Gary Caldwell criticised referee Ross Joyce’s decision to send off Jack Aitchison following struggling Exeter’s 1-1 draw at Stevenage.

Aitchison received a second yellow card for apparent dissent in the 43rd minute of the Sky Bet League One contest, with Carl Piergianni heading Boro into the lead shortly afterwards.

Half-time substitute Yanic Wildschut’s first league goal for the Grecians within two minutes of the restart earned the 10-man visitors a battling point but Caldwell, who was booked himself following Piergianni’s goal, could not hide his frustration with the officials.

“We don’t know what he’s sent him off for,” he said.

“He hasn’t sworn, all their players said he didn’t swear at the ref and he’s chosen to send him off. And when we ask him politely why at half-time, he refuses to tell us.

“Only we were getting booked in this stadium because referees are intimidated at this stadium.

“We are very respectful, everything goes against us and we have to deal with that. We dealt with it in a really positive manner.”

The Grecians’ winless league run stands at 12 matches but their under-pressure boss believes the second-half fightback shows the squad are still playing for him.

“I have never doubted that for one second,” he said. “I really believe in this group of players, they give so much.

“A lot has gone against them in recent months and when that happens as a footballer, confidence gets affected and it’s a difficult thing to play through.

“You have seen their character and resilience and we have to use this as a springboard going into the coming games.

“They can all be really proud of how they went about the second half, both the way we defended and when we had the ball.”

Caldwell’s opposite number Steve Evans felt Aitchison should have seen red for the challenge which brought his first yellow card but admitted his side did not do enough to win the game, despite Jordan Roberts and Elliott List spurning fine chances late on.

“We were far from our best,” he said.

“We looked as if Tuesday night’s game took its toll on us in terms of sharpness and freshness. We were off it the first 25 minutes then we got it into the game.

“With the sending off, my only question is why is he even on the pitch to receive a second yellow? He should have been in the shower room after running up and kicking Louis Thompson off the ball.

“Did we do enough in terms of the final pass? No. Did we miss a couple of huge chances? Yes.

“We had great opportunities, great overload, we had command of the ball. But our quality, for once, wasn’t there.”

Port Vale boss Andy Crosby heaped praise on hat-trick hero Ethan Chislett following his side’s 3-2 win at home to Wigan.

Chislett’s first two goals were cancelled out by the visitors but his third was enough to clinch victory and lift Vale above Wigan in the table to 15th.

Crosby said: “He’s a top player and credit goes to him because the finishes are great.

“He could’ve probably had a few more but it’s great for him, he hadn’t scored since August and now three in one game.

“We’ve tried to look at how we can improve his goalscoring ability. I showed him clips of all his goals over the past four years and he said it gave him a whole lot of confidence.”

The two first-half strikes looked to put the hosts out of sight, but a comeback from Wigan after the break squared things up.

Chislett’s incredible solo effort in the 82nd minute wrapped up the win.

“We do a lot of work on the opposition and how they press and how we can break through that press.

“You have to play through teams but then you also need to penetrate on the last line as well. It is important we get our wing-backs on the last line.

“When you find that rhythm and that connection receiving the ball in space then it can go on to affect the game.

“When the players came over after they got back into it, I just said ‘don’t look at the scoreboard or the time. just play the game’.

“We were still in control of the game at that point, even with our poor moments which we have to get better at.

“They’ve got really good attacking players and they should obviously have more points because of the deduction and the quality they have got.”

Latics boss Shaun Maloney was frustrated with his side’s first-half performance but gave his players credit for getting back into the game.

“Today we got hurt, and when our levels are slightly down in any game we can get hurt,” he said.

“We have to give Port Vale a lot of credit, they were very good.

“From my team’s point of view, we are not going to win games when we are like that, but the second half was everything and if we lose then that’s how we want to go out.

“The goal before half-time wasn’t the issue. If we had gone in at 1-0 it would have probably been unfair to Port Vale.

“They were miles ahead of us. I want to win every game, I think we have been on a really good run and this one hurts in particular.

“We needed the fans and they stayed with us. In the second half, we gave them everything and full credit to the players for that.

“I can accept getting beat with a performance like that in the second half.”

Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson felt his side should have been more ruthless following the 1-0 victory over struggling Fleetwood at Highbury Stadium.

A goal from Archie Collins just before the break proved to be the difference as Ferguson’s side made it five League One games without defeat.

