Another action-packed weekend brought three confirmed movers in the Football League, with Bolton's relegation from the Sky Bet Championship being the most high-profile of note.
Victory for Chris Wilder's Northampton saw them clinch promotion to League One with five matches remaining, while Crewe's defeat at Port Vale saw them head in the opposite direction.
Here, Press Association Sport takes a look at five things we have learned from this latest round of fixtures.
1. Bolton's relegation confirmed after torrid season
It has been a long and difficult past few months for Bolton both on and off the field with a 'short-term funding issue' back in November meaning the players had to wait to be paid, while they were served with a winding-up petition from HM Revenue and Customs over an unpaid tax bill of £2.2million the following month with the threat of administration still hanging over them in January. There was also the challenge of a change in club ownership after owner Eddie Davies decided to sell and reports surrounding then manager Neil Lennon's private life in a Sunday newspaper. Bolton cleared him to stay on as boss following an internal investigation, but he parted company with the club three weeks ago. Sad news followed as long-serving chairman Phil Gartside died following a battle with cancer at the age of 63 in February and Bolton confirmed the sale of their Euxton training base to Wigan later that month. Things started looking up when S ports Shield consortium - fronted by former Trotters striker Dean Holdsworth - completed their takeover last month but results on the pitch were still far from positive and their demotion to the third tier of English football for the first time since 1993 was confirmed after Saturday's 4-1 defeat at play-off contenders Derby.
2. Cobblers get promotion party started early
Sky Bet League Two leaders Northampton extended their unbeaten run to 15 games with a 2-2 draw at home to Bristol Rovers proving enough to clinch promotion. The Cobblers were just a couple of weeks from folding back in the autumn but since then have gone on to dominate League Two and despite Rovers grabbing an unlikely point, it was not enough to spoil the promotion party. Goals in each half from Nicky Adams and Sam Hoskins gave the Cobblers a 2-0 lead before Matty Taylor and substitute Ellis Harrison hit back for the Pirates, but Chris Wilder's side still managed to secure their place in the third tier from August. The season run-in sees Northampton travel to Exeter, Yeovil and Portsmouth with home clashes against Crawley and Luton as they aim to go up as champions.
3. Derby defeat sees Crewe drop down to League Two
Crewe's relegation to League Two was confirmed as a brace from Louis Dodds helped Port Vale to a 3-0 victory at Vale Park. The Valiants got off to a flier, with Dodds scoring his seventh goal of the season early on and his eighth wrapped up the points seven minutes from time. JJ Hooper added the gloss to condemn their neighbours to fourth-tier football next season. Alex boss Steve Davis was soon searching for positives and vowed to do his very best to lead the club back to League One at the first attempt. He said: "Our aim now is to restore some lost pride in the final games of this season and then bounce straight back by winning promotion next season. The emotions of being relegated are not nice for me, the staff or for the players. It's only the second time I've been relegated in 35 years since I left school. It hurts just as much as a manager as it did as a player."
4. Rotherham reach brink of survival with eight-match unbeaten run
Rotherham's incredible late-season rally under Neil Warnock reached its peak with a 4-0 win at MK Dons which put them on the brink of Sky Bet Championship safety and delivered a near fatal blow to their opponents' chances of staying up. Just eight games ago the Dons were six points ahead of Rotherham but a staggering run of six wins and two draws has seen the Millers surge up the table and move nine points clear of the relegation zone. It will need a miracle for Rotherham to lose their second-tier status, while i t will need a similarly miraculous turnaround for the Dons to avoid a return to League One as a fourth straight defeat could not have come at a worse time. It's been s ome turnaround and Warnock, who was named manager of the month for March, said: "It just goes to show what you can do with a good group who want to listen. I think they are amazing themselves with the ability they have and what they can do with the ball."
5. Two five-star shows from League Two
Sky Bet League Two saw two five-star performances on Saturday as both Oxford and Hartlepool went goal crazy away from home. Not to take anything away from Pools, but goals four and five were scored past Morecambe midfielder Alex Kenyon who took the gloves from Barry Roche when he was sent off for the second time in four games for bringing down Brad Walker when the midfielder was clean through. With no back-up goalkeeper on the bench, Kenyon, who had earlier scored for the Shrimps, went between the posts for the last 15 minutes. That game finished 5-2 to Craig Hignett's resurgent side. Second-placed Oxford had to come from a goal down to thump Crawley 5-1, with Chris Maguire taking the plaudits with a brace. Boss Michael Appleton said: "Chris showed the composure of a Championship player. He's been unlucky before today but he was composed on a difficult pitch."
Source: PA
