Bradford boss Mark Hughes hailed Alex Gilliead’s versatility after the half-time substitute secured a 1-1 draw against Grimsby.

Gilliead, making his first appearance in almost a month after recovering from a thigh injury, blasted in an 89th-minute equaliser with the hosts’ only shot on target.

His spectacular strike cancelled out Danny Rose’s first-half opener for the Mariners and also denied Grimsby a first win over the Bantams since 1998 – a run that now encompasses 19 contests.

Gilliead only scored once last season – also against Grimsby – but his introduction at half-time in the centre of midfield, despite being better known as a winger, allowed the Bantams to find some much-needed forward momentum.

Hughes said: “He’s a great athlete and we have missed his versatility. When you can’t call on that, you recognise what he gives you a bit more.

“He gets a bit of ribbing because he doesn’t score too many goals but that was an important one for us. We were poor in the first half – we had four home debuts so there was a little bit of disruption to our playing 11.

“We wanted to press but that never happened and we tried to make changes but it was clear more radical changes were needed at half-time. We went to four at the back and that helped us a great deal and we then really forced the issue and got the goal we deserved.

“We needed wingers to stop their wing-backs and we were much better in the second half. We were on the front foot and I think the players understood what we needed and did the fundamentals better.”

Grimsby boss Paul Hurst admitted it was a bitter pill to swallow after he saw Gilliead – a player he has signed twice in the past for Shrewsbury and Scunthorpe – deny the Mariners a long-overdue three points against Bradford.

He took solace, though, from his team racking up a fifth league game unbeaten at a vociferous Valley Parade.

“He’s a good player and made a difference for them,” Hurst admitted.

“It’s just a shame that he wasn’t still injured for another week, but it was a great strike and he’s scored a couple against us now.

“They hadn’t had many shots at all, but it was a good goal and it was a big improvement from them in the second half. It was just a difficult one for us to take with them scoring so late but, at the same time, there were lots of positives to take from the game, especially in our first-half performance and a point at Bradford is a relatively good result.

“We’ve come here a few times and got nothing, so we will take a point and it’s another game unbeaten, which is the sign of a good team.”

Substitute Alex Gilliead rescued a point for Bradford against Grimsby with his team’s only shot on target in the 89th minute.

The Mariners had earlier taken a deserved lead on the stroke of half-time courtesy of a Danny Rose header, but could not hold out and, following this 1-1 draw, have now failed to win on any of their last 19 trips to Valley Parade – a sequence stretching back to 1998.

Grimsby were the more adventurous side in the first half and forged ahead in the 43rd minute lead when, at the end of a patient passing move, Toby Mullarkey’s inviting right-wing cross was guided firmly inside the far post by Rose from eight yards.

The Bantams picked up the pace after introducing attacking duo Gilliead and Rayhaan Tulloch, forcing a flurry of corners with Brad Halliday going close from a dipping 20-yard volley.

But home keeper Harry Lewis had to react smartly to keep out an edge-of-the-box Arthur Gnahoua drive, with Mariners goalkeeper Jake Eastwood still a virtual bystander at the other end.

Eastwood could do little, though, when after probing by Bobby Pointon down the right flank, Gilliead unleashed a 20-yard thunderbolt that rocketed inside his right-hand post.

Barrow boss Pete Wild hailed Kian Spence’s start to life in the EFL as the former FC Halifax midfielder scored his second goal since a summer move to secure a 1-0 win at Harrogate.

Spence, 22, had spent two-and-a-half years playing non-League football for the Shaymen and Scarborough after being released by Middlesbrough.

But, having scored the Bluebirds’ opening-day winner at Tranmere, he also settled this game against his hometown club with a spectacular 21st-minute strike from 25 yards.

A delighted Wild said: “I want our midfielders to score goals and shoot from the edge of the box and, if he can keep pulling out strikes like that, everyone will be happy.

“I’ve known Kian for a long time and he takes information on board and implements it.

“I think he’s mature beyond his age and I knew he would be fine making the step up. He’s still got a lot to learn but he’s made a really good start to League football.”

