Harrogate ended a seven-game run without a home win by confidently beating Notts County 3-1 in Sky Bet League Two.

Midfielder George Thomson’s eighth goal of the season and further efforts from Abraham Odoh and Matty Daly saw Town enjoy a repeat outcome of the 2019-20 Vanarama National League play-off final between the two teams.

Jodi Jones netted for County but Luke Williams’ off-form outfit have now lost six out of their last eight contests.

Harrogate forged ahead in the seventh minute with Odoh releasing Daly down the left flank before his cross was struck emphatically first time beyond Magpies goalkeeper Aidan Stone’s right arm by Thomson from 12 yards out.

That advantage was doubled just past the half-hour mark when Stone spilled a low drive by Daly and Odoh pounced to find an inviting net from six yards.

A laboured County side had plenty of possession but barely got out of their own half during the opening 45 minutes as repeated backpasses to Stone were greeted with sarcastic cheers by the home fans.

The game followed a similar pattern after the break but the Magpies were thrown a lifeline midway through the second period when Jones fired a fierce 20-yard free-kick into James Belshaw’s top-left corner after Kayne Ramsay had tripped Sam Austin.

Within a minute, though, Town restored their two-goal cushion after Dean Cornelius drove the ball towards the six-yard box and Daly found Stone’s bottom-right corner with the deftest of backheeled flicks to settle matters.

Walsall boss Mat Sadler was thrilled with his team’s display after his side came from a goal down to win 2-1 at promotion hopefuls Notts County.

Oisin McEntee’s emphatic second-half brace cancelled out Aden Baldwin’s first goal of the campaign and ended the Saddlers’ six-game winless run.  

Sadler said: “We are a good team, a very good team playing against what I also think is a very good team too with the way Luke (Williams) plays and the way he sets the team up. They take apart teams here, but we showed what a fantastic team we are and by team, I mean everybody together.

“The first half we go in 1-0 down but I said to the lads that I thought we controlled the game out of possession – the only thing missing in the first half was just that final piece of quality at times, but I knew we could hurt them as the game went on and the lads believed we could hurt them as the game went on.

“I gave the players a few minutes to speak to themselves, I always do. You get a vibe from what they are saying but, in the end, we got what we deserved.”

“The most important players in our game were going to be our two eights and outside centre-halves…and then Oisin (McEntee) pops up with the two goals which were thoroughly deserved. We know he has got goals in his game.”

As for the Magpies, another cold afternoon turned into an evening to forget as they fell to their third home league defeat of the season, and their fourth of the calendar year. 

Williams said: “The conditions were not a problem, it was more the lack of energy. And we did not have the bravery to play with the ball in the second half.

“If we are not going to be great defensively, and we are then not going to outscore the opposition, I am not sure what we are going to do.

“The first half was really cagey, but we made a breakthrough. The second half, I did not even recognise the team.

“I want to win. It is no good to just be here when the team are winning every week. I need to be here and try to help them, try to remain focused on the job, so that we can try to come through on the other side of it.

“We are new to the division. We are learning the opposition and we have stuttered. We cannot seem to find a consistency so we need to find a decent level and be able to maintain that.”

AFC Wimbledon manager Johnnie Jackson feels he is reaping the benefits of keeping faith with his players after they continued their fine recent home form with a 4-0 win over Swindon.

The Dons have now won their last six games at Plough Lane, scoring 22 goals in the process, and that run has lifted them up to seventh in League Two and earned them a place in the third round of the FA Cup.

It is quite a turnaround for a team who struggled for results on their own patch in the previous two seasons, but Jackson believes his players always had it in them to go on such a streak.

He said: “I got asked a lot about the home form, but my answer always was, ‘I think we’re playing well’.

“It’s just the results weren’t quite coming and you can do two things – you can try and change what you’re doing or you can believe in what you’re doing, you continue to put the level of performance in and the results will naturally come, and that’s what we’ve done.

“We carried on the work that we’re doing, we doubled down, we worked harder and the lads believe in themselves.

“We spoke a lot about trying to start fast, building on the momentum that we’ve created here.

“Going into the game, we’d won five on the bounce here and it’s become a really difficult place for opponents.

“We wanted to make it uncomfortable for Swindon in the opening exchanges.”

Flying out of the traps brought reward for Wimbledon after just six minutes when Omar Bugiel turned in Joe Lewis’ cross from close range.

The hosts really pressed on after doubling their lead in the 59th minute through a stunning long-range strike into the top corner by Armani Little.

