Barton slams the ref, Robinson ‘bites his lip’ and Evans hails young guns – What every League One manager had to say this weekend

BLACKPOOL 2 SWINDON TOWN 0

After summer signing CJ Hamilton scored either side of half-time, Tangerines boss Neil Critchley said: “He scored two really good goals, one with his right foot and one with his left. He’s very hard to stop in a one-v-one situation and brings us a different dynamic offensively.

“We got better as the game went on, our belief started to grow, and our football started to get better.”

Swindon, who saw winger Jonny Smith forced off with breathing problems, offered little up front and could have been beaten by a bigger margin. Boss Richie Wellens said: “The last 15 minutes, I’m not happy with that at all. At times I thought we looked shambolic. If one player is deep, the whole team needs to be deep. What we can’t be doing is having big spaces between the defence and midfield.

“We didn’t work their keeper enough and our decision making in the final third was poor.”

AFC WIMBLEDON 4 PLYMOUTH 4

After his side battled back from 4-2 down to score twice late on, Plymouth boss Ryan Lowe said: “They goals we conceded were individual-type errors – a foul, letting a cross in and stuff like that. If we’re getting ripped open down the sides, through the middle, runs off the back of players, I’m worried. But we’re not, we’re causing our own mistakes.

“We might have got away with it last year in League Two, but in League One you won’t. The minute we eradicate those mistakes we’ll be fine, because going forward we’re perfect.”

AFC Wimbledon boss Glyn Hodges said: “It was not good enough and I’m really disappointed. After that fourth goal we just went backwards and defended too deep.

“We keep saying we have to learn, but we are trying to build a winning mentality, of expecting to win our home games. At 4-2, I was thinking we had been lucky because they had caused us problems, but we had got our noses in front. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see it through.”

BRISTOL ROVERS 2 IPSWICH TOWN 0

After a Max Ehmer own goal (80) and Jon Nolan clincher (89) came late in the game, Rovers boss Ben Garner said: “Up to 70/75 minutes there wasn’t a lot in the game at all. If anything I thought we were going to push on, and then they got the goal and our heads dropped a touch. We’ve tested ourselves against two of the best sides in the division (drawing 1-1 at Sunderland previously) and we don’t think we’re a million miles away from beating those sides. There’s a lot more to come from this group.”

Town boss Paul Lambert said: “First half we were just a little bit slow with the speed of the ball. The three subs (Flynn Downes, Jack Lankester and Oli Hawkins) all came on and made a difference. We raised the intensity and some of the football was great.”

BURTON ALBION 2 ACCRINGTON STANLEY 1

After John Brayford’s 87th-minute header secured Burton’s first win of the season, new Brewers boss Jake Buxton said: “The performances in the league and cups have been good and we had been in every game (DL L2), so to get points on the board was massive as pressure mounts if you don’t.”

Stanley boss John Coleman said: “I didn’t think there was much in the game and I thought we probably had the better chances. They took their two chances and we didn’t take any of ours. It’s a great goal to win it from them to be fair but the game could have gone either way. Sometimes it becomes like the flip of a coin and today we came down on the wrong side of it.”

CHARLTON ATHLETIC 1 DONCASTER ROVERS 3

Addicks boss Lee Bowyer said: “You don’t lose 3-1 if you’re the better side, but what drives me crazy is that we still created chances and we don’t take them. I just said to the players it should have been 4-4. We didn’t defend well and we didn’t take our chances again. Frustrating, very frustrating.

“I hope things (surrounding a takeover) change quickly because we need players. This group that’s there now need competition to make them realise that you’re not going to be playing next week if you’re not doing well.”

Doncaster boss Darren Moore said: “It was a really good team performance that epitomised the work that we’d done in the week. They started the first five or 10 minutes really strongly and then we had a spell just before half when we got the first goal.

“I thought we dominated the ball really well for large periods. I knew second half they’d change their shape and be more on top of us but when the second goal went in it gave us a cushion and I thought we were worthy winners.

“It was great for Tyreece (John-Jules) to get on the scoresheet. When you get him in those areas you want him to express the individual brilliance which he has got and he showed that today.”

HULL CITY 1 CREWE ALEXANDRA 0

After Mallik Wilks headed home an 81st minute winner, Hull boss Grant McCann said: “It was a bit scrappy. We probably weren’t as good as we have been in the last couple of games but we dug deep to get the goal.

“We were playing against a very good team and I have to give credit to Crewe. They’re used to winning and they play a certain style that’ll cause people a lot of problems.

“It’s three wins in a week, with two clean sheets in the first two league games, and we should had another one at Leeds.”

Newly-promoted Crewe have lost their opening two games narrowly to newly-relegated sides in Charlton (2-0) and Hull. Boss David Artell said: “We had three great chances to take the lead. We did enough to have won the game so to end up losing it was difficult to take, but that’s football.

“The performance was okay, it was acceptable again and I thought defensively we were terrific. We have to take the positives from it but we know it is a results business and we are here to win football matches. When we take our chances we will be fine because we are improving with each performance.”

