Both managers were angry with referee Simon Mather after Oxford United beat Bristol Rovers 2-1 at the Kassam Stadium in a match that saw three red cards dished out.

Rovers had Jevani Brown dismissed for two yellow cards midway through the second half, and Oxford had two of their substitutes, Oisin Smyth and Stan Mills, sent off in stoppage time.

Billy Bodin and Sam Long scored the goals which secured Oxford’s fifth successive Sky Bet League One victory, despite Aaron Collins’ late consolation.

United head coach Liam Manning said: “It was chaos at the end. I need to see the Mills one back again before I say anything about it because my initial decision is that it wasn’t a red card.

“I was delighted with the win, but I’m not happy with the end.

“We made it hard for ourselves with some of our decisions on the ball and not putting chances away, and we need to be more disciplined – that’s something I’ll have to look at.

“I don’t really want to be talking about the referee, I’d much rather talk about the performance, but the level of refereeing performances in general is not meeting the standards we need.

“And it’s just frustrating that the outcome of some games seems to depend on the referee.

“It was a tough first half. Out of possession we ended up conceding too much of the ball. The one moment of real quality came from Billy Bodin for our goal.”

Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton felt his side should have had a penalty and that Collins’ disallowed goal in the first half should not have been ruled out.

“I feel severely aggrieved by the referee’s performance,” he said. “We’ll get fined if I tell the truth but clearly anyone who watched that will see there was a lack of control from the officiating team for most of the game.

“I think the officials will look back at this game and, when they are debriefed, there will be a lot of things they’ll wish they did differently.

“Everyone who was here today knows we were the better side. If they don’t, then they don’t understand the game of football.

“We showed who the stronger group is. We had seven or eight missing today. Oxford are a good side on a good run but they are nowhere near as good as us.

“It would have been a great game of football had it been officiated correctly but it descended into a slightly farcical situation.

“I can’t wait to get our hands back on Oxford again at our place. It’s a team we look forward to playing. We have nothing to fear in this division.”

Oxford United beat Bristol Rovers 2-1 in a fiery Sky Bet League One match that saw three red cards.

Billy Bodin finished superbly in the 13th minute to put United ahead.

Controlling Ruben Rodrigues’ chip with his chest to beat his marker, Bodin hammered the ball past Matthew Cox for his second goal of the season.

Rovers were reduced to 10 men in the 63rd minute when Jevani Brown collected a second yellow card for tripping Josh Murphy.

Oxford effectively sealed the points nine minutes from time with defender Sam Long nodding in at close range following Cameron Brannagan’s corner.

Aaron Collins pulled one back for The Gas on 89 minutes, rifling an angled shot high into the net.

Oxford then had two of their substitutes sent off in stoppage time.

Oisin Smyth was given his marching orders for two yellow cards, and moments later Stan Mills was shown a straight red card for violent conduct after a clash with Sam Finley.

Leyton Orient have paid tribute to supporter Derek Reynolds, who died after being taken unwell towards the end of the League One match against Lincoln on Tuesday night.

After fans had gone on to the pitch to alert the referee to the medical emergency in the East Stand, the match was halted in the 82nd minute and eventually abandoned.

The London Ambulance Service confirmed on Wednesday morning that despite extensive treatment and the combined efforts at the scene – which included an incident response officer, two medics in fast-response cars and an ambulance crew – the 74-year-old man had later been pronounced dead.

On Wednesday afternoon, Orient revealed plans to pay tribute to Reynolds at Saturday’s home game against Reading, with his family invited as guests of the club.

A book of condolence will be available for supporters in the East Stand to sign on Saturday, and then afterwards for all fans in West Stand reception.

“Leyton Orient Football Club is devastated to confirm that supporter Derek Reynolds has passed away,” a club statement read.

“Derek, 74, became unwell at Brisbane Road during Tuesday evening’s league fixture against Lincoln City.

