First 77 minutes

Jak Alnwick — Started with a positive punch clear from a high cross and solid handling throughout. Looked to strike a balance between drawing the press and finding his centre-backs quickly when available.

Lasse Sorensen — Needed to clear on the cover to prevent Oldham from opening the scoring. Delivered some dangerous crosses from the right before getting involved in a couple of minor flashpoints with an opponent. Got tempted forward before Oldham’s equaliser and didn’t reset quickly enough to contest the second ball at the back post after the subsequent attack was recycled.

Joe Low — Dominant aerially and comfortable cushioning the ball to a teammate in his own box. Mistimed a clearance in the second half that could easily have resulted in an Oldham equaliser. Able to pick passes into feet in midfield.

Ian Togo — Good strength and physical presence at the back but unsurprisingly short of polish. Handy in the air as part of an imposing back two. Also this song needs to be his chant please.

Lynden Gooch — Always willing to look for a clip in behind but played a simple game in possession, linking with Togo inside and Evans in midfield. Started to show some quality in attacking areas and produced two lovely passes to set up Iorpenda’s goal for 1-0. Helped to keep Oldham at bay by backing up the press behind Sway.

Antony Evans — Frequently dropped into the defence in possession, allowing both Gooch and Sorensen to advance. Willing to put a boot in and made a key block on the edge of the penalty area with 20 minutes left, but gave some fouls away in midfield.

Ethan Brierley — Vital connector in the middle, a clean passer and able to open out to the wings with slightly longer passes as well as linking with Sway. Forced the Oldham goalkeeper into a mistake by pressing him in his own six-yard box in the middle of the first half. Reads the game well out of possession and adept at finding space.

Sahil Bashir — Showed composure on the ball in the defensive third and looked to use his pace to burst in behind when Sorensen was driving forward. Able to carry the ball at speed and take a risk, with the inevitable result that some didn’t come off.

Tom Iorpenda — Formed a front two with Fletcher when Huddersfield didn’t have the ball. Mirrored Evans in dropping deep to pick up the ball from the defenders but carried it through the midfield rather than trying to find longer passes into the channels. Able to thread a good pass at the end of it. Terrific movement and finish to give Town the lead. Effective counter-pressing and powerful running made him a constant threat.

Jay Sway — Won a free kick on the edge of the box by stealing the ball on the press and attacking directly. Potentially a red card for the opponent in competitive football and therefore a telling contribution. Nice exchange with Gooch in the build-up to the opening goal.

Ashley Fletcher — Scrapped away with the Oldham back line and offered useful hold-up play. Looked capable of creating a chance through sheer physicality but Town were unable to get him involved as regularly as he’d have liked. Did however get the attack moving for Iorpenda’s goal.

From 77 minutes

Jak Alnwick; Max Murray, Marlie Neil, Ian Togo, Dylan Tawodzera; Luke Schofield, Dan Vost; Zac Bowker, Jamie Spencer, Michael Onyeka; Jahkyah Ebanks-Blake (Trialist)

First 65 minutes

Matty Young (full 90) — Put Town in trouble with a poor kick out to a Fleetwood man 30 yards from goal, resulting in the hosts getting a penalty. Went the right way and got a hand to it but couldn’t keep it out. Made a great stop to keep out a header to the top corner, only for Fleetwood to go back ahead from the resulting corner.

Radinio Balker — Has had better games. Made a clumsy challenge on Ronan Coughlan to give away another pre-season penalty. Failed to control a goal kick from the Fleetwood keeper as Coughlan got in and hit the bar. Steady away thereafter.

Jack Whatmough — Overall composed on the ball as Town tried to draw the Fleetwood press to create space in midfield. Was a bit unfortunate to see a Fleetwood corner go in off his shoulder, but might also be disappointed to have let his man get in front of him and leave him unsighted in the first place. A shame, as he had dominated his patch of grass up to that point.

Murray Wallace (off 46) — Played a wonderful ball in behind for Joe Taylor early on that saw him round the goalkeeper. Was involved in a nasty collision with the Fleetwood stopper as he challenged for a cross from deep, but was thankfully able to continue after a couple of minutes. Seemed to have a bit of difficulty taking a throw-in just before the break and was taken off at the interval.

Lynden Gooch — Better. Good interception and through ball for Taylor midway through the first half, but not early enough to keep him onside. Repeated the trick to get Taylor in again later in the first half. Moved over to left-back for the second half with Max Murray on at right-back.

Ethan Brierley — A quieter game than his last two summer outings. Put in a couple of decent set piece deliveries.

Ryan Ledson — Stumbled over the ball on the edge of his own box to allow Fleetwood a chance that Young did well to keep out. Often bypassed in midfield with both sides often playing over or around the middle of the pitch. Nice ball through to Taylor just before the hour that he finished off only for it to be ruled out for offside.

Bali Mumba — Continued his positive pre-season form with another threatening display on the left wing. Equalised just before the half hour after timing his run into the box to perfection and keeping his composure to beat the keeper. Responsible enough job at the back.

Antony Evans — One of two number tens behind Taylor, alongside Ashley Fletcher. Had a couple of decent-looking efforts from the edge of the box blocked late in the first half.

Ashley Fletcher — Showed at the weekend and in this game that he has a bit of quality with the ball at his feet. Brilliant threaded pass to find Mumba’s run for the equaliser - absolutely put it on a plate for him. Seemed to enjoy his link-up with Mumba on that left side, which looked very productive. Played a part in Town’s disallowed goal in the second half.

Joe Taylor — Just cannot catch a break in front of goal this summer despite having a fleet of chances yet again. Got round the keeper on the end of Wallace’s ball but was forced wide in the process and made a mess of his ball into the box to let the opportunity slip. Made his run too early to get onto Gooch’s ball (or perhaps the pass came later than he wanted, to be fair) that would have got him clean through again. Got a legitimate one-v-one on 35 minutes but saw his shot saved. Thought he had finally broken his duck just before Town made their changes on the hour, rounding the keeper again and slotting into the net, but again the flag was up — erroneously this time, we think. Showed his frustration after not quite being able to reach Gooch’s cross from deep on the left just before going off.

Substitutes

Max Murray (for Wallace 46) — Played at right-back. Should have had an assist with one of his trademark long throws with Ian Togo didn’t manage to connect with from point-blank range. Shot into the side-netting after bursting into the box at the end of a good Town move after his academy colleagues came on.

From 65 minutes

Matty Young (from 0); Max Murray (on 46), Marlie Neil, Ian Togo, Dylan Tawodzera; Dan Vost, Luke Schofield; Zac Bowker, Jamie Spencer, Sahil Bashir; Michael Onyeka.

Unused substitutes: Nik Tzanev, Nik Idemudia.

Michael Onyeka won a penalty after his persistent work saw him win the ball on the edge of the box before being scythed down by the goalkeeper, with Sahil Bashir having his spot kick saved at the bottom corner.

First 62 minutes

Jak Alnwick (full 90) — Off his line well to deny Tom Cannon in a one-v-one. Read Callum O’Hare’s intentions to make a good stop with his feet on the half hour. Sent the wrong way by O’Hare’s penalty then had no chance off Sam McCallum’s 25-yard rocket to the top corner. Reassuring showing overall.

Ilias Bronkhorst — Played on the right of Town’s back three. Had his hands full with O’Hare, Jamal Baptiste, and Patrick Bamford looking to make overloads up his flank and didn’t always get the support he needed to deal with that. Had a running battle with Bamford, in particular, but stood up to him decently well. Got a little bit drawn into contesting physical battles at times when the ball looked like it was there to be won more cleanly — and I had literally just written that sentence when he brought down O’Hare inside the box to give away a penalty by doing exactly that. An important learning experience for him against Championship opposition.

Joe Low — Played in the middle of the back three. Put Romelle Donovan under pressure off the rebound from that Cannon one-v-one to force him to rush a shot over the bar. Looked controlled and composed even under pressure.

Sean Roughan — Busy afternoon at centre-back. Was beaten by Cannon early on to get clean through on Alnwick, but won all his key battles from there.

Lasse Sorensen — The target of a few long balls around the corner of the United box, and was this close to setting up a Sebine chance with one knockdown. Advanced position from wing-back left Bronkhorst a bit exposed, but that may have been a tactical instruction more than an individual choice.

David Kasumu — Continues to make a solid case for himself in central midfield. Got himself through the thirds with some neat exchanges off teammates, and was back well to deny Sheffield United on the edge of the Town box on a couple of occasions. Gave the ball away to let them in too easily at one point, though.

Marcus McGuane — Forced to receive the ball with his back to goal by the Blades press more than he might have liked, and ended up running into trouble once or twice as a result.

Jay Sway — Doing his first-team prospects no harm at all. Opened the scoring with a well-taken volley just three minutes in after getting into the box from left wing-back to receive George Sebine’s cross. Had another on-target effort tipped wide by a fine save. Helped to limit the threat down that side with United’s bigger threat coming off the opposite flank.

Marcus Harness — Played off the right of Town’s 3-4-3. Had limited opportunities to go on the attack but continually hassled the opposition and played some tidy balls to help get Town forward up the right.

George Sebine (to half time) — Great work up the right to get Town moving and then get to the byline to cut back for Sway to finish to make it 1-0. Had a good effort turned over the bar just a few minutes later. Picked up a knock ten minutes before the break but was able to continue until half time, when he was replaced by Sahil Bashir. Hopefully nothing serious, particularly after this bright showing.