In a first half that was dominated by the visitors, United had plenty of chances to take the lead with Ricky-Jade Jones and Kwame Poku coming close in the opening moments.

But Peterborough eventually broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute when Collins’ long-range effort deflected past Fleetwood goalkeeper Jay Lynch before nestling in the bottom corner.

Posh could have extended their lead in the second half when Lynch brilliantly stopped Jones’ close-range header while Posh goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic denied Ben Heneghan in the dying moments as the home side almost grabbed an unlikely equaliser.

Peterborough are now in the League One automatic-promotion places after four wins in their last five.

Ferguson said: “It should have been at least three after 10 minutes but it wasn’t. We started the game how I wanted us to with the authority we’ve got.

“But we’ve just got to be more ruthless, we’ve blown teams away at times but away from home against a team that’s not in form, if we get that second goal it kills the game.

“It wasn’t comfortable at the end and, ultimately, we’re hanging on in a game that should have been very comfortable.

“It was a good game to watch, I just wish we could have been more ruthless, but it’s another win and another clean sheet.

“The clean sheets are going to be key and if we can keep clean sheets like we have been then we’re going to have a bit of a chance.

“You’ve got to come to these places and beat what’s in front of you and today we did that.”

Defeat was Fleetwood’s sixth in a row in all competitions and they have not found the net in almost 10 hours of football.

Manager Lee Johnson said: “I think it’s been a massive effort to get that performance.

“I thought we rode our luck a little bit in the first 15 or 20 minutes but I think we did OK.

“I thought we defended OK and worked really hard and we went 4-4-2 to try and be more positive in the game.

“We had two golden chances really, in the first half with Josh Earl and then with Ben Heneghan at the end.

“We weren’t without chances and it’s another game where we haven’t scored and another game that we’ve conceded.

“On a positive note, I thought it was excellent to see how many of our academy players were in and around the first-team squad today and that’s nice to see.

“But we can’t be victims and we have to be fighters. We’ve got to get through January and we’ve got to get through this season and then I’m certain that this time next year the complexity of the league position changes.”

Mauricio Pochettino praised Chelsea’s response to back-to-back Premier League defeats as they recovered to beat Sheffield United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.

The hosts fought back from a dour first-half showing – and off the back of losses to Manchester United and Everton – to hit two quick-fire goals in the second period through Nicolas Jackson and the influential Cole Palmer.

The first was well worked between Palmer and Raheem Sterling, the summer signing from Manchester City working the ball wide and continuing his run into the box to tap home Sterling’s low cross.

And Palmer was the architect minutes later as Jackson made it two, lifting the ball into the box for Sterling and Conor Gallagher to attack, and as it was spilled by Blades goalkeeper Wes Foderingham, Palmer was there to knock it back to Jackson for 2-0.

It had been a maddening first half for home supporters to endure, with a single effort on target to show from their side despite racking up 80 per cent possession against the league’s bottom club.

It took Palmer’s intervention after 54 minutes, playing a clever ball to Sterling who shot past his man with a burst of acceleration, starting and finishing the move that finally broke the Blades down after a turgid opening.

His creative involvement for the second was a further reminder of the 21-year-old’s capacity to turn a game single-handedly as yet another scoreless outing loomed for Pochettino’s side.

Afterwards the manager pointed to a change of position in the second half – swapping with Sterling to take up a more central role – as the key.

“I think we talked a lot during the week after Everton about needing drastic change,” said Pochettino. “It was important to confirm that we are in a good way. The team in the first half was frustrated because we couldn’t find a way past the low block of Sheffield United.

“We didn’t show the capacity to be flexible and it was easy for them to identify our position and to block us and make us put the ball in positions that were easy for them to stop.

“The second half we were much better, we fixed things. The team started to find better possibilities to play, to link much better. Cole from the right, going into the space, started to link better with team-mates and be the player that we want to use – a playmaker.”

Pochettino left midfielder Enzo Fernandez on the bench, with Gallagher instead taking up a position in central midfield alongside Moises Caicedo.

The manager confirmed the World Cup-winner is likely to return for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final at home to Newcastle.

“You only can play 11,” he said. “It’s a big competition, sometimes you need one profile or another and you choose the players. The combination between Caicedo and Gallagher, using Cole like a number 10, that was the possibility for the best combination for today.

“I’m happy because three points are important and Tuesday we have an important game against Newcastle. To arrive in that game with a good feeling is really important, to have the confidence that we can go through.”

