Shaq Forde scored a 96th-minute equaliser as Leyton Orient rescued a 2-2 draw in an incident-packed game at Northampton.

Orient led early through Rob Hunt but Sam Hoskins scored twice in three minutes to turn things around, only for Kieron Bowie to see red before Forde’s dramatic leveller.

The home side started well but Orient weathered the storm before breaking the deadlock with their first shot on 14 minutes when a patient move ended with Hunt collecting Ruel Sotiriou’s pass and firing in his first goal for the club.

Lee Burge reacted well to prevent Idris El Mizouni from doubling the lead but everything turned around in the space of three minutes at the start of the second half.

Hoskins first equalised, latching onto Shaun McWilliams’ pass and beating Sol Brynn via a deflection, before he converted from the spot after Akin Odimayo was taken down in the box.

Bowie then saw red for an apparent headbutt and Orient should have been level within minutes but Sotiriou somehow headed wide from underneath the crossbar.

Burge tipped over Sotiriou’s rasping volley but Orient’s pressure finally told deep into stoppage time as Forde converted Jordan Graham’s cross.

Cambridge produced a resolute display to hold League One leaders Portsmouth to a goalless draw.

The U’s started brightly, with Sullay Kaikai’s cross needing to be tipped over by Will Norris before a Kaikai cross was scuffed wide by Danny Andrew.

The biggest chance of the first half came on 31 minutes when Abu Kamara’s overhit cross for the visitors smacked back off the far post, with Colby Bishop’s rebound kept out by a superb Ryan Bennett block.

Pompey were denied again before the break when Conor Shaughnessy’s effort was deflected off target following a scramble from a corner.

Portsmouth continued to press in the second half, with Zak Swanson firing straight at Jack Stevens before Paddy Lane shooting over from outside the box just after the hour.

The U’s almost snatched an opener themselves 18 minutes from the end after great work by substitute Saikou Janneh but Jack Lankester’s close-range shot was too close to Norris.

The leaders nearly grabbed a winner deep into added time only for Stevens to deny Bishop.

Blackpool continued their impressive run with an entertaining 3-2 victory over bottom club Cheltenham.

The opener arrived in the 18th minute when Dom Thompson delivered a looping cross to the far post for Shayne Lavery to force it over the line from close range.

A free-kick from Karamoko Dembele was headed into the side-netting by Callum Connolly in the 25th minute, but Blackpool were soon celebrating again.

Albie Morgan hammered a free-kick towards goal from 30 yards and it was deflected at speed into the path of Jordan Rhodes, who headed home his fourth in four games on 32 minutes.

Lavery and CJ Hamilton carved Cheltenham open again in the 41st minute, allowing Dembele to bury a shot inside the bottom left corner to make it 3-0.

Cheltenham responded a minute before half-time when Ben Williams found Will Goodwin in the box and he scored with a finish from a tight angle, the Robins’ first away goal of the season.

Goodwin touched home a second from close range (86) after Rob Street’s looping header was not dealt with, but Blackpool held on.

Former Lincoln boss Michael Appleton suffered his first defeat as Charlton manager in eight games as the Addicks were blown away 3-1 by the rampant Imps at Sincil Bank.

And it was two-goal Hakeeb Adelakun, a player effectively snubbed by Appleton during his tenure at Lincoln, who inflicted the most damage, with Sean Roughan adding a third after Alfie May had fired the Addicks into an early lead.

Charlton took a 10th-minute lead when Tyreece Campbell raced on to a through-ball down the left and crossed for the diving May to bundle in from close range.

Lasse Sorensen’s 20-yard effort forced Ashley Maynard-Brewer into a full-length save before the Imps levelled when Sorensen fed Jack Burroughs and his cross reached Adelakun, who controlled expertly before swivelling and smashing home.

Burroughs then fired high and wide when well placed before Sorensen raced through on goal only to be denied by Maynard-Brewer, but the ball bounced against the makeshift forward and hit a post before being scrambled clear.

Sorensen’s volley was kept out by Maynard-Brewer before the Dane set up Adelakun to stab home from close range and put Lincoln ahead.