Wild was encouraged with how his side adjusted to a change in system that saw three out-and-out strikers – Dom Telford, Jamie Proctor and Emile Acquah – all included in the starting XI.

“I was really pleased with the way we came out in the first half,” he added. “We were on the front foot having changed to a formation (4-3-3) that we have been working on.

“We came here and played 3-5-2 last season and it didn’t work, so I knew we had to try something different. We had three forwards and it was pleasing to see us create lots of chances.

“The only frustration is we didn’t score more goals but, in the second half, Harrogate caused us problems and, when we needed our keeper he made a great save from the penalty.”

Paul Farman denied Jack Muldoon from the spot and, despite Harrogate being the joint-lowest scorers in League Two, home manager Simon Weaver hopes striker Luke Armstrong’s collapsed deadline-day move to Wrexham still goes through.

A fee, rumoured to be in the region of £500,000, was agreed between the two clubs and a move announced late on Friday night, only for an EFL spokesperson to confirm that the necessary paperwork had not been submitted in time.

But Weaver, who also brought in Josh March from Stevenage on Friday as a replacement for Armstrong, said: “I’m aware there might be an appeal from Wrexham. I’ve spoken to their manager, Phil Parkinson, and he’s disappointed, so hopefully everybody can end up winning from the situation.”

Weaver also felt his team failed to match Barrow’s physicality on the day, saying: “Everyone is 6ft 2ins and big and strong in their side and I don’t think we had an answer to their physicality in the early stages.

“They’ve also ended up winning a tight game from a fantastic strike that I’m sure their player was buzzing about, but I thought we could have closed him down better.”

Lee Bell praised the impact substitute Shilow Tracey made as Crewe upset League Two leaders MK Dons with a stirring second-half comeback.

Tracey set up Conor Thomas’ equaliser and also had an assist in Courtney Baker-Richardson’s close-range finish which turned the game on its head.

Jonathan Leko blasted Graham Alexander’s side ahead in the eighth minute, but Crewe were the better side after the break as they registered their second success of the campaign and inflicted a first defeat of the season on MK Dons.

Bell said: “MK Dons are a good team, but I felt we’d played okay in the first half when we’d put some good football together and we perhaps should have scored. But the message I gave to the players at half-time was that we couldn’t keep gifting goals.

“And we were very good in the second half, so I am delighted for the players as they worked very hard for that against a team bang in form and top of the league.

“But I feel we’ve got good players and we’ve brought in some good players in the last week which is going to help up us.

“I’ve never subbed a player whose just scored a goal (Conor Thomas), but we needed to get more on the front foot and Joe White did well when he came on.

“As did Shilow Tracey who had a massive impact on the game. Shilow needs to believe in himself as he is a game-changer. The type of performance he put in in the second half is what we want to see from him. I left him out and he perhaps wanted to prove a point to me.”

It had looked promising for the visitors when Leko followed up to crash home an angled drive.

But Crewe emerged as a force and Mickey Demetriou fired a rebound into the side netting after Tabiner’s effort was parried by Craig MacGillivray just before the hour.

The hosts were level minutes later when Thomas was picked out by Tracey and unleashed a low shot into the bottom corner. When MacGillivray could only push out another Tabiner effort, Baker-Richardson finished from close range (69).

Alexander’s side responded without real conviction, although Harvey Davies did well to keep out Max Dean’s effort from hitting the corner. But Chris Long sealed victory when he rifled into the corner in the last minute.

MK Dons boss Alexander says he has drafted in some experienced campaigners to maintain his side’s good start following a busy deadline week.

Defenders Joe Tomlinson and Anthony Stewart have been signed as well as midfielder Jack Payne and striker Ellis Harrison, with Payne and Tomlinson used off the bench in the second half at Gresty Road.

“I think we’ve got a real strong team as the points on the board suggest,” said Alexander. “But we’re delighted with our business we’ve done [in the transfer window]. It is players we know and it’s plug in and play really on the talent side but we have to see where they are fitness wise. We’ve got time now to put that work in place.”