Tom Iorpenda — Worked hard to win the ball and drive into the box to create an early chance for Sebine. A reliable outlet and proved a handful for Femi Seriki whenever he was on the ball up the Town left flank.

From 62 minutes

Jak Alnwick; Max Murray, Marlie Neil, Ian Togo, Dylan Tawodzera; Dan Vost, Jonathan Hogg; Sahil Bashir (from 46), Jamie Spencer, Zac Bowker; Michael Onyeka.

Unused substitutes: Francis Hurl, Nik Idemudia, Luke Schofield.

First half

Matty Young — Wasn’t really called into action, other than being unable to keep out Jack Morris’ well-struck effort from close range.

Lynden Gooch — Too easily beaten by Fylde left winger Dylan Allen-Hadley twice in the opening minutes, including on the way to the hosts’ opener. Looked a tad fortunate not to be called for a foul on Allen-Hadley midway through the half. Showed a bit more after that really poor start and helped create a couple of opening

Radinio Balker — Put in a good half on and off the ball after extending his contract earlier this week. Got forward to play a dinked ball through to Joe Taylor that didn’t quite come off.

Jack Whatmough — Steady away with his defensive duties. Looked to put Town on the attack whenever he came into possession.

Sean Roughan — Got caught up in a high-speed tangle with Jack Morris that saw the Fylde man tumble over the ad boards and pick up a nasty-looking head injury. Put a decent strike not too far over the bar on the half hour, and had another saved moments later.

Marcus Harness — Hit the post with a bouncing effort midway through the half. Constantly available for cutbacks from inside the box, and served as a fulcrum between the lines when Town weren’t playing straight through the defence.

Ethan Brierley — Another promising summer outing. Sat a bit deeper than his midfield colleagues a lot of the time and looked to spray the ball out to the flanks or go over the top to find runners, which he did to excellent effect on three or four occasions.

Marcus McGuane — Couldn’t quite get his attempts to play straight through to the front two to pay off. Looked more useful in attack as an extra man to help play around the corner.

Bali Mumba — Played on the left wing and looked bright with his runs and work on the ball again. Made what looked to be a great run in behind to get to Brierley’s pass on eight minutes only to be called offside. Got into the box of a Roughan throw-in (which is fun to say) to play a useful knockdown to Harness on the way to Taylor hitting the bar. Quite like what we’ve seen from him as a winger so far.

Ashley Fletcher — Very hard-working off the ball throughout his 45 minutes, and created an opportunity for Joe Taylor early on by successfully closing down the keeper. Played the pass of the half when he found Mumba with a raking ball from halfway before getting into the box looking to receive a cross. Unselfish almost to a fault, opting to pass a promising opening to Roughan to have a crack from an even better position.

Joe Taylor — Another game of lots of smart running and good decisions earning him multiple goalscoring opportunities but no goal to show for it. Would have been given a tap-in by Mumba had the winger not been caught offside in the build-up. Teed up Harness to hit the post with a smart cutback. Smashed his best chance against the crossbar from Fletcher’s pass just before the break.

Second half

Jak Alnwick — Actually came on four minutes into the second half, for some reason, but we won’t split hairs.

Ilias Bronkhorst — Our first chance to get a look at him at right-back. Impressed the travelling Town fans with some of his work up that flank and clearly has a touch of class with the ball at his feet.

Joe Low — Took his goal superbly, controlling Evans’ lofted pass on the half-turn before smashing his bouncing finish into the top corner via the ground. Great sliding block to deny Fylde a potential tap-in from a low ball across the face of goal.

Murray Wallace — Exactly what you’d expect, and we mean that as a compliment.

Jay Sway — Really good outing at left-back. Got forward when the opportunity arose and wanted a penalty four minutes after coming on, with Town scoring from the corner that was actually given instead. Went about his defensive duties capably.

David Kasumu — Looked to have been working on his passing over the summer — played a couple of long balls early the half that surprised us, including one that Lasse Sorensen finished off only for the flag to go up and rule it out.

Ryan Ledson — Leapt like a salmon to meet Antony Evans’ corner and nod Town in front. Typically combative in midfield. This system looks like it plays to his strengths well with its focus on energetic defending and progressive forward balls.

Lasse Sorensen — Played on the right wing ahead of Bronkhorst. Had his ‘goal’ ruled out for offside. Had a couple of moments where he did all the hard work to get into promising positions but his final ball let him down.

Antony Evans — Played as a pair of number 10s in possession alongside Tom Iorpenda. Claimed two assists within four minutes of coming onto the pitch, first teeing up Low with a second ball into the box after a set piece, then putting it right onto Ledson’s head with a corner from the left for the second.

Tom Iorpenda — Enjoyed playing in the left channel with fellow academy product Sway in support. Saw a shot come back off the bar after a neat exchange with George Sebine.

George Sebine — Ran his socks off, as ever. Very unlucky not to get an assist for Iorpenda strike against the woodwork, and equal unfortunate that his squeezed-off shot from Wallace’s knockdown trickled the wrong side of the post. Some of his work on the counter-attack was excellent.

Unused substitutes: Nik Tzanev, Max Murray.

First half

Matty Young

Saved Demarai Gray’s penalty down to his left, only for the Birmingham man to tap home the rebound. Not forced to work otherwise. Did the sweeper-keeper thing a couple of times — clearly confident with the ball at his feet.

Radinio Balker

Helped give Young a quiet 45 minutes with a decent showing at centre-back.

Murray Wallace

Typically composed showing. Got across well to cover for Balker early on. Lovely header down for Taylor after staying up from a long throw.

Sean Roughan

Fielded in that hybrid centre-back/left-back role he has made his own, but edging more towards left-back than we saw last season, other than when Town were defending the box. Won his challenges well when called upon, and made a storming run up the left before picking out Taylor’s run with an early cross — great vision.

Lasse Sorensen

Played a familiar end-to-end role from right-back, and was given the run of his flank in a 3-4-2-1. Busy in the first 15 minutes or so, with Town largely attacking up the other side or going early to Joe Taylor thereafter.

Ryan Ledson

Didn’t treat it like a friendly and received a bit of a word from the referee for a (completely clean but) stiff sliding tackle. Quickly closed down as he tried to reach a hospital pass from Bali Mumba on the way to Birmingham’s penalty.

Marcus McGuane

Looked to be in good nick. Used his strength well to draw a man and then shield the ball, creating space for Tom Iorpenda ahead of him. Showed his passing quality on a couple of occasions.

Bali Mumba

Gave away Birmingham’s penalty after playing Town into trouble in the first place by giving Ledson a misdirected pass he didn’t want on the edge of the box. Had a promisingly bright half otherwise, though. Beat his man multiple times to get Town up the left from wing-back. Had a strong-looking penalty shout turned down at the other end moments later, and nearly scored a fortuitous goal in the process as a clearance hit him on the ground and needed clearing off the goal line.

Marcus Harness

Picked up where he left off last season. Showed some deft feet to get past his man, and was a bit unlucky that a nice ball over the top for Taylor was cut out by the keeper coming out of his box just before half time.

Tom Iorpenda

Played to the left of Harness and Taylor in a front three in the press, and operated as a left-sided ten in possession. Covered plenty of ground on and off the ball and got into some decent positions up the left, but couldn’t find the final ball.

Joe Taylor

Made some excellent runs to earn chances for himself, but just couldn’t finish them off: thwarted by Ryan Allsop’s long arms as he tried to take it round him, shanked one well off target, and put a shot straight at the keeper off Roughan’s early ball in Town’s best opening of the half.

Second half

Jak Alnwick

Virtually nothing he could do other than picking it out of the net three times, the first of which was ruled out for offside.

Lynden Gooch

Looked a good attacking threat from right-back. Fabulous ball from just outside the Town box to send George Sebine one-on-one with a defender on a swift break. Was taken off at the water break in a planned change.

Jack Whatmough

Great to see him back in action over ten months after his last first-team outing. Sharp and forward-looking with the ball. May be a bit disappointed to have lost track of Kyogo on Birmingham’s second goal.

Joe Low

Had a dangerous header well saved on the second ball from a long throw, flicked on by Sebine. Bullied the Birmingham front line at times, but gave away a third very poor goal for Town to concede with a needless pass straight to an attacker.

Max Murray

Put in a capable performance at left-back. Got the chance to show off his incredible long throw.

Antony Evans

Relatively quiet game in midfield, but it was more just about getting minutes into him at this point after the season he just had. Understandably took exception to a clumsy challenge midway through the half. Gave the ball away cheaply from inside his own box on the way to Birmingham's second goal.

Ethan Brierley

The most promising showing of the new faces. Can already see what he offers Town in the press — never shy about hassling defenders on the edge of their own third. Was on set-piece duty and put in a great delivery right down Brad Mayo’s throat from which the keeper was a bit fortunate to draw a foul from Ashley Fletcher. Lovely cross from deep on the left for Town’s late goal.

Dan Vost

Initially played on the right wing before shifting over to the left when Gooch went off. Nice delivery for Sebine to flick on for Low. Good energy and clean in combat.

Ashley Fletcher

Got minutes under his belt playing at number 10 just behind Sebine, which is not a role we’d expect to see him in too much in the season ahead. His presence in the box helped create Sebine’s late goal.

