Mikkel Ladefoged scored his first goal in English football to secure Lincoln a deserved late point against Southampton as they battled to a 1-1 draw with one of the Championship promotion favourites.
Welington had also scored his first goal for the Saints on the stroke of half-time and his thunderbolt looked likely to be good enough for the points at the ProAmpac Stadium before the Imps’ record signing struck at the death.
Of Ladefoged, his head coach Tom Shaw said: “We’ve got a player who’s a real problem in the penalty area and we’ve got to help him and he’s got to help himself in getting up to speed and understanding what we want, but he’s got the physicality and mentality to do that,” said Shaw. “He’s a real nuisance.”
Quick GuideLeague One roundup: Leicester hammered at home by Oxford
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Leicester’s stuttering start to life in League One continued with a 4-0 home defeat by Oxford.
The Foxes, like their opponents relegated from the Championship last season, were looking to build on their first league win in midweek, but fell behind to an early goal from Mark Harris.
Oxford then put the game to bed with two goals in the space of three minutes either side of the hour from Mo Missanga and Harris before Jamie McDonnell’s late strike completed a chastening afternoon for Russell Martin’s side.
Sheffield Wednesday picked up their fourth win from five games to sit top after beating Peterborough 2-1 through a 79th-minute goal from defender Yan Valery.
Huddersfield are a point behind, having been held to a 1-1 draw at home by Notts County.
At the other end of the table, Wigan slumped to the bottom on the back of a 4-0 home defeat against Stockport, who sit third on nine points alongside Bradford after their 1-0 home win over Mansfield.
MK Dons fought back from 2-0 down at half-time to draw 3-3 at strugglers Wycombe, while Stevenage ran out 5-1 winners at Barnsley, where Daniel Kemp scored twice.
Stoke cruised to a 4-0 win by dismantling 10-man Charlton with a ruthless home performance. The Addicks had not lost a league game this season before their visit to the Bet365 Stadium, but two goals from debutant Justin Devenny and strikes from Ethan Galbraith and George Hirst saw the Potters put the contest to bed before the break.
The second-half substitute Danny McNamara was sent off for two careless yellow cards in the space of three minutes as the afternoon spiralled spectacularly out of control for the visitors. Booked first for pulling back Eric Bocat, the full-back McNamara was dismissed in the 50th minute after berating the referee, Robert Madley.
Quick GuideLeague Two roundup: Rovers top after fourth win on bounce
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The League Two leaders Bristol Rovers beat Rotherham through a first-half goal from Tommy Leigh for a fourth win on the bounce.
Aaron Drinan scored a second-half hat-trick – having seen his opening penalty saved before slotting in the rebound – as Swindon came from behind to beat Colchester 3-1.
Barnet drew 3-3 at Chesterfield, where Kabongo Tshimanga had put them ahead again late on before Joel Randall headed in a stoppage-time equaliser for the home side.
Tranmere are fourth after a 2-0 win over Oldham.
Fleetwood beat strugglers Shrewsbury 2-0, Rochdale finished with 10 men in a 4-1 home defeat by Gillingham and Port Vale remain bottom after losing 1-0 at Salford.
Stoke should have gone on to score more goals, but the second half was a stroll as both sides played possession football with the result all but confirmed.
“If we could have written a [perfect] script, then that would have been it,” said Stoke manager Mark Robins. “I thought we played really well. There was a lot to be pleased about. All four of the goals were fantastic. We’ve got the penalty and then we’ve scored some good goals. Shooting has been really lacking for a long time, but they did that well today.”
Callum Lang bagged an early double as Preston edged past local rivals Blackburn 2-1 at Deepdale. The 27-year-old opened the scoring with a poacher’s finish in the ninth minute before nodding in a 28th-minute second.
Stanley Mills accidentally halved the arrears early in the second half with an unfortunate own goal on just his second Preston start but his team held on for their first win of the season.
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Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom praised Lang for the work he had done in the close season, saying: “We want to build up that resilience in his body. When he’s playing, we want to make sure he can go flat out like he did today.
“Lang [attacks] the ball really well in the box and I think his two goals are a good example of that. Two really good goals … [that’s] where we wanted him. But the best thing about us today is that spirit and the determination to see the game out.”