Maynard-Brewer foiled Sorensen twice more only to be beaten by Roughan after 77 minutes, with the Irish defender latching on to a loose ball to fire home.

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing inspired Derby to a 2-0 victory and sent Exeter sliding to a sixth straight league defeat.

The winger was a constant threat and scored the opening goal before Conor Washington secured the Rams’ second home league win of the season late on.

Derby pushed Exeter back from the first whistle but despite getting dangerous crosses into the box, could not put the ball away.

Exeter were starting to come into the game when Derby finally finished a slick three-man move, with Mendez-Laing firing home Max Bird’s pass from 12 yards in the 30th minute.

Derby should have had more to show for a dominant first-half display and although Exeter had hardly threatened, they needed a second goal.

Martyn Waghorn and Louie Sibley had shots blocked before Mendez-Laing was flagged offside when he headed in at the back post.

But Derby made the game safe in the 79th minute when Washington cut in from the left and drove a low shot inside the near post.

Chris Martin scored his first goal for Bristol Rovers as he chipped in from 35 yards to earn a point for the home side in a 1-1 draw with Stevenage.

The 34-year-old elegantly lobbed over stranded goalkeeper Taye Ashby-Hammond with seven minutes remaining when John Marquis fed the ball to the Pirates’ September free transfer signing.

Stevenage striker Jamie Reid had netted his ninth goal of the League One season before that as the visitors took the lead in the 40th minute.

Kane Hemmings, Connor Taylor and goalkeeper Matthew Cox all collided in the area trying to meet Jordan Roberts’ looping cross, and while the home supporters awaited a whistle from referee Matthew Donohue, it never came. Instead Reid gathered the loose ball and calmly slotted into the open goal.

Rovers forward Jevani Brown saw a good effort blocked in the second half, while Carl Piergianni headed a Jake Forster-Caskey free-kick against the post with half an hour to play but Stevenage came no closer to scoring.

Lee Johnson felt Fleetwood were let down by the officials in their 1-0 League One loss to Lincoln after they failed to spot the winner being offside.

Alex Mitchell’s early strike proved decisive for the visitors, before Toto Nsiala was sent off for the Cod Army in injury time at Highbury Stadium.

But a frustrated Johnson could not hide his disappointment at the officials failing to disallow Mitchell’s goal for offside after watching from the sidelines.

Johnson said: “I think we’ve been let down certainly from the officiating today. It was clearly offside, their goal.

“Certainly when we reviewed it pitchside, it was a cause of big frustration for us because we could see he was half a body at least offside and that’s the goalscorer.

“There was nobody else, that’s the guy that’s actually slotted the ball into the net.

“I think that was their first entry into our box that they’ve ended up scoring from and it happens too often that we don’t quite get enough distance on the first (ball), didn’t win the second and then this is the bit that’s difficult, because you know as a coach, you’re coaching your squad to squeeze up as the ball goes backwards, you go forwards.

“And it’s good defending at that point and it’s good defending from CJ (Carl Johnston) but for them to score and it to be a goal because of incompetence from the refereeing and officiating from the side, it’s a bitter pill to swallow.”

Lincoln interim boss Tom Shaw won his first game in charge of the Imps after Mark Kennedy’s midweek departure and felt it was nearly a perfect away win for his team.

He said: “It was not far off a perfect away performance in my opinion. I think there was bravery, confidence. A bit of swagger that we had in the first half with the ball was great to see.

“The second half is what you have to do sometimes. They’ve got some very good and seriously-talented players. We just dug in, we kept running.

“This is a very, very tough place to come and get a result and the boys have gone to the edge and beyond today with the physical output.

“When you commit so much to a performance and get an outcome like that, it’s a wonderful feeling for everyone, it’s one of the best feelings in the world at five o’clock.

“How they’ve carried themselves, conducted themselves and then that performance.

“We’ve recruited good young men and people and you can see in the performance, they never ever give up and they keep fighting and it’s a really great afternoon for this group of players and staff.”

Wigan boss Shaun Maloney got one over on his good friend Gary Caldwell, but praised the role his young players had in Saturday’s 2-0 League One win at Exeter.