Jay Sway

One of the stars of a successful under-21s side last season. Came on to play at left wing-back before switching to the right after Gooch’s withdrawal. Looked bright and willing to dribble past his man. Much too slow to react to the looping cross for Birmingham’s second goal, and lost track of his man as a result to allow him a free header back across goal. Knocked it down for Sebine to score…not sure he knew too much about it but that’s what can happen if you’re in the right place for it.

George Sebine

Surprised Birmingham with his pace on a couple of occasions, and had a defender scrambling with a run from the halfway line to reach Gooch’s ball, but was just forced to too narrow an angle to apply a convincing finish. Nice flick-on for Low’s chance. Put the ball away confidently to score for Town with the last kick of the game.

Substitutes

David Kasumu (for Gooch 72) — Took over from Vost on the right wing.

Unused substitutes: Ilias Bronkhorst

Nik Tzanev - 7

Didn’t have a save to make in the first half on his return to his long-time former club. Fantastic save to stop Leyton Stewart’s strike ten minutes after the break at 1-0, which turned out to be a real turning point as Town went up the other end and scored from the resulting corner.

Lasse Sorensen - 8

Wimbledon just didn’t know who was meant to pick him up with Town lining up in a 4-2-3-1, and he was happy to exploit that. Absolutely brilliant run that earned him his well-taken goal. Went close with a header in the opening minutes and getting into a good position to head wide midway through the first half.

Radinio Balker - 7

Particularly notable for a late header he won superbly to help protect the clean sheet.

Murray Wallace - 7

Dependable, like a big oak tree. Are they noted for being dependable? We don’t know. It’s the last day of the season, give us a break.

Sean Roughan - 7

Started as the left-back in a back four. Lovely cross for Sorensen in the first few minutes. Yep decent too.

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Ryan Ledson - 7

Great vision and execution to spot Sorensen’s run up the middle and pick him out wit a perfectly-weighted pass. Put a presentable chance some way over the bar late in the first half off Alfie May’s cutback. Absolute slide-rule pass in behind the Wimbledon defence for May’s second goal.

Marcus McGuane - 6

Started well and sprayed some nice passes out to the flanks. Showed signs of rustiness as the game went on — understandably, after the season he’s had — and went off injured just after the hour. Hopefully he gets a good summer under his belt now.

Marcus Harness - 7

Held up the ball well and got play moving by coming in from the right flank.

Cameron Humphreys - 9

Played at number 10, though you would have thought he was an extra 9 at times. Worked like it was the FA Cup final and got his reward for that in the form of an assist for Alfie May’s goal after a gut-busting run to join the counter-attack from a Wimbledon corner. Stopped what looked like a nailed-on Wimbledon goal by sprinting back from the halfway line to win a tackle on the edge of his box. Will be a shame to see him go if this is, as expected, his last game for the club with his loan coming to an end.

Will Alves - 7

Played on the left wing. Hit the post just a few minutes into the game. Put in a few decent crosses too.

Alfie May - 8

Played his part in the build-up to the goal he finished off on the counter-attack by sending Humphreys away up the left — his first goal since January. Got an assist to boot by sending George Sebine into the box for 3-0, then dinked the keeper after racing in behind to receive Ledson’s pass as Town went four up. That’s more like it.

Substitutes

George Sebine (for McGuane 63) - Lovely moment as he got his first ever senior goal for the club after a one-two with May. Put another into the bottom corner a few minutes later but had it ruled out for handball. Nice little lay-off to Ledson en route to the fourth goal. 7

Bali Mumba (for Alves 83) - n/a

Antony Evans (for Harness 83) - n/a

Max Murray (for Surname 90+1) - On for his debut. n/a

Dan Vost (for Ledson 90+1) - n/a

Unused substitutes: Ellis Litherland, Joe Low.

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Jak Alnwick - 5

Unable to do anything about the first goal, and was beaten by the sheer pace of the ball across the face of goal as Mansfield went 2-0 off. Forced off injured at half time.

Joe Low - 5

Made his first start since January and put in an unobjectionable 45 minutes on the right of the back three — not his best role, for us — before going off at the break.

Murray Wallace - 3

Off the pace against the Mansfield forwards. Furious that Roughan hadn’t picked up Lucas Akins just behind him as Mansfield took the lead, but should have stopped the cross himself. Could only put Tyler Roberts’ fiercely-hit ball across the face of goal into his own net just before the break.

Sean Roughan - 4

Had a decent strike saved from just outside the box in the first ten minutes. Allowed Akins to stroll in and put Mansfield ahead. Had let Oliver Irow play himself offside on the way to their fourth but the officials didn’t clock it, leaving him to chase back fruitlessly.

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Lasse Sorensen - 4

Didn’t look at the top of his game at wing-back throughout the first half. Took over as the right-sided centre-back at half time as Low departed.

Ryan Ledson - 4

Off it with his passing and shooting accuracy. Nice ball over the top for Alfie May later in the game that should have come to more, though.

Cameron Humphreys - 4

Worked hard as ever, but just couldn’t get into a rhythm and wasn’t at his best with his set piece deliveries. Headed a great late chance wide of the post off Bali Mumba’s header across goal.

Bali Mumba - 3

Made some useful runs in the first half and should have had a free kick just outside the box for a clear shove in the back from Akins that the referee called as a shoulder to shoulder. His defending was awful, though, and was woefully out of position on Mansfield’s second goal, allowing Roberts to stroll into space inside the Town box to receive Jon Russell’s pass. Moved to the right flank for the second half. Failed to close down Regan Tracey, allowing him to pick his spot with a long shot to put Mansfield 3-0 up. Continued to get forward well but didn’t make the ball work for him enough.

Marcus Harness - 6

The most visible in his efforts to get Town actually playing. Didn’t get back to track Tracey’s run into space to score Mansfield’s third goal, though in fairness, unclear how much opportunity he actually had to do so. Powered in strike that Liam Roberts couldn’t keep out despite getting a hand to it.

David Kasumu - 5

Had a reasonably positive half hour on the pitch but picked up an injury driving inside to take a shot and was forced off injured.

George Sebine - 4

Had a pretty thankless job to do leading the line. Some decent hold-up but could have done with realising what options were around him and releasing the ball a bit sooner. Went off just before the hour.

Substitutes

Alfie May (for Kasumu 30) - Direct replacement in the number 10 role until half time, then moved up front alongside Sebine after the interval, then finally as a lone strike after Antony Evans came on. Should have had an assist from a smart cutback for Antony Evans after a great run into the box. 5

Nik Tzanev (for Alnwick 46) - On for his club debut to become the first New Zealander to appear for the club, to the best of our knowledge. Soundly beaten by Hendry’s long shot. Not sure how Irow’s shot ended up squeezing past him for 4-1. Nearly caught out from the halfway line soon after. 4

Will Alves (for Low 46) - Came on at left wing-back with Mumba going across to the right, though operated more as a left winger much of the time. Looked bright for a few minutes but couldn’t make an impact. 5

Antony Evans (for Sebine 58) - Claimed a near-immediate assist after holding off his man on a bouncing ball and squeezing a pass to Harness. Dragged a very presentable chance well wide off May’s cutback. 5

Marcus McGuane (for Harness 80) - n/a

Unused substitutes: Dion Charles, Bobby Wales.

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Jak Alnwick - 6

Decent distribution and came off his line at the right moments to stop a couple of Bolton attacks. Couldn’t do anything about the goals.

Radinio Balker - 5

Fortunate that Sam Dalby didn’t capitalise after losing track of his run to the near post just after the half hour. Won the knockdown from Cameron Humphreys’ free kick for David Kasumu to score soon after the break. Gave the ball away needlessly to let Bolton push forward for their second goal. Booked for the most cynical foul in the world in injury time.

Murray Wallace - 5

Couldn’t get to the ball quickly enough to stop Eoin Toal heading in the opener, but shouldn’t have had to intervene in the first place. Stepped out well to cover for the midfield on occasion when they were beaten on the break. Not sure if he could have done more to try and stop Johnny Kenny’s goal, but it was hit with such venom he perhaps just didn’t have time to react.

Sean Roughan - 6

Tried to catch the keeper off his line early in the second half but sliced it wide. Read the game well to make some decent interceptions and drive forward, including on the way to claiming an assist for Kasumu’s second goal. Won a good tackle on Amario Cozier-Duberry inside the box only for Johnny Kenny to power home the loose ball with Roughan powerless to get there in time. Couldn’t stop Cozier-Duberry on the way to Bolton’s third goal though.

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Lasse Sorensen - 7

Slow to get out from the near post as Bolton had all the time in the world to cross from a short corner routine. Put in about half a dozen crosses in the first half but not able to find a teammate, mostly thanks to good defending but one or twice down to poor deliveries. Great ball across goal on the way to Town earning a penalty that also saw Bolton reduced to ten men. Booked deep into stoppage time for grabbing the ball with his hands after being brought down in the Bolton corner, with Harness furious he didn’t take the option to cross it instead.

Cameron Humphreys - 4

Unable to maintain his levels from midweek in the first half. Played some nice crossfield balls but was also caught on the ball or got his press wrong to leave the defence exposed several times. Better after the break, though, and delivered the free kick from which Town made it 1-1. Booked for a high foot on the hour after losing possession on the edge of his own third. Left Ibrahim Cissoko completely free for a cutback on the edge of the box as Bolton scored at the death.

