League Two's top two sides Shrewsbury Town and Wycombe Wanderers could not be separated in their clash at New Meadow this afternoon as both sides had to settle for a goalless draw.
There were few chances of note in an even but rather lifeless game until the final minute, when Shrewsbury substitute Andrew Mangan thought he'd won the match only to see his effort ruled out for offside.
The draw keeps Shrewsbury top on goal difference going into the New Year as Luton Town missed their chance to move clear after they were held to a 1-1 draw at Kenilworth Road by Portsmouth.
Luke Rooney's goal had put the home side ahead, but was cancelled out by a Ryan Taylor equaliser to leave Luton fourth, while Accrington Stanley's clash with third-placed Burton Albion fell foul of the cold weather.
Bottom club Hartlepool United's miserable run continued with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Morecambe thanks to a Jack Redshaw brace, but Tranmere Rovers escaped the drop zone with a 2-1 victory over Northampton Town courtesy of goals from Kayode Odejayi and substitute Jake Kirby.
Dagenham & Redbridge held high-flying Southend United to a goalless draw but Tranmere moved ahead of them as a result of their superior goal difference.
Elsewhere, a brace from Adebayo Azeez, a goal from substitute Adebayo Akinfenwa and Matt Tubbs's twelfth strike of the season gave AFC Wimbledon a comfortable 4-1 win over Exeter City, while Chris Zebroski's goal after just nine minutes gave Newport County a 1-0 win over Cheltenham Town that lifts them up to fifth.
Bury climbed to eighth as goals from Ryan Lowe and Danny Mayor gave them a 2-0 win over Mansfield Town at Gigg Lane, while Carlisle United's recent run of results came to an end as Josh Carson, Luke Summerfield and Michael Coulson fired York City to a 3-0 victory.
Oxford United came from 1-0 down to beat 10-man Plymouth Argyle 2-1 thanks to second-half efforts from John Campbell and James Roberts, while Stevenage held off a late Cambridge United comeback to win 3-2 at the Lamex Stadium.
Results in full
AFC Wimbledon 4-1 Exeter City, Accrington Stanley P-P Burton Albion, Bury 2-0 Mansfield Town, Carlisle United 0-3 York City, Cheltenham Town 0-1 Newport County, Hartlepool United 0-2 Morecambe, Luton Town 1-1 Portsmouth, Plymouth Argyle 1-2 Oxford United, Shrewsbury Town 0-0 Wycombe Wanderers, Southend United 0-0 Dagenham & Redbridge, Stevenage 3-2 Cambridge United, Tranmere Rovers 2-1 Northampton Town
Joe Sharratt
