Sunderland drop to 11th in League One as Portsmouth climb to third tier summit

The Black Cats were supposed to play Shrewsbury Town this weekend but saw that fixture – as well as their upcoming clashes with Blackpool and Hull City – postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

And in their absence, there were some key changes in the table.

It was something of a depleted fixture list with Peterborough United and Bristol Rovers also seeing their games postponed.

There was one Friday night fixture as Portsmouth travelled to Hull City – with Kenny Jackett’s side claiming a 2-0 win that takes them top of the third tier. An early Sean Raggett effort and an own goal were enough for Pompey on Humberside.

Hull, meanwhile, slipped to third after Lincoln City registered a 4-0 win over Northampton Town. That was the Imps’ first win in three after defeats to Sunderland and Shrewsbury in the last week, with Brennan Johnson’s late brace helping to seal the win.

Doncaster also climbed the table as they beat Burton Albion 3-1, with Darren Moore's side now sat fourth.

Charlton, though, surrendered ground as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Swindon Town. The Addicks were leading as the game ticked into injury time, only for Brett Pitman to snatch a point for the Robins late on.

Crewe now sit ninth after they won at mid-table AFC Wimbledon. Ex-Sunderland youngster Mikael Mandron netted the opener before Ryan Longman pulled the scoes level late on – only for Oli Finley to strike a winner in injury time.

Elsewhere, Accrington and Blackpool shared the spoils after a goalless draw while Fleetwood and Wigan also played out a stalemate – with Oli Crankshaw’s late leveller earning the Latics a point via a 1-1 draw. The point was still enough for the Cod Army to leapfrog Sunderland, though.

At the other end of the table, Plymouth put some distance between themselves and the bottom four with a 1-0 win over MK Dons. Ryan Hardie’s second half effort proved the difference as the Pilgrims climbed to 14th – five points clear of the drop zone.

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