On the game, Alexander said: “If you look at the first half then we should have gone on to win the game. Looking back at Crewe’s goals then it is really basic errors we’ve made there.

“I don’t think it was down to any individuals going missing, it was about not sticking to our principles after we’d done so well in the first half.”

Doncaster boss Grant McCann felt the dismissal of veteran midfielder Tommy Rowe ruined a great game after his side battled on to hold Swindon to a goalless draw.

Rovers, bottom of Sky Bet League Two, had been the more threatening before Rowe was shown a straight red card for a high challenge on Swindon midfielder George McEachran just before half-time.

McCann’s side fought vigilantly despite the disadvantage after the break and could even have secured all three points.

“I just felt the game was ruined by the decision,” McCann said. “It was two good teams who wanted to play and I felt it was going to be a really good game.

“The sending off changed the game and we had to look at a different way of playing in the second half. I don’t want to talk about it because you only end up getting yourself in trouble.

“I felt the team was excellent, resolute, defended every single ball that came into the box and I don’t think Ian Lawlor has made a save, which is testament to the players and how they worked.”

Though Rovers remain bottom of League Two with just a couple of points on the board, McCann is positive his side are heading in the right direction.

“It’s been a tough week for us,” he said. “We had a very good performance at MK Dons and then we were so unfortunate against Everton (in the Carabao Cup).

“Then we’ve had to show grit and determination to defend our goal which I think we did brilliantly.”

Swindon boss Michael Flynn was left frustrated as he felt his side had wasted an opportunity for a third win from four matches.

“It simply wasn’t good enough, with the decision-making and our quality of passing,” he said.

“We were too slow, too deep, played into their hands and played into their hands, which I don’t understand.

“On saying that, I think we should have had a few penalties because there was so much shirt pulling. Nothing gets done about it.

“I’m a little bit aggrieved, but we weren’t good enough in the final third to take the three points. That’s not just the strikers, it was wing-backs and midfielders as well.”

Town allowed forward Jacob Wakeling to join Peterborough in the final minutes of transfer deadline day.

Flynn said: “It was a very generous offer that was too good to turn down. We tried to counteract that with a big bid of our own for a player that got turned down.”

Salford boss Neil Wood felt his side suffered the after-effects of their dramatic midweek Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out victory over Leeds as they lost 1-0 to Morecambe.

Michael Mellon scored the only goal of the game in the 25th minute as Salford struggled to break through a solid defence.

City ended the game with 10 men after Matthew Lund was sent off in added time for needlessly kicking out at Adam Mayor.

The goal came in a flat first half for the Ammies which left Wood with plenty to think about.

He said: “We were poor in the first half but loads better after the break, but it was really hard to break them down which is always hard to do.

“We just lacked the bit of quality we needed where it mattered in the final third.

“The cup run has been great with two hard-fought wins over Preston and Leeds, but we came across a top team in Leeds on Tuesday and that game took its toll today. We were left with a number of injuries and we were missing a number of key players who would probably have started.

“For all the jubilation of going through on Tuesday we were threadbare today. I had four young lads on the bench and it would have been hard to throw them in today.”

Salford started the game on the front foot, with Conor McAleny forcing an early save from Stuart Moore.

But it was the Shrimps who scored the all-important opener when Mellon produced an excellent near-post finish from Mayor’s left-wing cross.

Mellon then teed up Tom Bloxham nicely a few moments later but the striker skied his effort over the bar.

Jordan Slew missed a great late chance to add to the scoreline on 90 minutes before Salford’s frustrations came to the fore with substitute Lund’s dismissal.

Morecambe now have three home wins from four this season and delighted boss Derek Adams said: “We could easily have won the game by four or five goals today on the chances we had and we were just too strong for them. It was a terrific performance from us.

“Some of our football was really good and we got into great positions but just didn’t make the most of them and the fact we didn’t get a second always left them with a chance of getting back in the game because we hadn’t punished them enough.

“At the other end of the field we defended superbly and kept another really good clean sheet and it was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon for the fans.”

