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Of course the biggest game left on for Blues fans was the one between Carlisle and old rivals Burnley at Frenchfields, Penrith. The game was originally scheduled as a home fixture for the Clarets but with the Gawthorpe playing fields unplayable that meant the match being switched to Cumbria with time too tight to be rescheduling fixtures at this time of the season. Both teams fielded young sides but it was Carlisle who came out on top winning 2-1 with goals in either half from Gary Baker and Terry Stewart, Alex McDonald pulling a goal back late on for the home side/visitors.
Port Vale cemented their fifth spot in the table as they grabbed a good 2-1 win at Rochdale. The Valiants have been lucky with postponements this campaign and only have seven games left to play while Wigan, for example, have twelve matches left to fit in the two months left. It was the eleventh win of the season for Vale who have scored plenty of goals but have let too many in to make any kind of title challenge, ‘Dale meanwhile have been firmly entrenched in the mid-table places all year.
Third from bottom Shrewsbury missed a good chance to gain only their sixth win of the season when they a let two goal lead slip in the last five minutes away to a Stockport outfit who are just six points ahead of the Shropshire side, albeit having played one game less. First-half goals from Adam Cain and Ross Draper sent the Shrews racing into the lead but Ashley Crank pulled a goal back for the Hatters on 85 minutes and Dan Ellis grabbed a late, late equaliser in stoppage time to leave the final score at 2-2.
Improving Wrexham pulled themselves to within one point of Shrewsbury at the wrong end of the table with an excellent 2-0 win at mid-table Walsall. The Red Dragons fielded a young side for the match with coach Steve Weaver deliberately playing schoolboys in preparation for next season. Wes Baynes and Stuart Jones grabbed the goals for Wrexham to ensure all three points went back to North Wales.
Bury made it two wins in a row and three in the season after it had taken them fifteen games to claim their first scalp in early January at Preston. This weekend they defeated Blackpool 2-0 at home to give themselves every chance of escaping the wooden spoon award. The Shakers are now showing signs of form and every side from Carlisle down must be looking nervously over their shoulder, the Seasiders have no such worries though as they sit in eighth place in the table.
Weekend results in the division :
Burnley 1-2 Carlisle
Bury 2-0 Blackpool
Rochdale 1-2 Port Vale
Stockport 2-2 Shrewsbury
Walsall 0-2 Wrexham
Chester P-P Oldham (waterlogged pitch)
Preston P-P Macclesfield (waterlogged pitch)
Wigan P-P Tranmere (waterlogged pitch)
Fixtures for Saturday 18th March :
Blackpool v Shrewsbury
Bury v Stockport
Chester v Burnley
Oldham v Macclesfield
Port Vale v Carlisle (at the Bycars training ground)
Rochdale v Walsall
Tranmere v Wrexham
Wigan v Preston
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