Peter Crouch equalled Alan Shearer’s record for headed Premier League goals on this day in 2015.

The then 34-year-old nodded in a 71st-minute winner for Stoke in a 1-0 victory at Hull on February 28, 2015 for his 46th headed goal in the top flight.

Crouch admitted afterwards that he had enjoyed proving wrong those who doubted his aerial ability.

The 6ft 7in striker said: “There were a lot of people in the early days who said I was better on the ground than at heading, so it’s pleasing to rub it in a little bit.

“A lot of people said, for my size, I wasn’t as good (at heading) as I should have been when I was younger. Becoming the record holder for headed goals in the Premier League is something I didn’t think would happen when I was 15 or 16.

“I’m very proud – Alan Shearer’s a hero of mine. He’s one of the best, if not the best, striker the Premier League’s ever seen, and to equal any record of his, I’m very pleased with that.”

Crouch passed the record on May 24 with another headed goal in Stoke’s 6-1 victory over his former club Liverpool to conclude the season and remains the record holder with 53.

The striker moved from Stoke to Burnley in January 2019 and announced his retirement in July the same year.

He ended his career with 108 Premier League goals, having also played for the likes of Tottenham, Portsmouth and Aston Villa, and netted 22 times in 42 appearances for England.

Though faced with uphill tasks to overturn 0-2 and 0-3 deficits, Caribbean clubs Cavalier of Jamaica and Dominican Republic’s Moca FC, will be intent on leaving everything on the pitch when they challenge FC Cincinnati and Nashville SC in Round one return leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup on Wednesday.

Cavalier will be away to FC Cincinnati at the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio t 7:00pm, while Moca FC are also away to Nashville SC at Geodis Park in Tennessee for the 9:15pm encounter.

Last week’s first leg was the first ever Champions Cup match for both Cavalier and FC Cincinnati, with the Major League Soccer (MLS) side proving too good for their Jamaica Premier League (JPL) counterpart, despite a gritty effort by the latter.

Sergio Santos and Malik Pinto did the damage for FC Cincinnati inside Jamaica’s National Stadium. But perhaps more impressive was the effort from FC Cincinnati’s defence to shutout the highest scoring team from the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup, which comprises Golden Boot winner Shaniel Thomas.

With a two-goal cushion and a pair of away goals, FC Cincinnati, playing their first ever Champions Cup match at home, are in the driver’s seat to progress to the Round of 16, and only need a repeat of last week’s performance to confirm that much.

While MLS clubs hold a seven-win advantage in meetings with Jamaican clubs, that statistic will mean very little to Rudolph Speid and his Cavalier side, who will be hoping to summon their best all-round performance to not only shutout the menacing Luciano Acosta and company, but more importantly, score some goals of their own.

Cavalier twice scored five goals during last year’s Caribbean Cup, doing so in the group stage against Golden Lion of Martinique in a 5-2 win, followed by a 5-0 win at fellow Jamaican club Harbour View in the semifinals.

Cavalier will require that kind of output if they are to turn this series around in their favour. In addition to Thomas, Jalmaro Calvin and Orlando Russell, will need to fire on all cylinders.

Meanwhile, Nashville SC, who got their first-leg goals from Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge and Tyler Boyd, will be aiming to maintain their dominance to also confirm their spot in the Round of 16.

However, with Mukhtar and Surridge both carrying injuries, their absence could dampen Nashville’s attacking prowess and possibly present a window of opportunity on which Moca FC will be aiming to capitalise on.

A win on United States soil would see Moca FC being the first Dominican Republic team to do so. Though highly unlikely, it is by no means impossible and Gustavo Ascona, who was one of the stars of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup with four goals, along with Juan Angeles, will be integral to their chances.

Jenni Hermoso has revealed “football continues to give me life” after emerging from the controversy surrounding former Spanish football federation chief Luis Rubiales’ unsolicited kiss.

