Derby suffered more frustration at Pride Park as they were held to a goalless draw by Cambridge.

Paul Warne’s side were on top throughout but could not turn possession into goals and have now won only once at home in the league.

Derby should have gone ahead in the second minute when Nathaniel Mendez-Laing broke clear and played in Tom Barkhuizen, but he shot straight at Will Mannion.

Barkhuizen had a goalbound shot blocked as the Rams dominated before the game stopped in the 31st minute, all those in the stadium applauding for Derby substitute goalkeeper Josh Vickers, whose wife Laura recently died of cancer.

Cambridge were relieved to get to half-time still level, although their resistance should have been broken in the 66th minute, only for Martyn Waghorn’s unmarked header from eight yards to bounce over.

Paul Digby had Cambridge’s first shot on target in the 74th minute, but Derby continued to press without unlocking an organised and determined defence as the visitors held on for a hard-earned point.

Portsmouth strengthened their position at the top of Sky Bet League One with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at 10-man Wigan.

The home side, in the drop zone as a result of their eight-point deduction, started the brighter and took the lead after 27 minutes.

Charlie Wyke and Scott Smith helped the ball on to Martial Godo and the on-loan Fulham winger slotted into the far corner of the net.

The lead only lasted four minutes, however, as Jack Sparkes’ corner was flicked on by Colby Bishop for Regan Poole to get the final touch.

Portsmouth took the lead eight minutes before the break when Paddy Lane fired the ball past Sam Tickle, via a slight deflection off Kell Watts.

Wigan’s task became even tougher when Wyke was shown a straight red card four minutes after the restart for a rash challenge on Marlon Pack.

But the home side never gave up the ghost and were denied what looked to be a stonewall penalty for handball, which saw both benches involved in the technical area and yellow cards for Wigan No 2 Graham Barrow and his Portsmouth counterpart Jon Harley.

Northampton ended a run of three straight League One defeats with a 2-0 win over Exeter at St James Park.

Sam Hoskins and Patrick Brough were on target for the Cobblers.

Northampton dominated as Mitch Pinnock crossed to the back post where Hoskins ghosted in, but his shot was superbly saved at close range by Vili Sinisalo.

With their next attack after 20 minutes, the visitors went in front when Hoskins was played through on goal by Shaun McWilliams and made no mistake, rolling the ball between the legs of Sinisalo and into the net from 15 yards.

Exeter’s first attempt came in the 27th minute, but Sonny Cox was off target from 18 yards and then Yanic Wildschut shot straight at Lee Burge from the edge of the box.

McWilliams should have put the game to bed, but was denied by a superb block by Exeter defender Alex Hartridge, while Pinnock was off target with another shot from 25 yards.

Exeter huffed and puffed, but rarely looked like scoring with Northampton always the more likely on the counter attack and the Cobblers wrapped it up in stoppage time when they broke at pace and Kieron Bowie squared for Brough to tap in from eight yards.

A first-half double from Lasse Sorensen sealed a comfortable 2-0 home victory for Lincoln over a Cheltenham side still looking for their first league goal of the season.

The Danish wing-back struck after five minutes to put the Imps in front after Ted Bishop’s pass.

His second arrived in the 21st minute after Aidan Keena lost possession for Cheltenham, allowing Reeco Hackett to supply Sorensen, who beat Luke Southwood with another low finish.

Hackett was close to adding a third two minutes later, curling a shot just past the post with Southwood at full stretch.

Hakeeb Adelakun saw a shot blocked in the box by Lewis Freestone as Lincoln dominated proceedings at Sincil Bank.

Adelakun had the ball in the net in the 66th minute, but the offside flag was raised and it was ruled out.

Cheltenham rarely threatened to respond and their record-breaking wait for an EFL goal from the start of the season extends to 10 matches.

Their new boss Darrell Clarke was watching from the stands before he officially begins work on Monday.

Derby goalkeeper Josh Vickers has paid an emotional tribute to his wife after revealing she has died of cancer less than four months after they were married.

The 27-year-old former Lincoln and Rotherham keeper confirmed on social media that his wife Laura died on Tuesday.

Alongside a picture of the couple on their wedding day, Vickers, who started his career at Arsenal, wrote: “I have written and unwritten this so many times and still can’t find the right words to say and don’t know if I ever will.

“On Tuesday evening my wife lost her long battle against cancer…

“Laura is the strongest, bravest and most loving person I have ever met. Even though everything she was going through, she continued to smile, never letting anything get in the way of having a good time and making a lifetime of memories.

