CARLISLE United boss Keith Curle thanked Blackburn Rovers for hosting the Cumbrians’ League Two clash with Plymouth Argyle at the weekend.

Curle’s side have been forced to play their last two home fixtures away from Brunton Park due to the flooding which has left the stadium suffering severe damage.

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After beating Notts County 3-0 at Deepdale before Christmas they were overcome 2-0 by League Two leaders Plymouth in front of a crowd of 4,415 at Ewood Park.

And while Curle was disappointed his play-off chasing side were beaten by goals from Ryan Brunt and Gregg Wylde, he was delighted with the treatment his club received from Rovers.

Lancashire Telegraph:

“I have to say thank you to Blackburn for hosting this game for us,” he said.

“The players were desperate to play and the facilities here are fantastic. We have been looked after really well and you can see this is a very professional football club. Everyone here has been absolutely superb.

“The staff have conducted themselves with a huge amount of respect for us. I thought the fans stepped up to the challenge as well. Vocally they made it feel like a home game and we are disappointed we were not able to give them even more to shout about.”

Lancashire Telegraph:

Second-placed Northampton Town won for the ninth time in their past 10 games in all competitions as they defeated Barnet 3-0. Sam Hoskins, Ricky Holmes and Marc Richards scored.

Portsmouth ended a two-game winless streak with a 3-0 victory over Crawley Town. A goal apiece from Matt Clarke, Marc McNulty and Gary Roberts made the difference.

Oxford United beat hosts Notts County 4-2 despite trailing with 11 minutes to go. The Magpies fell behind to Liam Sercombe’s penalty but Jon Stead and Curtis Thompson put them ahead. However, a late flurry of goals from the visitors — Alex MacDonald, Callum O’Dowda and Kemar Roofe on target — turned the game on its head.

Lancashire Telegraph:

Yeovil Town moved off the foot of the table with a 1-0 victory over York City, who are now propping up the division. Matty Dolan converted a first-half penalty to earn Glovers’ manager Darren Way his first three points since being appointed on a permanent basis.

Rory Gaffney struck his second brace in the space of six days, this giving fifth-placed Bristol Rovers a 2-0 triumph over Luton Town.

Morecambe defeated Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 thanks to a goal apiece from Shaun Miller and Jamie Devitt (penalty).

Wimbledon made it back-to-back wins on their travels as they overcame Cambridge United 4-1. Paul Robinson, Lyle Taylor, Jonathan Meades and Ade Azeez struck for the Londoners.

It finished 2-2 between Stevenage and Leyton Orient. Armand Gnanduillet hit a brace for Stevenage and Jay Simpson did likewise for the Os.

Dagenham & Redbridge defeated Exeter City 2-1, Ashley Chambers claiming the winner after Joss Labadie and the Devonians’ Tom Nichols traded goals.