Walsall boss Mat Sadler hailed Isaac Hutchinson’s “unrivalled engine” after the midfielder’s 25-yard thunderbolt gave the Saddlers a 1-0 victory over Colchester.

Hutchinson found the top corner from outside the box to reward a dominant first hour from the hosts in the September sunshine.

“Isaac just runs and runs – probably all of us got caught out by the weather today because it was red-hot and I had lads cramping up, there were some really tired bodies on both teams,” Sadler said.

“It caught me unawares to be fair – I was drenched in sweat.

“But he is not affected by it, he is relentless, he has got an engine that is unrivalled – I don’t see anyone who can keep running at the same pace he does.

“He’s a real threat and his finish is top-drawer, he hits it and it stays hit.”

Colchester, lifeless until conceding, rallied after the goal and three times came close to rescuing a point as Arthur Read’s free-kick flew just wide and Owen Evans saved two Connor Hall headers.

The clean sheet was Walsall’s first of the season and a relief for Sadler after several late dropped points.

“It should have been more but 1-0 is a fantastic result, it’s a special result because it answers a few – we’ve been frustrated by conceding goals, it hurts me to my core,” he added.

“I’m delighted for all of them because of what they’ve put in to the game to get that clean sheet, we’ve worked really hard at that mentality.”

While victory lifted Walsall to 14th, Colchester sit just above the bottom two in 22nd and boss Ben Garner was frustrated at a failure to build on their impressive 3-0 win at high-flying Gillingham.

“It was disappointing overall,” Garner admitted.

“The challenge for us at the moment is consistency – we can go to Gillingham last week and hit those levels and perform at that intensity. And then we were nowhere near those levels today.

“We had too many not at it. We are stretched as a squad, we’ve had some injuries but that’s no excuse because we were stretched last week and we went and did what we did.

“With the quality we’ve got in the team we have to create more. Their keeper has made two good saves towards the end but we haven’t worked him anywhere near enough especially in open play.

“I’ve just seen the goal back and it’s a super strike but there’s five mistakes in there from us.

“There’s a lot of young players developing on the job and it’s sink or swim time now, we have to see which ones can survive and we’ve got to be ruthless enough to see which ones can’t.”

Stockport boss Dave Challinor admitted his side were ‘fortunate’ to earn a point following a 3-3 thriller against Crawley.

Isaac Olaofe rescued a share of the spoils for the hosts with his 89th minute leveller in this Sky Bet League Two contest.

“It’s really disappointing after the game was going so well,” said Challinor.

“When you get yourselves two up I would always fancy us to go and get the job done.

“They got a goal before half-time, though, and then in the second half it all went a bit flat.

“It’s up to us to go out there and rally the supporters but at times I was concerned about the body language.

“Some of the lads went into their shells a little bit, and that’s frustrating for a manager, but in the end we’ve got ourselves a fortunate point.”

Challinor later revealed that he remains firmly committed to Stockport, at the end of a week when he had been approached and then heavily linked with the vacant manager’s job at Charlton.

“I’ve nothing really to say,” added Challinor. “I’m the manager of Stockport County and I love my job.

“I’m well backed here, there’s an unbelievable infrastructure, and unless I’m told otherwise my sole focus all of this week coming will be on the Wimbledon game next Saturday.”

It was a cracking opening 45 minutes at sun-drenched Edgeley Park.

A long-range finish from Louie Barry and a sublime chip from early sub Antoni Sarcevic handed the hosts a 2-0 advantage.

Adam Campbell volleyed home to halve Crawley’s deficit before the interval.

By the 66-minute mark Crawley were 3-2 up thanks to strikes from Laurence Maguire and Danilo Orsi, but the last word went to Olaofe, whose late finish denied the visitors what would have been a hugely impressive win.

Crawley boss Scott Lindsey said: “It’s just disappointing that we didn’t see the game through to a victory.

“I was really pleased with the reaction from the lads.

“To come from two down and then go 3-2 up shows real character, but I trust the lads to do something like that.

“As I say, we’ve just got to see games like that through until the end, because their third was a killer blow.