“Despite the best efforts of Derek’s fellow supporters and medical professionals from the club’s on-site paramedics and doctors, Lincoln City and the London Ambulance Service, he sadly lost his life.

“Derek was a lifelong O’s supporter and he lived in Osbourne Road, a short walk from the ground, for many years. As well as being a lifelong fan, Derek was heavily involved in the club and managed the club’s tannoy system during the 1990s.

“The club will be paying tribute to Derek at Saturday’s home fixture against Reading and his family have been invited to the game as guests of the club.

“We would, once again, like to thank Derek’s fellow supporters for the way in which they conducted themselves on Tuesday night and acted to try and help the situation.”

Lincoln also passed on the club’s condolences.

“The thoughts of everyone connected with Lincoln City are with the family of the Leyton Orient supporter Derek Reynolds who passed away during Tuesday night’s game at Brisbane Road,” the Imps said in a post on social media.

Orient were leading 1-0 when the game was stopped, through an early goal from Joe Pigott.

The English Football League will determine whether the fixture will be rescheduled, or if the result at the time of the abandonment will stand. The decision will be taken only after consultation with both clubs.

Guidance is in place for clubs if a supporter becomes unwell in a stadium, with local circumstances determining the action taken.

It is strongly advised the nearest steward is made aware, who will ensure the crowd medical team is notified and that appropriate care is provided.

Then should a situation arise where there is a need for the match to be halted, a decision will be taken between the crowd medical team, the ground safety team and the match officials, with the information relayed to the supporters at the ground. The EFL will also be informed at this point.

All clubs have a matchday medical plan with dedicated crowd medical teams in the stadium, ready to assist at any point during the game.

A man has died after being taken unwell towards the end of Leyton Orient and Lincoln’s abandoned Sky Bet League One match at Brisbane Road, the London Ambulance Service has confirmed.

A fan ran on the pitch towards referee Stephen Martin to draw attention to the fact that a member of the public needed medical attention in the East Stand.

The match then continued for less than a minute before around 20 supporters sat down on the pitch at the home end to alert the referee to the continuing medical emergency, with play soon halted.

As paramedics appeared to give the man CPR on the side of the pitch, the referee took the teams off the field.

The match was abandoned an hour after the initial stoppage occurred and as the fans left the ground, the medical teams were still in attendance.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday the man had later been pronounced dead.

“We were called yesterday at 9:28pm to reports of a person becoming unwell at Leyton Orient Football Club, on Brisbane Road,” a London Ambulance Service spokesperson said in a statement.

“We sent a number of resources to the scene, including an incident response officer, two medics in fast-response cars and an ambulance crew. Our first medic arrived in approximately four minutes.

“We treated a man at the scene, but very sadly, despite our teams’ best efforts, he was later pronounced dead.”

Leyton Orient were leading 1-0 when the game was stopped, through an early goal from Joe Pigott.

The English Football League will determine whether the fixture will be rescheduled, or if the result at the time of the abandonment will stand. The decision will be taken only after consultation with both clubs.

Guidance is in place for clubs if a supporter becomes unwell in a stadium, with local circumstances determining the action taken.

It is strongly advised the nearest steward is made aware, who will ensure that the crowd medical team is notified and that appropriate care is provided.

Then should a situation arise where there is a need for the match to be halted, a decision will be taken between the crowd medical team, the ground safety team and the match officials, with the information relayed to the supporters at the ground. The EFL will also be informed at this point.

All clubs have a matchday medical plan with dedicated crowd medical teams in the stadium, ready to assist at any point during the match.

Leyton Orient issued a statement on Tuesday evening following the decision to abandoned the game.

“The thoughts of everyone at Leyton Orient Football Club are with the individual involved and their loved ones at this distressing time,” the statement read.

“The club would like to thank all supporters in attendance at Brisbane Road this evening for the understanding and compassion shown, during a very difficult situation.

“The club will provide a further update in due course.”

Cheltenham equalled the record for the most consecutive games without scoring in the Football League as Tuesday night’s 2-0 loss to Fleetwood extended their run to 11.