Martial Godo capitalised on an Exeter defensive error to tap in Shaun Humphreys’ low cross for the opener after eight minutes, before Jordan Jones’ stoppage-time strike took a huge deflection off Will Aimson before nestling in the net to complete the win.

“We put a challenge to the group but I wasn’t sure how the game would look,” Maloney said. “I wasn’t sure what it would look like in terms of adversity. I am very proud of my young players.

“We went quite aggressive with the front three. I knew how Exeter would play, they try and dominate the ball, but I felt with the front three we could win the ball back very quickly and then be a threat.

“It is quite satisfying for a coach to see the whole squad celebrating like that.

“The victory meant a lot and we had a really good travelling support considering the distance. We are happy to give them something to go home with.

“I wasn’t quite sure with that young a group how we would compete but the young players did a really good job and the senior players got them over the line.”

Maloney and Caldwell have known each other for over 20 years and the Exeter manager was left frustrated after seeing his side register 29 shots on goal and dominate the game with 72 per cent possession.

“I thought we played well, but I felt we gifted them a goal and the way that they came to win the game, it allowed them to play very deep and slow the game down at every opportunity and frustrate us,” Caldwell said.

“I still think we created moments and opportunities, but we have to be better in the final third. We have to be more clinical. We had 29 shots and only four on target and I think that tells the story of the game.

“It’s clear we need to be better in that area of the pitch and I am sure we will get better when Ads (Admiral Muskwe) and different players pick up their fitness levels and that understanding of playing with each other.

“Another lesson is that we can’t concede a goal as easily as we did. Wigan didn’t come here to score, they came here to frustrate and wait for a mistake and we gifted them that opportunity.

“The effort and application was outstanding, we kept going right to the end and their second goal just sums up what’s been happening with a ricochet of (Pierce) Sweeney and a big deflection.

“But we need to stick together and be resilient, keep believing in what we are doing and I thought we showed that in the second half.”

Burton boss Dino Maamria reflected on a “huge win” for his side as they came from behind to record a stunning 4-1 win over 10-man Bristol Rovers and make it four wins on the bounce.

Bez Lubala grabbed two goals to turn the game in Albion’s favour by half-time after Antony Evans had nodded Rovers in front.

“That is a huge win for us,” Maamria said. “The more wins you have then the tougher they get. Although the scoreline is 4-1 it was a tough win when we weren’t at our best and that is the growth that the team has made in the last few weeks.

“When you produce results like that and you are at 70 per cent of your best then that is something the team can go forward with.”

With the game on a knife edge in the second half, Ryan Woods’ red card for Rovers handed Albion the initiative again with Joe Powell and Kwadwo Baah scoring spectacular late goals to seal an emphatic victory, but Maamria reserved praise for Lubala.

“Bez does so much work for the team, in terms of the press and dropping in to keep the shape of the team,” Maamria said. “I am so pleased for him today because he is a good finisher and he was clinical today. He had a chance for a hat-trick but was unselfish to set it up for someone else.”

Rovers boss Joey Barton felt his side did not get the rub of the green after going in front with the red card a turning point.

“It was a huge moment,” Barton said.

“We were trying to get back in the game at the start of the second half and I thought the lads came out really sharply. We had a couple of good crosses that somehow we didn’t manage to get on the end of.

“Sometimes it is one of those days. Their first two goals are both crosses that deflected between our players’ legs so you know you are maybe not getting the rub of the green and then the sending-off, for me, was needless.

“It didn’t need to happen and then the momentum that we have built up in the second half went out of our sails a bit and it gave Burton the impetus. Credit to them they have gone on to see the game out with two fantastic strikes.”

Everything looked good for Rovers early on after Evans gave his side the lead, but Barton’s men were unable to build on it.

“It’s disappointing,” he said. “You come away from home and make a fantastic start, get your noses in front and you expect to kick on from there. If I am honest, we didn’t.

“We fell into thinking that we can sit back on the 1-0 but credit to Burton, they got themselves back into it. We find ourselves 2-1 down and then the red card leaves us with a real mountain to climb.”