Dons top-scorer Ali Al-Hamadi then took advantage of the widening gaps in Swindon’s defence by producing two clinical finishes in the closing stages.

Swindon boss Michael Flynn lamented his side’s frailty at the back, saying: “We were very poor defensively and I don’t mean just the defenders.

“We’ve conceded 40 goals now in the league, which is way too much – some teams will go through the season probably conceding that many.

“We’ve got to improve and I’ve got to improve in that area, which is what I’ll be looking to do.

“The second goal, they don’t even sense there’s danger from the free-kick, everybody’s switched off.

“The first goal shouldn’t have been allowed because there were two down with a head injury for over 10-15 seconds and the fourth official was telling the referee.

“It’s a diabolical decision for him to play on there because it’s the safety of the players, but we weren’t good enough today and that was only one goal.”

Stockport boss Dave Challinor admitted he was “frustrated” despite his side earning a last-gasp point from a 1-1 draw at Morecambe to move six points clear at the top of League Two.

Kyle Wootton’s goal three minutes from time helped County edge a further point clear of Wrexham whose game at Forest Green Rovers was called off.

Challinor said: “We are all a bit frustrated because we had enough of the ball to take more from the game but didn’t make the most of it really.

“With others around us not playing we could have extended our lead at the top even further but at the end of the day when you are trailing with three minutes to go you have to be happy with a point.

“The conditions were horrible and the wind made football difficult. That meant it was never going to be a day for intricate football. Sometimes it is not about quality and we overplayed at times and didn’t get the crosses into the area as much as we should. When we did we got the goal.”

Morecambe boss Ged Brannan said he was proud of his team’s efforts as their game plan almost came to fruition.

He said: “We knew it was going to be tough against a top side, especially in the conditions which were horrendous. But we had a plan to keep things tight at the back and hit them on the break and we did just that with our goal.

“We defended superbly, worked hard as a team together, and probably the only time we didn’t deal with a cross they scored which was frustrating obviously.

“I can’t do anything but praise the lads for all they did. I’m really proud of them because I thought they were brilliant.”

Morecambe took the lead when on-loan Burnley man Michael Mellon scored his 13th goal of the season after a swift counter attack as he ran on to David Tutonda’s throughball.

Mellon had the chance to double the Shrimps’ advantage minutes later but could only shoot straight at keeper Ben Hinchliffe after running on to Adam Mayor’s ball over the top.

For all their possession Stockport produced few clear chances. Odin Bailey always looked their biggest threat with one first-half effort forcing a superb save from Adam Smith after his effort took a huge deflection.

Bailey then forced the Morecambe keeper into a smart save as he tipped over an inswinging corner that was heading for the top corner before Smith was finally beaten in the dying moments by Wootton’s smart finish from Kyle Knoyle’s cross to the far post.

Bailey almost earned County victory with a 95th-minute effort which curled inches wide of the post as both sides were forced to settle for a share of the spoils.

David Artell reckons there is more to come from Grimsby after picking up his first win against his former club Crewe with a 2-1 victory at Blundell Park.

Abo Eisa and Danny Rose were on target for the Mariners as Crewe – beaten for just the fourth time this season – replied through substitute Joe White.

Artell said: “We are in a results-based business, so you have to win games.

“It wasn’t vintage football from either side, but there were glimpses and we have scored a cracking first goal and a good second goal.

“They’ve had one chance all game and they are the highest scorers in the country I believe. To limit a team like that is a massive feather in our cap.

“I thought we defended the goal and our box really well.

“We should wrap the game up on the break, but we made some crazy decisions in search of a third goal, but I don’t want to stand here and be too critical.

“I’m hoping that we’re up and running now.”

Crewe manager Lee Bell said: “It was our worst performance of the season and quite comfortably our worst performance.

“Grimsby coped with the conditions much better than us in the first half and what we were trying to execute was nothing like what we planned for and we had to change from that.

“We do (have to move on), but we also have to let it hurt us. The players know we dropped well below our standards.

“I can handle losing football games and so can the players, but that was below our standards, so we’ve got to let this one hurt a little and we need a reaction now in our next game.”

Crawley boss Scott Lindsey saluted his side’s “professional” performance in their 2-1 win at struggling Colchester.

Liam Kelly fired Crawley ahead in the 41st minute with a low shot from Will Wright’s short pass and they doubled their lead in the 64th minute through Danilo Orsi’s penalty, after Nick Tsaroulla had been fouled by Arthur Read in the area.