Blades boss Chris Wilder reflected on a game in which his players gave travelling supporters much to be proud of.

“I don’t like when one player goes off to clap supporters on their own, if we’re going to do it we go together,” he said.

“That’s important to me and it was important that they quickly got that message because for a big period, we were in the game and we were fighting our way against an outstanding manager and some top individuals.”

Brendan Rodgers felt compelled to apologise to the Celtic fans for the first time after a performance as he admitted his side lacked desire in a 2-0 home defeat by Hearts.

A free header from Lawrence Shankland and Stephen Kingsley’s 25-yard free-kick put Hearts two ahead inside 30 minutes and there was little sign of a Celtic comeback as they fell to consecutive league defeats for the first time in a decade.

“Our desire and the mentality right from the off was nowhere near the level of a Celtic team,” Rodgers said. “Very passive, and lacked fluidity.

“The game started a little bit slow, but our ability to keep the ball in the final third and create wasn’t quite there.

“Then, we got outdone very naively from a corner. The second goal was a fantastic free-kick, but, when you look at the build-up and what led to the free-kick, it was so passive it was frightening.

“It is a real, real sore one. For the first time I have been here, over my two periods, I would have to apologise to the supporters – because that level is nowhere near the standard of performances required at Celtic. Nowhere near it.

“That lack of consistency and mentality and desire, it is way, way off what this club demands. You’re sat there in mid-December with 60,000 in and that’s how you perform. It is not acceptable.”

Only two weeks ago Rodgers claimed he had never been angrier as a manager following a similar first-half performance against St Johnstone. They fought back to win in Perth but have now lost to Kilmarnock and Hearts and potentially lost their advantage in the title race – Rangers are five points behind but have two games in hand.

The Celtic manager absolved the “brilliant” Callum McGregor from blame along with Liam Scales and Matt O’Riley and added: “I can’t say I am surprised. I have seen performance level (dip) and (am) having to activate. When you are having to do that all the time then that is a worry.

“You can’t keep having to go into expletives, you need to find the solution and the ambition as a player to come into these games after a midweek game, after a good performance in the Champions League, you need to come into the game and produce the level.

“It always starts for me against the ball and when it’s so passive and you are not aggressive enough, that for me is always your desire and how much you want to win the game.

“Sadly for us that then goes on to the side when you have the ball and it just wasn’t good enough.”

Hearts ended a 14-game losing run at Celtic Park and secured their first win at the stadium since 2009.

Manager Steven Naismith felt his side’s composure was the key factor.

“The biggest aspect is when you win the ball,” he said. “You need to cause them problems, and I think we did that. Our composure on the ball leads to us getting the corner, it leads to us getting the free-kick that get us the goals.

“That’s not just luck for Shanks at the back post, it’s having a calmness in these big moments.

“Or whether it’s our defenders deciding they can see pass and they make the pass.

“I don’t think there’s a better team in Scotland that press than Celtic, they are really aggressive, they are really tough.

“And we played through it at times, we were good enough to do it, and that’s massively important when you are playing against the Old Firm.”

Ryan Lowe bemoaned Preston’s “Jekyll and Hyde” performance as they shipped four second-half goals in a 5-1 Championship defeat at home to Watford.

Will Keane gave the Lilywhites an early lead but Vakoun Bayo levelled just before half-time, precipitating the hosts’ collapse.

Bayo, Matheus Martins, Edo Kayembe and Ismael Kone all struck after the break to earn Watford a second away league win on the bounce.

Lowe said: “In the first half we were fantastic. We looked like we’d carried on from where we left off against Huddersfield.

“I asked the lads at half-time to get on the front foot more, but then straight from the kick-off, one ball through the middle goes on to kill us.

“I think that knocked the stuffing out of us – you have to be solid and hard to break down, but we didn’t see that in the second half today.

“It’s Jekyll and Hyde stuff. The difference between the two halves was incredible really.

“You have to try and keep good teams like Watford at bay, but we gifted them opportunities.

“We have been solid this season, but definitely not today. We can’t let things like this happen. We’ve been punished big time for poor defending.

“I’ve stressed that to the players after the game and they need to take a bit more responsibility.

“Individually and collectively, we just can’t let that happen again.”

Preston continue to struggle at home and have now lost three in a row on their own patch.

They have now lost four of their last six in the Championship and were booed off at the end of the game.

Watford had only scored seven goals in nine away games before the second-half goal glut and have a poor recent record at Deepdale, having won just once on their last 16 visits.

