Late U's winner stuns Bees

David Flitcroft was delighted that Barnsley erased memories of an early-season thrashing with their 2-1 win over Brighton.

The Tykes suffered a 5-1 defeat at Brighton in August, but goals from Jason Scotland and Chris Dagnall helped them avenge that result and boost their survival hopes.

Leonardo Ulloa had levelled for the visitors, but he then missed a late penalty and Flitcroft felt his side deserved a reward for shackling Albion's potent attack.

"I am very proud, we have set a team up to battle and they have done that in the first half," he said.

"I have got massive respect for Brighton on terms of the football they play. I am a massive Brighton fan in terms of that.

"We got schooled down there earlier in the season and that was one of the worst trips I have had.

"But I am delighted because the game plan we set out has worked.

"We didn't let them play with any freedom or fluidity and I don't think any of their players would have enjoyed playing here."

This first win in four Championship games lifted Barnsley out of the drop zone and moved them past the 40-point mark and Flitcroft has challenged his side to continue their charge to safety.

"The main target I set when I came in was to get to 40 points as fast as possible," he said.

"I don't think anyone other manager coming in could have got there as fast, I strongly believe that.

"Now we have got to that and we are going to set another target and kick on again. We have got to win games."

The hosts took the lead in the 50th minute when Febian Brandy was tripped by Danny Holmes and Will Grigg notched his 18th of the season with a low drive from the subsequent penalty.

Seven minutes later a fantastic 30-yard shot from Craig Westcarr increased the Saddlers' lead and Tranmere rarely looked capable of saving a point.

Rovers had started brightly with Mamady Sidibie twice testing home 'keeper Aaron McCarey with low drives.

But Walsall's Jamie Paterson had a shot cleared off the line by Ash Taylor in the fifth minute and skipper Andy Butler headed straight into the hands of Rovers' keeper Owain Fon Williams when he should.

Both sides put the emphasis on attacking football and Paterson saw his 28th-minute volley well saved by Fon Williams before Saddlers midfielder Sam Mantom hit a post from 25 yards soon after.

Dons striker Ryan Lowe scored a brace to cancel out Tom Eaves' early double, but Kay needlessly volleyed past his own goalkeeper in the 67th minute to gift the Shrews their first win in four games.

Shrewsbury raced into a shock 2-0 lead inside the first 19 minutes as Eaves shrugged off Shaun Williams to drill in the opener before neatly curling in his second of the game from the edge of the box.

But Lowe pulled a goal back for the Dons in the 27th minute, bundling in the ball from close range after Kay had flicked on Dean Bowditch's corner at the near post.

Lowe equalised for the Dons two minutes after the break when he headed in Williams' inswinging free-kick at the far post.

Izale Mcleod then blazed a good chance wide for the home side before Kay volleyed Matt Richards' hopeful long pass past his own keeper Ian McLoughlin to gift Shrewsbury the lead.

The Dons piled forward in the dying minutes but Shrews keeper Chris Weale superbly denied Bowditch and substitute Alan Smith to condemn the hosts to a first defeat in seven games.

The Robins started the match in third and hoping to leapfrog Sheffield United, whose match at Crewe was postponed, into second.

They went ahead after taking advantage of sloppy play by the Bees in the 32nd minute.

Harlee Dean attempted to bring the ball out of defence but his hesitancy was pounced upon by Gary Roberts who played in Simon Ferry and he in turn passed one player before slotting home.

However, the Bees pulled level with 18 minutes left when Clayton Donaldson outpaced his marker and was hauled down in the box by goalkeeper Wes Foderingham.

Sam Saunders then blasted his spot-kick down the middle of the goal before they turned the game on its head four minutes later, Donaldson turning and shooting home from a tight angle.

Tranmere drop to fifth after a 2-0 defeat at Walsall, who have plans to gatecrash the play-offs.

The Saddlers went ahead five minutes after the break when Danny Holmes upended Febian Brandy and Will Grigg coolly slotted home the resulting penalty.

They doubled their lead out of nowhere, Craig Westcarr allowed to run with the ball before smashing an unstoppable shot into the goal.

Yeovil squandered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Crawley although they went level on points with Tranmere.

The Glovers made the ideal start with a fourth-minute opener, Byron Webster heading Ben Gordon's cross high into the net.

Paddy Madden slid the ball low into the corner to put the Glovers further ahead (18).

Crawley pulled one back with less than a minute of the second half gone as Joe Walsh headed home.

The visitors then levelled when they broke and Matthew Sparrow fired under the goalkeeper.

Just weeks ago Bournemouth topped the table but five successive defeats had seen them drop to seventh.

However, their bid to get back in the play-offs was boosted when Brett Pitman placed a 38th-minute penalty into the bottom right-hand corner at Stevenage for the only goal of the game.

The hosts lost Darius Charles following his second yellow card in injury time.

An injury-time equaliser by Carl Baker saw Coventry claim a 2-2 draw with Colchester.

Both teams are in need of points at different ends of the table but Gavin Massey put Colchester ahead before Michael Smith doubled the lead.

Callum Wilson reduced the deficit before Baker's late strike.

Preston won 1-0 at Notts County thanks to Haydn Hollis' own goal 11 minutes before the break, Shaun Batt scored the only goal as Leyton Orient beat Portsmouth 1-0 while an own goal by Antony Kay saw Shrewsbury claim a 3-2 win at MK Dons.

The result brings to an end a run of five consecutive defeats for the Cherries, who remain outside the play-offs but are just four points behind second-placed Sheffield United.

Lewis Grabban came close in the 17th minute when he controlled Pitman's long ball before his stabbed effort was kept out by Stevenage goalkeeper Steve Arnold.

The Cherries broke the deadlock in the 38th minute when Arnold took out Eunan O'Kane after the midfielder's shot and up stepped Pitman to calmly roll in the resulting penalty.

Boro began the second half brightly and Steve Cook had to be in the right place at the right time to clear away Lucas Akins' flicked header from Luke Freeman's free-kick.

Things went from bad to worse for the hosts in the 90th minute when they had Darius Charles sent off for a dangerous tackle on Harry Arter, who was stretchered off as a result.

The centre-half netted just his second U's goal four minutes into stoppage time to break Barnet's spirited resistance.

James Constable missed three opportunities for the hosts in the first half.

When Barnet goalkeeper Graham Stack dropped Luke O'Brien's corner under pressure, Constable volleyed over from a great position six yards out.

Oxford's joint-top scorer this season then saw a 12-yard shot deflect over, and when Damian Batt invitingly cut the ball back for him from the right, Constable failed to connect cleanly.

The Bees had their own chances and Ross Jenkins' strike from Luke Gambin's cross forced a good save from Luke McCormick early in the second half.

Forward Mauro Vilhete fired in a shot so powerful it broke the netting, with Oxford's groundstaff spending more than five minutes repairing it.

And in the resulting stoppage time, Tom Craddock headed Scott Davies' free-kick into the path of Raynes to nod in from close range.