Joe Taylor reduced the deficit for Colchester in the seventh minute of stoppage time when he lifted the ball past Luca Ashby-Hammond from Owen Goodman’s long clearance but Crawley claimed victory.

Lindsey was delighted with the attitude of his players and was pleased the game went ahead after a pre-match inspection.

Lindsey said: “It was a professional performance from the lads today.

“The players were brilliant, really focused – you could feel it Thursday onwards and at the training ground on Friday – there was a real focus on everything they did.

“You could tell that the players had the bit between their teeth and that’s why I wanted the game on.

“The win was the thing we really focused on. The away form is something that we’ve addressed and something that we wanted to put right.

“We’ve gone from not having great away form to it now being half reasonable, with that result.

“The referee didn’t make the decision on the pitch on his own.

“Me and Matthew Etherington made the decision with him and I was happy to play.

“Whilst it wasn’t great, it may have been a gamble for me because it felt that it might have been a leveller for them.”

Colchester have now suffered four successive defeats and boss Etherington was disappointed to lose against his former club.

Samson Tovide squandered two big early openings for the U’s and substitute John Akinde’s deflected effort hit a post.

Etherington said: “We had two big opportunities and if we take them, the game looks very different.

“They then got their goal and it probably took a little bit of belief out of players after that. We’ve just got to be better in both boxes.

“The second goal is avoidable initially, the way we deal with it – I’m not sure it’s a penalty.

“Those early moments were key to the game. I think if we take one of them, it looks a different afternoon.

“It kind of fizzled out a little bit but I can’t fault the players; they kept going.

“They were looking for something, albeit they couldn’t find it in the end.

“Crawley passed the ball well; they’re a possession-based team and do it well but we’re not getting the key moments right at the minute.

“When I first took over, we were getting the key moments right in both boxes but we’re probably not at the minute.”

Tranmere boss Nigel Adkins believes there is now a real momentum building at the club after he saw his team come from a goal down to beat Newport 2-1 on a stormy afternoon at Prenton Park.

A Connor Jennings strike with just two minutes remaining secured all three points after Kieron Morris had cancelled out Will Evans’ opener for Newport midway through the first half.

Rovers are now unbeaten in their last six matches, including taking 11 points from a possible 15 in the league, having previously lost six on the trot.

Adkins, whose side are 21st in League Two, said: “It was a special day today and I think it was more than a win really, we’ve got a real momentum going now.

“The atmosphere here at Prenton Park was great, the engagement between the players and the fans was there for all to see.

“We played some really good football at times in really challenging conditions for both sides in the wind and the rain.

“There was some really exciting play and we had some really good chances but with Connor Jennings scoring late on I thought it was a really great day today.

“We knew they would pose a real challenge today but I think we defended really well and I told the players we’d have to enjoy being resolute.

“We’ve got a belief at the club now and at half-time we knew we could still win the game whereas before that might not have been the mindset.”

It was the away side that looked the more dangerous in the early exchanges and they should have taken the lead after 14 minutes when Omar Bogle’s left-footed strike was saved by Luke McGee only for Evans to fire wide of the open goal with his follow-up.

But just six minutes later, Evans made amends when he latched onto Aaron Wildig’s flick to lash the ball home from 10 yards out and put the visitors ahead.

Tranmere were level 10 minutes after the break when Morris fired the ball home from the edge of the area with the help of a deflection off a County defender.

After that there appeared to be only one winner as Rovers pushed forward at every opportunity in search of a second with Rob Apter firing just wide and Morris crashed a long-range effort against the crossbar.

And the deserved winner eventually came in the 88th minute when Jennings found himself in the right place to steer the ball home after Kristian Dennis’ initial effort had been blocked.

Newport manager Graham Coughlan said: “It was a game of two halves really.

“The first half we looked good and passed the ball to each other but in the second half I don’t know what happened.

“We lost composure and the ability to pass and looked like a different team in the second half.

“Having said that, the opportunities we had, we’ve got to take them, we should be coming in at half-time two up.

“I don’t know whether it’s a mentality thing but we seem to go one-nil up in games and then all of a sudden we sit back and defend deep and that’s never been a recipe for success.

“At the end of the day that’s three points we’ve thrown away. We had a really good opportunity to get all three points today and quite simply we’ve thrown them away.

“The conditions were tough, but that’s the same for both teams. The simple fact of the matter is that the second half performance just wasn’t good enough.”