Coventry in 1919-20 and Hartlepool in 1992-93 also went 11 games without scoring and here, the PA news agency looks at the longest scoreless runs and how the Robins compare.

Cheltenham not at the races

Junior Quitirna and Jack Marriott scored Fleetwood’s goals as Cheltenham had veteran defender Curtis Davies sent off on their way to another unwanted record.

Their nine-game drought up to September 23’s 3-0 defeat to Stevenage was already the longest from the start of a Football League season, beating Halifax Town’s eight in 1990-91. Last Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Lincoln extended that before Fleetwood won by the same scoreline.

The Robins prop up League One with a solitary point, with only a goalless draw against Portsmouth breaking the run of defeats as 19 goals have gone in at the other end – exceeding the 15 shipped by Hartlepool or 13 by Coventry in their own runs of futility.

Expanding the picture to all competitions does not improve matters, with Cheltenham beaten 2-0 by Birmingham in the Carabao Cup. The ball did end up in Bristol Rovers’ goal in the Papa John’s Trophy but via an own goal from James Gibbons, who also scored at the right end in a 4-1 Rovers win.

Town striker Robert Street also scored an own goal in that game, one of three by Cheltenham players this season along with Liam Smith in the 3-0 loss to Bolton and Will Ferry for the only goal at Reading. Davies’ red card against Fleetwood was also their third of the season after James Olayinka and Nathan Butler-Oyedeji left them down to nine men against Peterborough.

Manager Wade Elliott was sacked after that 3-0 defeat, the eighth game in the sequence, with interim boss Kevin Russell and permanent replacement Darrell Clarke as yet unable to stop the rot.

Feeling Blue

The original 11-game record dates back over a century to Coventry’s dismal 1919-20 season in the second tier.

The Sky Blues, playing the same opponents on back-to-back weekends throughout their run, lost 1-0 to Fulham before a goalless draw in the return fixture and then drew 0-0 and lost 1-0 against Bristol City.

Huddersfield beat them 2-0 and 5-0, they followed a goalless draw with a 2-0 defeat against both Blackpool and West Ham, and another 0-0 with Leyton Orient completed the sequence before they ended it in style, Billy Walker’s opener setting up a 3-2 win over Stoke on Christmas Day 1919.

The first six scoreless games were under the caretaker management of Harry Harbourne, after William Clayton had been sacked following a poor start to the season. Harry Pollitt, who took over in time for the first Blackpool fixture and oversaw the remainder of the run, was later banned from football for life after being found guilty of match-fixing offences in the season-ending double-header against Bury.

Hartlepool, who like Cheltenham today were playing in the third tier, started their 1993 goalless run in the same way Coventry ended theirs as they drew 0-0 with Orient on January 9, before matching that result next time out against Preston.

They then lost 3-0 to Huddersfield and 2-0 in successive games against Rotherham, Reading and Port Vale. Mansfield and Bolton also beat them by two goals, interspersed with 1-0 losses to Bournemouth and Chester, before a goalless draw with Wigan.

A 1-1 draw against Blackpool on March 6 finally ended the run and ensured they did not break the record outright – can Cheltenham do likewise against Derby on Saturday?

Portsmouth manager John Mousinho was thrilled after Conor Shaughnessy’s late heroics handed his table-toppers a 2-1 victory over Wycombe.

Centre-back Shaughnessy bagged his first Pompey goal in the 98th minute when he connected with Jack Sparkes’ corner to send Fratton Park wild.

Pompey had gone behind to Wycombe captain Josh Scowen’s near post-flick from Luke Leahy’s in-swinging corner in the 22nd minute but responded after 58 minutes when Abu Kamara’s low cross was stabbed in by Colby Bishop, who netted his sixth goal of the season.

Mousinho said: “It feels amazing to be honest. To have the reaction to scoring the goal in front of the Fratton End; the whole stadium went up.