Ryan Ledson - 5

Slid in to clear away a flicked-on free kick before Sam Dalby could finish it early on. Booked for a cynical foul a few moments later. Lucky that Dalby missed a clear-cut chance from a flicked-on corner right before half time after getting away from Ledson. Didn’t have enough impact on the game.

Bali Mumba - 5

Defensively solid enough, particularly when left as the last man on the counter-attack from set pieces, but didn’t offer enough in attack. Taken off in injury time.

Marcus Harness - 6

Let Toal get up to win a header as Town went behind to yet another set piece on 14 minutes. Made up for that by playing a part in the build-up to Town’s penalty, which he then converted. Booked just after the hour for a cynical foul.

David Kasumu - 7

Should have gone over to try and at least try and stop the delivery on Bolton’s early goal. Often the free man in attack but didn’t really do anything with it in the first half. Was in the right place to bundle home Balker’s knockdown to make it 1-1, and would surely have tapped in Sorensen’s ball across the face of goal if he hadn’t been pulled back by the hand by Jordi Osei-Tutu. Got a second goal thanks to a big deflection that left the keeper wrong-footed, then subbed off immediately after.

George Sebine - 5

Made his first senior start in place of the injured Bojan Radulovic. Put himself about well and made some decent near-post runs to meet Sorensen’s crosses that were thwarted by the Bolton defence.

Substitutes

Dion Charles (for Sebine 67) - On against his former club. Hassled well. Isolated, in fairness to him. 5

Marcus McGuane (for Kasumu 67) - On in central midfield with Humphreys taking over from Kasumu. Too easily beaten on the way to Bolton’s second goal and nowhere to be found in the middle of the pitch on the way to their third. 3

Joe Low (for Mumba 90+8) - n/a

Unused substitutes: Nik Tzanev, Antony Evans, Mickel Miller, Alfie May.

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Jak Alnwick - 6

Made his first league start for the club, against the side he left in January.

Radinio Balker - 7

Put in a good, solid performance. Clashied heads with Omari Kellyman early in the second half and was patched up on the sidelines before returning to action.

Murray Wallace - 8

Absolutely massive in the heart of the Town defence for much of the game. Thought he had Yousef Salach covered as Cardiff levelled things up, but was unable to react quickly enough to the cross getting a flick on across the box.

Sean Roughan - 7

Lost an early battle up his flank to that led Cardiff to keep trying it again for a spell, but stood up to it well. Put a header into the side netting shortly before the break that he should perhaps have got on target. Saw out the game at left-back

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Lasse Sorensen - 7

Restored in place of the injured Lynden Gooch. Fantastic cross for Bojan Radulovic in the early stages. Offered good creativity with balls from deep on the right for Cameron Humphreys and George Sebine in the second half that opened up the Cardiff defence.

Ryan Ledson - 8

Scored for a third game in a row — his fifth in nine games — with a lovely cushioned volley from the edge of the box. Again taken off going into the closing stages having done his part.

Cameron Humphreys - 9

Absolutely superb. Great ball over the Cardiff defence for Bali Mumba to finish inside the first two minutes, only for it to be ruled out for offside. Excellent first half in all departments, winning some important challenges and interceptions in the Town half and playing a big part in some of Town’s better attacking moves, as well as delivering some good dead balls. Won a brilliant tackle as Cardiff threatened to enter the box in added time.

Bali Mumba - 7

Much better and more consistent performance. Won his battles well in the first two thirds and offered a threat in the final third, especially in the first half. Judged marginally afoul of the linesman’s flag when he finished off Humphreys’ pass into the box — looked a very tight one on the replay so inclined to give the officials the benefit of the doubt. Helped make the opener by going over to help out David Kasumu in the corner and put in a cross that Sorensen sent back the other way for Ledson to finish. Looked nervy in the closing stages of an otherwise very good outing and was replaced for the final few minutes.

Marcus Harness - 7

Smashed a cleanly-hit shot into the crossbar from the edge of the box. A little inconsistent on the ball but when he was good he was important to the Town attack, and was unlucky to see a late chance blocked by teammate Sebine. Worked tirelessly to protect the midfield.

David Kasumu - 7

Back in to play at number 10 alongside Harness. Made himself available constantly in the Town attack and worked really well in the press. Excellent at relieving the pressure as the game wore on.

Bojan Radulovic - 6

Had a free header kept out by a sharp reflex save on 11 minutes. Went down with a shoulder or collarbone injury just after the half hour following a rough landing and had to be replaced.

Substitutes

George Sebine (for Radulovic 37) - Busted his nose after coming on already wearing a bandage, and had to spend a few minutes off the pitch getting cleaned up. Took a heavy touch to waste a chance after Humphreys played him in early in the second half, and sliced a half-chance wide from a set piece. Worked hard for the team. 5

Marcus McGuane (for Ledson 76) - Had a shot from just outside the box superbly tipped onto the crossbar in injury time. Unable to hold onto the ball as Cardiff scored their injury time equaliser. 6

Mickel Miller (for Kasumu 77) - Fresh legs for the counter-attack and to help out the left wing-back. Created a couple of decent chances late on. 7

Joe Low (for Mumba 88) - Made his return from injury. Went into the middle of the back three. n/a

Unused substitutes: Nik Tzanev, Antony Evans, Alfie May.

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Lee Nicholls - 6

Slipped as he tried to come out to close down Nathan Lowe on the opener, though not sure that made a huge difference in the end. Nearly got caught on the ball by Andre Vidigal early in the second half. Brave to dive at Vidigal’s feet to stop him getting a shot off as he raced into the a few minutes later, but took a blow to the face in the process and went off a few minutes later.

Radinio Balker - 6

Unable to make proper contact with Lynden Gooch’s corner in the third minute, putting a glancing header wide from a great position; then again headed wide from a similar position midway through the first half. Wonderful ball over the top to find Alfie May’s run shortly before the break, which unfortunately came to nothing.

Murray Wallace - 7

Massive in the closing stages, winning countless headers and making plenty of blocks. Could perhaps have been in a better position to stop Lowe scoring Wycombe’s third goal.

Sean Roughan - 7

Twice did very well to hold off Fred Onyedinma to stop him launching a Wycombe counter-attack up that side in open half hour, and consistently won that battle with a really whole-hearted performance. Unable to reach Ryan Ledson’s cross with the last kick of the first half. Had a really good game overall but was too easily beaten in the at the back post air as Connor Taylor made it 2-2.

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Lynden Gooch - 8

Needed a performance, and delivered it. Twice put set piece deliveries onto Balker’s head in the first 25 minutes, only for the centre-back to steer them both wide. Had a left-footed effort superbly saved after cutting inside, just a few minute after putting a low ball across the box that neither Radulovic nor May could reach. Played a number of excellent long balls that found their mark beautifully. Looked to have a bit of a knock that forced him out of the game.

Cameron Humphreys - 6

Had what looked t be a reasonable penalty shout turned down just after the hour. Did some decent defending around the Town box but unable to make a huge impact in attack. Went off midway through the second half.

Ryan Ledson - 8

Shot not too far over the bar in an all-round sharp first-half performance. Unfortunate that Roughan was unable to get onto his cross on the stroke of half time. Absolutely unstoppable half-volley from outside the box to make it 1-1 just after the break — brilliant goal.

Bali Mumba - 4

Simply outmuscled by Nathan Lowe on halfway as Wycombe scored, which we’re not sure he can do much about. Had another frustrating and erratic game overall, though…yet again, punctuated by some better moments here and there. Touch often poor. Should have squared to Bojan Radulovic instead of shooting into a crowd after Alfie May got in behind the defence but had to go back to the wing-back. Better in the second half.

Marcus Harness - 8

Got involved in the areas you want to see him, and used the ball well. Played a lovely through ball for Radulovic in the first half that the Wycombe defence did well to recover from. Heeded Ledson’s shout to leave May’s flick-on for him to finish. Had a well-hit effort equally well saved midway through the second half and couldn’t get the rebound under control to get a second effort off. Deserved his goal as he tapped home May’s deflected effort, and looked to have won the game in added time with a fine left-footed finish after beating two men. Lost Lowe in the box for Wycombe’s final goal.

Bojan Radulovic - 6

Relatively quiet, but effective with what he did in his link-up play. Lovely touch to control Wallace’s forward headed and play in May on the way to Town’s second goal.

Alfie May - 7

Great run to get in one-on-one with Will Norris, but slipped on the greasy pitch as he tried to round the keeper and lost the chance to score — should have buried it. Good determination to keep the ball alive in the corner, which was rewarded as it dropped beautifully for Ledson to finish. Unable to make the most of a pair of long balls from Gooch that found his runs just before the hour. Kept plugging away, much to his credit, and shot not far off target from Josh Koroma range before his deflected effort landed nicely for Harness to tap in.

Substitutes

Jak Alnwick (for Nicholls 63) - Collided with Bradley Fink as he claimed a ball but was thankfully alright. Cleaned out Balker as he came off his line to punch a cross clear, and wasn’t entirely convincing on crosses even if he did tend to get to them in the end. Little he could do about the two late equalisers. 5

Marcus McGuane (for Humphreys 69) - Felt he was fouled as he tried to carry the ball clear immediately before Wycombe got their third goal. 5

Lasse Sorensen (for Gooch 73) - Beaten in the air as Wycombe won a knockdown to score their third goal. 5

Dion Charles (for May 80) - n/a

David Kasumu (for Ledson 80) - n/a

Unused substitutes: Joe Low, Antony Evans.