Watford manager Valerien Ismael said: “I’m very pleased with the performance of all the players, of course.

“I’m pleased to see the understanding we’re now getting.

“The players have to learn that ruthless aspect and we saw that today.

“We created a good momentum from early in the game and we saw that focus that you need at a tough place like Preston.

“I can see the evolution after six months.

“This was a typically-tough Championship game, so we knew we’d have to be solid and be ready. It’s about being ruthless too.

“We got off to a great start in the second half and when you see shots go in like that, it gives everyone confidence and belief.

“The momentum definitely changed after half-time but credit goes to all the players because it’s given us and the fans a great feeling.

“At the moment we’ll just keep the focus on the games we have. We have a lot in the next couple of weeks running up to the new year and our job is to make sure we keep performing.

“After that, we will have a clearer picture of where we are.”

Liam Manning joked that he had aged ten years watching his City team defend for their lives to beat impressive Sunderland in the Sky Bet Championship.

Tommy Conway’s 20th-minute penalty, after Taylor Gardner-Hickman was tripped by Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, proved enough to settle a hugely competitive game at Ashton Gate.

Play-off hopefuls Sunderland dominated for long periods of the second half but could find no way past inspired City keeper Max O’Leary, who made brilliant saves to keep out two Luke O’Nien headers and one from substitute Jobe Bellingham.

Head coach Manning said: “Max was outstanding, not just with his saves but the composure he showed under pressure.

“I’ve aged 10 years watching the game but I’m delighted for the lads because of the togetherness and spirit they showed.

“We have played better, but despite defending for long periods we were always a threat and had chances to extend the lead.

“I have a terrific group of players and, while there is room for them to develop, they lack nothing in effort.

“In a tough league like the Championship, you cannot afford to get too high when you win or too down when you lose.

“What the fans want to see above all is a team putting bodies on the line and giving 100 per cent. There could be no complaints on that score today.

“The commitment to block shots and stop crosses was fantastic. It had to be because Sunderland played well, particularly in the second half.

“Still, I felt we were always capable of catching them on the break. Anis Mehmeti has hit a post and Harry Cornick was through on goal after going on as a substitute.”

Sunderland were caught playing out from the back for the penalty, having survived a previous scare doing the same, and interim coach Mike Dodds was understandably frustrated.

“My anger is mainly directed at a mad 15 minutes in the first half when we invited Bristol City to take the lead,” he said.

“Apart from the penalty incident, there were three or four other lapses that went unpunished and it gave them impetus.

“If I had seen that sort of sloppiness in training, the players concerned wouldn’t have been in the team.

“I haven’t seen it from the team before and don’t want to again. There were words spoken about it at half-time.

“We completely controlled the second half and created chances without taking them. I can live with that, but what happened in the first half was unacceptable.

“Their keeper has made some good saves, but at times our finishing could have been better.”

Of his own situation, Dodds added: “The club have been great in communicating with me and the ball is firmly in their court over what happens next.

“Whoever becomes the next head coach will inherit a fantastic dressing room at a club definitely on the up.”

The hosts hit a post in the first half through Mehmeti’s curling shot but had to survive several Sunderland penalty appeals during a backs-to-the-wall second half.

Playing towards their 2,600 travelling fans, the visitors applied constant pressure, only to be denied by O’Leary and some committed last-ditch defending.

Cornick had a great chance to settle the outcome when breaking clear, but the hosts were hanging on at the end before celebrating three hard-earned points.

Carlisle boss Paul Simpson admitted to a “strange old mix of emotions” after his side’s dramatic 2-2 draw with Northampton.

Goals from Jack Armer and Ryan Edmondson, who scored his first of the season, looked to have set the Cumbrians on their way to a first league win for almost two months following Shaun McWilliams’ opener for the visitors.

But Kieron Bowie’s dramatic 93rd-minute strike salvaged a point for the Cobblers.

“It’s a strange old mix of emotions,” said Simpson, who was buoyed by his side’s performance.

“I’ve got to say to start it’s a massive improvement from the last few weeks.

“I’m really disappointed, I’m gutted about the goal and I’ve got to say the equaliser was a fantastic finish from Bowie.

“But I’m so pleased with the performance and the character and the effort. All of the things you can talk about.

“That’s certainly given everybody a lift and something to build on.

“There were lots of good things. I thought a lot of players were excellent. There were so many good things.

“We probably did deserve three points, I’m biased and they might now say that.

