Chelsea loanee Mason Burstow ended his long wait for a first Sunderland goal as the Black Cats beat Stoke 3-1 to ease the pressure on head coach Michael Beale.The forward broke his duck in his 14th appearance for the club before Abdoullah Ba and Pierre Ekwah also scored to end the hosts’ run of three straight defeats in all competitions and move them level on points with sixth-placed Coventr

Lawrence Shankland stepped down from penalty duties and still stole the show with a magnificent goal as rampant Hearts defeated Aberdeen 2-0 to surge 10 points clear in third place in the cinch Premiership.After missing his last three spot-kicks, the talismanic Jambos captain allowed team-mate Jorge Grant to take over and the Englishman duly opened the scoring from 12 yards out.Shankland had the T

The National League’s bottom side Oxford City gave their survival chances a huge boost with a 1-0 win over fellow strugglers Ebbsfleet.Andre Burley’s 36th-minute goal from close range was enough for the hosts, who now have 27 points, with their opponents, who fell into the drop zone as a result of the loss, just three better off.Dominic Samuel led Ebbfsleet’s bid to get back into

Jamie Vardy’s eighth goal of the season helped much-changed Leicester into the FA Cup fifth round with a 3-0 win against Birmingham.Vardy broke the deadlock with a header from Marc Albrighton’s superb cross after 47 minutes before Yunus Akgun’s thunderbolt on 72 minutes sealed Leicester’s place in the fifth round.Foxes midfielder Dennis Praet added a third goal with a cool

Paul Hurst got his second stint in charge of Shrewsbury off to a winning start as his team deservedly beat Northampton 2-0 at Sixfields.Second-half goals from Dan Udoh and Chey Dunkley ensured the Sky Bet League One victory, and the Shrews could have won by more in a dominant display against the Cobblers.Shrews went into the game off the back of seven defeats in eight matches which resulted in the

Relegation-threatened Sutton slipped seven points from safety in Sky Bet League Two despite a 1-1 draw at Walsall.Craig Eastmond cancelled out Walsall skipper Donervon Daniels’ delightful opener as Sutton recorded a third successive draw under new boss Steve Morison.Walsall led after 18 minutes with a brilliant goal from central defender Daniels, who beat two challenges before curling into t

Aaron Nemane scored a first-half equaliser to ensure Stuart Maynard earned a point in his first game as Notts County manager as they claimed a 1-1 League Two draw at home to Barrow.Kian Spence had given the visitors the lead early on, before Nemane levelled just before half-time on his 100th appearance for the club.County goalkeeper Aidan Stone was called into action twice in quick succession as h

A stunning volley from James Collins gave Derby a 2-1 victory over struggling Cheltenham.Cheltenham were the better side for much of the game, but a Max Bird free-kick and Collins’s 18th goal of the season earned County the points.The visitors had a great chance in the third minute, but Liam Sercombe fired straight at Josh Vickers after George Lloyd set him up.Derby were poor in the first ha

Steve Cotterill’s first game as Forest Green manager ended in defeat as his side lost 1-0 at home to Accrington.Jack Nolan scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot to send Accrington back into play-off contention.Rovers remain rooted to the bottom of the table and are winless in the league since October.Forest Green started the better team with a flurry of early chances but for

George Elokobi toasted the magic of the FA Cup after a 2-1 win at Ipswich, but insisted he always believed Maidstone could produce one of the great upsets in the competition’s history.National League South side Stones were playing their seventh FA Cup tie this season after entering in the second qualifying round and, despite facing 38 shots at Portman Road, they stunned the Sky Bet Champions