Manager Paul Warne felt the Shrewsbury defeat was a microcosm of their season as Derby failed to stamp their authority in a 1-0 loss.

The Shrews were awarded a controversial penalty by referee Martin Woods just before half-time when Curtis Nelson pulled down Max Mata but Tom Bayliss took the effort and blazed the ball over the bar.

But the home faithful did manage to see the back of the net ripple in the 56th minute. Taylor Perry was the creator as he stood up a cross from the byline and sent it to the back post.

It looked like Bayliss met the delivery first but Conor Hourihane was the last player to make contact before the ball nestled into the back of the net.

Warne said: “It’s a microcosm of our season. Really good in parts and create unbelievable opportunities and cannot hit the net.

“The second half, we went for it. We were open and knew we are going to concede opportunities but I was prepared to lose 2-0 as opposed to not going for it.

“There was numerous occasions I’m waiting for the net to ripple but it didn’t.

“Good teams find a way to win even if they play badly. I don’t think we played badly. We just didn’t take chances.

“We just didn’t have a cutting edge. A couple of times the keeper made a good save or a last-ditch block but you would expect us to take them chances.

“We cannot do anything but try and help the players all the time, so I am not going in there throwing cups around.

“It’s hugely disappointing to lose. It was a game we came here to win and had an aggressive system and that’s all we can do again.”

Shrews boss Matt Taylor was proud of his players.

He said: “The emotion that runs through your body on the touchline is indescribable at times because that win means so much for us.

“I believe Derby are one of the favourites this season with the players they have at their disposal.

“What we have done is won a game of football against them where we should have been more convincing.

“We missed the penalty. We had numerous chances to put ourselves in a better position but what an amazing feeling.

“The connection with the fans is building. The new players are understanding that.

“From my perspective, it’s the biggest crowd of the season and to be able to go and share that feeling with them is fantastic.

“The players are the ones that carry out the instructions we give them. They were immense; what a performance and what a result! I am really happy.”

Darrell Clarke urged his Cheltenham players to enjoy the moment as they finally ended their wait for a win this season with a 1-0 victory over Cambridge.

The game was settled by Liam Sercombe’s sublime goal in the fifth minute, earning the Robins their first three-point haul of the campaign at the 13th attempt.

It also secured Clarke’s first victory since being appointed as boss at the end of September.

Clarke set his team the target of 15 wins to survive this season and he was delighted to see the first one ticked off.

“The club has never stayed in League One for four successive seasons before,” Clarke said.  “That is our aim as a football club and we want all the fans to buy into that.

“Yes, we’ve had a disastrous start that’s made it very difficult for ourselves, but you can see the lads today get a standing ovation coming off the pitch because the fans know the players have left everything out there.

“So, one of 15 wins down and onto the next, but I want the lads to enjoy the moment as well. Then it’s back to work on Monday.”

Experienced midfielder Sercombe, who played under Clarke at Bristol Rovers, beat goalkeeper Jack Stevens with a deft chip from 20 yards.

It was only the bottom-placed Robins’ second league goal of the season, but they are already showing signs of improvement under Clarke.

They had picked up a creditable 1-1 draw with Derby County in their last league outing and they started well against a Cambridge side who were winless in six.
Liam Smith forced a save from Stevens a minute before Sercombe’s breakthrough and Tom Bradbury was also close in the 11th minute.

Rob Street’s header from Sean Long’s crossed drifted just past the far post before half-time.

James Olayinka tested Stevens early in the second half, but Cambridge were close a leveller when Michael Morrison’s close-range header cleared the bar in the 70th minute.

Street saw another headed effort turned over by a flying Stevens three minutes later and Smith was denied by Morrison’s block late on, but Cheltenham had done enough to end their 175-day wait for a win.

Cambridge boss Mark Bonner admitted his team need to rediscover the form that saw them win four of their first six league games this season.

“It’s a brilliant finish from Sercombe, who is a top player,” he said.

“We have to get our performance levels back to the first three games of the season.

“You look at a batch of games where you think you can pick up points, but in the latest batch we’ve picked up just one.