“It gives me hope and belief that if we play and compete like that then we should be okay. We have to do that consistently.

“The first goal was a horrible goal to give away and it shouldn’t happen.

“We’re really struggling to score that first goal, unfortunately when you’re on the run we’re on you get little things like that happening.”

Jon Brady’s Northampton have lost just once in their last six league outings.

He also praised his side’s spirit, saying: “It was great character from the boys to get a point.

“We made a couple of changes towards the death and Kieron pops up with the equaliser.

“Overall we showed great character and great spirit to get 2-2. It’s a tough place to come.

“You’ve got to give credit to them. They’re fighting for their lives and fighting for their manager.

“You can see they’ve got immense spirit in their squad.

“They had two changes and scored in the second half. I haven’t seen it back, but I can’t remember any other efforts for them.

“To get a point here at a really tough place to come, when you consider how the game went, it’s a good point.

“In the main you’ve got to say these boys have been really consistent. You can have days where you might lose and, if you can get a draw out of it, it’s a real positive about a team that never gives in.

“They’re the types of days that lift the team and galvanise them.”

Stephen Robinson jumped to the defence of Mark O’Hara after the St Mirren skipper missed a second-half penalty in the goalless draw with Motherwell.

O’Hara had his spot-kick parried away by Liam Kelly shortly after half-time, and the Buddies then survived a number of close-calls as the visitors failed to take advantage of four one-on-one opportunities.

St Mirren slipped to fourth in the cinch Premiership table, dropping behind Hearts on goal difference.

“There’s no criticism of Mark, people miss penalties – he’s brave enough to step up every week and take them,” said St Mirren boss Robinson.

“Even the rebound is affected by the wind, it puts it back to him so quickly he can’t react.

“Credit to Liam, he makes a good save and Mark misses it – it happens in football and you dust yourself down, we had chances to win the game outwith that.”

Despite his side losing their grip on third place in the Premiership table, Robinson insists that every point picked up is a positive for Saints.

The windy conditions caused havoc for both teams during a fiercely-contested encounter in which neither side was able to find a cutting edge.

“The wind plays a huge part in the game of course, it’s very difficult to be able to play but credit to both teams – for a neutral I’d imagine it was quite an exciting game,” added Robinson.

“Every point when you are St Mirren is a point gained, trust me.

“This group have raised expectations way above where they probably should be which is great and that’s credit to them.

“We’re a similar sized club as Motherwell and you could see how delighted they were to get a point at the end – it maybe shows how far we have come and it’s up to us to keep meeting those expectations.

“I believe we are, we’re sitting fourth in the league in the middle of December. I’m sure at the start of the season we would have been happy with that.”

Manager Stuart Kettlewell was frustrated as the Steelmen failed to take their chances and end their search for an elusive victory.

Motherwell have not managed to register a win in their last 14 league fixtures and have slipped into the relegation play-off spot.

“Ultimately we can all debate and argue about what happens over the course of 90 minutes but we by far had the best chances in the game,” Kettlewell said.

“I understand that Liam Kelly makes a save from a penalty and one down to his right-hand side from Thierry Small, outwith that the clear-cut chances in the game were ours.

“I expect when certain guys are landing in those positions, like Blair Spittal, Callum Slattery, Mika Biereth, Theo Bair towards the end, I’m thinking we’re getting the right guys in position to convert them.

“There’s a little bit of frustration of course that we’ve not come away with three points because I thought we were well organised, well drilled in tough conditions – it was always going to be hard coming here without the wind, the rain and everything else that came with it.

“We want to win a game, we want to try break this duck and move in the right direction, but performance-level wise and what we put out on the pitch today, I’m relatively happy with overall.”

Russell Martin hailed his “relentless” Southampton side for finally blowing apart a Championship rival after thrashing 10-man Blackburn 4-0.

Samuel Edozie, Stuart Armstrong, Sekou Mara and Carlos Alcaraz all netted as Saints continued their best unbeaten run for 39 years and made it five home victories in a row.

Southampton’s single-digit goal difference and early-season slump had seen them fall behind pace-setters Leicester and Ipswich, but after 14 matches without defeat, they are starting to put pressure on the top two.

Martin said: “We’re not even halfway through the season and there is so much more room to grow.

“Hopefully we can have more days like today but even when we have only been winning by one goal in our eyes it has been convincing.

“You can’t always win convincingly, not even the teams at the top are leaving teams in their wake.