Speaking at a press conference for the first time since Rubiales was forced to resign after kissing her on the lips in the wake of Spain’s World Cup final victory over England, the 33-year-old midfielder reflected upon a difficult six months as she prepared for her country’s Nations League final clash with France.

She said on Tuesday: “For me, it’s very important to play in another final, to continue here. I feel good, football continues to give me the life I need.

“I want to continue enjoying games with my national team and with my Tigres team, and I continue to enjoy this sport.

“If we win tomorrow, Spain will have made history again.”

Rubiales’ actions, which have since resulted in a three-year FIFA ban from all football-related activity, prompted boycotts of Spanish national teams and sparked anger across the world over sexism in the women’s game.

Hermoso, who plays her club football in Mexico, found herself at the centre of the controversy and admitted she had found that tough.

She said: “I’m lucky to be back in a final after six very long months. Today I’m enjoying football, competing with Spain to win another tournament.

“A lot has happened since then. It has been a hard process of understanding many things.

“I’m still playing football and the only thing I want is to continue enjoying myself wearing this shirt.”

Ian Evatt insisted he was ‘baffled’ as to how Bolton did not pick up all three points at neighbours Wigan – let alone coming away from a feisty Sky Bet League One fixture with nothing.

Stephen Humphrys’ 69th-minute goal was enough to settle a stirring Lancashire derby at the DW Stadium, and see the Latics record a league double over their neighbours.

But while Wigan’s victory last August had been a 4-0 romp, this time Bolton had the upper hand for three-quarters of the game – without managing to translate that onto the scoreboard.

It left them wide open to a sucker punch which further dents their promotion hopes.

“We controlled it, it was one team trying to win and the other one trying to survive,” said Evatt.

“Football, as I have said before, is a really harsh industry.

“I am the first to say when we have not performed, and we performed. The only thing missing was the goal.

“We had chances and they just didn’t go in. Sometimes you don’t get what you deserve.

“But there isn’t a man in the stadium that can honestly say that we didn’t deserve to win that game.”

The evening ended with the majority of players from either side involved in a melee that saw both managers having to get involved.

“We won’t accept one of their players celebrating in front of our supporters,” added Evatt. “Go and celebrate with your own fans, no issue with that, but not ours.

“You certainly shouldn’t be celebrating when you are mid-table.”

Opposite number Shaun Maloney countered: “I think their manager thought one of our players was over-celebrating in the far corner.

“But there’s no hard feelings on either side, these are just emotional moments.”

On his side’s victory, Maloney added: “We obviously had to defend for long periods. But I really liked some of the things we did in the first half with the ball, without creating a lot.

“Both teams were trying to play through each other, and I thought they were really good with the ball.

“I had to respect the players they have – I think they have a lot of good attacking players – and we tried to get pressure high up.

“At times it worked, and at times it didn’t work. But in that last 20 minutes or so, we had to defend and in fairness to the lads, I thought they were brilliant.

“It was tough, really tough out there and they really dug deep.

“It was a derby and in these types of games, particularly being at home, you give absolutely everything… every tackle, every header, you give it your all.

“In terms of tactical things, the fans aren’t going to worry… as long as they see their players giving their all, they’re happy – and they did.

“Trust me, I would have liked more of the ball but it was tough out there and we needed the fans, particularly near the end.

“Some of the lads were on their knees at the end and they take all the credit there, along with the fans.”

Substitute Sergi Darder fired Real Mallorca into the Copa del Rey final in a dramatic penalty shoot-out at Real Sociedad.

The visitors scored all five of their spot-kicks after Mikel Oyarzabal had missed with the hosts’ first attempt to book a showdown with either Athletic Bilbao or Atletico Madrid, who meet on Thursday at the San Mames Stadium with Bilbao defending a 1-0 first leg lead.

