Incredible League Two finish as Bristol Rovers clinch promotion thanks to seven-goal romp

The League Two promotion race provided a Hollywood finish as Northampton missed out on an automatic League One spot despite winning 3-1 at Barrow.

That's because Bristol Rovers - who were level on points but needed to better Northamtpon's result by more than four goals to finish third - fired seven past Scunthorpe without reply.

The results saw Bristol and Northampton level on 80 points, and both with a goal difference of 22. That left it down to goals scored to decide who took third, and Bristol's 71 pipped Northampton's 60, meaning Jon Brady's side will have to battle through the play-offs.

Rovers had to score five times after the break to achieve the feat, and they made a good start as Aaron Collins and Antony Evans both produced doubles. Then in the 85th minute, Elliot Anderson topped off the scoring to complete a historic win. 

Anderson's goal triggered a pitch invasion from the jubilant Bristol Rovers fans, and after a 16-minute delay, their side saw out the victory before celebrating their promotion.

Elsewhere in the division, title-challenging Exeter missed out on a chance of silverware after losing 1-0 to to Port Vale, with James Wilson scoring the only goal of the game before the break.

That allowed Forest Green to clinch the title despite a poor end to the season. Rob Edwards' side edged it on goal difference following a 2-2 draw with Mansfield Town.

The stalemate also means Mansfield finished seventh, giving Nigel Clough a chance of taking the Stags into League One.

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