The scrap for survival at the bottom of Sky League 2 continues this weekend with just two points separating the teams in 20th and 23rd.
Over the past month, all four of York City, Carlisle United, Cheltenham Town and Tranmere Rovers have occupied that unwanted 23rd place, but it’s the latter who currently sit in the relegation zone, following four straight losses.Rovers have conceded 10 goals in those four defeats, and this weekend they visit Northampton Town, who are the division’s highest scorers.
Cheltenham, on the other hand, have picked up five points from their last four games which has dragged Russell Milton’s men out of the mire and up to 22nd. They are not out of the water yet, but they face an out-of-form Newport County on Friday night.
Newport won the reverse fixture back in December by a 1-0 scoreline, which was also the result last February on Cheltenham’s only visit to Rodney Parade – Ashley Vincent’s goal handed the Gloucestershire club a 1-0 win in Wales, and the Robins could do with a repeat of that in their quest for safety.
This weekend also pits 20th against 21st in what could well be classed as a six-pointer, with York and Carlisle going head-to-head at Bootham Crescent – the sides are currently locked on 36 points.
The pair have met 85 times over the years, with York 28-27 up in the head-to-head. The Cumbrians will even the scores though, if they can avenge the 3-0 defeat that the Minstermen inflicted on them back in December.
Hartlepool may be further adrift at the bottom of the table but they are showing plenty of fight in their bid for Football League survival.
Ronnie Moore’s men have three wins from their last eight, and were moments away from earning a point against title-chasing Burton last weekend. However, a last-minute winner for the league leaders condemned Pools to a ninth home defeat of the term - a record they share with Carlisle and Dagenham.
The scrap is well and truly on, and you can follow it all on our Sky Bet League 2 Twitter feed - @SkyBetLeague2.