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Lee Nicholls - 6

Mainly routine work to do in the game, but came up trumps in injury time by saving well from Dom Ballard.

Radinio Balker - 5

Put a diving header past Nicholls to gift Leyton Orient the lead as he tried to deal with a cross. Looked determined to make up for that and took a couple of opportunities to join the attack soon after the break. Had a fierce shot well blocked. Went off just after the hour in a planned change.

Murray Wallace - 5

Steady away as ever for most of the game, though could count himself lucky not to be sent off for two cynical fouls in succession late on, the second of which escaped a card, and was unable to full commit to stopping a couple of Orient breaks thereafter. Looked to have wasted a chance to score the winner when he hit the bar off Radulovic’s knockdown in the 14th minute of added time — really should have scored.

Sean Roughan - 5

Absolutely abysmal with the ball until the last minute of the first half, when he put in a lovely cross for Bojan Radulovic to head home the equaliser. Broadly fine after the break. Vital block in injury time after Wallace was beaten, and touched the ball down for Ryan Ledson to finish deep, deep into injury time.

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Lasse Sorensen - 4

One of two changes to the starting line-up after his goal from the bench on Friday. Got into some good forward positions but took too many touches when he had the opportunity to play the ball earlier, giving Orient time to recover. Switched to centre-back midway through the second half with Lynden Gooch taking over out wide.

Cameron Humphreys - 5

Fine. Hard to be too influential in a deep lying role when teammates can’t get the ball to you.

Marcus McGuane- 6

One of a very small number of decent performers in a dreadful first half. Booked soon after the break for a clumsy foul and went off midway through the second half.

Bali Mumba - 4

Didn’t impact the game on the ball. Made some useful defensive interceptions.

Marcus Harness - 4

Booked in the first half, where he joined his teammates in being unable to make an impact. A bit brighter in the second half but collided head-to-head with George Sebine midway through and was left bloodied, but able to keep playing on with a fat bandage.

David Kasumu - 5

Into the side to continue in the number 10 role alongside Marcus Harness. Should have have a free kick just outside the box in first-half injury time after winning the ball off a half-asleep defender. You know exactly what we’re going to say: good off the ball, worked hard, carried it well, poor end product that wasted a few good openings.

Bojan Radulovic - 7

Superbly-steered header after staying onside to meet Roughan’s cross just before the break and give Town a scarcely-deserved equaliser. Deserved more of that kind of service, didn’t get it enough. Knocked it down for Wallace to hit the bar late on.

Substitutes

George Sebine (for McGuane 65) - Clashed heads with Harness immediately after coming on and looked to be in a bad way. Thankfully walked off the pitch but had to be subbed straight back off. n/a

Lynden Gooch (for Balker 65) - Not really an improvement on Sorensen at wing-back. 4

Dion Charles (for Sebine 73) - Chaotic neutral. 4

Mickel Miller (for Harness 90) - A late call-up to the bench after Josh Feeney was forced out of the squad. n/a

Ryan Ledson (for Kasumu 90+6) - Scored the late deflected winner in the 106th minute. n/a

Antony Evans (for Humphreys 90+6) - Twice gave it away on halfway to hand Orient a quick break and was lucky they didn’t take advantage on either occasion. Didn’t look quite right and didn’t seem to have completely mobility. Did however cross in the drop ball from which Town scored their late winner. n/a

Unused substitutes: Jak Alnwick.

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Lee Nicholls - 5

Had to intervene to stop Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan off Reading’s first threatening attack of the game just before half time, but then brought down Charlie Savage with a clumsy challenge to concede a penalty that Lewis Wing put away.

Radinio Balker - 7

Overlapped Harness to get into the box and cross for Alfie May at one point early on. Looked to get a foot on the ball with a good sliding tackle to try and stop Ehibhatiomhan before Nicholls saved it and then gave away the penalty. Taken off in what we presume was a planned change having only just returned from injury.

Murray Wallace - 6

Left scrambling as Ehibhatiomhan charged into the box off a through ball he seemingly expected to go the other side of him. Solid otherwise. Finished the game as an extra centre-forward.

Sean Roughan - 7

Like Balker, was given a bit of license to push forward like a left-back when the time was right. Played some useful balls in to Alfie May and got into some good crossing positions, delivering a couple of decent balls into the box that just needed a finish, including creating a great chance for Ryan Ledson that he should have buried. Claimed the assist for Sorensen’s equaliser with a ball from deep, with a tip of the cap to George Sebine for dragging the defender away from Sorensen’s path.

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Lynden Gooch - 5

Much better off the ball on this occasion, particularly in the first half. Deliveries into the box left a bit to be desired, and wasted a great chance from a free kick by curling straight at the keeper.

Marcus Harness - 5

A little wayward with his passing in the opening minutes but grew into the game for the rest of the first half. Put a decent effort not too far wide on 21 minutes. Level dropped off again for a spell in the second half as he just couldn’t get the ball to work for him. Felt a foul from Jeriel Dorsett as he charged through on Joel Pereira should have been a penalty and a red card; it was given as a free kick (right, we think?) and a yellow (a bit lenient). Put a dangerous ball across the face of goal in injury time.

Cameron Humphreys - 7

Played behind the rest of the midfield four and used the ball well from deep positions. Unfortunately committed to the press too soon and in doing so opened up half the pitch on the move that produced Reading’s penalty.

Marcus McGuane - 6

Protected the ball really well, to the frustration of the opposition. Put in a decent hour before being replaced by Ryan Ledson.

Bali Mumba - 5

Solid but unspectacular on the left flank. Had a pretty even running battle with Ryan Nyambe.

Bojan Radulovic - 6

A very welcome return to the starting line-up. Definitely made a positive difference to Town’s build-up play, but just not quite there on some of the crucial details yet. Robbed Derrick Williams and then lobbed Pereira to find the net early on, but was belatedly (and correctly) whistled for having pulled Williams’ shirt to win the ball. Twice caught offside at the end of good moves. Committed a few clumsy fouls. Good to get an hour into him.

Alfie May - 5

Had the right ideas and seemed to enjoy playing off Bojan Radulovic, playing a few neat little flicks to try and bring him into the game. Went down with 14 minutes on the clock with what looked to be a shoulder injury but was able to play on until just before the hour. Finishing was poor

Substitutes

David Kasumu (for May 59) - Came on to partner Harness at number 10 just behind a lone striker. Great run and ball in for Harness soon after coming on. Put a late effort a long way off target. Couldn’t quite reach Harness’ late cross at the back post. 6

George Sebine (for Radulovic 59) - 19-year-old academy striker on for his league debut. Tidy first touch off a Town free kick but then looped his shot well off target. Worked hard to try and win knockdown and press the Reading defence. We don’t think he quite got a touch on Roughan’s forward pass for Sorensen’s goal, but his presence was vital. 6

Ryan Ledson (for McGuane 63) - Great movement to meet Roughan’s cross with ten minutes to go but put his header straight at Pereira then was denied on the follow-up too - should have done better with the first attempt really. 5

Josh Feeney (for Balker 63) - Took over at centre-back. A bit ponderous on the ball at times, to the frustration of the crowd, and wasteful with some over-hit long balls to the flanks. 5

Lasse Sorensen (for Gooch 76) - Saw out the game at wing-back and recued a point with a fine finish to the bottom corner. 7

Unused substitutes: Jak Alnwick, Antony Evans.

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Lee Nicholls - 8

Had a superb first half between the sticks: commanding on set pieces, reacted sharply to Bim Pepple getting in on goal to save with his feet, and made sure he got the ball away from Owen Dale late in the half. Unfortunately received a blow to the head in defending a corner and had to go off in a concussion substitution just before half time.

Josh Feeney - 7

Put in a brilliant first-half performance. Was a bit more exposed after the break, through no fault of his own, with Lynden Gooch not giving him anything like enough cover out wide.

Murray Wallace - 7

As reliable as ever. Frustrated the Plymouth forwards with his robust presence in the first half. Took the captain’s armband from Ryan Ledson after the midfielder had to go off soon after the break. Did what he could with Town’s downfall coming elsewhere.

Sean Roughan - 6

Booked early on for a late and slightly high challenge. Looked a bit daft with a couple of pretty aimless long balls in the opening exchanges but settled into the game from there. Broadly fine, subbed off late on in a tactical switch.

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Lynden Gooch - 3

Wasn’t the most convincing player on the pitch to begin with and degraded from there. Gave the ball away in his own half too many times, including putting Nicholls under pressure with a backwards header to force an intervention from the keeper that Plymouth wanted given as a penalty. Completely lost control of the battle against Own Dale on that flank in the second half.

Ryan Ledson - 5

Solid enough in the first half. Gave away a cheap corner with a poor backpass in the second half and atoned a bit by clearing a shot off the line from the resulting set piece, but it still proved costly as Owen Dale went on to smash home. Went off holding his back/rear moments later.

Cameron Humphreys - 7

Great run and even more impressive composure to run at the Plymouth line, get into the box by selling a dummy, then finish to make it 1-0. Kept working hard throughout the game and was reliably good on his duels.

Bali Mumba - 4

Went in with a rather strong and high challenge on 18 minutes that some referees might have shown red for — got a yellow instead. Not as effective as Town would have liked, but does deserve some credit for racing back to make a superb recovery tackle that he had to get right to stop Joe Edwards getting clean through on Jak Alnwick.