MK DONS 1 LINCOLN CITY 2

Tom Hopper scored a late header (78) to make it two wins from two for the new-look Imps. Boss Michael Appleton said: “We are all delighted, we set-up really well and punished them on the counter attack. It’s a good set of three points. I think we have a solid group of players.”

MK Dons boss Russell Martin said: “I was not happy with the first half at all – it was nowhere near our usual standard. Once we conceded, we showed too much anxiety and a lack of confidence in what we were doing.

“I felt completely different in the second half. We controlled the game, were looking dominant after we equalised and it looked there would only be one winner. But we’ve given away a really soft goal which is just not good enough. It has ultimately cost us a point, along with the first half.”

OXFORD UNITED 0 SUNDERLAND 2

Luke O’Nein broke the deadlock soon after the restart before super sub Lynden Gooch scored a superb individual goal (82) to seal a deserved victory. Black Cats boss Phil Parkinson said: “I don’t think there’ll be many better goals than that scored this weekend. Alongside Charlie (Wyke) and Josh Scowen (who also came on second half), they just gave us a great lift.

“The first half was a bit scrappy, but the conditions were blustery and that’s the nature of an open, three-sided ground. I thought we did alright but improved so much in the second period and dominated it, really. It was a very professional performance from us.”

Oxford boss Karl Robinson said: “No excuses for the players, the staff or the manager. We were without players and one or two were carrying niggles, and we changed the shape because of that, but there were far more things that were resolvable than the things we had no control over. I am clear, I know what’s wrong and for once I am biting my lip.

“I am being careful what I say. I normally say what I think but I am angry and that’s not a team that plays for me, that’s simple.”

PETERBOROUGH UNITED 2 FLEETWOOD TOWN 1

Jack Taylor (90+1) and Sammie Szmodics (90+5) both scored in stoppage-time to dramatically turn this game on its head. Posh boss Darren Ferguson said: “We have not had that feeling for a while, coming back from 1-0 down and winning it. We got Sirki Dembele into wide areas and we kept going and going. The goals both came from balls into the box. We won the first contact, then the second.

“It was pleasing to get our first win against a rival who will be up there I would imagine.”

Fleetwood boss Joey Barton said: “I thought we controlled the game in the midst of a referee (Chris Sarginson) who had, from our view, a really poor afternoon.

“Frankie Kent elbows Sam Stubbs right across the face. He gives him a yellow. Then (Nathan) Thompson’s had two elbows on Ched (Evans). The first one you could possibly say is due to the challenge. The second one there’s no doubt about it, he’s absolutely just aimed to elbow him in the head.

“The fourth official and linesman on our side are shocked that he hasn’t sent him off. I’m really, really disappointed because that flipped the game. We were the best football team.”

SHREWSBURY TOWN 1 NORTHAMPTON TOWN 2

Sam Hoskins scored Northampton’s winner after Shrewsbury goalkeeper Matija Sarkic miskicked. Cobblers boss Keith Curle said: “It would have been easy for us to hide behind excuses about how many players we had missing but I said to the players that I don’t buy in to excuses. We adapted, we changed our shape, we changed our personnel and we got on with our job.

“To be honest, the players got a rollocking from me at half-time. Although we were 1-0 up I felt we were not doing well enough and were not competitive enough. The very least we expect of each and every one of them is to be competitive and represent the club with pride and commitment whenever selected.”

Shrews boss Sam Ricketts said: “It’s hugely frustrating losing the game. We’ve had 70 per cent possession, 19 shots. There was an awful lot of good today but we’ve given two really poor goals away and that’s what’s cost us.

“One of the biggest disappointments today was losing Ethan (Ebanks-Landell) after 10 seconds which was a big blow. We couldn’t reset after losing our captain.”

WIGAN ATHLETIC 2 GILLINGHAM 3

Gillingham led 2-0 and 3-1, with winger Jordan Graham bagging a brace. Manager Steve Evans said: “This is a very young team, very possibly by far the youngest in the EFL. There is a real energy, freshness and love of training and playing football. This was very evident and pleases me the most.

“As you can see our selection options are limited and we couldn’t fill the substitute’s bench, but the lads on it could all equally start so we are all good. There is so much more to come from this group and I cannot wait to see Kyle Dempsey in it too.”

Wigan boss John Sheridan said: “It was a tough result to take in our first home game, but I saw good signs again (following on from a 2-0 loss at Ipswich).

“The biggest downside isn’t the way we played – I thought we played alright – it’s the manner of goals we conceded; some very, very poor goals after taking the lead with a great bit of play from us with a good passage of play getting the ball out to Viv (Solomon-Otabor) who put in a great delivery and a great finish from Garns (Joe Garner).

“We knew what they (Gillingham) were about; they would play forwards, have long throws and put you under pressure with the ball bouncing in and around the box because they have big players.

“I can’t be too down with them and I can’t let my feelings out too much because everyone is quite vulnerable at the moment and it is important that we don’t let what is going on around us on to the pitch. It is a new team; lots of young players and we are short in some areas.”