“I thought we thoroughly deserved the win. We obviously left it very late, and I only allowed myself a few seconds to celebrate because I knew I had to get Sean Raggett on straight away”

“I thought our chance had gone when Colby missed a chance at the far post.

“My emotions wouldn’t have been quite as happy if we hadn’t scored that late goal but I would have been as happy with the performance and how we went about things. Overall I’m pleased with tonight.

“We stood up to the physical test really well. Wycombe are really good at what they do. They have a Premier League centre forward and have plenty of Championship calibre behind it.

“We went a goal behind and it is difficult from there. Wycombe sat in and made it difficult. We stuck at it under difficult circumstances and were absolutely superb.”

Pompey recorded their 22nd game unbeaten in Sky Bet League One to stay top.

Wycombe boss Matt Bloomfield complained Shaughessy’s winner had come after a foul on his goalkeeper Max Stryjek.

He said: “I am very angry and frustrated, and also sorry for the supporters who made the journey on a Tuesday night.

“It was a blatant foul on the goalkeeper for their second. Their player jumps into him and prevents him from catching the ball and flattens him.

“I was very proud of the lads tonight and thought we carried a threat even in the second half. We deserved something from the game.

“Decisions against us are becoming a regular occurrence.

“It is so disappointing that the lads work extremely hard and decisions like that cost us getting something out of the game. That’s the second game in a row we have been hard done by.

“We were really looking forward to this game, so disappointed to come away with nothing.

“We obviously have to pick ourselves up from this. We go to Fleetwood on Saturday, and we need to start getting points.”

Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton tipped striker Jevani Brown to “go from strength to strength” after his first goal for the club sealed a comfortable 3-0 League One victory over 10-man Port Vale at the Memorial Stadium.

Barton praised Brown after his 20-yard goal late on completed a good night’s work for the summer signing from Exeter, who put the Gas on course for victory when he crossed for Luke McCormick to head the hosts into a 25-minute lead.

Vale defender Jesse Debrah was sent off after 38 minutes for a second bookable offence before right-back Jack Hunt popped up in first-half stoppage-time to double the lead and then Brown capped a fine personal show in style, four minutes from time.

Barton said: “Jevani’s a quality operator and that goal was important because it will lift a weight off his shoulders and I’m sure that he’ll now go from strength to strength for us.

“It was his best performance in the blue and white quarters and a lovely top-binner like that right in front of our most vociferous fans will certainly settle him and endear him to the supporters.

“It was a hell of a ball in for the first goal and everyone in the stadium now knows what a top-notch operator JB is.”

Barton says he is confident Brown will turn Rovers into a formidable attacking force.

He added: “JB’s had to be patient because it takes bit of time to get up to speed but tonight we looked unplayable up front with JB, Aaron Collins and Chris Martin and their pace and link-up play.

“I always knew his goal would come and I’m buzzing for him. We’re lucky to have him at our club. We have had to be streetwise to beat the rat race for him.

“But I know he’ll bear fruit over the next few months amid all the challenges we face this season.”

Vale boss Andy Crosby tipped former Halifax defender Debrah to learn from his sending off.

Crosby said: “Jesse is going to be fantastic for our club. He’s got fantastic attributes and we’ll be there to support him. He’ll learn from this and we’ll back him.”

“The referee has made a decision but I’m not sure (over) the first one, which looked like just a coming-together from the bench.

“As soon as you go down to 10 men, it’s going to be extremely difficult but the referee had a decision to make, the rules have changed in terms of how tackles are interpreted. It was a cheap one.”

Crosby praised his side for their show of resilience in the second half.

Crosby added: “We beat their press numerous times and got into their final third many times but if you don’t track your men into your own box and concede poor goals, you give yourself a big mountain to climb.

“We freshened things up at half-time with four changes to stay in the game and I’m so proud of the players’ reaction because they kept fighting and didn’t go under. We hung in there and defeat is difficult to take.”