Mallorca, who sit in 16th place in LaLiga, had taken the lead at the Reale Arena through Giovanni Gonzalez’s header after keeper Dominik Greif had saved Brais Mendez’s penalty but Oyarzabal made it 1-1 to take the tie into extra time, only to be found wanting from 12 yards.

Mikel Merino, whose late strike sealed a 2-1 league win at Mallorca earlier this month, failed to repeat the dose when he fired high and wide with eight minutes gone, but Dani Rodriguez was no more accurate at the other end five minutes later.

Arsen Zakharyan forced a save from distance as the home side pushed for a breakthrough, but Abdon Prats went close for the visitors six minutes before the break.

However, seventh-placed Sociedad were presented with a golden opportunity to open the scoring at the end of the first half when Antonio Raillo was adjudged to have handled in the area, only for Greif to save Mendez’s spot-kick.

It was the visitors who took the lead five minutes after the restart when Gonzalez headed home from Jaume Costa’s cross.

The goal prompted something of an onslaught from the hosts which finally paid dividends with 19 minutes remaining when Oyarzabal equalised from Mendez’s through-ball.

Fellow substitute Sheraldo Becker almost won it for Imanol Alguacil’s men with 10 minutes left on the clock, but neither side could find a winner as time ran down.

The home side created the better chances in extra time, with Greif saving from Becker and substitute Umar Sadiq, but the teams could not be separated and penalties were required.

Oyarzabal was unable to convert the opening spot-kick in the shoot-out and with Vedat Muriqi, Manu Marlanes, Omar Mascarell, Nemanja Radonjic and Darder all successful for Mallorca, they ran out 5-4 winners.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe hailed a “big moment” in his side’s season after they scraped past Championship Blackburn on penalties in the FA Cup on Tuesday.

Martin Dubravka saved two spot-kicks as the Magpies prevailed 4-3 in the shoot-out after the game had ended 1-1 after extra time.

With the club having slipped to 10th in the Premier League in what has been a largely underwhelming campaign after last year’s top-four finish, the cup now represents the best chance to maintain their upward trajectory.

Howe said: “Obviously a lot was riding on the outcome so I thought the players handled the moment brilliantly, the goalkeeper and outfield players who took the penalties.

“It was big moment in our season at such a crucial stage.

“The players are desperate to achieve. No-one is underestimating the importance of the FA Cup.”

Howe also praised the heroics of Dubravka after the Slovakia keeper had been ill in the build-up to the game.

He said: “The two penalty saves were huge for us but in open play I thought he really performed well and we needed him to because they had a few big moments.

“He’s been playing feeling slightly ill and he deserves huge credit for doing that. He was nowhere near fit for the weekend against Arsenal and hasn’t been 100 per cent for quite a long period of time.”

Dubravka kept Blackburn at bay with a number of saves before Newcastle broke the deadlock in the 71st minute through Anthony Gordon.

Blackburn responded well and levelled through the impressive Sammie Szmodics and both sides had chances to win it, in normal time and extra time, but it came down to penalties and Dubravka kept out efforts from Szmodics and Dominic Hyam.

Howe said: “I thought we got better as it went on. I don’t think the first half was particularly good, I thought the second half was better and extra time was our best spell of the game by a long way.

“Really we shouldn’t have allowed it to go to penalties with the chances we missed in extra time.”

Blackburn manager John Eustace was pleased with the effort of his side, who played at a level above that of a team 16th in the Championship.

Eustace, who is still awaiting his first win after taking charge earlier this month, said: “When it goes down to penalties it’s a bit of a lottery but I’m very, very proud of the squad that we used and also very proud of the supporters.

“I couldn’t ask for any more effort and desire and togetherness. You can see that everyone’s really fighting and looking after each other and you can see the style of play improving game by game.

“We’re making small steps forward. We’re playing against a top Premier League team, top players, and you could see that we could hurt them in certain areas. On another day we could have had a couple more goals.”

Derby boss Paul Warne admitted his team did not look like a promotion side after they were beaten 2-1 at home by strugglers Charlton.