“I can see my players digging in and determined to go that extra mile for the team.

“They’ve shown a great attitude, but they’ve got to show that throughout the season. We put all that hard work in, and then we’ve given it away at the end.

“We made it too easy for Stockport at times, and that’s disappointing.

“Having said all that, though, it’s important that we underline how proud we all are of how well we’ve done here.

“Stockport are a really strong side here – we all know that. It’s a good point, but it could have been three.”

Gillingham manager Neil Harris urged his players to apologise to anyone who paid money to travel and watch a “shambles” in the 2-0 defeat at Grimsby.

The Gills suffered a second successive league defeat after first-half goals from Niall Maher and Gavan Holohan put the hosts in full control.

Although his side are still third in the table, Harris was left less than impressed by his side’s performance.

“It was a shambles what the fans had to watch, for them to pay and to travel to come and watch that rubbish,” Harris said.

“Do I apologise on behalf of the group? That’s down to the players to apologise for that. Of course, I’m partly responsible for it.

“We lacked leadership, we lacked aggression, we lacked fight at times in that game and the two goals we gave away were poor.

“League Two is about quality at times, but it is also about fight, desire, attitude and set-plays.

“The goals we conceded are just part of the problem, it was the attitude and desire of the players to compete against a hard-working side.

“Not for me that – the players have been told (in the changing room).”

Grimsby’s clinical display secured a second league win and pushed them up into mid-table.

The opening goal came on 12 minutes when defender Maher glanced home from a corner.

It was 2-0 shortly before the half-hour mark after Danny Rose and Abo Eisa combined to find Holohan, who drilled in a low finish

“We played well and for me there was a lot to like about that performance,” Grimsby manager Paul Hurst said.

“It was the little things defensively for me and out of possession I thought the team worked hard, to get forward as well.

“That was a very good three points against a team that got beat last week, but they won their other games.

“Gillingham are certainly expected to be up there and with the front-two they have got, there’s always going to be a real threat.

“They have some real quality, but for me the most pleasing thing is we were able to quell that for most of the game.”

Forest Green boss David Horseman felt his side were worthy 1-0 victors at Sutton United.

Rovers notched their second victory of the league season thanks to Harvey Bunker’s second-half strike.

“I thought we thoroughly deserved the three points today,” said Horseman.

“We controlled the first half, but we knew they were going to come out at us in the second half.

“But if we’d have been a bit more ruthless we could have been a couple more goals up.

“They came at us and caused us a few problems for 15 minutes, so had to stand up to it.

“But I think around about the 60th minute mark we started to get the ball down and started to play.

“We then had a five or 10-minute period just before the goal where we looked like we were going to score.

“Harvey, in particular, needs a lot of credit because he’s been working extremely hard.

“He had a tough job today, so I’m delighted for him. I’m delighted he scored the goal.

“The players took on the information we gave them and delivered, it’s all down to them. They deserve all the credit today.

“It should have been the day for more goals, but the players now understand the structure of the team and they’re playing some really good stuff. Now they have to take it on and finish the action.

“We’ve started to get rid of all the bad noise and now we can live in the present, but we have to better and score more goals.

“We have to be the team we’d like to be and push up the league. We’re going to have to put teams to bed so we’re not scrapping it out.”

Kyle McAllister set up Bunker to score with a low shot from 18 yards after 63 minutes.

For Sutton boss Matt Gray, it proved to be a frustrating day as his stuttering side slid to a fifth straight League Two defeat.

“It’s really disappointing,” admitted Gray.

“I wasn’t happy with the first-half performance at all.

“I knew quite early in the first half that I wanted to get in at half-time so I could make some tweaks and changes.

“I feel maybe I didn’t get the right information to the players before the game. We weren’t good enough on the ball.

“Forest Green dictated us to much, particularly in that first half. I was pleased with the first 10 or 15 minutes of the second half.

“We got that shape and formation right, and we were much more on the front foot.

“We conceded a disappointing goal, though, and then we huffed and puffed a bit, but it just wasn’t our day.