Marcus Harness - 4

Great through ball to put Alfie May in for a first-half effort that was saved in easily the highlight of his game. Otherwise unable to make the most of Town’s rare attacking moments through most of the game, and looked (understandably) frustrated when they did get forward only for it to come to nothing late on.

Antony Evans - 4

Played his part in the build-up to Town’s opener. Almost handed Plymouth an equaliser seven minutes later with an ill-judged backwards pass that put Pepple in on goal, but Nicholls made the save. Lost his man on the set piece from which Plymouth equalised after a scramble. Blazed a decent half-chance well off target early in the second half before being replaced moments later.

Alfie May - 6

Better runs and movement at the centre-forward rather than going looking for work. Played Humphreys in to run at the defence and open the scoring, and later got in on goal himself off Harness’ pass but put a powerful effort straight at the keeper.

Substitutes

Jak Alnwick (for Nicholls 45+4) - Forced into action from the bench. Little he could do about the penalty, of course, but didn’t have command of the box on the equaliser and dropped a clanger for the third goal as he spilled a pretty tame effort straight at the feet of Owen Oseni to tap home. 3

David Kasumu (for Ledson 50) - Fine. 5

Cameron Ashia (for Evans 54) - Completely unnecessary foul off the ball to give away a penalty off a pretty directionless ball into the box. Went for the spectacular by shooting after Gascoigneing himself into the box at 3-1 down, despite better options ins the box. 3

Lasse Sorensen (for Gooch 77) - Necessary change at right-back — should have been done earlier. 5

Dion Charles (for Roughan 77) - Looked a bit sharper for his time out of the side. Had the right ideas for how to play off May and vice versa, but Plymouth were just happy to hold on and hit Town on the counter at that point. 5

Unused substitutes: Jack Whatmough, Marcus McGuane.

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Lee Nicholls - 7

Possibly should have come out for the long throw from which Josh Feeney scored an own goal, but perhaps got a shout not to. Got it spot on when he came off his line to stop Ben House getting any time to pick his spot after getting through one-on-one early in the second half. Denied Sonny Bradley’s low header from a corner with a sharp save. Was beaten by an inswinging corner that had to be cleared off the line on 67 minutes.

Josh Feeney - 5

Not sure what he was thinking directing his header towards Nicholls’ goal to allow Lincoln to claw one back from 2-0 down. Was beaten to a flick-on into the box by House just after the break, but was bailed out by Nicholls’ intervention. Got away with a pretty clear handball as he slid in to block a shot midway through the second half - no intent but should have been given. Gave it the full Steven Taylor to make out it had hit him in the face instead. Actually did a lot of good defending in between those three incidents, mind.

Murray Wallace - 8

Exactly the performance you are imagining from that name and that mark. Tried to get over to cut out the flick-on from the late long throw that produced Lincoln’s equaliser, but couldn’t quite get there.

Sean Roughan - 8

Enjoyed getting a bit of stick from fans of his former club in the away end just before he took the long throw from which Town doubled their lead. Kept Lincoln quiet on his side, helped out Wallace when he needed to, and made a vital intervention to head the ball off the line and stop a corner from curling straight into the net.

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Lynden Gooch - 7

Returned from injury a bit sooner than had been let on to come in at right wing-back. Booked on the stroke of half-time for a cynical foul to try and stop a Lincoln break. Got out of touch in his own half a few times with good footwork and a welcome presence in the final third. Taken off early in the second half in what seemed to be a planned sub.

David Kasumu - 8

Gave absolutely everything for the cause, as he always does. Great outlet for Town’s counter-attacks and played some nice stuff just outside the Lincoln box.

Ryan Ledson - 8

Took his goal well after reacting sharply to the loose ball. Won the ball well and played some really good balls in behind for Hardie and May, particularly one for Hardie late in the first half that was just cut out at the last second by Sonny Bradley’s sliding tackle. Should have done better with an unmarked header at the near post off a corner. All-round excellent performance though, especially in the first half.

Cameron Humphreys - 7

Reliable central midfield performance throughout. Useful composure late on as Town worked to see out the game. Went in the book deep into stoppage time for what looked to be a perfectly good challenge.

Bali Mumba - 6

Relatively quiet in a slightly more reserved wing-back role but did what he needed to do and did it well. Played a ball in behind for Hardie that produced a reasonable penalty shout for Town. Good run to try and win a header at the back post off Lasse Sorensen’s cross but was just beaten to it. Couldn’t react quickly enough to the flick-on from Lincoln’s injury-time throw-in to do anything about it except let it bounce off him for Ryley Towler to finish.

Ryan Hardie - 7

Marked his birthday with a well-taken goal, calmly finishing off after sending Adam Reach to the wrong fire and then sitting down keeper George Wickens with a second dummy. Looked to have been brought down in a ‘seen them given’ way inside the box a few minutes later, but nothing given. Had a good 52 minutes before going down with a knock that forced him off — hopefully precautionary.

Antony Evans - 7

Started at centre-forward alongside Hardie, surprisingly. Lovely ball in behind the Lincoln defence for Hardie to score the opener. Dropped in just behind Hardie and alongside Kasumu midway through the first half, presumably in a bid to try and find a bit more space between the lines and give Town more presence in the press amid a spell of Lincoln pressure. Good shift before going off just after the hour.

Substitutes

Alfie May (for Hardie 53) - Caught the keeper with a high challenge after he came out 30 yards to deal with a long ball — lucky to avoid a card for it. Chased and harried well, and tried to provide little flicks and touches to get Town on the front foot. Didn’t get too much chance to do loads else as the half wore on and Lincoln applied the pressure looking for an equaliser. 6

Lasse Sorensen (for Gooch 53) - Had a back-and-forth battle with fellow substitute Reeco Hackett that we’ll call a draw. 6

Marcus Harness (for Evans 61) - Fresh legs for the midfield. 6

Marcus McGuane (for Kasumu 79) - Likewise. 6

Unused substitutes: Jak Alnwick, Jack Whatmough, Cameron Ashia.

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Lee Nicholls - 6

Routine saves to make for the most part, but will have been frustrated at having to see out a bit of a late flurry. Did well to repel Jaheim Headley’s powerful ball across the face of goal.

Josh Feeney - 7

Saw a header come back out off the crossbar from a Town corner in the first half. Did his work off the ball well to help Town get the clean sheet.

Murray Wallace - 6

Solid enough performance. Picked up a late booking for a rough challenge.

Sean Roughan - 6

Sent Marcus Harness into the box with a long throw early on that nearly resulted in an own goal. Mixed bag on the ball otherwise, fine at the back.

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Lasse Sorensen - 7

Strong with his defensive duties after being restored to the side. Lovely delivery from a corner to find Feeney’s header against the bar. Played some useful long balls from deep that found their mark.

David Kasumu - 6

Put in the kind of shift we know to expect from him off the ball and left the more complex stuff with the ball to others. Sacrificed last on to get an extra centre-forward onto the pitch.

Cameron Humphreys - 7

Worked hard and reacted quickly to win the ball back as soon as possible whenever Town lost it — really was quite the effort off the ball. Was guilty of them losing it a few times in the first place, mind, but was at least more forward-looking than in his last game.

Bali Mumba - 4

Relatively quiet in the early going but game into the game more as it went on and struck up an promising partnership with Harness up that side in the middle half an hour, before his game really dropped off again around the hour.

Cameron Ashia - 4

Got the better of Jaheim Headley a few times in the first half but then was unable to do anything meaningful with it. Needlessly offside after making his run too soon as the end of a good Town move after the break. Taken off midway through the second half.

Ryan Hardie - 4

Made some good runs in the first half that ended up coming to nothing. Had to fight for long balls, which he did OK. Ultimately had few opportunities int he game htough and put his bets opening some way off target. Looked tired in the final stages but stayed on until the end, which might stand him in good stead for future.

Marcus Harness - 6

Played off the left of Town’s front three. Did very well to carve open the Port Vale defence in the best attacking move of the first half, and nearly forced an own goal with his ball across the face of goal before Liam Gordon cleared his own bad touch off the line. Pressed very well and won the ball to get Town on the attack several times. Played a big part in all Town’s better moves but there were just too few of them.

Substitutes

Mickel Miller (for Ashia 65) - Took over on the right wing for a bit, slightly surprisingly, before moving to left wing-back after the next sub. Never found his feet in the game with several poor touches. 4

Will Alves (for Sorensen 73) - Went onto the right wing with Mumba taking over at right wing-back. Didn’t have the desired effect. 4

Bobby Wales (for Kasumu 84) - Just needed to find Hardie with a cross to the near post after running onto Humphreys’ ball over the top, but blazed it out of the box instead. Gave the keeper a comfortable save with a shot from a set piece after a loose ball rolled his way. 3

Unused substitutes: Jak Alnwick, Jack Whatmough, Antony Evans, Ryan Ledson.

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Lee Nicholls - 7

Forced into a good save at the top corner early on to keep out a looping effort. Had the scramble to get a dodgy Radinio Balker backpass away from danger under pressure.

Bali Mumba - 6

Started at right-back. Had to play a more conservative role than when he has been at left wing-back but did it well enough.

Radinio Balker - 6

Put in a perfectly unobjectionable 42 minutes — that backpass aside — before going down with a groin injury that forced him out of the game.

Murray Wallace - 7

Drew some impatient grumbles from the fans with his patient approach on the ball — not sure if that was about trying to draw a press or waiting looking for options to present themselves. Defensively sound and made a vital block int eh last mintue of injury time, which Rotherham claimed as a handball but not given.

