Sunderland slip to fifth in League One after free weekend as Luton Town go top

Sunderland slipped to fifth in League One following their free weekend.
Jack Ross.Jack Ross.
Jack Ross.

The Black Cats were not in action due to Gillingham's involvement in the FA Cup, which meant a rare free weekend for Jack Ross and his squad.

Results elsewhere saw Sunderland, who have two games in hand on new leaders Luton Town, slip to fifth on 53 points ahead of their return to league action at home to AFC Wimbledon next Saturday.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Barnsley and Charlton Athletic both climbed above Sunderland but the Black Cats have three games in hand over Lee Bowyer's side and one over Barnsley.

Luton moved to the top as Matty Pearson's first-half goal earned them a 1-0 win at Southend.

In what was the third league match of Mick Harford's stint as interim boss, the Hatters scored in the 29th minute when Pearson headed in from a James Justin corner.

The victory sees them knock Portsmouth off the summit, with Luton now two points clear of Kenny Jackett's men, who have a game in hand over them.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Barnsley are up two places to third, two points behind Pompey, after coming from behind to win 2-1 against Rochdale at Oakwell.

Ian Henderson's 49th-minute opener was cancelled out five minutes later by Kieffer Moore, before Cauley Woodrow netted the winner with 15 minutes of normal time to go.

Peterborough sacked boss Steve Evans and announced Darren Ferguson as his replacement following their 0-0 home draw with Charlton, in which Addicks striker Karlan Grant had a 79th-minute penalty saved by Conor O'Malley.

Having become Posh boss in February last year, Evans departs with the club lying sixth in the table and having won three of their last 13 league games. Ferguson, appointed for the remainder of the season, is back for his third spell in charge of the ABAX Stadium outfit, having previously managed them from 2007-09 and 2011-15.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Charlton remain fourth, while Sunderland, not in action this weekend, have slipped two positions to fifth.

Hope Akpan secured second-bottom Bradford a point as they drew 1-1 at Burton, equalising in the 68th minute after Lucas Akins had opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time. The Bantams are three points behind 20th-placed Rochdale.

Blackpool are eighth following a 2-0 victory at Coventry, where Nathan Delfouneso and Armand Gnanduillet got on the scoresheet, and Wycombe's 1-0 home win over Plymouth moved them up to ninth.

Adebayo Akinfenwa got the goal at Adams Park, heading past Kyle Letheren in the 24th minute.

Fleetwood were beaten 1-0 at home by Scunthorpe thanks to Ashley Eastham's 76th-minute own goal.