Bradford City win again, Harrogate Town hit for NINE, Doncaster Rovers held by relegation rivals

It was a satisfying result for manager Graham Alexander, who had been sacked by the visitors in October after only 16 games in charge.

The Bantams had beaten Wrexham on Saturday and wasted little time in going ahead against another team in the play-off places.

Defender Matty Platt gave them a 14th-minute lead as he drilled home from 15 yards.

MK keeper Nathan Harness, playing in the absence of Filip Marschall and Michael Kelly, was beaten again after 36 minutes.

Clarke Oduor’s shot hit the post and Calum Kavanagh was first to the rebound to tap home.

The home side took control of the game with two goals in a minute early in the second half.

Andy Cook scored his 15th goal of the season when he drove home the rebound after Alex Gilliead headed against the woodwork.

Cook then intercepted Warren O’Hora’s pass and although his own shot was blocked, it fell for Oduor to convert inside the six-yard box.

Elsewhere in League Two, Harrogate Town who have been in brilliant form to climb into the play-off places, were hammered 9-2 by Mansfield Town.

Mansfield closed in on top spot in League Two as they equalled the club’s all-time record league win from 1932 by destroying the Sulphurites.

The visitors had won four and drawn two of their last six but were simply blown away, Hiram Boateng scoring a hat-trick in the highest-scoring Football League game since 2011.

From the 13th minute when Lucas Akins buried a home penalty after Derrick Abu had hauled down Baily Cargill, the Stags never looked back in a one-sided first half.

It was 2-0 on 20 minutes as Boateng won a tackle 25 yards out, ran to the edge of the box and slammed home a powerful finish.

On the half-hour Davis Keillor-Dunn’s square pass 18 yards out set up Boateng for his second and four minutes later Stephen Quinn set up Tom Nichols to roll home a fourth after Jordan Bowery had crossed.

Harrogate were reeling and conceded a fifth on 39 minutes as Nichols laid the ball invitingly into space for Keillor-Dunn to easily slot home his 16th goal of the season.

Boateng then completed his hat-trick five minutes after the break from six yards from Will Swan’s pass.

But the visitors were cheered by two goals in just over a minute as George Thomson clinically finished on the break on 54 minutes before Abraham Odoh turned home the rebound after Josh March had hit the post.

However, on 61 minutes Akins saw a shot deflect in for number seven from a George Maris through-ball.

On 75 minutes substitute Swan scored with a fantastic finish across the keeper from 25 yards and he netted again two minutes later, turning home Aaron Lewis’ ball for the ninth.

Doncaster Rovers failed to put distance between themselves and the bottom two as a late Luke Garbutt free-kick saw them concede an equaliser in a 2-2 draw at Salford City.

The teams were level at the break courtesy of own goals at either end from Curtis Tilt and Richard Wood.

Lincoln loanee Hakeeb Adelakun hoped he had won the game for Doncaster with 20 minutes left to play, only for Garbutt struck late on.

The hosts had the first chance of the contest when Junior Luamba crossed for Callum Morton, who headed just over.

Doncaster took the lead in the 13th minute when Tilt put Luke Molyneux’s cross into his own net.

The same thing happened at the other end two minutes later as Luamba’s cross deflected in off Rovers captain Wood to level the scores.

The second half was a scrappy affair with very few chances created, until Matt Craig set up Adelakun to stroke the ball into the bottom corner and seemingly set up an away win.

However, former Everton left-back Garbutt had other ideas when he stood over a free-kick in the 89th minute, curling the ball up and over the wall and past Thimothee Lo-Tutala.