“I felt like we needed the second goal in the second half and always looked likely to get it even before the sending-off.

“I don’t know how you define a convincing win but we have got the goals we felt have been coming.

“We have been punished a couple of times for not scoring the goals but today we were relentless. The league is so tight and the goals might be really important at the end of the season.

“I’m really pleased we got the third and fourth goals as it is a fair reflection of the players’ mentality and creation. I enjoyed watching the team.

“That is five wins at home in a row and that is really amazing for the players. If we keep putting in performances like that we’ll see where it takes us.”

After dominating the first half, Saints finally led in the 44th minute when Edozie – on his first start for two months – diverted James Bree’s corner home.

Rovers defender Callum Brittain was shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball away in the 55th minute, having already been booked for pulling Kyle Walker-Peters’ shirt.

And from then on Saints turned on the style.

Stuart Armstrong stroked in after following in on Flynn Downes getting chopped down to make it 2-0 in the 64th minute.

Mara won a penalty, only for Alcaraz to chip over, but the Frenchman tapped in Ryan Fraser’s cross before Alcaraz thumped in a fourth deep into stoppage time.

Rovers boss Jon Dahl Tomasson revealed Brittain apologised in the dressing room after the match, but pinpointed his lack of discipline as the turning point at St Mary’s.

“It is a disappointing day. It is always going to be a difficult game against a team that is a Premier League squad,” he said.

“We knew that but we came with the intention of winning the game. In the first half we were quite solid and gave one chance away but we weren’t quite good enough on the ball today and the first goal’s timing hurts our game.

“The game totally changed after the red card and being a player behind against a Premier League side is difficult. We were still in the game after the first goal but after the second booking the game is over.

“Callum apologised to his team-mates in the dressing room immediately. A game where we could have got something out of it at 1-0, then suddenly the game is over.”

Neil Harris was delighted with Cambridge’s attitude after securing his first win since taking over as Mark Bonner’s replacement.

Cambridge came from behind through Elias Kachunga and Gassan Ahadme’s penalty to beat Blackpool 2-1, having earlier gone behind to a Jordan Rhodes header. Harris’ side held on despite Paul Digby’s late red card.

“I can’t praise them enough, for not just today’s result but large parts of the performance,” Harris said afterwards.

“It’s about personality and character to get three points, and we showed that.

“It was a scrappy performance at times, but a battling performance, I’d say a Cambridge United performance in my opinion. The week in front of it was first class.

“Momentum is a key word. Today we certainly wanted a positive out of it, a positive result was the primary target, but if not then a really positive performance to carry that momentum.

“To get a really strong performance, to win the game like we did, again in adversity like last week from two down to get a point, today down to 10 men to see the game out, I credit my players. That shows I’ve got character in that changing room.

“Momentum carries for another week to Friday night. We’ve got a huge game on Friday night. I’ve said to the boys WNG – win the next game mentality is our work. My focus now is on Exeter already.

“To carry that momentum, to get three points from my first game here at the Abbey as Cambridge United manager, I can’t be more privileged and proud.”

Blackpool boss Neil Critchley expressed his disappointment at his team’s display after being pegged back.

“At 1-0, we were in control of the game, for an away team. We were comfortable, but the two goals that we conceded were really poor goals,” he said.

“Both goals were really questionable in terms of decision-making from the referee. The first one’s a foul, a clear foul and he’s standing right next to it. I’m not sure why he doesn’t give it. The second one’s a clear handball and he misses it again.

“Having said that, with two passes they’re clean through on our goal on both occasions. We were far too open in those moments. From being 1-0 and in control of the game, we give a team that’s (in their) first home game for the new manager, we gave them a lift.

“Then they have something to hold onto in the second half. We showed an inability in the final third to create enough meaningful opportunities to get back into the game.

“If you’re not at your best you’ve got to try and pick up something on the road and we haven’t done that today.”

Paul Warne blamed poor decision making for the late penalty which denied his Derby team victory against Wycombe.

The Derby head coach saw Tom Barkhuizen’s late goal cancelled out in the sixth minute of stoppage time by a Luke Leahy penalty.

Wycombe had set out to frustrate Derby from the start and their tactics worked for much of the game which was refereed by Rebecca Welch, who next Saturday will become the first woman to take charge of a Premier League game.

She was busy in the opening 30 minutes, booking five players, as the game degenerated into a scrappy contest with few moments of quality.