Michael Appleton feels Charlton are showing they are no longer a “soft touch” after responding to adversity in their 4-1 victory over Exeter.

The Addicks have taken 11 points from a possible 15 to move within striking distance of the League One play-offs and are unbeaten under their head coach, who was appointed last month.

Charlton had to fight back from going a goal down in the 23rd minute. The hosts were opened up by Reece Cole’s pass, with Exeter striker James Scott slipping his finish past Ashley Maynard-Brewer.

Charlton levelled just before half-time through the in-form Corey Blackett-Taylor, his third goal in the last four fixtures.

Alfie May’s poacher instincts bailed out Chuks Aneke after his 65th-minute penalty was pushed onto the base of the post by Exeter keeper Viljami Sinisalo, racing into the box to hammer in from close range.

Exeter’s cause was not helped by captain Will Aimson’s dismissal for a challenge on May. Substitute Miles Leaburn then emphatically drove home Charlton’s third before May took his goal tally for the campaign to five after Blackett-Taylor once again caused City huge problems.

Appleton said: “There was a little bit of a lapse in concentration for their goal. But we keep responding, which is really, really pleasing.

“I said it in my programme notes – there was a question mark over them as a group, maybe being a bit of a soft touch. It was something I wanted to eradicate and make sure it doesn’t happen.

“When we have been asked questions over the first four games they have responded really, really well.

“We were good second half. The worry when the opposition go down to 10 men is that they are going to take an extra touch and slow it down a bit but we did the opposite and that was great to see.

“We camped for long, long periods in their last third. We can still be a bit more patient but it is very difficult for me to be critical of the team tonight because they gave me everything they had.”

Grecians boss Gary Caldwell was critical of referee David Rock over both Aimson’s dismissal and the penalty decision.

He said: “If you get the ball, how is it a red card? It’s clear he wins the ball.

“Alfie May does what clever players do – he buys the foul and rolls around to buy the red card. That’s football – I’m not having a go at him – but the ref has been conned.

“I got a reaction from my players all night – I don’t think the players got any help in the game. The gameplan was working to a tee in the first half and we had opportunities to go 2-0 up, that was frustrating.

“If the penalty for Charlton is a penalty then we have a penalty in the first half. They are identical actions and we don’t get it.

“We are not getting any big moments and tonight we didn’t get anything from decisions – it went strongly against us when you need it to go in your favour for big games.”

Dino Maamria hailed an “absolutely outstanding” performance as Burton finally secured a first home League One win of the season with a 2-1 victory over Wigan.

Two goals from Joe Powell, the first a stunning 25-yarder and the second from the penalty spot after Kell Watts had handled in the box, secured the three points after Charlie Hughes had put Wigan in front just before half-time.

Albion had to finish the game with 10 men after Beryly Lubala picked up a second yellow card making it a nervy end for Albion and the manager.

“I am delighted for the lads because they work so hard and people don’t see the graft that they put in and the setbacks we keep getting,” Maamria said.

“But they keep rising and we never lost belief in what we are doing and I thought tonight’s performance was absolutely outstanding.

“It was a different type of performance. To beat a very good Wigan team here in the way that we beat them is a real credit to the players.

“After a slow start we took control of the game and should have scored at least a couple and then to concede from the long throw was a real kick in the teeth.”

Maamria reserved praise for Powell, who is rapidly becoming one of the real leaders in the Brewers squad.

“We have got some big players but probably the biggest turnaround since I’ve been in charge is Powelly,” he said.

“He is not just what you see on the pitch. He is a proper voice in the dressing room and a true leader in there. We have a few young ones leading but he is right up there.”

For Wigan it was a third defeat in a row and just one win in the last six league games after a fine start to the season.

Boss Shaun Maloney knew his side were in for a tough encounter against the Brewers.

“I knew what type of match it was going to be. It was never going to be really open or free flowing so the game went how I thought it would,” he said.