Sean Roughan - 7

He at least looked to play the ball forward when he could, we’ll give him that, and looked frustrated whenever he had to go backwards due to a lack of options ahead of him. Put in a good shift with his defensive work. Good cross from the left to force the own goal.

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Ryan Ledson - 6

Tried to play quick one-touch football where it was appropriate, usually to try and bring Marcus Harness into play quickly — a shame his teammates refused to join in. Made some decent challenges in the first half, often to make up for mistakes by his teammates. Overhit a couple of passes into the box out for goal kicks.

Cameron Humphreys - 4

Had some bright moments, most notably getting to the byline and crossing for Ryan Hardie to head off target, and playing a lovely long ball onto the wing for Ashia. Won some decent sliding tackles too. But was often too slow, much too unadventurous, and occasionally sloppy with the ball in the first half, drawing the groans of the crowd multiple times in the first half. Just not what the side needed on the occasion. Better in the final half hour. With some justification, felt he should have had a penalty in the second half after looking like he was pulled down inside the box after beating a defender. Great delivery from the resulting corner for Josh Feeney’s saved header.

Antony Evans - 5

Made his first start of the season, operating as a number 10 who tended to drift to the left in search of space — but often felt compelled drop deep to try and give Town an out ball as they kept getting stuck int heir own half. Played some promising through balls looking for Hardie, giving Town a bit of something that has been missing from the side. A bit over-ambitious with some of his passing but hard to knock him too much for trying a risky ball in a side that didn’t do nearly enough of it. Got a bit of a kick just before we went off but that substitution was already in the works — didn’t look to be anything serious.

Marcus Harness - 3

Played off the left wing. Struggled to get his into the game in the early going and pretty much strayed in that vein throughout the first half. Was under heavy pressure most of the time he got the ball but was unconvincing even when he had space.

Cameron Ashia - 4

In for his first start since facing Rotherham in the Trophy. Plenty of endeavour and running, as usual, but didn’t find any moments of real quality. Made an important clearance midway through the second half to get away a dangerous ball to the back post.

Ryan Hardie - 4

Cut a frustrated figure for the first 10-15 minutes then looked a little rusty with the timing of some of his runs and work with the ball when Town actually gave him something to try and get onto. Took a poor touch after racing onto the best pass of the game courtesy of Evans, causing the opportunity to go begging. Forced Lenny Agbaire to go up for the header that looped over the keeper for the own goal.

Substitutes

Josh Feeney (for Balker 45) - Introduced just before the break for his stricken comrade. Had a great header superbly kept out off Humphreys’ corner. No issues at the back. 7

Bobby Wales (for Evans 62) - Named on the bench with Alfie May missing through illness. Came on alongside Hardie as Town went two up top. Chased and harried well. Unnecessarily offside on a late opening. 4

David Kasumu (for Harness 62) - Offered his usual work rate and was a benefit to Town’s play. 6

Will Alves (for Hardie 82) - Useful trickery and ball-keeping for the closing stages to see the result out. n/a

Unused substitutes: Jak Alnwick, Lasse Sorensen, Mickel Miller.

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Lee Nicholls - 7

Out quickly to smother an early strike after Wigan got in on goal. Claimed what needed to be claimed. Was left wrong-footed by a slight deflection off Marcus Harness as Wigan took the lead just after the hour, having made a good stop to deny another chance from a corner moments before.

Radinio Balker - 7

Strong showing throughout the game. Battled well and did what he could to help the struggling Lasse Sorensen out without putting himself out of position. Unable to get a full connection on his headed clearance from a well-delivered set piece from which Wigan ultimately scored.

Murray Wallace - 6

Had to be bailed out by Nicholls after his poor touch let Dara Costelloe into the box early on, and took another poor touch late in the first half and needed Balker to help him out of trouble. Otherwise generally solid, though, and particularly brave to go in and win a header to stop a dangerous low Wigan cross

Sean Roughan - 5

Read the game really well on several occasions to cut out Wigan’s attempts to find a bit of joy on his side of the box. Lovely ball over the top for Ryan Hardie midway through the first half that forced the Wigan keeper to come out of his box to get there first. Had a strong first hour but looked a bit laboured on the ball after Town went 1-0 down, particularly with his set piece deliveries. Received the ire of the away end for curling a corner straight onto the top of the net then later curling one straight to the keeper. Picked up a late booking for a clumsy foul.

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Lasse Sorensen - 3

Had plenty of defending to do in the opening half hour as Wigan kept targeting his side of the pitch. Picked up a yellow card late in the first half, prompting Gary Caldwell to stick Joseph Hungbo on at the break to run at Sorensen. Taken off in a bid to stem the tide midway through the second half with Bali Mumba taking over at right-back.

Ryan Ledson - 6

Usually in the right spot to pick up a loose pass or make an interception around the halfway line in the first half, but quieter after the break.

Cameron Humphreys - 6

Great run and ball across the box for Ryan Hardie to hit the post on 18 minutes. Looked sharp on the ball in the first half and played some nice exchanges with Mumba in particular. Like Ledson, though, he got lost in the shuffle a bit for much of the second half.

Bali Mumba - 7

Had easily his best 45 minutes of football for Town as he was the best player on the pitch in the first half. Strong with his defending, linked up well with his teammates in attack, and had a decent effort deflected onto the woodwork on 36 minutes. Moved over to the right wing in a 4-4-2 soon after the break to help deal with Wigan’s threat down that flank, then to right-back ten minutes later to accommodate Cameron Ashia.

Marcus Harness - 5

Played a part in most of Town’s better moves in the first half. Had a looping headed turned around the post from on the line. Looked like he would have to give Sorensen more help in defence after the break given his yellow card, but picked up a booking of his own just six minutes after the restart, prompting Manning to move him across to the opposite wing. Unable to get more than a glancing touch on Jensen Weir’s strike as he tried to block it with his knee. Much more of a mixed bag playing off the left wing in the second half. Had a decent late strike well saved, with the Wigan keeper recovering in time to stop it bouncing over the line.

Alfie May - 4

Started at number 10 alongside Harness. Brighter showing from him early doors, and had a shot cleared off the line on the rebound from Hardie hitting the post that he maybe should have hit better. Had an overhead kick blocked off the rebound from Mumba’s effort, too. Unable to sustain his promising start however and was too sloppy with the ball at times. Briefly joined Hardie as an out-and-out centre-forward after the change to 4-4-2.

Ryan Hardie - 5

Made his first start for the club. Made useful runs throughout his time on the pitch. Hit the post with a low strike in Town’s first real effort of the game having done well to get the shot off under heavy pressure. Visibly very tired just before the hour and understandably subbed off.

Substitutes

Dion Charles (for May 58) - Received a rather unkind welcome onto the pitch from the away end. Looked to have done well to get across to stop Callum Wright’s cutback off a set piece, but failed to make a proper connection with the ball, which rolled on to Weir to smash home. Unable to offer anything up top on his own, which we already knew really. 4

Will Alves (for May 58) - Played just behind Charles in a 4-2-3-1. Have to give credit for his defensive work rate. Started a few attacks by winnign the ball, driving forward and finding a teammate. 6

Cameron Ashia (for Sorensen 68) - Came on to play on the right wing Picked up a knock moments after coming onto the pitch but was able to run it off. Again caused issues with his running, but his deliveries were consistently blocked. 5

Unused substitutes: Jak Alnwick, Josh Feeney, Antony Evans, David Kasumu.

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Lee Nicholls - 7

Started the game by confidently claiming a low cross and continued in that vein throughout the first half. Soundly beaten by an excellent finish as Barnsley went 1-0 up - the issue was that Town gave David McGoldrick far too much space to take it from the corner of the box. Denied McGoldrick with his leg on the stroke of half time after taking up a good position to block the shot. Lucky McGoldrick didn’t take full advantage as he slid back to keep Radinio Balker’s header in play and stopped the ball dead, only to keep sliding beyond the byline and out of reach of the ball.

Radinio Balker - 7

Was in no-man’s land when McGoldrick blazed into the box in first-half stoppage time and forced a save from Nicholls. Put Nicholls in trouble again early in the second half with a dreadful backwards header, but superb sliding tackle to stop Tom Bradshaw getting clean through into the box and generally excellent throughout the second half.

Murray Wallace - 8

Played in the middle of an adventurous back three and showed off his passing range early on with multiple useful sprays out to Lasse Sorensen up the right as Town looked to get everyone into the opposition half. Defensively impressive again and threw his head onto everything that went into his territory. Great tackle on Bradshaw late on to make up for giving the ball away moments before, and made a crucial intervention in injury time in a penalty box scramble.

Sean Roughan - 7

Poor clearance on the way to Barnsley’s early disallowed goal, giving possession straight back to the visitors. Solid enough in general with a lot of Barnsley’s threat coming from the other side, and helped ensure they offered no real threat on Nicholls’ goal after Town went ahead.

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Lasse Sorensen - 5

Great interception on 28 minutes to spark a Town attack out of nothing but his ball in to Alfie May was poor. Got into good attacking positions up the right, but negligent with his defending too often in the first half, prompting Liam Manning to abandon his initial 3-4-3 for a 4-3-3 within half an hour. Gave Barnsley far too much space down that left side, losing track of Reyes Cleary several times and ludicrously standing off McGoldrick as he curled a brilliant shot past Nicholls to give Barnsley the lead. Successful in closing the back door after the break while still finding opportunities to get forward.