“We have cried, laughed and danced our way through some tough times.

“I will cherish every moment we spent together from the first time we met to the moment you peacefully passed. I know that you will be looking down on me and continuing to inspire me every day.

“Thank you to everyone that has supported myself and both families through this incredibly difficult time. Truly fortunate to have the most amazing family and friends!

“I Love You Always & Forever.”

Vickers’ Derby team-mates showed their support by holding up his shirt following their 2-0 League One victory over Carlisle on Saturday, while the Rams and his former clubs posted messages of condolence.

Paul Warne was delighted for striker James Collins after he scored his 200th goal in club football during Derby’s 2-0 win over Carlisle.

The Republic of Ireland international’s brilliant brace secured the Rams their first win at Carlisle since 1957.

Collins’ milestone came with a fine instinctive first-half finish before the 32-year-old wrapped up the points at Brunton Park with an emphatic late penalty.

Warne, who has a quartet of strikers to keep happy at Pride Park, said: “We always try and pick a team to win and I thought the team would win with Collo in it.

“Starting him paid off. He was really good. He led the line really well.

“You need a physical presence up there when other players aren’t having their best game, and I thought Collo was the standout.

“I’m really pleased for him. He lives right, trains right. He’s the best version of himself. I’d have loved him 10 years ago!

“He’s a great guy and the lads love him in the dressing room so they’re really pleased he’s got a brace. It’s a nice day for him.

“Every player thinks they should play every minute of every game.

“It’s not easy, I have to have disappointing conversations and disappoint people, but that’s my job.

“I’m pretty pleased. I didn’t think we were amazing, but this is League One. You come away and you have to be resilient.

“We’ve felt sorry for ourselves in recent weeks. Great teams dig in when they need to and I think we defended well.”

Carlisle had their chances and on another day could have got something out of the game.

Jordan Gibson’s strike slipped through Joe Wildsmith’s fingers but only hit the crossbar before Luke Plange’s effort came back off a post.

Carlisle boss Paul Simpson said: “You look at the players they’re bringing on and they’re really effective players.

“I always felt we looked like we’d get something out of it and the disappointing thing is that we didn’t show that in the second half.

“What we have to do is take that belief from what we did in the first half and get the momentum back from the last three games and that first half.

“We didn’t do enough second half and didn’t build on that momentum we had in the first half.

“They showed their experience, their nous and in the end it was a fairly comfortable second half for them.

“I was disappointed. I thought we were in it first half and deserved to be level at half-time.

“We created opportunities and caused them problems. We didn’t have that little bit of luck with Jordan Gibson’s shot and Luke Plange’s shot against the post.”

Stevenage boss Steve Evans was thrilled to see Elliott List bag a brace in a comfortable 3-0 win at managerless Cheltenham Town.

The former Gillingham forward missed a year of action after suffering an ACL injury at the start of last season.

He came off the bench in the 57th minute and added to Jordan Roberts’ first-half strike for Boro, leaving bottom side Cheltenham still without a league goal this season.

“I’m really pleased for Elliott List,” Evans said. “It’s been a long 15 months for him.

“He did his ACL in the first game of last season and the reaction from the group, including everyone on the bench, was pure joy when he scored his goals.

“If he’d watched my finishing in training he could’ve had three. In fact, he was annoyed he missed one and I had to remind him he’d scored two, we’d won 3-0 and it was a good day at the office.”

Cheltenham rallied in the first half after Roberts’ opener, but the second half was all Stevenage.

“We’re delighted with the performance overall and should’ve scored three in the first 15 minutes,” Evans said.

“Cheltenham then came back into it and hit the bar. But in the second half it could’ve been anything. It was one-way traffic.

“They’re between managers which creates uncertainty for the players, but we were the superior side.”

The Robins parted company with boss Wade Elliott in midweek and placed Kevin Russell in temporary charge.

It took Boro only seven minutes to pierce their defence when Dan Butler’s corner fell for Roberts in the box and he beat Luke Southwood with a low finish.

Jovan Malcolm smashed a shot against the bar for the hosts after Liam Sercombe’s pass in the 34th minute.

Aidan Keena fired a shot just over and Sercombe forced Kristian Hegyi into a flying save before half-time as the Robins rallied.

But List made it 2-0 in the 69th minute after another Butler corner was not dealt with and he followed up to score his second in the 73rd minute after Southwood parried Ben Thompson’s shot from the edge of the box.

