Darrell Clarke has called for Cheltenham’s fans to travel in numbers as they bid to escape the drop in League One with a final-day win at Stevenage.

Tuesday’s 2-0 home victory over Peterborough kept their hopes alive, sealed by first-half goals from Joe Nuttall and Matty Taylor, leaving them two points behind Burton.

They must win at Stevenage and hope Burton fail to beat Fleetwood and or Cambridge lose to Port Vale.

“I thought the boys were magnificent tonight and we needed to be,” Clarke said.

“Now, we take it to the last game of the season. It was a really good atmosphere tonight and the fans were great so hopefully we can get as many of them as possible down to Stevenage and fill the away end because we need everybody there trying to cheer us on for a win.

“When I came in we had one point and no goals, so of course I would have snapped your hand off for this position with one game left, with 44 points.

“The lads have been magnificent over a period of time and there is a real togetherness in the group, even when we took a lot of knocks recently.

“We have bounced back and found that really good performance. We need to find that last really good performance in the last game of the season.”

With their play-off spot already secured, Posh boss Darren Ferguson rested a host of regulars, making seven changes.

And his youthful side were blown away in the first half by the Robins, who knew anything other than a win meant relegation with one game to play.

Nuttall reacted quickest to bundle the ball over the line from close range after goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic could only parry Liam Sercombe’s shot in the 11th minute.

The lead was doubled 10 minutes later when Taylor brought down a ball forward from Lewis Freestone and applied an expert finish.

Taylor crashed a shot against the post in the 32nd minute after Liam Kinsella’s pass and Elliott Bonds forced Bilokapic into a smart save two minutes later.

Posh threatened through Ricky-Jade Jones before half-time, but they were second best and Taylor and Bonds both forced Bilokapic into evasive action in the second half.

At the other end, Luke Southwood parried Jonson Clarke-Harris’ shot in the 58th minute and kept out a late header from the centre forward.

Ferguson admitted his team struggled from the first whistle.

“They got on top of us and we couldn’t sustain any sort of control,” he said.

“The goals were terrible goals to give away, you can’t give goals away like that.

“We spoke about the first 20 minutes before we left the hotel – we had to see that through and try and make sure we dealt with them because we knew they’d be straight down our throats and they were and we conceded two soft goals.

“There were certain things we worked on that we didn’t do well enough, but the goals were poor and you can’t give goals away like that, especially tonight because they got so much energy from it.

“The longer the game went on and they hadn’t scored, the more chances we were going to get. We knew we had pace in behind and I have to say we had five or six very good opportunities as well.

“Congratulations to Cheltenham, they go into Saturday still with a chance of staying up.”

Cheltenham kept their survival hopes alive going into the final day of the League One season after a 2-0 home win over promotion-chasing Peterborough.

First-half goals from Joe Nuttall and Matty Taylor took Town, in the final relegation place, two points behind Burton.

With their play-off spot already secured, Posh boss Darren Ferguson rested a host of regulars, making seven changes.

And his youthful side were blown away in the first half by the Robins, who knew anything other than a win meant relegation with one game to play.

Nuttall reacted quickest to bundle the ball over the line from close range after goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic could only parry Liam Sercombe’s shot in the 11th minute.

The lead was doubled 10 minutes later when Taylor brought down a ball forward from Lewis Freestone and applied an expert finish.

Taylor crashed a shot against the post in the 32nd minute after Liam Kinsella’s pass and Elliott Bonds forced Bilokapic into a smart save two minutes later.

Posh threatened through Ricky-Jade Jones before half-time, but they were second best and Taylor and Bonds both forced Bilokapic into evasive action in the second half.

At the other end, Luke Southwood parried Jonson Clarke-Harris’ shot in the 58th minute and kept out a late header from the centre forward.

Cheltenham must beat Stevenage on Saturday and hope that Burton fail to win at Fleetwood and or Cambridge lose to Port Vale, if they are to escape the drop.

Michael Skubala hailed the character of his Lincoln side after they came from behind to win 2-1 at Cheltenham and move into the League One play-off places with one game left.

Relegation battlers Cheltenham led through Liam Sercombe’s early penalty, but Joe Taylor levelled before half-time and Freddie Draper won it seven minutes after the break.

The Imps’ top six destiny is in their own hands, with a home match against champions Portsmouth to finish, while Cheltenham’s place in the third tier is now hanging by a thread.

“We knew it was going to be tough coming here,” Skubala said.

“We know how much they were fighting for every point so they could stay up.

“They started the game brighter than us and we didn’t begin it as ourselves.

“In the second half we came out and blew them away a little bit and could have probably scored more.

