No game for U's but action elsewhere
By the time the U’s welcome Rotherham United to the WHCS on Saturday, Joe Dunne’s team will have gone three weeks without league action. With most of our immediate rivals in the table in action over the weekend, results could hardly have gone better.
The U's game at the weekend was postponed but there was League One action elsewhere.
After consecutive matches against Shrewsbury and Peterborough have been rained off, the U’s now have one, two and even three matches in hand over the teams around us in the table and sit just two points off MK Dons and tenth place.
On Saturday, Karl Robinson’s team continued to struggle after the departures of Patrick Bamford and Shaun Williams, losing 1-0 to Tranmere Rovers. Former Dons striker Ryan Lowe delivered the decisive blow late on.
A brace from Ade Akinfenwa helped Gillingham to a 3-2 victory over Port Vale at Priestfield Stadium to move into the top ten and dent Vale’s play-off aspirations in the process.
In-form Walsall’s trip to Coventry was another postponement as was Crawley vs Stevenage, with bad weather ensuring the Football League will have even more fixture rescheduling to contend with as the season moves into its spring calendar.
The other sides in and around Colchester in the League One table who were in action on Saturday were Oldham, who bounced back from their midweek defeat to Wolves to beat Swindon Town 1-0 at the County Ground and Bradford, who went down 2-0 away to Wolves.
Kenny Jackett’s promotion chasers let Kevin Doyle join QPR on loan on Friday’s transfer deadline day and they were helped when the striker’s namesake, Bradford’s Nathan Doyle was sent off in the first half before goals from Kevin McDonald and Nouha Dicko sealed the win.
League leaders Brentford’s 1-1 draw away to Shrewsbury meant their lead at the top was cut to two points by Wolves, while third placed Leyton Orient were beaten 2-1 by Saturday’s visitors to WHCS Rotherham United.
Goals from Wes Thomas, his first since signing from Bournemouth, Alex Revell late on won the points for the Millers, whose manager Steve Evans wasn’t shy in displaying his pleasure in becoming only the fourth manager to outdo Russell Slade in the league this season.
Preston North End also consolidated their position in the play-offs with a 2-0 victory over strugglers Notts County, while Bristol City eased their relegation fears with a 2-1 over Carlisle United.
Also in the battle to survive, two of the bottom four met at the Alexandra Stadium as Crewe comprehensively beat Sheffield United 3-0. That win lifted them out of the danger zone while Nigel Clough’s team has now won just one of their last seven in the league.