Cheltenham have now waited more than 13-and-a-half hours for a goal and never before has a team gone nine games without scoring at the start of a league season.

Interim boss Russell saw positives in the performance, but distanced himself from taking the job on a permanent basis.

“I came in with Wade as a coach and he’s a really good friend of mine, so it’d be really difficult for me to take the job,” Russell said.

“With regards to working with the new person, that’s a conversation that needs to be had further down the line. We’ll have to see.

“There were some positive aspects to look forward to, for whoever comes in, with a lot of continuity to push on. There is still a lot to play for.”

Manager Joey Barton saluted Jack Hunt after he set Bristol Rovers on course for a thumping 4-1 win over Wigan with his first goal for the club.

Right-back Hunt later helped seal their biggest League One win of the season with a brilliant assist for John Marquis to round off victory, with Luke Thomas and Aaron Collins also on target.

“Jack was first-class for us today but he has been since he first arrived in August,” Barton said.

“Jack’s performance epitomised his attitude and application since he joined us in the off-season.

“That was there for all to see today and we were miles the better side against a very good team.

“We’re seeing the benefits of the way he looked after himself despite being out of contract after leaving Sheffield Wednesday.

“That was testament to his professionalism and by keeping himself in great shape by ticking over with Harrogate, it means he’s had a tremendous impact since he came to Rovers.

“His performance today was probably his best in a quarters shirt but also he’s setting himself a really high bar and I think we’ve still got a spell of finding out about Jack.

“He’s had a fantastic career and was in and around the Premier League with Crystal Palace but he’s worked really hard and he’s humble so he’s had a huge impact on our team and our culture.”

Thomas put Rovers ahead on 13 minutes with a stylish left-footed finish only for Charlie Wyke to equalise five minutes later with a tap-in.

But when Hunt put Rovers back in command with a smart finish on 26 minutes they never looked back.

Collins scored for the second successive time on League One duty eight minutes after the break when he smashed a shot past past keeper Sam Tickle before Marquis nodded in Hunt’s cross.

Latics boss Shaun Maloney, whose club are still struggling in the relegation zone, added: “I was really disappointed with the first half and we were lucky to go in 2-1 down.

“I say that because we were nowhere near it in terms of real desire without the ball.

“And I have to eradicate that because we have to play every single game as if it means the world to us.

“We could have defended better and but they were better than us in terms of how much they wanted to compete.

“It’s sore when that happens but we’re a young side – but I don’t want to see a team play like we did in the first half. As long as we sprint and work hard I won’t complain.

“Sam Tickle made a mistake (for Hunt’s goal) but that’s football and the first half was the bigger disappointment.”

Oxford head coach Liam Manning praised his players for digging in despite not being at their best after their 3-0 win over Exeter lifted them up to second place in League One.

Ruben Rodrigues headed in Kyle Edwards’ cross in the eighth minute before Cameron Brannagan sealed victory with two late penalties following fouls on Rodrigues and then Josh Murphy by City captain Will Aimson.

Manning said: “I was pleased most of all with the clean sheet.

“I’m delighted with the players.

“On a day when we didn’t manage the game like we’d want to, we showed a different side, in being able to block and being
able to defend well.

“Sometimes there’s a little bit of snobbery in football around what it should look like and what people want to see. Across the course of a season you’re never always going to play at the highest level you can.

“I’ve just said to the players, it’s a nice feeling to not necessarily be as we were in other games but win. Against Cambridge and Port Vale we played well but ended up losing the game.

“You have different experiences with the group and manage it in a different way. We could have controlled the ball better, but we showed a great togetherness and a great resilience.

“And the physicality – I thought the physical output was outstanding, which is credit to them and the staff for the work that’s done every day. You can only put in a shift like that if you’re in peak condition and train properly.

“I’m proud of the players because I thought they really showed what they are about as a group and as people.

“I feel the group are growing. The lads have such a respect for each other.

“For me it felt like quite a big moment in terms of finding a different way to win which in the past we maybe haven’t done. That shows the progress in the game.

“I don’t think Exeter created loads of chances. The keeper’s made a couple of good saves, but for all the ball they had, a lot of it was in areas where we controlled the game.

“Analysing the chances that were created in the game, it was definitely us who had the greater threat.

“There isn’t a player in League One I would trust more to take penalties than Cameron Brannagan. I feel so confident when he steps up and his record speaks for itself.

“And Ruben got his first goal for us today – it’s important to get goals from different areas.”

