Carlisle United’s play-off hopes received a boost after rivals Exeter suffered a dramatic late defeat to lowly Macclesfield.

Harry Smith’s 85th-minute header earned Sol Campbell’s strugglers a 3-2 win.

It meant the seventh-placed Grecians failed to increase the Blues' gap to the play-off places with their game in hand.

United remain a point outside the top seven, with all the sides immediately around them having now played the same number of games.

Exeter’s Carlisle-born striker Ryan Bowman had twice given the visitors the lead at Moss Rose but Smith and a Michael Rose penalty brought things level for Campbell’s side before Smith’s winner.

The victory took Macc out of the relegation zone, with Yeovil slipping to second bottom with five games to go.

Elsewhere in League Two, Newport and Swindon failed to make up serious ground on the play-off pack as they played out a 0-0 draw at Rodney Parade.

Swindon are now two points behind Carlisle in 10th, with the Exiles two points and three places further back.