“We had our moments overall, but it’s been a disappointing performance on what has been a really difficult day. It’s been another hard defeat to take.”

Nigel Clough admitted there were “a lot of tired legs” as his injury-ravaged Mansfield side had to be content with a point and a clean sheet in a goalless draw at home to Bradford.

Clear-cut chances were few and far between in a dour contest, with Davis Keillor-Dunn and Lucas Akins coming closest for the Stags.

“It was a good point, but I didn’t think much of the performance, especially in the first half,” Clough said.

“I thought we got going a bit in the second half, though we were nowhere near the levels we have been.

“But it has been a big week with two very tough games on Saturday and Tuesday, especially at Hillsborough. And we didn’t have much choice in having to play the same team again today.

“We are top seven, yet we had 11 players that couldn’t start today and another double whammy this week with injuries to Rhys Oates and Stephen Quinn.

“There were a lot of tired legs. The lads have given absolutely everything this week. You can’t doubt their commitment.

“Second half was a bit more like us and better finishing or a break in the penalty area and we might have nicked it 1-0.

“Bradford are very well organised, well drilled and very difficult to break down. We had to be at our best to do that, but we found it tough.

“We are never happy with a 0-0 at home but it’s nice to keep the unbeaten run going. And we have to put it into perspective in terms of what we have gone through this week.”

Bradford boss Mark Hughes said: “It was a game of few chances. I just felt if we had just quickened up our play at the top end of the pitch then we could have had a bit more joy than we had.

“It was a little bit flat for both teams today for whatever reason, but I never felt under any pressure.

“I don’t think they created anything of note and I don’t think we created too many clear-cut chances either. You get those games now and again – it wasn’t a great spectacle.

“We were in the ascendancy in terms of possession but you have to make use of that.

“It’s been a tough week. Mansfield is a difficult place to come and we’ve had six out of eight games away, so it’s been a big shift from everybody and maybe the edge was taken off our game.”

Notts County boss Luke Williams said his side left him “exhausted” despite earning a 3-1 victory over Accrington which lifted them top of Sky Bet League Two.

Dan Crowley’s powerful header had given the hosts the lead at Meadow Lane, only for Josh Andrews to reply shortly after from a free-kick.

However, a brace from Macaulay Langstaff in the second half saw the Magpies win their third game in a row.

Williams said afterwards: “I am feeling exhausted,  because it was a tough game, and we didn’t feel comfortable at all, and I think that the scoreline could have been different – they created very good chances.

“Aidan Stone got man of the match, and I think that tells you everything, we score three goals but the goalkeeper gets man of the match – that tells you that it was a tough game.”

The hosts had to overcome a wave of Accrington pressure through the game, something that pleased the County boss the most.

He continued: “That is the thing I loved about the performance – I am exhausted but the players are able to be tough when they need to be tough and that has made me happy.”

The win sent the Magpies top of the standings after the opening six games, a point ahead of MK Dons who they face next weekend.

“No, it doesn’t mean anything,” Williams said when asked about that statistic meaning something at this early stage.

“It’s only nice because the fans can sing and I love that. I think between them, the goalkeeper, and Macca, were just a force of nature.”

Meanwhile, Accrington boss John Coleman called for consistency in refereeing decisions, believing the first and third goal his team conceded should not have stood.

He said: “We have been told that the referee’s are given a higher threshold now but nobody knows what a foul is now, it’s ruining football.

“There needs to be a harsh rethink because it is just becoming a referee’s win, and this referee is no different from any other referee this season.

“We have got legitimate claims that their first and third goals should not count, but the fact is that we did enough to get something out of that game.

“If there is no consistency, we don’t know what to do and you don’t know what is endangering an opponent, what is a foul and what is a booking, there must be a radical rethink.

“Time and time again, it is going to get worse, because you are going to get the same incidents interpreted time and time again.

“But we shouldn’t be talking about that, we should be talking about football, and it was a good game of football.”

Johnnie Jackson admitted his AFC Wimbledon players felt the effects of their energy-sapping Carabao Cup defeat to Chelsea as they let slip a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Newport.