“Two moments in the game cost us the result. I have no complaints on the penalty. I can’t be too critical because the players, in general, they gave me the performance that I wanted.

“Today I felt we didn’t quite get what we deserved. A draw maybe but at 1-0 I felt pretty comfortable. We will have moments like this throughout the season.

“What I didn’t expect was that when you have this sort of moment, like we have over the last two or three games, the impact it can have on the mindset. A bit longer lasting than I thought and these results feel harder because of our position in the table.”

Darrell Clarke vowed to turn Cheltenham’s fortunes around after their 2-0 defeat by Fleetwood saw them equal the EFL record with 11 scoreless games in succession.

Goals from Junior Quitirna and Jack Marriott secured a second win in a row for Fleetwood, with Curtis Davies’ red card in the 70th minute adding to the bottom-placed Robins’ misery.

Clarke, who was on the touchline for the first time since being unveiled as their new boss on Friday, admitted there will be no quick fix.

“The fans made their feelings known after the game and you can’t keep beating the players with a stick,” Clarke said.

“I don’t think it was a lack of effort, to be honest. It’s just a real lack of quality through the team, wrong decision making and players looking like little boys in a really tough league.

“That’s the reality of it and same as I said to my players in there, they are going to get all my support to try and turn them into men and into footballers because for a lot of them this is going to be a really harsh lesson.

“I am old enough and ugly enough to understand where we are at, but I will get it right, I know I will.

“There will be a lot sleepless nights ahead, a lot of hard work, but that’s what I am here for and owe it to our fans to make sure we can get a team out there they are going to be proud of.”

Quitirna curled a free-kick inside the bottom corner from 20 yards in the 19th minute to set Lee Johnson’s side on their way to a second successive victory.

Cheltenham were close to ending their drought in the fifth minute when Jovan Malcolm’s shot from 12 yards hit the post and Sean Long’s follow-up attempt flashed wide.

Davies saw a header gathered on the line by Jay Lynch 10 minutes into the second half.

But the veteran defender was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Ryan Broom in the 70th minute.

Jayden Stockley’s effort rebounded off the bar and Marriott reached quickest to tap in from close range and seal the win.

Fleetwood’s assistant manager Darren Way said: “I think from start to finish we were well organised.

“The lads implemented what the gaffer wanted. It’s been very rewarding for everyone involved and I felt we could’ve scored more.

“The gaffer is implementing a new style and philosophy and the great thing is that the players are willing to learn. He wants a team playing on the front foot.

“We’re a work in progress, but everyone can see what we’re trying to do. Every staff member is driving standards every day.”

Paul Warne hailed a 3-1 victory at Blackpool as the best display of his year-long Derby tenure as Korey Smith, James Collins and Martyn Waghorn netted for the visitors.

The Rams have now won four of their five away games so far in League One, with only one victory coming at home.

“It’s the proudest I’ve been and probably the best performance since I’ve been here,” Warne said.

“I think away from home I would like 11 speedsters, that’s what I would like in my team. We don’t have 11 speedsters, we have two or three.

“So sometimes away from home you can play counter-attack, you don’t have to have the ball as much, but you have to be deadly when you have it and we have been.

“Our away form has been good. I think we’ve been pretty good at home but we just haven’t taken our chances but tonight we took harder chances than we’ve been creating at home and we’ve missed.”

After a goalless first half, Smith netted in the 54th minute to move Derby ahead, firing Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s cutback into the top of the net.

Collins put the Rams further in front on 71 minutes only for Blackpool to hit straight back as Kenny Dougall headed home.

The Seasiders were inches away from an equaliser when the in-form Jordan Rhodes headed against the bar from 10 yards out.

Substitute Tom Barkhuizen restored Derby’s momentum, first seeing an attempt cleared off the line before teeing up Waghorn for a simple finish to ensure the victory.

Blackpool manager Neil Critchley said: “I’m disappointed about the result but not too downbeat.