“It was a brilliant second half and everyone worked hard, digging deep to get those points.

“The 1,000-plus fans really got behind the team and pushed us on when we were 1-0 down.

“It really counted and helped us get back into the game. They drove us on.

“The character of the group is amazing and if we looked back months ago to be told we’d be in a position where we’re sixth with the champions coming to our place to face us as we look to clinch a place in the play-offs we’d have all taken it. It’s up to us now.”

A midweek win at Burton had kept Cheltenham’s survival hopes alive but the defeat leaves them five points from safety with just two games left to play.

Manager Darrell Clarke is refusing to throw in the towel while survival remains a possibility.

“I am gutted, first of all, but we still have to try and take it to the last game of the season,” Clarke said.

“We have to win on Tuesday night (Peterborough at home) and then anything can happen in the last game (at Stevenage). We have to do that.

“We have to appreciate moments in the game today where we should score.

“In the first half we had some golden opportunities so to come in at half-time only 1-1 is disappointing because we’d opened them up a few times and the gameplan was working.

“The first half was the best we’ve played at home for a long time.

“I was then disappointed with the second half as a whole because we huffed and puffed, with players tiring.”

Lincoln moved into the play-off places with a 2-1 win at Cheltenham, whose League One future is now hanging by a thread.

The Imps have been resurgent under boss Michael Skubala, but they had to come from behind to take the points.

Cheltenham led through Liam Sercombe’s early penalty, but Joe Taylor levelled before half-time and Freddie Draper won it seven minutes after the break.

A midweek win at Burton had kept Cheltenham’s survival hopes alive and their chances of avoiding the drop improved when Jordan Thomas was tripped by Danny Mandroiu in the box. Sercombe stepped up to fire home from the spot in the 15th minute for his 11th goal of the season.

Lincoln responded well and Taylor’s superb run down the left was eventually stopped in the box, but the ball found its way back to him and he applied a clinical finish in the 40th minute for his 22nd goal of the campaign.

Luke Southwood saved from Alex Mitchell early in the second half and also kept out an effort from Ben House, but he could do nothing to prevent Draper from scoring with a low finish in the 52nd minute.

James Olayinka saw a late effort blocked for Cheltenham and their defeat left them five points from safety with two games to play.

Boss Matt Taylor was delighted to see Bristol Rovers click into gear as they brushed Cheltenham aside with a comfortable 3-1 win to end their seven-game wait for a goal.

Scott Sinclair opened the scoring in the first half and Brandon Aguilera and Elkan Baggott added two more after the break before Liam Sercombe’s stoppage-time consolation for the relegation-threatened hosts.

Rovers skipper Antony Evans also saw a first-half penalty saved, with Rovers in total control.

“Everyone will talk about the goals, but I thought we looked solid as a team,” Taylor said.

“We looked like a proper team and we should’ve been more than one ahead at half-time and that’s no disrespect to Cheltenham.

“We know we look good as a team on paper, but we’ve never had everyone available, all of the time.

“We controlled things and started the game well, but needed something to show for it and Scotty was cool and calm for the opener.  His legs were a constant threat to their back line.”

Former Chelsea and Man City star Sinclair opened the scoring in the 12th minute, finishing neatly past Luke Southwood and inside the bottom left corner after being played in by Luke Thomas.

Evans was brought down in the box by Southwood 10 minutes before half-time, but the goalkeeper redeemed himself by diving to his left to keep out the spot-kick.

Cheltenham, managed by ex-Rovers boss Darrell Clarke, made two changes at half-time, but they were not able to find a way back into the game and it was 2-0 in the 56th minute.

Thomas found substitute Aguilera and he rolled a shot into the bottom right corner.

Former Cheltenham loanee Baggott headed the third from Harvey Vale’s corner in the 76th minute.

Sercombe was set up by fellow ex-Rovers player Matty Taylor in the 94th minute, but it was too little, too late for Cheltenham.

Clarke admitted his team are majorly struggling for confidence, with four games left to save their season, starting at one of the teams they can catch – Burton – on Tuesday night.

“I am searching for answers with the group and we have some walking wounded and players putting their bodies on the line,” he said.

“I get the frustration and disappointment from my supporters, who have been great. We just have to keep going.

“We have to make sure we don’t feel sorry for ourselves because unbelievably it’s still in our hands, with four games to go.

“We have to keep going and make sure we are ready to go Tuesday.

“While we still have a chance, we’ll go there and try to win the game.”

Boss Darrell Clarke hailed the attitude of Cheltenham striker Aidan Keena after the Irishman’s first goal of the season secured a vital 2-1 win at relegation rivals Fleetwood.

