Nationwide Review: Ndlovu rises above personal grief to settle derby

A traumatic week for Peter Ndlovu, the Sheffield United winger, came to a happy conclusion when he scored the only goal of the Yorkshire derby between The Blades and Rotherham United at Bramall Lane after 74 minutes as Neil Warnock's side moved up to a heady fourth place. On as a substitute for just three minutes, Ndlovu took Paul Peschisolido's pass and shot low beyond Mike Pollitt.

"He played in Zimbabwe last weekend and his sister died on the Sunday night," Warnock said. "He had to stay in Zimbabwe until the funeral on Thursday and got back to Gatwick at 10 past six this morning. He got up here at quarter-past two and ended up scoring the winner."

Recovery of a different sort – from a Worthington Cup hangover – was the watchword elsewhere in the Nationwide First Division. Of the sides knocked out of the brewer-sponsored competition in midweek by teams from the lower orders, Watford recovered nicely, winning 1-0 at Nottingham Forest.

Neil Cox scored on the stroke of half-time and Forest's frustrations in the second half spilled over as David Prutton and Jack Lester were sent off. "I don't really want to discuss the incidents until I have seen the video," Paul Hart Forest's manager, said. "What annoyed me was the fact we were supposed to play a minute's extra-time at the end of the first half and ended up with three. I'm told Watford scored their goal after 46 minutes and 45 seconds and that can't be right."

Bradford City shrugged off the embarrassment of defeat at Third Division Wrexham by winning 1-0 at Walsall, Andy Gray's 53rd-minute winner earning a third consecutive league victory.

Grimsby Town had been removed by Chesterfield of the Second Division and a 3-2 defeat at Coventry City has left them rooted at the bottom of the table. The Mariners could take some heart from a fighting performance in which they led 1-0 and clawed back to 2-2. Jay Bothroyd, the Sky Blues' promising young striker, got their winner. "He did very well and there is a lot more to come from the young man. He has a lot more in his locker," Coventry's player-manager Gary McAllister said.

Bury of the Third had beaten Stoke City at Gigg Lane and The Potters had no more luck at Turf Moor where they took the lead with 16 minutes to go, but Burnley scored twice to win 2-1 and the Stoke striker Tommy Mooney, on-loan Birmingham City, was sent off on his debut.

Reading had lost at Cambridge on Tuesday and were left looking distinctly liverish again when Joel McAnuff's 90th-minute strike gave Wimbledon a 1-0 win in Berkshire.

Two early goals in as many minutes set up Gillingham's dramatic 4-2 win at their former tenants, Brighton. Richard Carpenter scored Brighton's first home goal of the season to haul them back into the match until Paul Shaw's second made it 3-1. The Gills had Mark Saunders sent off, Brighton's Gary Hart pulled it back to 3-2, Kevin James re-established The Gills' two-goal cushion but was quickly sent off leaving his side to hang on with nine men.

"I told the referee [Mark Cooper] I thought he was a disgrace," Andy Hessenthaler, the visitors' player-manager said. "I swore at him. He saw the cameras here and wanted to be the centre of attention."

Preston and Sheffield Wednesday drew 2-2 at Deepdale. It was a fifth draw in seven games for North End.

Meanwhile, in that other knockout tournament, the students of Team Bath won again. Bertic Coszic scored two as they beat Blackwell United 3-1 to reach the FA Cup second qualifying round.