Yanic Wildschut’s fierce angled shot which came back off a post was as close as Exeter came and manager Gary Caldwell felt his side lacked a cutting edge.

He said: “I’m disappointed with the result.

“We got off to a poor start and gave away a really bad goal, which made it difficult.

“We controlled the rest of the first half without creating too many opportunities, although Yanic had a great chance, but it was a brilliant save off the post.

“Second half we were in total control, but we didn’t penetrate enough or create enough chances.

“The longer the game went on, we left ourselves vulnerable to counter-attacks which Oxford punished us with.

“It’s a game we need to learn from, but overall I didn’t think it was a 3-0 game. There were moments that went against us and we have to dust ourselves down and go again.

“The team were excellent in training for this match, but we were playing without a recognised number nine, which gave us a problem.

“That was probably why we looked a bit toothless at times.

“I can’t fault the team’s effort – we just didn’t have the understanding or intensity in the final third to make things happen and turn it into goals.

“At 1-0 down, if we could have scored, we were very much in the ascendancy at that point.

“We left ourselves open to counter-attacks and Oxford scored two penalties from those situations.”

Ruben Selles slammed an “unacceptable” first-half display from his struggling Reading side after they were beaten 4-1 by a Jordan Rhodes-inspired Blackpool.

The Royals recorded their biggest win for over a century in midweek, dispatching Exeter 9-0 in the EFL Trophy, but were brought back down to earth on their return to Sky Bet League One action as the hosts raced into a 3-0 lead after 31 minutes.

Three half-time substitutions from Selles did not turn the tide as Rhodes completed his first hat-trick for nearly four years shortly after the break, with Sam Hutchinson’s deflected strike nothing more than a consolation for a Royals side who remain rooted in the bottom four.

“It was not good enough,” Selles said. “We conceded the first goal and then we started to do things we just don’t do.

“We conceded three goals in the first half – and that’s not acceptable. It was nowhere near good enough from any of us today.

“At 3-0 down, I made changes because it was a very radical moment in the game.

“The first 10 or 15 minutes of the game we were not able to control the ball, pass and do the things we usually do.

“We were not able to apply the press and win the second balls in transitions, and the opposition was able to do it.

“We needed something radical to change the dynamic of the game. We got it, but we conceded another goal. That killed our wish to get back into the game.”

Hutchinson’s foul on CJ Hamilton gave Rhodes the chance to open the scoring from the spot and he followed up with a sweet strike into the corner after debutant Kylian Kouassi’s bullet header had doubled the lead.

Rhodes killed off the contest six minutes into the second half and Blackpool boss Neil Critchley had nothing but praise for his side.

“I’m really pleased with that performance,” he said.

“We showed a good response from losing last week. This was more of a Blackpool performance, more of what you associate with a group of players that represents the club and the way that I want them to.

“We took the game to them. I’m delighted with some of the performances, the team and Jordan obviously getting his hat-trick.

“We thought we could get some joy running at their full-backs and that’s how it turned out.

“Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. We live in a world of extremes, sometimes you get it right and you’re a hero. But then if you get it wrong you’re an idiot.

“It’s great for the supporters and now we have got to back that up with a good performance against Barnsley next week.”

Barnsley boss Neill Collins was thrilled with his side’s response after they bounced back to winning ways by beating Northampton 2-1 at Sixfields.

Defeated by Portsmouth in midweek, the Tykes were ahead after just four minutes thanks to a brilliant volley by Callum Styles.

There was little between the teams for most of the game but Devante Cole’s ninth goal of the season two minutes from time confirmed victory for Barnsley, with Louis Appere’s stoppage-time strike nothing more than a consolation.

Collins said: “We got the early goal but there were some difficult moments in the first half and they had a lot of set-pieces.

“But I thought we defended really well as a team and controlled the second half. It was only in the last five minutes when we down to 10 men due to Kacper Lopata’s injury when they really put us under pressure.

“For most of game we were really good and we saw through the toughest parts of the game and then we looked like we would go on and score a second and third goal.

“To put in a good team performance like that and get a positive result is a good response from the other night. The only disappointment was not getting a clean sheet because I thought we deserved one.

“The first goal was a bit of quality. You wouldn’t expect anyone to score from there but as soon as Callum hit it I thought it had a chance of going in.

“It’s another great goal by Devante for the second. He was so unfortunate with the one that hit the bar but he doesn’t miss those.”

Northampton have now lost three games in a row and have seven points from their opening eight games.