The first real chance did not arrive until the 64th minute when Eiran Cashin met a Max Bird corner with a powerful header that brought a superb save on the line from Max Stryjek.

Derby thought they had secured a sixth straight League One victory when Barkhuizen scored from close range after Stryjek could only parry a low shot from Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.

But Wycombe hit back with what proved to be the last act of the game when David Wheeler went down under Joe Ward’s challenge and Leahy held his nerve to beat Joe Wildsmith.

Warne said: “That was tough to take. Our first-half performance we didn’t deserve any more than we got. I was disappointed with how we played, we had no ball speed, we didn’t have any assertiveness in the game.

“We had a bit more purpose second half and possibly did enough to win it. We weren’t at our best today and if you can win when you’re not at your best then great but there was a catastrophe of errors in the last 30 seconds which cost us two points.

“With five minutes to go we are still trying to cross the ball and get a second goal when you can just keep it, just win throw-ins and let the clock burn out. I just thought that for an experienced team we made some poor decisions late on.”

Wycombe manager Matt Bloomfield summed up his feelings at avoiding what would have been a fifth straight defeat when he said: “Just elation I think.

“The effort the boys put into the performance today, the application and the quality we showed at times to come away from home in a big stadium against a hugely historic club, I’m so proud of the boys for the discipline they put in.

“We changed shape and the boys have worked diligently all week so it would have been a travesty if we hadn’t got anything from the game for the discipline they showed.

“These lads are a group of special people and they showed tremendous character.”

Charlton head coach Michael Appleton praised his side’s response to falling behind as they took a point away from Oakwell in a 1-1 draw with Barnsley.

Adam Phillips opened the scoring in the first half, despite Charlton protesting that the ball left the field of play in the build-up, before Corey Blackett-Taylor provided a second-half equaliser.

Appleton said: “It should’ve been a win shouldn’t it? We felt like we were up against everything today.

“I just hope and I believe, and I know the players believe, that eventually all of a sudden those types of decisions that we’ve seen today will start going our way.”

On the referee’s decision to allow Barnsley’s opener, Appleton said: “I’ve had a few discussions with the referee and I haven’t had much out of him.

“His call was that the fourth official or linesman has to make that call even though he was probably three times further away from it.

“But it’s not a call to make, it’s not close. It’ll be one of them where they’ll show it over and over again. If it was in the Premier League, it’d just cause absolute carnage.

“The main thing is the way we dealt with it and the way the players responded from it was top drawer.”

On his side’s reaction to going behind, Appleton said: “A lot of things went against us. We were asked a few questions and came up with good answers today.

“Even the second half we were on the front foot right from the kick-off.”

Barnsley head coach Neill Collins said: “When you take the whole 90 minutes, I feel we probably edged it with the second-half performance and the opportunities we created.

“Especially considering we went ahead and probably looked the most likely to extend the lead. John McAtee’s chance is the one that springs to mind the most.

“With the players that Charlton have got, they’re a constant threat.

“I thought the team defended it exceptionally well, especially in the second half, but a couple of small mistakes led to their goal.

“I’d love to have been sitting here with three points. The pleasing thing was the performance overall was good and we continued to push on, even at 1-1, where it could easily have gone the other way.

“The team is improving, I think we can see that; we’re sitting six points off second place with a game in hand.”

On Phillips’ goal, Collins said: “Great finish. Hopefully we see more of those goals, I think we will.

“Whether it was in or out, I’ve not seen it yet, but Herbie (Kane) kept going to the whistle which was excellent because it looked like a lost cause, he kept going and brought it alive.”

Morgan Whittaker scored a dramatic late winner as Plymouth snatched a 3-2 result over 10-man Rotherham at Home Park in the Sky Bet Championship.

The playmaker struck six minutes into stoppage time to cause misery for the visitors, who saw defender Daniel Ayala sent off for a second bookable offence in the 55th minute.

Rotherham had taken the lead through Jamie Lindsay but Argyle turned things around with two goals from Finn Azaz, the first from the penalty spot, either side of half-time.

Despite Ayala’s dismissal, the Millers still managed to level through substitute Tom Eaves but Whittaker’s last-gasp strike ensured the points stayed in Plymouth.

It was no more than the home side deserved after twice hitting the post in the first half and putting Rotherham under the cosh for long spells, although it was the visitors who broke the deadlock after 16 minutes following a defensive mix-up in the Argyle penalty area.

The ball fell to striker Sam Nombe, who teed up Lindsay to fire home from just inside the box.

