Argyle bolstered by Wotton and Norris

Second and Third Divisions

Carl Markham
Saturday 27 December 2003 01:00 GMT
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Plymouth Argyle continue to set the pace in the Second Division, registering their fifth successive win yesterday, beating Bournemouth 2-0.

Paul Wotton put them ahead in the 22nd minute and David Norris doubled the lead five minutes before the break to ensure that Argyle extended their lead at the top to four points.

The experienced striker Kevin Gallen salvaged a point for QPR with a last-minute equaliser at Notts County. The second-placed side led twice through Steve Palmer and an Ian Richardson own goal, after Paul Heffernan had netted a sixth-minute equaliser for County, but found themselves trailing after Heffernan completed his hat-trick with strikes in the 28th and 72nd minutes.

Third-placed Barnsley closed the gap to two points after they beat Hartlepool 2-1. Eifion Williams gave the home side a 22nd-minute lead but Kevin Betsy (45 & 69) turned the result around. Brighton were the other winners in the top five as they coasted to a 4-0 victory at home to nine-man Wycombe with John Piercy (two), Richard Carpenter and Chris McPhee all scoring.

The visitors had Roger Johnson, in the 16th minute, and Mark Rogers, in the 65th, sent off and to compound their misery they went bottom after Chesterfield's 2-1 victory at home to Peterborough.

Substitute Leroy Lita came off the bench to score twice against Brentford, who had been leading through Ben May (63), and lift Bristol City to fifth.

Colchester could not hold on to the lead given to them by Scott McGleish in the 16th minute and Lee Mansell (28) earned a point for Luton.

Stephen Brooker pounced in the 89th minute to give Port Vale victory at Sheffield Wednesday. The hosts' Mark Robins (21) and Adrian Littlejohn (25) had traded goals before Graeme Lee put Wednesday 2-1 up at half-time.

However, Billy Paynter levelled nine minutes into the second half and Brooker's late intervention snatched the win.

Rushden & Diamonds' striker Onandi Lowe struck twice against 10-man Swindon, who had Rory Fallon dismissed after half an hour.

In the Third Division, Gregg Blundell's 67th-minute goal was all that was needed for leaders Doncaster to overcome Scunthorpe. It was a crucial strike as second-placed Oxford snatched a last-gasp 2-1 win against 10-man Leyton Orient at the Kassam Stadium.

Gary Alexander had given the visitors an early lead but Andy Crosby (33) equalised from the penalty spot before Tom Newey was dismissed for a second bookable offence. Julian Alsop was the match- winner with a lob three minutes into injury-time.

Mansfield went third courtesy of Colin Larkin's 56th-minute goal in the 1-0 win over Rochdale, while Hull also moved up a place to fourth after goals from Ben Burgess and Jamie Forrester saw off York.

Goals from John Williams and Shaun Parrish helped Kidderminster to a 2-1 win at Yeovil, who had equalised through Kevin Gall, while the Lincolnshire derby at Boston was settled by Lincoln's Paul Mayo, who scored a 61st-minute penalty.

A single goal, courtesy of Huddersfield's Andy Booth, was enough to account for struggling Darlington, as was one from Southend's Leon Constantine at Cambridge.

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