Liam Sercombe put the Robins in front after half an hour but Ryan Graydon levelled for Fleetwood in the 79th minute.

Keena, publicly backed by Clarke all season, then fired in from close range after good work from Joe Nuttall on the left to end a 327-day drought and Fleetwood’s six-game unbeaten run.

Clarke said: “It’s about the lad’s attitude and how he goes about it. He is a great character in the changing room and he has a lot of bad banter but he is working very hard to improve his game.

“That’s all you can ask from your players, showing that commitment and desire and when you work hard and play well you get those opportunities to be able to score a goal.

“It was a nice bit of play, with a great little ball from Joe, who is getting fitter and stronger by the day which is good because we are going to need him with the injuries to our forwards.

“All I can ever ask of my boys is to keep listening, taking on board what we are trying to do and I back everybody that plays for me, giving the effort and commitment that these lads do.

“Keeno has done that since I’ve been in the building and I said to him when you do that, when you work hard, your luck changes. It’s a massive win for us.”

Cheltenham were the better side during a first half played in almost continuous rain on a heavy pitch.

Sercombe opened the scoring after a nod down from George Lloyd, switching the ball on to his left foot and curling into the bottom-left corner for his ninth of the season.

Cheltenham pushed for a second but it remained 1-0 at half-time and Fleetwood asked more questions of their visitors in the second period.

Bosun Lawal shot just wide in the 59th minute after Ryan Broom’s pass and Graydon saw an effort parried by Robins goalkeeper Luke Southwood.

Promise Omochere set up the equaliser for substitute Graydon but Fleetwood were only on level terms for three minutes as Keena won it to take Cheltenham to within two points of Burton in 20th.

Fleetwood boss Charlie Adam was angry with his team’s performance.

He said: “We are extremely disappointed. We asked the crowd to come and give us energy and enthusiasm and they did that.

“But unfortunately we never performed. In the first half, it was unacceptable. I felt it was back to where we were at the start, when we first came in the building.

“Again, I won’t accept it. I won’t accept people jogging or not being at it because it’s not what we can afford.

“We’ll look at it, we’ll dissect it and we are hugely disappointed in terms of the result. It’s a little setback for us but we have to go again on Monday.”

Late strikes from Tyreeq Bakinson and Alfie May earned Charlton a 3-1 League One win at Cheltenham to ease their relegation fears.

The improving Addicks took a first-half lead through Daniel Kanu before Liam Sercombe’s 70th-minute leveller set up a tense finish.

But the late double lifted Nathan Jones’ side seven points clear of their hosts and the drop zone.

It took 19 minutes for them to break the deadlock, with Conor Coventry releasing Tennai Watson on the right and his low ball was turned in by Kanu for his 10th of the season.

May was denied by Liam Kinsella’s block in the box and Luke Southwood blocked another May effort, but the rebound was skewed wide in the 33rd minute.

Matty Taylor saw a low shot deflected wide, but Charlton were on top for much of the first half.

Cheltenham equalised when Jordan Thomas weaved past two defenders and forced Harry Isted into a low save, but he could only parry it to Sercombe, who tapped home.

But Bakinson struck four minutes from the end with a low shot that Southwood reached – but could not keep out – after George Dobson’s pass.

And former Robins hero May added the third in the 90th minute, tapping into an empty net after collecting Freddie Ladapo’s pass as Charlton extended their unbeaten run to six.

Cheltenham boss Darrell Clarke hailed midfielder Liam Sercombe’s influence after his quickfire brace sealed a shock 2-1 home win over leaders Portsmouth.

Pompey had taken the lead through a 49th-minute own goal but the Robins responded quickly, with Sercombe’s first brace for the club sealing three valuable points in their battle against the drop.

The vastly experienced Sercombe has scored four goals in his last five games and is clearly enjoying life under Clarke, who also managed him at Bristol Rovers.

“Sercs has done that all his career and he knows where the back of the net is,” Clarke said.

“They were great goals and he is leading by example. He’s an important, senior member of my team and he’s done the business today.

“He did his job and then I took him off to shore it up in midfield and said ‘come and sit with me Sercs – two brilliant goals mate!’ but he was excellent.”

Cheltenham remain in the bottom four, but their sixth win in 15 games under Clarke has given them renewed belief that they can survive.

“The way the boys put their bodies on the line was absolutely tremendous,” he said.

“I am delighted to come back from a goal down and win the game as well. I am over the moon with it.”

Portsmouth were on top for much of the first half, with Abu Kamara a major threat.

