Rhodes reaches top 20 to keep Huddersfield's challenge on song

Huddersfield Town took another step towards automatic promotion from League One yesterday with a comfortable 3-0 win over Paul Ince's struggling Notts County.

Jordan Rhodes scored two and created the other goal in a man-of-the-match performance; the in-form striker now has 20 goals for the season. Arsenal loanee Benik Afobe also impressed in a dominant display that leaves County just two points from the relegation zone whereas Huddersfield have now gone a club record 18 league games unbeaten and sit in second place.

The Brighton manager, Gus Poyet, has urged his side to "be proud" after their 2-1 victory against Swindon on Saturday that leaves them 10 points clear of Huddersfield. The former Chelsea player was quick to dismiss that promotion was a formality but admitted "we have been excellent so far and we need to finish on a high". The Seagulls, who have not lost a league game at home all season, scored and missed a penalty either side of a David Prutton equaliser before Glenn Murray fired home the winner to leave second-bottom Swindon seven points from safety.

Elsewhere in the relegation scrap, Yeovil secured a vital 5-1 away win at Leyton Orient. The Orient manager, Russell Slade, who was sacked by Yeovil in 2009 , was left "devastated" by refereeing decisions after "the harshest penalty in the world" and an early Matt Spring dismissal.

Orient had gone 16 league games unbeaten before losing at Brentford on 19 March and succumbed on Saturday to a first half hat-trick from Shaun McDonald and a goal each from Andy Welsh and Dean Bowditch after the break to lift Yeovil four points from the drop zone.

Orient are not the only promotion-chasing team to have stuttered recently; Bournemouth went into Saturday's game with Charlton off the back of three straight defeats. The Cherries missed a host of chances to draw 2-2 and a heroic showing from the visitors' keeper Rob Elliot left Bournemouth manager Lee Bradbury "more than gutted".

In League Two, Chesterfield missed the chance to extend their lead at the top on Saturday, surrendering a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw at Barnet.

Burton Albion continued to give the bottom two, Barnet and Stockport, hope, by losing 3-0 at Oxford yesterday. Paul Peschisolido's side also finished with nine men after Darren Moore and Tom Parkes were sent off. Also yesterday Gillingham moved up to fourth with a last-minute over Cheltenham yesterday. Cody McDonald struck twice in the last five minutes to secure a 2-1 win at Whaddon Road.