Ryan Ledson - 7

Could have done more to help Sorensen deal with McGoldrick as Barnsley went ahead, and was beaten too easily by McGoldrick as he threatened a second just before the break. Enjoyed a really positive second half, despite being harshly booked for what looked to be a good clean recovery tackle immediately after the restart. Had more encouragement to get forward on this occasion in a true box-to-box role. Got to the byline a couple of times early on, but unable to find teammates with his final ball. Used that license to get free in the box to score his headed equaliser. Sent Hardie away for a chance he should have done better with.

Cameron Humphreys - 5

Was on set piece duty for much of the game and put in some promising deliveries that Barnsley did well to deal with. Broadly fine without being eye-catching.

Bali Mumba - 5

Looked like he should have had a penalty given against him for a second game in a row after seeming to catch Corey O’Keeffe during a scramble on an early corner, but got away with it. Effectively operated as Town’s third central midfielder at times even before the switch to 4-3-3 enshrined that role. Unable to get his head to Ledson’s cross midway through the first half with what would have been a great chance. Had a really poor first half — frustratingly wasteful with the ball again and lost too many physical battles — but much better after the break and put in a peach of a cross for Ledson to equalise.

Will Alves - 4

Played on the right of the front three. A lot more of what we’ve seen from him recently in the first half: got into decent positions, showed some nice touches, unable to actually make much happen with the ball with his passes and crosses failing to find their mark. Very unconvincing off the ball. Made way for Ryan Hardie ten minutes into the second half.

Alfie May - 4

Had a quiet start to the game playing in the middle of the front three. Needed a better delivery from Sorensen after getting free in the box at the end of a counter-press just after the half-hour. That was about his only notable involvement before he went off for the much more influential Cameron Ashia.

Marcus Harness - 5

Played on the left of the front three throughout. Received big ironic cheers from the home fans as his tame header at Owen Goodman finally registered as a shot on target for the Terriers after two games without one. Pressed everything but not as involved in the game as he would have liked, and wasted a chance to put Hardie through on goal in injury time.

Substitutes

Ryan Hardie (for Alves 56) - Unstoppably powerful finish to the bottom corner to claim his first goal for the club and put the Terriers ahead. Should have done better after being played in behind the Barnsley defence by Ledson, only to balloon his shot well off target. 7

Cameron Ashia (for May 73) - Came on to play on the right wing and registered an assist immediately by putting it on a plate for Hardie to finish. Characteristically selfish with the ball at times but cannot ignore his impact on the game. 7

David Kasumu (for Humphreys 81) - Saw out the game in central midfield. 6

Unused substitutes: Jak Alnwick, Josh Feeney, Antony Evans, Dion Charles.

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Lee Nicholls - 6

Very little to do. Booked for dissent after the penalty was awarded. Sent the wrong way for the penalty by Molynuex. Did well to deny Bailey late on.

Lynden Gooch - 6

Started well and threatened throughout down the right with some dangerous balls into the box but no teammates on hand to finish them. Later crosses either found the head of Neill Byrne or had no Town player anywhere near them. Was subbed off late on holding his groin.

Radinio Balker - 6

Caught under the ball just before half time which almost led to Gibson doubling Rovers’ lead. Solid game otherwise with little to test him on a cold evening. Put an overhead kick well off target late on.

Murray Wallace - 6

Should have possibly put Town ahead with a free header from a Gooch corner. Dealt with what he needed to in a game lacking any real attacking threat from either side.

Sean Roughan - 5

Struggled with Rovers’ right hand side in the first half. Didn’t have much to deal with in the second half.

Bali Mumba - 3

Struggled against Molyneux. Got caught beneath the ball and allowed Molyneux to head back across goal into his hand to give away the penalty. Bullied by Molynuex going one way, Sterry the other. Came close to levelling just after half time but couldn’t stretch to reach Gooch’s low cross after reacting too slowly. Could have conceded a second penalty for a push but the referee waved the appeals away.

Ryan Ledson - 4

Blocked an almost certain goal from Molyneux getting back to deny the Rovers danger man 6 yards out before setting off a counter attack. Had opportunities to drive the midfield forward in the press but took a more conservative approach. Put a last-second chance wide.

David Kasumu - 5

Busy trying to make town tick with Ledson but nothing came off despite a few bright sparks and breaks forward. Passes astray throughout. Replaced with 10 minutes to go

Marcus Harness - 4

Tried to make things happen but nothing came off. Got drawn into squabbles and grapples. Had a few efforts from range in the first half but no real threat.

Will Alves - 4

Put into the starting line-up after being excluded at Stevenage. Had some nice touches and at least had the right attacking mindset, which is more than can be said for most of his teammates on the day, but with no real end product to show for it.

Dion Charles - 3

Ineffective throughout. Seemed to give up after being through on goal early in the second half assuming an offside flag would go up that never did. Lost the battle with McGrath early on and never recovered. Felt a bit sorry for him early on as he looked isolated, but was dreadful with the ball when he did get it. Not a great night for the striker, whose departure was cheered by the Town fans.

Substitutes

Bobby Wales (for Charles 62) - Made a difference almost instantly running in behind and winning a corner showing. Showed at least of bit of the presence Town had lacked in the opening hour but was not brought into the game nearly enough. 5

Cameron Ashia (for Roughan 62) - Looked lively from his introduction, winning a dangerous free kick which Town did nothing with. Grew frustrated as he struggled to make anything happen. but did put in the cross for Ledson’s late chance. 5

Ryan Hardie (for Alves 79) - On for his club debut. n/a

Lasse Sorenson (for Gooch 79) - n/a

Cameron Humphreys (for Kasumu 79) - n/a

Unused substitutes: Jak Alnwick, Josh Feeney.

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Lee Nicholls - 5

Made a good low stop with his leg early on after closing down Matt Phillips’ shot, and great goalkeeping to get off his line quickly and cut out a flick-on across the box before Jamie Reid could get there. On the downside, was beaten in the air by Dan Sweeney after coming of his line to try and get to a cross, but it went over the bar. Conceded an unnecessary corner for holding onto the ball too long. Kicking poor even by his standards, and put Town in trouble with an awful pass as they conceded the free kick from which Stevenage took their late lead.

Radinio Balker - 7

Played a hybrid right-back on the ball/centre-back off the ball role. Defended well, in common with the rest of the back line. Had a couple erratic moments here and there but generally decent.

Josh Feeney - 7

Strong centre-back showing against some difficult attackers to handle.

Murray Wallace - 6

Had his hands full with Reid but stood up to him superbly. Was beaten into the box by Matt Phillips but had forced him wide enough that Nicholls had a chance to make the save, and otherwise won absolutely everything that went in his direction for most of the game — only to be crucially and soundly beaten in the air by Carl Piergianni as he headed home Stevenage’s winner.

Bali Mumba - 4

Shot wide after cutting inside early on 17 minutes with what would prove to be Town’s best chance of the game. Much too quiet thereafter on the ball, albeit he did his defensive duties well enough. Wasted a last-minute free kick by ploughing it into the back of an opponent.

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Ryan Ledson - 6

Booked for a late tackle on 22 minutes. Won some good challenges in his own half and usually looked to lay it off simply. Unobjectionable, unexceptional.

Marcus McGuane - n/a

Received a kick six minutes into the game that left him down in pain. Briefly returned to the fray but then went down again and had to be subbed off.

Lasse Sorensen - 5

One of two changes from the side that started the last league game, alongside David Kasumu. Essentially played as a winger a 4-2-3-1 on the ball that became a 5-4-1 out of possession. As with Mumba, defensively fine, but too quiet in attack.

David Kasumu - 7

Started in a pressing number 10 role after playing in a deeper berth in midweek, but then dropped back in alongside Ledson after McGuane’s early injury. Worked incredibly hard and won numerous challenges in midfield, including some important recovery tackles.

Marcus Harness - 4

Played off the left flank. Received a yellow card for a high boot midway through the first half, and rode his luck on a couple of occasions before the break with a cynical shirt pull and delaying a Stevenage throw-in. Has had better games recently and found it hard to get much going on this occasion.

Dion Charles - 4

You know the tale by now: can’t fault his commitment but just didn’t have the quality to make a difference against a massive Stevenage back line.

Substitutes

Cameron Humphreys (for McGuane 10) - A forced introduction early on. Went on at number 10 with license to drop deeper to try and build the play…or at least, so it looked. Played a couple of promising forward balls but no more than that, and Manning would have wanted more. Was taken back off late on. 4

Mickel Miller (for Harness 66) - Took over on the left wing. Had a couple of promising moments that ultimately came to nothing. Conceded the free kick from which Stevenage scored by committing a clumsy challenge in response to Nicholls’ poor ball. 5

Cameron Ashia (for Humphreys 79) - Lucky that Louis Thompson put a shot out for a throw after losing him to let him go free in the Town box. Nipped in to rob Charlie Goode on the edge of the Stevenage box in the 90th minute but unable to get a shot away as the defender did well to win a challenge but lobbed his own keeper, only for it to bounce narrowly wide. Had Town’s only shot of the second half. 5

Bobby Wales (for Charles 79) - No impact on the game. Had just one touch in his 20 minutes on the pitch and couldn’t compete in the air. Some service might have been nice, mind. 3

Unused substitutes: Jak Alnwick, Sean Roughan, Lynden Gooch.

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