But they failed to seriously test goalkeeper Luke Southwood, who made comfortable saves from Sean Raggett and Marlon Pack.

Kamara had the ball in the net before half-time, but the whistle had already been blown for a foul on him and it was ruled out.

But Paddy Lane’s cross was helped on by Raggett and Tom Bradbury deflected it into his own net under pressure from Colby Bishop in the 49th minute.

Portsmouth were in front for less than two minutes, with Will Ferry’s long throw-in hooked in by Sercombe in the 51st minute.

The winner came when George Lloyd dispossessed Conor Shaughnessy in the 54th minute, allowing Sercombe to smash into the roof of the net for his sixth of the season.

Pompey boss John Mousinho felt his team controlled the game and should have had two penalties.

“By the time we went 1-0 up I felt we deserved the lead,” Mousinho said.

“There were five minutes of absolute madness from us when they scored, but after that we dominated.

“We should’ve had two penalties, but ended up with two bookings for diving. It was a disappointing afternoon.

“A lot of stuff didn’t go for us as far as refereeing decisions go, but we didn’t lose the game because of that, we lost it because of our own sloppy errors.

“I can live with today because we performed pretty well, but I’m still puzzled as to how we lost it.

“As much as it’s a blow, we need to dust ourselves down and go again.”

Darrell Clarke says his Cheltenham team must maintain the standards shown in their 1-1 draw with Wigan if they are to give themselves a fighting chance of survival in League One.

The Robins recovered from falling behind to an early own goal to level through Liam Sercombe’s penalty and then push for a winner.

Wigan missed a second-half penalty, but Clarke felt it would have been a travesty if his team had not picked up at least a point.

“We started quite slowly for 15 minutes, but after that we were very good and that looked more like a Darrell Clarke team today,” said Clarke, whose side are eight points from safety.

“The fans appreciated it and we appreciated the support they gave us. They were outstanding in getting behind the team.

“They’ve seen a team there that wanted to give everything for the shirt. We got the press right at times and we made a very good technical team go long at times.

“We have done a lot of work to try and do that, get in their faces and we caused many problems. We’ve set a standard today and we don’t want to dip below that now.”

Wigan started well, with Lewis Freestone turning Jordan Jones’ low cross into his own net in the sixth minute after good work from Stephen Humphrys.

It was nearly 2-0 when Martial Godo hit the post in the 12th minute, but Cheltenham then rallied.

Curtis Davies shot just wide and Curtis Thompson lifted an effort over the bar.

Will Goodwin was tripped in the box by Baba Adeeko and Sercombe converted from the penalty spot for his second of the campaign in the 32nd minute.

Cheltenham made the stronger start to the second half, with Goodwin hitting the post after Davies’ flick-on from Luke Southwood’s free-kick.

Humphrys had the chance to win it for Wigan in the 64th minute, but his weak spot-kick was comfortably gathered by Southwood.

Cheltenham held on for a fully deserved share of the spoils, with Davies forcing a diving save from Sam Tickle in the 71st minute.

Wigan boss Shaun Maloney said he could not fault his players’ efforts.

“For the first 20 minutes I was really pleased,” he said.

“We created enough chances to be further ahead. It didn’t feel like a tactical game, it felt more of a battle. We came up with defensive solutions and it’s a point gained.

“In terms of missing the penalty, Stephen’s been so good for us this year. It’s one of those things. He’s been brilliant for us.

“We maybe have to find ways of controlling the game a little more, but I can’t say a negative thing about the players. They battled until the very last minute.

“The players have been very, very good, but I need more. Our mentality has to be the same as today after the international break.”

Wigan were held to a 1-1 draw at lowly Cheltenham after Stephen Humphrys missed a second-half penalty.

Latics led through Lewis Freestone’s early own goal, but Liam Sercombe levelled for the home side from the spot before half-time.

Humphrys had the chance to win it for Wigan in the 64th minute, but his weak spot-kick was comfortably gathered by Luke Southwood.

Wigan started well, with Freestone turning Jordan Jones’ low cross into his own net in the sixth minute after good work from Humphrys.

It was nearly 2-0 when Martial Godo hit the post in the 12th minute, but Cheltenham then rallied.

Curtis Davies shot just wide and Curtis Thompson lifted an effort over the bar.

Will Goodwin was tripped in the box by Baba Adeeko and Sercombe converted from the penalty spot for his second of the campaign in the 32nd minute.

Cheltenham made the stronger start to the second half, with Goodwin hitting the post after Davies’ flick-on from Southwood’s free-kick.

Wigan missed from the spot and Cheltenham held on for a deserved point, with Davies forcing a diving save from Sam Tickle in the 71st minute.