Accrington Stanley 1 Notts County 1

Attendance 1,404

John Coleman, the Accrington Stanley manager, viewed this draw as a missed opportunity, despite his side salvaging a point through Jimmy Ryan’s late goal. “I’m a bit disappointed,” he said. “I expect to win every home match. We never gave up and I thought we were going to nick another right at the end. We need to take that attitude into our next game.” Ian McParland, the Notts County manager, hopes the manner in which his team conceded will serve as a lesson. “The ball should have been cleared. Until we hold the leads we get, we’ll struggle,” he said.

Barnet 1 Morecambe 1

Attendance 1,776

Paul Fairclough thanked the Barnet fans for their patience after his side ended their wait for a first league point of the season. Albert Adomah scored before Diarmuid O’Carroll equalised for Morecambe. “Great things have to start somewhere,” Fairclough, the Barnet manager, said. “The fans have stuck with us through a difficult run and were great from start to finish.” Sammy McIlroy, the Morecambe manager, believes that his changes are starting to bear fruit. “Our performances have improved,” he said. “I’m pleased with where we are at the moment.”

Bournemouth 0 Macclesfield Town 1

Attendance 3,922

Jimmy Quinn, the Bournemouth manager, believes that there may be a culture of fear among his players. Gareth Evans put Macclesfield Town ahead inside two minutes, but was sent off for an alleged elbow on Darren Anderton 16 minutes later. “When we conceded the early goal, some of my players became frightened to play,” Quinn said. “There is a fear of losing.” Keith Alexander, the Macclesfield manager, was livid about Evans’s sending-off. “It was two players competing for the ball,” he said. “It’s hard to believe that can earn a red card.”

Bradford City 4 Exeter City 1

Attendance 12,683

Stuart McCall, the Bradford City manager, said that Peter Thorne, the striker, almost missed the victory over Exeter City at Valley Parade because of a back complaint. Thorne scored twice, as did Michael Boulding, to fire Bradford to the top of the table, one point clear of Bury. “I got a call on the way to the match to say he [Thorne] was doubtful,” McCall said. “He went out to do the warm-up and was still unsure, but he got through the match with painkillers. He wanted a hat-trick, but there was no way he was staying on when the game looked safe for us.”

Bury 3 Lincoln City 1

Attendance 2,663

Peter Jackson urged his team to buck up fast on set-pieces after they caused Lincoln City’s downfall against Bury at Gigg Lane. All of Bury’s goals stemmed from dead-ball situations. “We’ll stand still if we don’t defend set-pieces,” Jackson said. “We’ve got to put bodies on the line when those balls get put in the penalty area.” Alan Knill, the Bury manager, gave warning against high expectations. “Everyone turns up and expects us to be like Real Madrid, but, sometimes, the opposition stops that and you can’t always play great football,” he said.

Dagenham & Redbridge 3 Chesterfield 0

Attendance 1,682

Lee Richardson, the Chesterfield manager, accused Ben Strevens, the Dagenham & Redbridge striker, of provoking Lloyd Kerry to get the midfield player dismissed in Chesterfield’s defeat at Victoria Road. Kerry was sent off after 38 minutes for punching Strevens. “There was no arguing that Lloyd punched Strevens, but Strevens squeezed his private parts,” Richardson said. “What is he [Richardson] expected to do? It’s an instinctive reaction.” John Still, the Dagenham & Redbridge manager, backed the decision of James Linington, the referee.

Darlington 2 Port Vale 1

Attendance 3,040

Dave Penney, the Darlington manager, was grateful for the services of Liam Hatch, the striker, who is on loan from Peterborough United, as his team laboured to victory at home to Port Vale. Franz Burgmeier and Hatch turned the tables after Port Vale had gone in front through Luke Rodgers’s free kick. “I am glad Liam is with us until December because he is one of those strikers defenders hate,” Penney said. “He is big, strong and always in your face. That was our worst performance, but it was important to get the win under our belts.”

Grimsby Town 1 Chester City 3

Attendance 2,950

Alan Buckley, the Grimsby Town manager, preferred to reflect on Kevin Ellison’s spectacular hat-trick rather than focus on his team’s shortcomings in this defeat at Blundell Park. “That’s twice in a week that we have been hit by free kicks of Brazilian standard – then Ellison followed up with another,” Buckley said. “All credit to him.” Simon Davies, the Chester manager, is challenging his team to go on a winning streak. “It’s nice to put a run together,” he said. “We have got Shrewsbury next and they have had an encouraging result [a 7-0 win over Gillingham].”

Luton Town 3 Aldershot Town 1

Attendance 6,462

Luton Town secured their first home win of the season with a performance that impressed Mick Harford, the manager. Asa Hall and Chris Martin sealed the victory over Aldershot Town after the game was stopped for nine minutes when a piece of wood fell off a stand. “The old stadium didn’t help us. It stopped our momentum,” Harford said. “It’s big for the players and fans to get that home win.” Gary Waddock, the Aldershot manager, expressed sympathy for his former club. “It’s an awkward situation, but if they play like that, they will get where they want to be.”

Rotherham United 2 Rochdale 2

Attendance 3,569

Mark Robins was disappointed that his Rotherham United side required the sending-off of Lee Thorpe, the Rochdale forward, to spark a late recovery. Robins, the Rotherham manager, said: “We did not start playing until they had a player sent off. We’ve got quality players, but if you do not work, you cannot get anything.” Goals from Jordan Rhodes and Will Buckley encouraged Keith Hill that he has a burgeoning strike partnership. “Buckley is getting stronger and fitter with every game and Rhodes led the line really well,” the Rochdale manager said.

Shrewsbury Town 7 Gillingham 0

Attendance 5,319

Paul Simpson hoped that Shrewsbury Town had not used up all their good luck in this demolition of Gillingham. Michael Jackson, Dave Hibbert, Ben Davies (two), Graham Coughlan, Shane Candsell-Sherriff and Gary Holt found a way past Simon Royce in the visiting team’s goal. “We made a good side look poor,” Simpson, the Shrewsbury manager, said. “I just hope we haven’t used up seven goals when, one day soon, we’ll be looking for just one.” Mark Stimson, the Gillingham manager, said: “I’ve never been beaten by seven. It’s up to the players to prove it was a one-off.”