“I thought it was a really good game, two good teams on the pitch. Derby changed their system, gave us an enormous amount of respect in the way they set up and produced the perfect away performance by defending in numbers and playing us on the break. And they produced moments of real quality.

“We played some really good football, I enjoyed our performance in the second half. Goals change games, we started the second half well but they scored.

“We hit the crossbar at 2-1. If that goes in the game is different.

“They scored when we were on top in the second half. We could have defended that better, but our players have shown spirit.

“We’ll play worse than that and win this season.”

Stevenage boss Steve Evans was angry after seeing his side suffer a 3-2 defeat in an eventful Sky Bet League One loss at play-off rivals Bolton.

The visitors equalised twice but Wanderers snatched a second victory in four days with Josh Sheehan’s first league goal of the campaign, 20 minutes from time.

But Scot Evans believed Bolton should already have been down to 10 men.

Instead, referee Josh Smith deemed substitute Cameron Jerome’s challenge on Carl Piergianni – which left the Stevenage skipper with a bloody nose – was only worthy of a penalty and yellow card.

Two-goal Jamie Reid levelled from the spot for his ninth goal of the campaign before Wales international Sheehan hit the winner.

“(Referees chief) Howard Webb thinks he has problems in the Premier League but they have huge problems in the Football League,” said Evans.

“I have got to be careful what I say about the referee but there were some horrendous decisions.

“They (Bolton) should be down to nine men, eight men maybe. The challenge on Piergianni is a penalty but it is a straight red every day of the week.”

Evans also felt Jack Iredale should have received a second yellow card for a foul before half-time.

But the Australian escaped further punishment and went on to net Bolton’s second goal and provide the assist for Sheehan’s winner.

Evans added: “We made a very good team look average but we got nothing for it. We were far the better team for long periods.

“But there is no point me talking anymore I will put myself in trouble but the standard of officials is getting absolutely dreadful.”

Bolton boss Ian Evatt defended veteran striker Jerome whose challenge eventually resulted in Piergianni’s substitution.

“Cam isn’t that type of player,” said his manager. “He isn’t just going to elbow someone off the ball. It is just not us.

“He jumped for the ball and just didn’t see him behind him.

“They contacted our players enough and there was an incident first half that I haven’t really talked about where Dion Charles clearly gets elbowed – but it is part of the game.

“They got the penalty and, for me, a yellow card and a penalty is fair.”

On a victory that lifted the Trotters up to third, Evatt added: “People shouldn’t underestimate any team managed by Steve Evans.

“They ask you questions. It is tough to play against and takes serious energy and serious concentration with a depleted squad and the energy we put into winning last Saturday.

“So, I am happy for the players to find a way to win. The togetherness in the group is amazing.”

Northampton boss Jon Brady was delighted after his side secured back-to-back League One wins by beating Reading 3-1 at Sixfields.

The home side were dominant in the first period and goals from Sam Hoskins and Louis Appere gave them a 2-0 lead at half-time.

Reading fought back and Dom Ballard’s goal 24 minutes from time resurrected hope of a comeback, but that was killed off by Mitch Pinnock in stoppage-time.

“I think we showed both sides of our game tonight,” said Brady. “For the first 15 or 20 minutes, I felt we had them on the back foot with how we started and how we played.

“It gave us a strong foothold, especially when we got that early goal from Sam. That was really important but full respect to Reading because I think they are a high level side.

“We watched them over and over and they play with a 4-2-2-2 and their movement is excellent. We compressed them and worked so hard and in the second half we really had to dig in and show a different side to our game.

“They pushed their full-backs right on but we were a threat on the counter-attack and got that third goal at the end.

“We dominated the first 25 minutes and then had to weather a few storms but I’m just pleased to make it back-to-back wins because that’s hugely important at this level.”

Having been docked four points this season, Reading are now third from bottom in League One with just six points from their opening 10 games while Andy Yiadom – an unused substitute – was shown a red card by the referee in stoppage time.

Royals boss Ruben Selles said: “It’s a tough night and again it was the first part of the game where we were not ready.