“You can’t be giving away goals like we did,” admitted manager Jon Brady. “There’s no excuses for that.

“Any slight mistake we’re making at this level at the moment we’re bring ruthlessly punished and that was the case today.

“I don’t know what it looked like to other people but I felt we dominated the game against a team who were playing in the play-off final a few months ago.

“I went up and watched them against Portsmouth on Tuesday and it was such a high-level game.

“I felt the aggressiveness in both boxes was the difference.

“We put loads of crosses into the box in the first half but there was no-one getting across and I said that to the group. We had worked on it but there wasn’t that aggressiveness to arrive between the posts.

“You look at the quality they have on the bench, it’s unbelievable, but we were the team that was taking the game to them.”

Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens acknowledged his side were made to battle hard before emerging with a 1-0 home win over Shrewsbury.

Orient recorded their third league win of the season to leapfrog their opponents and move into 15th place in League One thanks to a fourth goal of the season from striker Ruel Sotiriou.

The visitors had made the early running with O’s goalkeeper Sol Brynn producing an outstanding save to deny Max Mata.

But Sotiriou broke the deadlock after 20 minutes with a powerful strike into the roof of the net that was to prove the defining moment of the match.

Wellens said: “There has been times this year when we have been really good and things haven’t gone our way but today we had to really fight and scrap for that win.

“At the end of the game, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“We have to give Shrewsbury some credit because whilst we started on the back foot, they started really, really well.

“Maybe a draw was a fair result or maybe we could have taken the chances at the end but we could have been 2-0 down.

“We had a bit of luck with the goal but credit to Ruel Sotiriou because he was in the right place at the right time. We were nowhere near as smooth or as cohesive as we wanted to be.

“But we had a good save from our goalkeeper which is what he’s there for and we won a lot of the first contacts and second balls.

“Overall, it’s a good win.”

Shrews manager Matt Taylor admitted his side’s profligacy in front of goal proved costly.

He said: “It’s very frustrating to go home empty-handed to be polite about it.

“What I think we did was to dominate a game of football where we created some very good opportunities which we have to take.

“We didn’t and when you do that you run the risk but we didn’t take our chances. If you look at the first 20 minutes in isolation, we should score three goals and I think they were big chances.

“The opposition got lucky for their goal with a bounce which went through and they score with the only shot on target they created but that’s the way it’s going for us at the moment.

“I can’t knock the performance overall, though. I don’t have anything negative to say about that. We were excellent to a man.

“Our application and our commitment was there but we can’t go away and create the chances we did and not take them.”

Ian Evatt defended Gethin Jones after Bolton’s skipper was sent off for a tackle Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson described as “terrible” during the sides’ 1-1 draw.

Victor Adeboyejo quickly cancelled out a 42nd-minute opener by Jonson Clarke-Harris before Gethin Jones slid in on Ricky-Jade Jones in first-half stoppage time.

Trotters manager Evatt was booked by referee Ross Joyce in the heated touchline argument that followed

Peterborough hit the woodwork three times in the second period but Bolton’s 10 men held firm for a “point gained” according to Evatt.

“I think it was a yellow (card),” he said about Gethin Jones’ challenge. “I spoke to the referee post-game and he gave me an honest assessment of what he thought with the red.

“I obviously disagree but at least we had the conversation. The biggest frustration was my yellow card.

“I didn’t swear, I wasn’t aggressive, I wasn’t abusive. I took a step out of my technical area to which I saw their manager leave their technical area.

“Their assistant left his seat and got to the front of the pitch where you are only supposed to have one up.

“Yet in all the melee and chaos I got yellow carded. The answer I got was the fourth official’s focus was on me.

“So, the players did remarkably well to take a point being down to 10 for so long.

“We rode our luck at times but one of my favourite phrases is ‘hard work puts you where good luck finds you’.

“I am glad we got a point but the rest of the game is going to take some debriefing.”

Ferguson saw the first-half flashpoint differently: “It was as clear a red card as you are likely to see,” he said.

“So, I don’t know what the pandemonium was about. It was dangerous and I don’t know why because Ricky wasn’t going anywhere.

“He is lucky because he finds these tackles a lot. One day it is going to prove a bad injury.

“But I don’t know if it was a good thing they got a man sent off. It gave them an easy decision to make and they just sat in.”

Ferguson said he was pleased with his team’s performance but not the result.

“Generally, when you hit the post three times, you expect one of them to go in,” he added.