In the 25th minute Ayala was cautioned for a foul on Azaz, resulting in a 20-yard free-kick. However, Whittaker’s superb curling strike around the wall clipped the outside of the post.

Rotherham could have increased their lead minutes later on the counter-attack, but Jordan Hugill headed high and wide from Dexter Lembikisa’s pinpoint cross from the right.

Injuries to Plymouth strikers Ryan Hardie and his replacement, substitute Mustapha Bundu, then caused a lengthy delay which resulted in 16 minutes of stoppage time at the end of the first half.

It was during this that Argyle were gifted an equaliser, winning a penalty after a foul on Lewis Gibson by Nombe. Azaz sent United goalkeeper Viktor Johansson the wrong way from the spot.

Azaz, who also saw another effort ping back off the post with the last action of the first half, then put the hosts in front for the first time in the 52nd minute.

Whittaker sent over a pacy cross from the right and Azaz tucked the ball away with a neat side-foot finish at the far post.

Things went from bad to worse for Rotherham just three minutes later when Ayala received a red card for handball, but Argyle failed to make the most of their one-man advantage and the Millers restored parity through Eaves in the 77th minute.

Christ Tiehi’s cross from the left to the far post was headed back across the six-yard box by Sean Morrison to fellow substitute Eaves for a simple tap-in.

Two minutes later Johansson made a brilliant stop with his legs to deny Bali Mumba as the wing-back was put in on goal by Azaz.

But Argyle had the final say when Azaz flicked the ball into Whittaker’s path and he made no mistake, hammering in six minutes into time added on.

Oxford boss Des Buckingham felt getting a first league win under his belt was probably more of a relief for his family than for him after the 3-0 victory over Burton.

Two goals from Ruben Rodrigues and one from Marcus McGuane earned the U’s a comfortable victory and the scoreline could have been double that.

Former Oxford goalkeeper Max Crocombe pulled off a string of saves to keep the score down, and Burton also cleared four attempts off the line in one crazy 10-second spell.

Oxford-born Buckingham said: “I think it’s a relief for my dad and my family.

“The first people that speak to me are my family and my friends… I don’t need reminding from anyone else.

“This week we set up to do something and I started to change things and put more of a stamp on what we are doing.

“The players have been excellent in training this week and I’m extremely pleased with what I have seen today.

“We prepared ourselves as well as we could and I don’t think Burton had a shot on goal.

“With the exception of Max Crocombe in their goal, who I thought had a wonderful game, we could have had a couple more as well.

“I worked with Max when he was the youth-team keeper here – it’s the third time I’ve bumped into him, we also crossed paths in Australia and New Zealand.

“He’s obviously disappointed with the result but I’ve just said to him ‘you can’t be disappointed with that performance you’ve put in’.

“I think they cleared four off the line in the space of 10 seconds. And we hit the post just before that.

“The most important thing is that you keep the control and keep doing what’s got you the opportunities – and that’s what we kept doing.

“It took a very good strike from Ruben for the second, and then it was a wonderful strike from Marcus for the third.

“The work rate that our wingers put in is phenomenal, not just in going forward but in getting back.”

Harris was twice thwarted by Crocombe, but also missed other opportunities.

“The goals will come for Mark Harris,” added Buckingham. “The way we’ve set the team up he’ll get chances.

“He had two wonderful chances today and their keeper’s made great saves. As long as he continues doing what he’s doing, the goals will come – and when they do they’ll be like London buses.”

Burton’s caretaker boss Gary Mills said: “We asked the lads to give everything and I’m really proud of them. They worked really hard and showed real character.

“We wanted them to go out there, enjoy it and show bravery. In patches they showed some decent stuff and the blocks they put in showed real commitment.

“After the match, I thanked the lads for their efforts. I was concerned that Oxford had so many opportunities – they got into our final third too much.

“We didn’t close the ball down enough from a deep line. But they were quality finishes and Oxford are a good side – there’s no doubt about that.

“They’re a big club with big resources and a really good squad. They’ll be challenging.

“We didn’t work the Oxford goalkeeper enough. But this is the start of a journey and while we’re in charge we’ll try and get more players in attacking areas on the pitch with more crosses and more shots.”

Mills has taken temporary charge from Dino Maamria, who departed in the week.

Mills added: “I don’t know how long we’ll be in charge but we’ll try and deliver something that is attacking and enjoyable to watch – something to get the crowd off their seats. But it’s not going to happen for us overnight.”