For the second time in four days, Derby lost after going in front and Warne knows they have to improve to have a chance of going up.

Derby had a lot of possession in the first half and went ahead in the 39th minute when Eiran Cashin headed in a corner.

But it was different in the second and a rush of blood from goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith allowed Charlton to draw level.

Wildsmith brought down Daniel Kanu and Alfie May sent him the wrong way with the resulting penalty.

Another mistake gave Charlton their first win since November when Ebou Adams let Kanu in and although Wildsmith blocked his shot, Karoy Anderson scored his first senior goal with the rebound.

“Very frustrated, I thought the first 20 minutes our play was really good without creating clearcut openings and I was really pleased with how we played first half,” Warne said.

“Second half we didn’t start as well and there’s a massive turning point. Joe’s held his hands up, but it’s a mistake.

“That was disappointing from our point of view and then another mistake in the middle of the pitch and they punished that.

“It isn’t a performance of a team that’s going to get promoted and that isn’t the level of performance that we expect.

“We have shot ourselves in the foot no end of times this season at home, more so than away, and tonight we got punished for our mistakes, and we have to be better if we are going to be successful.

“We didn’t have enough, that’s the honest truth. It’s really disappointing because in a position like that with so few games left, you need to see games out and manage them better.

“We didn’t have enough great performances in the second half to justify the three points.”

Charlton manager Nathan Jones admitted his side’s half-time team-talk was the catalyst for t

“It was a game of two halves,” the Welsh boss said. “The first half, we were nowhere near the levels we demand. We were tentative, we weren’t aggressive enough and we allowed Derby to do certain things we didn’t want them to do.

“We had a few words at half-time and in the second half I thought we were outstanding. We over-ran them, we were aggressive and I’m really proud of the second-half performance.

“And that’s what they’ve got to learn, they haven’t won for a long time, so we are having to cross milestones in terms of things, but that second-half performance was everything I wanted from my team.

“Now we are showing form that can take us forward.”

Erling Haaland plundered five goals as holders Manchester City powered into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 6-2 victory at Luton.

The Norwegian notched a first-half hat-trick at Kenilworth Road to put City 3-0 up, with Kevin De Bruyne providing the assist for each of the goals.

After Luton replied with efforts from Jordan Clark just prior to and just after the interval, Haaland notched his fourth – De Bruyne again registering an assist – and then a fifth, before Mateo Kovacic completed the rout.

Championship leaders Leicester pulled off a 1-0 win at Bournemouth thanks to an extra-time effort from substitute Abdul Fatawu.

Fatawu sent a fine shot past Cherries goalkeeper Mark Travers in the final minute of the first half of the additional period.

Newcastle are also through after getting past Blackburn 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes at Ewood Park.

The contest went to spot-kicks after Sammie Szmodics’ 79th-minute equaliser for the Championship hosts cancelled out Anthony Gordon’s effort eight minutes earlier.

In the shootout Martin Dubravka made saves to deny Szmodics and Dominic Hyam as the Magpies prevailed.

Pep Guardiola praised the “generosity” of Kevin De Bruyne after he set up four of Erling Haaland’s five goals as Manchester City thrashed Luton at Kenilworth Road to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Haaland, who returned at the end of January from nearly two months out, grabbed the headlines with his finishing but this 6-2 win owed every bit as much to De Bruyne, the architect of four of his team-mate’s haul and a devastating creative presence throughout.

The pair combined for City’s opener inside three minutes. Matheus Nunes fed the Belgian with a clever reverse pass, releasing him into a channel down the left, and the cutback came to the left foot of Haaland who wrapped his boot around it for 1-0.

The same combination created the second, this time a pass threaded through the middle ended with Haaland fending off defender Teden Mengi and crashing it through the legs of Tim Krul.