“We played well in the first half, went toe-to-toe with them, and thought we looked dangerous.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the rub of the green in the second half.”

Port Vale goalkeeper Connor Ripley added to his growing reputation for penalty saves by stopping Fejiri Okenabirhie’s 90th-minute spot-kick to earn his side a 1-1 draw at Cambridge.

Okenabirhie had the chance to win the game for the U’s from 12 yards after Jack Lankester had been fouled in the box by Nathan Smith, but the striker saw his effort blocked by Ripley, who saved five of the six penalties he faced playing for Morecambe last season.

Vale boss Andy Crosby said: “He’s got a reputation for saving penalties, and it’s credit to the work that goes on with the analysts off the pitch, and to the decision Connor has made on it.

He continued: “Overall I think it’s a good point earned away from home. We had good control in the first half and created chances, but the over-riding emotion is that we weren’t clinical enough in either box.

“We had the chances to take the game away from Cambridge.”

The visitors could have hit the front after three minutes, but Ethan Chislett’s shot deflected wide off team-mate James Wilson when the former AFC Wimbledon midfielder looked certain to score.

Chislett was involved when his side took a 20th-minute lead, supplying a precise through ball for Ben Garrity, who buried his effort past Will Mannion.

Sullay Kaikai had a header tipped over by Ripley as Cambridge tried to respond, and in the second half Danny Andrew saw a low effort canon back off the post.

Manager Mark Bonner made a treble substitution in the 62nd minute, and was rewarded four minutes later when two of his replacements combined for the equaliser, with John-Kymani Gordon supplying the cross for Okenabirhie to head in his fourth league goal of the season.

A poor backpass by Liam Bennett presented Gavin Massey with a chance to put Vale back in front soon afterwards, but Mannion stood up well to save his shot.

Then came the late drama, with Ripley making himself the hero.

Cambridge’s Bonner said: “It’s frustrating because it feels like we’ve lost a chance to win the game, but overall I think the point is a fair one. They’ve had chances, but I love the way we played in the second half and the opportunities we created.

“We have to respect and take the point because we didn’t get enough draws last season.”

On Okenabirhie’s penalty, Bonner added: “He’s a brilliant penalty taker, who has been really reliable this season and scored a couple already. I’m sure he’ll take the next one when he’s on the pitch and score it, because it’s a real strength of his. It was a whisker away from a brilliant turnaround but it wasn’t to be.”

Portsmouth manager John Mousinho is enjoying his side’s early position at the top of the League One table.

Pompey cemented their place at the summit after coming from behind to beat Lincoln 2-1 at Fratton Park.

A Paddy Lane effort and a Reagan Poole header against his old club ensured the hosts maintained their unbeaten start to the season after Hakeeb Adelakun’s opener.

Portsmouth lead the table by a point and Mousinho said: “It is very early in the season, but we would prefer to be here than anywhere else.

“It is a really good thing to have and to hold on to. We look at the league table and enjoy it and we hear the fans singing. We use it as extra motivation.

“I thought it was a professional performance and we controlled the game for large periods.

“The only criticism I have is that we didn’t put the game to bed in the second half, but it would have been very harsh if we hadn’t won the game.

“The noise is always noticeable, so for the crowd to go up after they scored made a massive difference because we know they’re behind us and willing us to win.

“It is a consequence of what the fans have seen here over the last few weeks.”

Striker Colby Bishop’s goals were key for Portsmouth last season, but the scoring burden has been shared around more this term, with a winger and centre-back both netting on this occasion.

“Last season we relied heavily on Colby for his goals and there wasn’t a huge amount beyond that,” said Mousinho.

“The coaching staff have worked with Paddy to get him in behind and score more. It is pleasing to see him do that.

“We need that as Colby isn’t always going to have the opportunities and goals so it is important everyone else chips in.”

Lincoln more than held their own and could have levelled late on but for a stunning Will Norris save and boss Mark Kennedy was full of praise for their performance.

He said: “I thought we were outstanding today. I have been head coach at Lincoln for about 70 games and that is one of the best performances we’ve had. But we’ve come out on the wrong end of the score.

“If we play like that most weeks then we will win loads of games. We were excellent today in multiple areas.”

Adelakun’s freak goal, after the ball was kicked into him, was his first of the season after coming close to leaving in the summer.

Kennedy added: “He’s trained really well.

“He’s been a top pro and I’ve told him from day one that if he comes in and does himself justice, I was genuinely pleased with him.

“I told him in the team talk that he was playing on merit.”