“In the first half we wanted the players to be more direct and we knew it would be difficult.

“Cheltenham got a good point against Derby and you can see they are playing for their new manager.”

John Mousinho admitted Portsmouth could count themselves lucky to beat Carlisle 1-0 thanks to a stoppage-time winner.

Conor Shaughnessy scored a last-gasp header as the League One leaders stretched their unbeaten run to 24 games.

Head coach Mousinho said: “I’m delighted we’ve won of course. The manner of it, scoring in added time at the Fratton End, was just brilliant.

“I feel we’ve nicked one today and Carlisle can feel very hard done by because they played very well. But I thought we were excellent in the first half.

“We controlled the game, but we just couldn’t put the ball in the net.

“The second half was disappointing all in. I think we let ourselves down tactically to be honest.

“I thought we went a bit straight too much to the centre forward. I like to see us get the ball around the outside, wide down the wings because we cross the ball well.

“There’s a weight of expectation on the lads to get the goal and that can cause us to be exposed at times.

“Will (Norris) made an excellent save near the end which enabled us to keep chasing that goal.”

Pompey dominated the first half and Colby Bishop came close with headers in in the seventh and 15th minute.

The visitors nearly went ahead in the first minute of the second half when a weak shot from Alfie McCalmont hit the post.

Carlisle could have snatched it on 90 minutes but a Dan Butterworth strike was pushed around the post by Norris.

Shaughnessy’s dramatic late winner was a bitter pill for the Cumbrians to swallow.

Carlisle manager Paul Simpson said: “I am absolutely gutted for the lads out there. We didn’t deserve that at all.

“We came here with a really solid game plan and I thought the players executed it really well.

“I don’t think it was a lack of concentration for the goal. They worked it and got a block on, which they did well, and the delivery was good.

“If I’m honest, perhaps we should have taken advantage of the chances we had in the game.

“Their fans and the players were getting frustrated, but it’s a game of fine margins.

“Unfortunately, the performance gets forgotten. People look at the results, but those here today witnessed how well we played yet came away with nothing.

“The challenge is now to perform like that in every game. I’d rather play rubbish and pick up points.”

Darren Ferguson was disappointed by the performance of his Peterborough players despite their unbeaten League One run stretching to seven games.

Ferguson was also unhappy with the failure of referee Andrew Kitchen give his side a late penalty after Peter Kioso was sent tumbling in the box – an incident which could have led to an undeserved victory.

Brandon Hanlan fired Wycombe ahead in the 35th minute before Posh roared back to lead at the break courtesy of a Joel Randall strike direct from a corner and a classy Ephron Mason-Clark finish.

But it was Wycombe celebrating when the latter found the net again just after the hour as Mason-Clark headed a Luke Leahy free-kick into his own net.

Ferguson admitted: “I feel it could be a good point as I don’t think we deserved one.

“I was very pleased to be ahead at half-time, but I still wasn’t convinced by our performance and you cannot start a half of football how we did in the second half.

“Wycombe could quite easily have scored three goals in the first 10 minutes after half-time before they did get level.

“We looked off it today, but we also have to give the opposition credit and Wycombe were very good.

“I don’t like criticising a referee when your team has a bad performance as it looks like sour grapes in some ways, but I think he has made a mistake as it looks a clear penalty. If he watches it back, he might hold his hands up.

“Getting that penalty would have given us a break if we had gone on to win, but we probably got one drawing the game anyway.”

Wycombe chief Matt Bloomfield was much happier with his side, saying: “My over-riding feeling is one of pride in the way we played against top opposition.

“We felt calm at half-time even though we were behind as we were the better team for 40 minutes of the first half.

“After the corner went in for Peterborough’s first goal, we became a little bit erratic and ended up conceding a second goal that we are really disappointed about.

“But we felt we would have a chance of taking something from the game if we could replicate the first-half performance again in the second half.

“We came out of the blocks really well and Dale Taylor had a chance within 30 seconds. It felt like that was the spurt we needed and I really enjoyed watching us today.

“We spoke at Charlton and Portsmouth about playing well and not getting anything out of those games but today we had the character and composure to deliver in the second half.”

