EFL: Swindon Town's relegation among five things you may have missed

By James LawBBC Sport
Swindon
Swindon keeper Lawrence Vigouroux knew the significance of defeat, but did the club?

It was an afternoon when two clubs in the English Football League had to accept the reality of relegation - or did they?

While Leyton Orient conceded the fact that their 112-year stay in the top four tiers had come to a sad end, Swindon brought a whole new meaning to avoiding relegation - by completely glossing over their fall to League Two in their club website match report.external-link

The Robins did eventually acknowledge that they were bound for League Two some two days later, updating the original report to reflect that the loss "confirmed the club's relegation".

It was not all doom and gloom in the EFL, though, with plucky underdogs prevailing, the late-goal specialists striking again and a side which conceded relegation a long time ago tasting rare success.

Here are five stories you might have missed among all the drama.

Robins overlook demise

If you were a Swindon fan reading the report of their 2-1 defeat by Scunthorpe on the club's website, you would be forgiven for not knowing what the result meant.

There was no mention that the outcome, combined with Bury's victory, sent them down from League One.

"Town suffered a 2-1 defeat to Scunthorpe United at The County Ground earlier this afternoon," reads the first paragraph, rather underplaying the result's significance.

The piece goes on to state that a win was needed to "keep alive their survival hopes", but you'd have thought that might have been a bit more prominent.

Mind you, they're not the first club to bury bad news this season. Here was Coventry's effort...

Coventry City
Coventry underplayed the significance of this result earlier this month - it sent them down to League Two

League Two side Leyton Orient have been through five managers this season, but change in the coaching staff failed to produce change on the pitch, as their relegation to the National League was confirmed.

The O's had staved off relegation by beating Hartlepool on Easter Monday, but Crewe showed no such mercy at Gresty Road, easing to a 3-0 win which leaves the financially-imperilled east London club facing an uncertain future in non-league football.

There was disappointment of a rather different kind for Bolton fans, who must have thought their side were heading back to the Championship as they battled to a 2-0 victory at Port Vale.

But their celebrations were delayed for at least a few more days, as third-placed Fleetwood scored a last-minute winner at Gillingham to take the promotion race into the final week.

Kachunga's birthday blues

When you are a striker and your birthday falls on a Saturday during the football season, you must be rubbing your hands. After all, it is a chance to grab a goal or two to cap your special day.

Huddersfield striker Elias Kachunga would undoubtedly have had that dream earlier in the week as the Terriers hosted Fulham in a Championship play-off showdown - but the German's 25th birthday did not go to plan.

Having scored twice in his past four games Kachunga was ruled out of the game through illness, so like any loyal player he decided he would spend his afternoon following the game on Twitter...

Elias Kachunga
Kachunga celebrates as his side break the deadlock

He might have thought his birthday would be salvaged when Huddersfield went ahead through Chris Lowe's spot-kick, the first goal of the afternoon in the EFL, but Fulham are the top scorers in the division and grabbed two quickfire responses to lead...

Elias Kachunga
He gives them support after going behind, but soon decided to stop posting

At this point Kachunga stopped tweeting, as the Terriers conceded twice more in the first half to trail 4-1, which is how it finished at the John Smith's Stadium.

Get well soon, Elias!

Against all odds

No, not the Phil Collins song, which admittedly is a ballad for the ages, but Newport's run of six wins in 10 has seen them climb out of the League Two drop-zone in extraordinary fashion.

Just over six weeks ago the Exiles were thumped 4-0 at home by Orient, leaving them 11 points from safety and staring relegation in the face.

However, the Welsh side, under the stewardship of caretaker boss Mike Flynn, have had four 1-0 triumphs in their past five games and are now two points clear of second-bottom Hartlepool.

It has not been all plain sailing, as they were handed a 6-1 drubbing at Plymouth on Easter Monday, but Newport have made what seemed like mission impossible, possible.

Another pipedream is on the verge of becoming reality in the Championship, where minnows Burton are all but safe thanks to a 2-1 triumph over Leeds.

Nigel Clough's side have kept their heads above the bottom three for most of the season, but nevertheless staying in the second tier is a massive achievement for a club which was in the Northern Premier League just 15 years ago.

Burton Albion
Michael Kightly's goal sparked wild scenes among the Brewers fans

Warne ends wait for win

Rotherham may have gone down from the Championship with a whimper but they ended their 17-game winless run, spanning 97 days, by beating an Ipswich side which is probably looking ahead to next season.

It was just a third clean sheet of the season for Paul Warne's side, who have now totted up eight points in 2017.

As for the mid-table Tractor Boys, the nine changes made by Mick McCarthy suggests he is focusing on the future and not their remaining dead-rubber matches.

The Millers need to concede fewer than four times in their last two matches to avoid the ignominy of letting in 100 goals in the season.

The late, late show

Reuben Reid
90+2, 90+7, 90+2 - Reuben Reid loves a goal in the dying embers of a game

Followers of League Two will know how close the play-off race is this season, so the finest of margins are making all the difference.

Exeter City know this more than most, having scored an astonishing five stoppage-time goals in their past six games.

Their last-gasp victory over Morecambe was just another day at the office for striker Reuben Reid, who has grabbed three of the dramatic goals in the past month.

It has given Paul Tisdale's side an extra five points in the run-in - considering they're three points ahead of eighth-placed Mansfield, I would say those strikes have come in very handy indeed!

And finally - welcome to the EFL, Lincoln

Last but certainly not least, congratulations to Lincoln City on their promotion from the National League.

The Imps, who had that incredible run to the FA Cup quarter-finals, sealed it with a 2-1 win at home to Macclesfield which ended their six-year absence from the EFL.

With only the champions going up automatic from the fifth tier, Lincoln had the double whammy of celebrating promotion and the title at the same time.