James Tilley, who put the Dons ahead from the penalty spot at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday before the Premier League side recovered to win 2-1, added his sixth and seventh goals of the season to put Jackson’s men 2-0 up inside half an hour in the south Wales sun.

The former Crawley forward pinged his first in off the post from the edge of the area after nine minutes before doubling the Dons’ advantage with another piledriver from distance on 30 minutes.

But County’s top scorer Will Evans gave his side a lifeline with his eighth of the campaign in all competitions in first-half stoppage time.

And Omar Bogle bagged his first of the season on his first start in the league to level the match 10 minutes into the second half.

Tilley went closest to winning it in the closing stages but he was denied a hat-trick when Exiles goalkeeper Nick Townsend stuck out a hand to keep out his bullet header and earn his side a point.

“Obviously, to get ourselves in that situation in the game, we’re slightly disappointed,” said Jackson.

“But, on the balance of it, after the week we’ve had, I think it is a good point.

“We got two really good goals from Tills, and I’m a bit disappointed with the ones we conceded.

“For 35 minutes I thought we were outstanding, then you saw – mentally and physically – what Wednesday would have taken out of the team.

“But we rallied, which was pleasing. When they got level, their fans are expecting them to go on and win. But their keeper made the best save of the day from Tilley’s header.”

County manager Graham Coughlan felt his side were also paying the price for a gruelling penalty shoot-out loss to Brentford on Tuesday night.

“It was a really tough afternoon and I’ve got to take my hat off to Wimbledon as well,” said the Irishman.

“You could see that the four goals were down to the midweek exertions of two teams that went toe-to-toe with Premier League sides, then chuck a red-hot day on top as well.

“You could probably see the fatigue factor, the mental and physical tiredness that set into the players.

“Fair play to the two sets of players for what they produced off the back of a tough week that was draining and tiring.

“You could see on the hour mark that the energy levels just weren’t there, but I am proud of the lads.”

Doncaster had a man sent off, but held on valiantly for a goalless draw with in-form Swindon.

Rovers, bottom of Sky Bet League Two, battled on after Tommy Rowe had been shown a red card just before half-time.

The home side had enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges, with George Broadbent’s low drive forcing Murphy Mahoney into a smart save before the Swindon keeper also denied Zain Westbrooke.

Rowe then fired a shot narrowly over the crossbar after latching onto a loose ball inside the box.

Swindon, though, grew into the game with Charlie Austin and Udoka Godwin-Malife both going close with headers.

The key moment came in first-half stoppage time when Rowe was dismissed for a high challenge on Swindon midfielder George McEachran.

Swindon looked to make the most of their advantage and Austin’s low drive forced a fine save from Rovers keeper Ian Lawlor.

Doncaster, though, remained in the game – and striker Joe Ironside brought an excellent stop from Mahoney as both sides had to settle for a point.

Stockport substitute Isaac Olaofe scored late to earn Stockport a point as they drew 3-3 at home against Crawley in Sky Bet League Two.

Olaofe slotted home from the tightest of angles to deny the visitors, who had come from 2-0 down to lead 3-2.

Stockport went ahead in the 13th minute when Nick Powell found Louie Barry, who turned inside a defender before lashing home superbly into the top corner from 20 yards.

It was almost two when skipper Paddy Madden met Ryan Rydel’s deep cross, only to head straight at Corey Addai.

Stockport did get their second in the 36th minute when Madden played in Antoni Sarcevic and the early substitute produced a sublime chipped finish to beat Addai.

Crawley halved the deficit three minutes before the interval when Will Wright crossed for Adam Campbell, who volleyed in off the post.

The visitors made it 2-2 nine minutes into the second half when debutant Laurence Maguire volleyed home Liam Kelly’s inswinging cross.

Crawley completed the turnaround in the 65th minute when Danilo Orsi pounced on a defensive mix-up before slotting home.

However, Olaofe levelled when he met Joel Cotterill’s 89th-minute through-ball and coolly slotted underneath Addai.