Stevenage manager Steve Evans once again bemoaned refereeing decisions but was encouraged with his side’s performance after a 0-0 draw at home to Port Vale.

Boro came into the game having suffered three defeats from their last four league matches following a strong start to the season and failed to score for just the second time this term against a resolute Valiants outfit.

Jake Forster-Caskey and Jamie Reid both went close for the hosts while Ben Garrity and Funso Ojo had the best sights of goal for Andy Crosby’s visitors.

But Evans turned his ire once more this season to the officials after he felt his side were let down by the failure of referee Scott Jackson to brandish two red cards to Port Vale players.

“There are some big things that have gone against us,” said Evans.

“My recall of the game is that some big decisions have gone against us, there should be a red card and a double yellow so they should be at nine men.

“We’ll no doubt get apologies again from the EFL on Monday.

“We only ask what should be right to us. It’s so frustrating but he’ll make his excuses, I’ll get an apology and I’ll badmouth him, here we go again.”

Despite frustrations with some of the decisions, Evans was upbeat with the result despite the Boro seeing chances to win the game pass them by in the second half.

“We missed two big chances, two one-on-ones and they’re big chances,” he continued.

“This game was a big benchmark for us because they’ve been in the league, they’re settled, they’ve got a brilliant owner and a good manager in Andy.

“I told the boys we couldn’t have a Blackpool [when they lost 3-0] and I said to the boys at the end not to be disappointed because for 75 minutes we’ve dominated.”

Vale also arrived in Hertfordshire struggling for form, with no victories in their last five league games.

The visitors started the brighter, however, with Ojo forcing Taye Ashby-Hammond into a smart save early on while Vale keeper Connor Ripley was made to earn a first clean sheet in six by denying Reid one-on-one.

Crosby was pleased with a point on the road despite his side’s winless streak extending to six.

“We knew what to expect, Stevenage are very good at what they do,” he said.

“There are many ways to skin a cat. They put you under physical and mental pressure for long periods.

“You can’t always go forward and score but it’s about keeping the ball away from them.

“I’m delighted with the clean sheet and the mentality of the group to stand up to it because they do test you.”

Neill Collins was delighted with the way his players responded as Leyton Orient ended Barnsley’s hopes of setting a new club record with a sixth successive away win.

The visitors, who finished with 10 men following the dismissal of substitute Sam Cosgrove for two yellow cards in the closing stages, had fallen behind when the O’s were awarded a first-half penalty that Joe Pigott converted.

Barnsley turned up the pressure after the break and were rewarded when Herbie Kane equalised with an unstoppable 20-yard strike.

“I thought it should have been 0-0 at half-time but I am really pleased that the players were able to come from behind in a tough environment,” Collins said.

“We could have won the game. Equally we could have lost and Leyton Orient will have been pleased with their performance.

“Anyone that sees the penalty will feel the same as me. I don’t think there was a single person in the stadium that felt it was a penalty and we were very confused with what the penalty had been given for.

“I am pleased the players rose above it and come away with a point. There wasn’t much in the first 30 minutes but I thought they put us under pressure when they played directly into Pigott but we lost a goal when we should have been scoring a goal.

“The build-up to our equaliser was brilliant and I thought Herbie Kane was excellent in the second half.

“For a bit more composure we could have scored another but I was really concerned when we went down to 10 men we were going to lose it at the death but the players never gave up.”

Orient head coach Richie Wellens was equally pleased with his own players.

“I thought it was a very good performance and a very good game,” he said. “Two good teams and both found it difficult to get the ball off each other unless it’s a mistake.

“The goal is disappointing although it was a worldie strike for their equaliser. All in all I thought we deserved the three points. It shows how far we’ve come.

“They’re a great team and will be among it. We are gutted with a point and they were delighted.

“Athletic-wise and tactically I thought we were better than them at times. We caused them a lot of problems and could have scored four or five today so lots of positives.

“I have not seen the penalty decision back but we are probably due one. We were dominant but just need to shift and move the ball better at times.

“If we want to accelerate and move to the top end in this league then we do need to score more goals.”