The third arrived before the break, with VAR required to adjudicate that the Norwegian had successfully stayed onside as he set off to reach De Bruyne’s through-ball, chipping his finish over the goalkeeper.

Luton fought gamely in spite of the Haaland onslaught. Jordan Clark curled one brilliantly beyond Stefan Ortega at the end of the half, offering Rob Edwards’ side hope, before thumping in another at the near post after the break as the home fans sniffed a famous fightback.

They were given all of three minutes to dream. Haaland and City’s fourth was another tap-in from yet another De Bruyne set-up. The fifth cruel on Krul, the ball squirming through the goalkeeper’s body as the cup holders’ top scorer finally declared.

Mateo Kovacic hit a sixth, and Luton could breathe for the final few minutes after Haaland was withdrawn.

“The players read the game perfectly,” said Guardiola. “The connection of Kevin with Erling was great but everyone contributed. Happy to be in the quarter-finals, one game away from Wembley.

“Erling needs a guy with the vision, the quality, the generosity. Kevin is the less selfish player in front of goal. Kevin needs the movement from Erling. We know how aggressive they are.

“Every pass was good. The finishing from Erling was good. We could have scored more, we had two or three more chances, one against one with Krul. But the players read (the game) really well. They did it perfectly.

“My only concern was that Erling had been two months stopped, he couldn’t walk, couldn’t make anything. When you lose two months, that rhythm is not easy to get back.

“Every game he’s getting better. Kevin as well. Step by step, they are coming back.”

The game was only marred for City by the loss of a visibly upset Jack Grealish just before half-time to injury.

“I didn’t speak to the doctor but I think he was complaining a bit about his groin,” said Guardiola. “He felt really good but unfortunately was injured again.

“It’s been a tough season for him. He’ll have to recover well and help us when he’s able to come back.”

Luton boss Edwards reflected on a masterclass from De Bruyne and Haaland.

“There’s no doubt about it, they were incredible,” he said. “The played in the space we gave them and did it very well. But our lads were incredibly brave and bold, and stuck to the task.

“We’re not going change, we just need to get better, to keep improving.”

Richie Wellens heaped praise on his Leyton Orient squad after a 1-0 home win against Blackpool.

The victory allowed Orient to leapfrog their opponents and move into eighth position in Sky Bet League One, although they remain five points adrift of a play-off place.

Ollie O’Neill, who scored in the win at Oxford on Saturday, was again on target when he struck in the second half to record his third goal for the club since signing from Fulham in January.

The goal was sufficient to earn the London outfit their seventh win in their last 10 matches.

“We had a brilliant win in terms of we beat Oxford on Saturday by playing really good football and moving the ball smoothly and rotation,” said Wellens.

“Tonight wasn’t about that, credit to Blackpool because they stopped us playing as they were well set-up defensively.

“So we then decided to miss midfield and pick up second balls. We knew that was the way to try and win the game.

“I thought the best player on the pitch was Ruel Sotiriou, although there were a lot of good performances from elsewhere. Ruel set the tempo for everything we did.”

Recent signing O’Neill also attracted individual praise from his manager.

“Sometimes recruitment is really hard and a player can look brilliant with attributes, but (with) Ollie we had a real look and straight away we knew he was strong.

“He doesn’t look like he’s running quick, but then you look at defenders chasing him and they’re not catching him.

“He has two good feet, he scored with his right foot (on) Saturday and he scored with his left today so I’m delighted.”

Blackpool boss Neil Critchley admitted his side cannot afford to slip up in their bid to reach the play-offs after slipping down to ninth after the defeat.

“I thought it was a tight game with very little between both teams,” Critchley said.

“It was always likely to be settled decided by a moment of quality or a mistake and unfortunately it was ourselves who made that mistake and they capitalised, and that was the difference.

“Neither goalkeeper has really had anything to do and even through Orient had territory, they didn’t really cause us many problems.

