaten run
Fulham are undefeated in their last five games in the Premier League since going down 1-0 at Manchester United on the opening matchday.
They last enjoyed a streak of this length between December 13, 2020 and January 10, 2021.
Jimenez has now scored three goals in his last three games, maintaining his good record against Forest, with three goals in two matches against them.
Chelsea 4-2 Brighton: Palmer makes Premier League history as Maresca's side fight back
Cole Palmer made Premier League history as Chelsea beat Brighton 4-2 in a six-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer became the first player to score four goals before half-time in a single Premier League game, helping Enzo Maresca’s side record their fourth straight victory in all competitions.
Brighton took an early lead through Georginio Rutter's header, but were powerless as Palmer took command of the contest.
His remarkable quadruple came in the space of 20 minutes - including a penalty and free-kick - with Carlos Baleba's strike to make it 3-2 swiftly cancelled out by Chelsea's talisman.
Nicolas Jackson and Palmer went close after the break for the hosts, who also had a Marc Cucurella goal disallowed for offside, but they held out for another victory.
The Blues climb to third place, a point behind pacesetters Manchester City and Arsenal, while Brighton drop to eighth after suffering their first defeat of the season.
Data Debrief: History-making Palmer does the damage once more
Palmer completed his third Premier League hat-trick - the joint-most by any Chelsea player along with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard - in the space of only nine minutes and 45 seconds.
The Blues forward also hit the post, was denied by the offside flag and then slotted a decent opportunity wide after the break, so we could have been saluting the first player to score six or more goals in a single Premier League game.
His fourth goal was set up by Sancho, who became the third Chelsea player after Eden Hazard (2012) and Cesc Fabregas (2014) to provide an assist in each of his first three Premier League appearances for the club.
As for Brighton, they are now without a victory in each of their last nine Premier League visits to London, since a 3-0 win over Arsenal in May 2023.
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