Cheltenham and Grimsby leave League Two in opposite directions
Cheltenham secured promotion from Sky Bet League Two following a 1-1 draw with Carlisle, while Grimsby were relegated after conceding two late goals to lose 3-2 at Exeter.
Chris Hussey’s stunning 56th-minute free-kick guaranteed the table-topping Robins would return to League One for the first time since 2009 after Joshua Kayode put the visitors ahead in the first half.
Celebrations for Michael Duff’s men were almost put on hold but a late header from Kayode crashed against the crossbar.
At Exeter, it was an evening to forget for 10-man Grimsby as a dramatic collapse condemned them to a 3-2 defeat – and relegation.
Lenell John-Lewis’s penalty and Jay Matete’s strike from distance turned the game in their favour after Luke Waterfall’s own goal put the play-off-chasing Grecians ahead.
But, after Matete was dismissed for a reckless challenge on Archie Collins, goals in the final eight minutes from Alex Fisher and Ryan Bowman ensured the Mariners would return to the National League following a five-season stay in the fourth tier.
Newport boosted their play-off hopes thanks to a thumping 4-0 success over lowly Scunthorpe.
George Taft’s own goal, Mickey Demetriou’s brace and a strike from Lewis Collins lifted the Exiles to sixth, while the Iron still require a single point to mathematically stave off relegation.
Salford are a place below Newport after snatching a late win at Bradford.
Ammies leading scorer Ian Henderson struck in stoppage time at Valley Parade to steal a 1-0 success for Gary Bowyer’s men.
Elsewhere, Barrow guaranteed their safety with a 2-0 victory which dented Forest Green’s promotion hopes.
Joe Quigley’s penalty and a close-range Bobby Thomas strike moved the Bluebirds eight points clear of the bottom two while the beaten hosts’ dropped to eighth, a point outside the play-off spots.
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.