Oisin McEntee’s second-half brace have Walsall a shock 2-1 comeback victory at promotion hopefuls Notts County.

Aden Baldwin gave his side the lead just as the clock ticked beyond the half-hour mark. A delightfully glided ball into the Walsall penalty area was met firmly by the head of Baldwin for his first goal of the campaign.

Mat Sadler would have been impressed with his side’s efforts in the first half, even more so with their early second-half display as they found an immediate leveller, courtesy of McEntee.

McEntee struck again with a half-volley nine minutes later to grab his third of the season and give his side a deserved lead.

The wonder strike turned out to be the eventual winner which moved the Saddlers into 16th place after securing their third away victory of the campaign, with a third league defeat on home soil this season leaving Notts County in sixth spot.

Accrington manager John Coleman took heart from a point and a clean sheet after their goalless draw with Doncaster.

The Reds missed the chance to go back into the play-off places as, in horrendous conditions at the Wham Stadium, they had to settle for a draw against mid-table Rovers.

Josh Andrews had the best chance of the first half for Stanley when he was put clean through, but goalkeeper Louis Jones denied him.

Stanley pressed around the Rovers box in the second half without seriously troubling Jones and Doncaster almost snatched it in the 85th minute when a Harrison Biggins header crashed against the crossbar.

Reds boss Coleman said: “It’s one of them, you play the conditions first and the opposition second, both teams do, but I was pleased with the way we handled it.

“I thought they had the better of the opening exchanges. In the first five or six minutes they flashed a couple of balls into our box.

“But after that we took control of the game. They hit the bar late on, but apart from that I thought we defended really well and asked more questions than them, but you just haven to be ruthless when the chances come.

“We have to take heart from a solid defensive performance. We were well organised, everyone stood up to the task, the back four played well as did the goalkeeper Joe Walsh on his debut.

“We are disappointed we haven’t won, but we can take heart from the fact we have kept a clean sheet. It’s a step forward after conceding four last time out at home.”

Doncaster are in 17th place and boss Grant McCann said: “There weren’t many clear-cut chances in the game. It was scrappy, not much football was played, and the conditions were shocking.

“It’s a good point, it’s a tough place to come and a lot of teams would have folded under the conditions and the crowd. I have got to credit our supporters who were soaking wet.

“Games like this, it’s about individual qualities to win it and that did not happen today. We thought Harrison’s header might just dip under the bar, but it wasn’t to be.

“Credit to the lads, though, as they kept going, showed a great attitude and made sure they kept the ball out of the net.

“Over the last 12 games, we are in the top six in the form table and that’s credit to the players, especially because of the bad luck we have had with injuries this season.

“I have never known it so bad. There are five or six players we won’t see again this season.

“But we take a point and we move on.”

A Kyle Wootton goal three minutes from time earned league leaders Stockport a battling point in a 1-1 draw at windswept Morecambe.

Dave Challinor’s side looked set for defeat until the striker took advantage of some hesitation in the Morecambe defence to slide home Kyle Knoyle’s cross to the far post.

The Shrimps went into the game on a four-match losing run but took the lead in the 69th minute with an excellent counter-attack as David Tutonda played in Michael Mellon who produced the coolest of finishes .

Stockport started the brighter and enjoyed a greater share of the possession but found it difficult to master the conditions.

Hatters duo Ryan Croasdale and Odin Bailey both forced Adam Smith into stops before the Morecambe keeper superbly tipped away a shot by the latter that had took a wicked deflection.

With the wind at their backs Morecambe began to try their luck from range as the half drew to a close.

Adam Mayor fizzed an effort inches wide and JJ McKiernan brought the best out of Ben Hinchliffe who tipped a 25-yarder around the post.

And with Stockport heading for a fifth defeat of the season, Wootton came to the rescue to help the leaders go six points clear at the top of League Two.

Ali Al-Hamadi scored twice as AFC Wimbledon recorded a thumping 4-0 victory over Swindon that lifted them into the play-off places in League Two.

It was a third league win in four games for the Dons, who started the day 10th in the table and well and truly avenged the 5-1 thrashing they took off the Robins in this fixture last season.

Al-Hamadi had an effort headed off the line by Frazer Blake-Tracy before Wimbledon went ahead in the sixth minute when Joe Lewis’ low ball into the box was turned in by Omar Bugiel.

Connor Lemonheigh-Evans shot against a post for the Dons, who had their second just before the hour mark thanks to a brilliant 25-yard strike from Armani Little that arrowed into the top corner.