“They are a really hard team to play against here. They don’t concede many goals and we huffed and puffed when we went 1-0 down, but missing Jordan Rhodes and Shane Lavery was obviously difficult and overall we didn’t do enough.

“I said to the players can we try and scrap and get a 1-0 win in these type of games or worst case dig it out and get a 0-0 to earn a point.

“Nothing is decided yet. We’re still in there, but we can’t have too many nights like this and afford to have games where we don’t pick up points.”

Andoni Iraola admitted Bournemouth had missed a golden opportunity to book a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals for only the third time in their history after losing 1-0 at home to Sky Bet Championship leaders Leicester’s reserves.

Despite making nine changes, 2021 winners Leicester progressed thanks to substitute Abdul Fatawu’s stunning extra-time winner.

Iraola, whose Premier League Cherries had 26 shots on goal, said: “It is disappointing and it was a bad night for us because at the end it was the worst thing that could happen.

“We played 120 minutes with very tired legs.

“We had a lot of chances but you have to make the right decision at the end; with the last pass, last shot, and we finished a lot of shots very high.

“I think it’s an opportunity missed.”

Bournemouth left top-scorer Dominic Solanke out of their matchday squad as he was struggling with illness and he was badly missed.

Both teams had chances to win the game in normal time, with Marc Albrighton hitting a post for Leicester in the first half and Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi doing likewise in the second.

Hamza Choudhury also cleared an Enes Unal shot off the line in the opening half.

Yunus Akgun should have won it for the visitors four minutes from the end of normal time when he found himself one-on-one with Mark Travers but blazed over.

Just as the game looked to be heading for a penalty shootout, Ghanaian Fatawu won it in the final minute of the first half of extra time.

FA Cup debutant Fatawu collected Kelechi Iheanacho’s pass on the edge of the penalty area before cutting in on his left foot and burying the ball into the top corner.

Bournemouth keeper Travers got a hand to the shot but was powerless to keep it out.

Leicester boss Enzo Maresca was pleased with the way his much-changed side bounced back from Friday’s 3-1 defeat at home to promotion rivals Leeds.

Maresca said: “We are happy because tonight we missed many chances, but at the end we have been lucky because we could score one goal.

“We try always to share minutes in this kind of game because all of the players deserve the chance.

“Tonight was a mix between many young players and some senior players and in the end, we played a good game.

“The FA Cup is a fantastic competition so when you have the chance to go forward it’s a good one.

“The league is important, the FA Cup is important, but the most important thing for me is the way we perform. Tonight, once again, the performance was good.”

Martin Dubravka saved twice as Newcastle beat Blackburn 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in a compelling FA Cup fifth-round tie at Ewood Park on Tuesday.

The Newcastle goalkeeper denied Sammie Szmodics and Dom Hyam from the spot to secure a nervy victory after the Premier League outfit were taken all the way by the side 16th in the Sky Bet Championship.

Blackburn had enjoyed the upper hand for large spells of the game, but fell behind when Anthony Gordon broke the deadlock after 71 minutes.

Rovers hit back and forced extra time with an equaliser from the impressive Szmodics, but neither side could find a winner before it fell to spot-kicks to determine the outcome.

The game was delayed by 15 minutes to allow all fans to get into the ground and was then slow to get going, the first thing of note being a tennis ball protest by Blackburn fans.

Supporters frustrated at the club’s continued ownership by Indian poultry firm Venky’s, which is now in its 14th year, symbolically lobbed balls onto the field in the 14th minute.

The delay was brief and when the action resumed it was Blackburn who settled quicker.

Szmodics was the main Rovers dangerman and went close when he lashed a shot into the side-netting.

Tyrhys Dolan broke into the box and drew a good save from Dubravka, whose fingertip touch deflected the ball past Szmodics.

Szmodics then tried his luck from long range, finding only the keeper, before beating Fabian Schar and testing Dubravka again.

Newcastle offered little before the break aside from an angled Sean Longstaff strike which did not trouble Aynsley Pears.