“We came here with an idea of how to play at the start of the game but we did completely the opposite and it’s difficult to come back after those tough moments.

“We had some opportunities to equalise but their goalkeeper made two fantastic saves and then straight after we concede another goal and that makes it very difficult.

“We did well in the second half, we got the goal and we had chances to score again but you can make mistakes when chasing the game in the last few minutes and we did that.

“We need to reflect and we need to learn quickly. We’re not scoring enough goals but we’re getting into the right positions so we need to be more ruthless and more clinical with our finishing.

“That’s the thing which is stopping us from winning games.”

The League One match between Leyton Orient and Lincoln was abandoned after 82 minutes due to a medical emergency suffered by a member of the crowd.

A fan ran on the pitch towards referee Stephen Martin to draw attention to the fact that a member of the public needed medical attention in the East Stand.

The game then continued for less than a minute before around 20 fans sat down on the pitch at the home end to alert the referee to the continuing medical emergency and the game was halted.

With the paramedics appearing to give the individual CPR on the side of the pitch, the referee took the teams off the field.

The match was abandoned an hour after the initial stoppage occurred. and as the fans left the ground, the medical teams were still attending to the patient.

The home side were leading 1-0 when the game was stopped.

Oxford boss Liam Manning hailed his team’s comfortable 3-0 win over Shrewsbury at the Kassam Stadium as “another professional performance”.

The U’s briefly went back to the top of Sky Bet League One, only for Portsmouth’s late winner against Wycombe to leave Manning’s men in second place, but with a four-point cushion over third-placed Bolton.

Oxford’s goals came from Fin Stevens in the 17th minute, Ciaron Brown on the hour-mark and Greg Leigh in stoppage time, with the Shrews not helping themselves as Joe Anderson was sent off just before the second goal for a second yellow card.

Keeper Marko Marosi was at fault for the first and third goals.

Manning said: “It was a really professional performance because we restricted them to very little, and arguably could have scored more goals.

“This was another experience for the team, seeing how we could break down opponents when we had a lot of possession, and later when they had 10 players.

“We are playing with confidence and we wanted to make sure the intensity is there, and the discipline and we had that.

“Our first goal was wing-back to wing-back – Leigh to Stevens – and it was nice for Stevens to get his first goal – it’s important to us that everyone chips in.”

Left-back Leigh, who was sent off against Port Vale and then away on international duty, is now Oxford’s second highest scorer.

Manning said: “Yes, Greg had an interesting start to his career here, but you could see last Saturday the quality he has and what he brings to us.

“I actually thought we had more quality against 11 players in the first half than we did against 10. But it was another new experience and good test to see how we managed the game against 10 men.

“We’ve got options coming off the bench and depth, it’s a strong group and people need to be ready for when they come in and get a chance.”

Shrewsbury’s head coach Matty Taylor admitted he was angry with his players.

Taylor said: “It was always going to be tough coming here against a good team and when you make the errors we did that makes it even tougher.

“Out of possession I thought we were in control but we made three bad errors and got punished for it.

“And making errors is uncharacteristic for this group of players.

“There has been a conversation in the dressing room and the players, who are obviously disappointed, understand why I am angry.

“With the first goal Marosi should catch it and doesn’t, and the third goal – coming all the way out there – is something he doesn’t need to do.

“He has been consistent for us, and he needs to get back to being consistent for us again.

“I have no arguments with the sending off. I’ve looked back at it and yes, it’s two yellow cards.

“But apart from the three errors and three goals, I think our keeper’s only had one real save to make.

“I think 11 v 11 we would have created more chances, but going down to 10 men and then conceding a second goal from that free-kick made it impossible for us.

“We need to regroup and make sure we don’t do this again. I am really angry because that is not a reflection of the types of players we have got at this club.

“We didn’t make the correct decisions as often as we have in previous games. The players now need to be positive for what is a massive and difficult game against Northampton on Saturday.”