The result was wrapped up with 11 minutes left when Al-Hamadi ran on to Harry Pell’s through ball before finishing confidently.

It got even better for the hosts in stoppage time as Al-Hamadi picked up a loose ball before producing another excellent finish for his 13th of the campaign.

Accrington remain outside the League Two play-Off positions after playing out a goalless draw with Doncaster in driving rain.

Rovers overcame Stanley in the FA Cup first round but, despite dominating the chances, the Reds could not avenge that defeat.

Doncaster came close in the second minute when George Broadbent’s cross found Tom Nixon at the far post, but he was off target.

Tommy Rowe headed over for Doncaster, while a goal-kick from Louis Jones almost caught out his Stanley counterpart and debutant Joe Walsh but it bounced wide.

The Reds’ best chance fell to striker Josh Andrews, who raced onto a loose ball with only Jones to beat after 36 minutes, but the keeper pushed his effort away.

Stanley started the second half well, with substitute Josh Woods having a close-range strike blocked.

The home side forced the pace and there were a number of goalmouth scrambles, while Ben Woods and Matt Lowe were unable to find the target with their efforts.

Mid-table Rovers almost snatched the win after 85 minutes, but a header from Harrison Biggins crashed against the crossbar.

Connor Jennings scored an 88th-minute winner as Tranmere extended their unbeaten league record with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Newport at a wet and windy Prenton Park.

Second-half strikes from Kieron Morris and Jennings cancelled out Will Evans’ opener to complete a thrilling comeback and make it five games without defeat in League Two for Rovers.

Newport could have taken the lead in the 14th minute when Omar Bogle’s left-footed strike was saved by Luke McGee only for Evans to fire wide with the goal at his mercy.

But just six minutes later, Evans made up for his glaring miss when he latched onto Aaron Wildig’s flick to lash the ball home from 10 yards out.

County had chances to extend their lead through Seb Palmer-Houlden and Bogle while Rob Apter and Tom Davies came close to levelling for the hosts before the break.

Tranmere did pull level in the 57th minute when Kieron Morris drove the ball home from the edge of the box with the help of a hefty deflection.

After that there looked to be only one winner as Apter fired just wide from a tight angle and the impressive Morris saw his 20-yard effort rattle the crossbar.

The winner eventually came with just two minutes remaining when Jennings was on the spot to turn the ball home after Kristian Dennis’ initial effort was blocked.

David Artell picked up his first win as Grimsby manager with a 2-1 victory against his former club Crewe at Blundell Park.

Goals from Abo Eisa and Danny Rose did the damage as Crewe – who scored through substitute Joe White in the second half – were beaten for only the fourth time in Sky Bet League Two this season.

Connor O’Riordan went close for the Alex in the early stages with a strong header which Grimsby goalkeeper Harvey Cartwright palmed away.

The Mariners seized control after that and took the lead when Eisa curled a stunning right-foot shot into the top corner from 25 yards in the 16th minute.

Crewe should have pulled a goal back midway through the first half when Lewis Billington fired wide after a goalmouth scramble and Rose made them pay when he made it 2-0 to Grimsby just before half-time.

Rose and Toby Mullarkey took aim for the home side from long range after the restart, while Harry Clifton also went close before Crewe grabbed themselves a consolation 13 minutes from time when sub White netted.

Crawley won 2-1 at struggling Colchester to inflict defeat on their former boss Matty Etherington.

Goals from Liam Kelly and Danilo Orsi either side of half-time were enough to give Crawley the win, with Joe Taylor netting an added-time consolation.

Samson Tovide squandered a great early chance for Colchester, for whom Arthur Read’s 25-yard free-kick went over while Kelly scuffed a good opening wide for the visitors.

Kelly then hooked over from close range for Crawley before also firing wide off balance in front of goal after being released by goalkeeper Luca Ashby-Hammond’s long punt forward.

Crawley eventually took a 41st-minute lead when Kelly’s low shot from Will Wright’s short pass beat Colchester goalkeeper Owen Goodman inside his near post.

Colchester substitute John Akinde’s deflected shot hit a post after the break but Crawley doubled their lead in the 64th minute through Orsi’s penalty, after Nick Tsaroulla had been fouled by Read in the area.

Taylor pulled a goal back in the seventh minute of stoppage time when he lifted the ball past Ashby-Hammond from Goodman’s clearance but Crawley held on to claim victory.