Rovers started the second half the brighter and Dolan called Dubravka into action again with a firm strike from the edge of the area.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe changed the balance just after the hour as he sent on Miguel Almiron, Lewis Miley and Ashley Barnes in a triple change.

The Magpies began to take control and Blackburn had to scramble clear after a Kieran Trippier header was blocked on the line.

Longstaff headed over from a corner and Gordon should have done better than shoot straight at Pears after being played through.

Gordon made amends for that as he made the breakthrough 19 minutes from time, calmly stroking home after a good run and neat cutback by Almiron.

It felt harsh on Rovers but, rather than lie down and accept defeat, the hosts rallied.

Newcastle’s lead lasted eight minutes as Arnor Sigurdsson broke down the right and picked out Dilan Markanday, who thumped a first-time shot against the bar.

Szmodics was the quickest to react to the rebound and coolly guided the bouncing ball into the net.

Rovers almost snatched victory in stoppage time as Yasin Ayari’s deflected shot was saved by Dubravka with his legs.

Newcastle had the first opportunity in extra time, but Pears produced a brilliant double save to deny Gordon and Longstaff at close quarters.

The visitors looked certain to score in the 112th minute when Gordon broke into the box and ball was squared for Bruno Guimares, but Scott Wharton miraculously blocked on the line.

Szmodics had another chance at the other end, but again Dubravka was alert.

It was Dubravka who proved the hero in the shoot-out, although it went to the final kick after Barnes had his effort saved, as he tipped Hyam’s shot onto the post.

Carlisle boss Paul Simpson was delighted to sample that winning feeling again after a hard-fought 1-0 win at Burton ended a run of eight straight defeats.

Captain Paul Huntington’s first-half goal proved decisive to restore some pride for the Cumbrians and left his manager wanting more.

“Every single one of them tonight stuck properly to the task and did exactly what we wanted and that is a feeling, when that final whistle goes, that we have not had for many, many weeks so I am absolutely delighted with it,” Simpson said.

“Now we have to go and try and build on it and play with some pride and try and build some respect back for us.”

There was a degree of confusion over the goalscorer, with Sam Lavelle’s goal-bound header appearing to take a deflection off Huntington before beating Max Crocombe in the Burton goal.

“I thought it was Sam’s goal, but I don’t really care,” Simpson added. “It was about the team, and it is a goal that has won us the game.”

The Blues boss was delighted with the team performance, but singled out goalkeeper Harry Lewis after his first clean sheet for the club secured the win.

“I am delighted for Harry Lewis tonight,” Simpson added. “He has made three or four really big saves for us.

“I look at goalkeepers and say how points do they win us. He has actually won that for us tonight with those saves.

“I am pleased with him and with the desire that the group have shown, and it shows to me that there is still that fight left in them.”

Burton manager Martin Paterson was “bitterly disappointed” with the outcome as his side fell to back-to-back home defeats in the space of four days after two good wins on the road.

“Two games at home, no points,” Paterson said. “Bitterly disappointed and I have to front that one up as the manager. It is not acceptable. No excuses, it is not good enough.”

It is now three home defeats in a row, without a goal, and the Brewers boss, who appointed in January, said he knows what is needed.

“This is a group with high effort but if I am honest, we need to get to the training ground and do a lot of work.

“The balance of the in-possession piece was not there today and hasn’t been for two home games.

“It is easy to go on a negative slide, but I know what needs to be done to correct it but I can’t say it enough. It is on me.

“We concede a set-play which generally we are decent at and against a team fighting for their lives, ultimately it allows them to play a certain way.

“The onus is on us to break them down and that is where we need to improve quickly. I understand the supporters’ frustrations.”

Lincoln boss Michael Skubala described his side’s 3-0 League One defeat of Shrewsbury as the best performance of his 20-game Imps tenure as they stretched their unbeaten run to nine.

The hosts were dominant from the off, taking a sixth-minute lead through Teddy Bishop before Reeco Hackett doubled the advantage.

Lasse Sorensen then produced a spectacular strike to seal the deal, although the Danish full-back was honest enough to admit afterwards that he may have been a tad fortunate to find the top corner form the right wing.

“I thought we were phenomenal,” gushed Skubala. “For the first 20 minutes, I thought we were electric, the lads were unbelievable.

“I said we needed to start fast, but I’ve never seen them start that fast.

“For the rest of the game I thought we were really good to a man. That was probably the best performance since I’ve been here.

“They couldn’t live with our intensity, our counter-pressing, the second balls and the way we got on their backline. We could have had another penalty and a few more goals.

“I think we had something like 22, 23 shots and it was simply a very good performance.”

City took the lead after six minutes from Hackett’s corner. Joe Taylor’s shot was blocked and Hackett’s follow-up was kept out, only for Bishop to fire his effort into the bottom corner.

Hackett made it two after 57 minutes, smashing a left-footed shot into the top corner following a back-heeled pass from Taylor.

A third came 10 minutes later via Sorensen. The hosts had won a penalty after Ben House was brought down by keeper Harry Burgoyne following a woeful Carl Winchester back-pass. Bishop struck a post from the spot, with the ball rebounding out to Sorensen on the right wing. The Dane instinctively delivered it back into the danger area, with the ball arcing into the top left-hand corner of the net.

Shrewsbury boss Paul Hurst was bitterly disappointed with his under-performing players and gave a brutal assessment of his team.

“We were second best from start to finish,” admitted Hurst. “I feel sorry for the fans that travelled who gave their support, but I was amazed when I saw them clapping at the end.

“That type of performance was unacceptable. There are ways to lose games of football, irrespective of scoreline, and that’s not how to do it. I have told the lads loud and clear it is unacceptable.

“It was a tough night and I am almost embarrassed. That is nowhere near what I want from this team.”

Hurst had to make a few changes from the team that won 3-2 at Reading at the weekend but he said: “We had to change three of the back five but that doesn’t stop you running around, from winning tackles.”

Darren Moore admitted he did not see Port Vale’s late collapse coming as substitute Jayden Stockley struck twice to earn Fleetwood a 2-2 draw.

First-half goals from Jensen Weir and Ethan Chislett put the Valiants in control and Moore within striking distance of a first victory since replacing Andy Crosby.

Instead, fellow strugglers Fleetwood were transformed in the second half.

But it was not until the 88th minute and second minute of stoppage time when super-sub Stockley grabbed his goals.

“It’s a difficult one to take,” admitted Moore, who is now without a win in four games since taking charge. “We feel it is definitely two points dropped from the position we were in.

“But it stops the rot of those consecutive defeats.

“We, as Port Vale, have to get over the adversity that went against us. We took a backward step and weren’t able to see out the last seven or eight minutes.

“The challenge we face is stopping the rot in getting this team performing and getting the feeling of adulation back.

“The players are giving everything to the cause. They are unfortunate that any little mistake is getting punished.

“At the moment it feels like Port Vale have to have almost the perfect game to get over the line.

“The concentration levels have got to be spot on. We didn’t see that result coming in the latter parts.

“We just had to do our jobs, but it comes down to lapses of concentration and we get punished.”

Both sides remain in the bottom four but Fleetwood boss Charlie Adam left Vale Park the happier man.

“When I walked in the building two months ago I said to the players ‘I need you to represent what this town is all about: hard work, dedication and be proud to wear the jersey’.

“They gave me that in abundance in the second half. There only looked one team who was going to win the game.

“We dominated the second half and we had enough crosses and shots to win two or three games.

“I felt the subs would make a big impact, and they did.

“But that’s why you have a squad and a togetherness and that’s why I’m proud to be Fleetwood manager.

“They gave me everything and it’s important we use that for our games during the rest of the season.”