It was the battle between first and third which saw Notts County face Swindon Town at Meadow Lane on Tuesday night. Notts were looking to show a positive response after the disappointing defeat to Colchester on the weekend, which saw them concede 5 goals and make costly errors. As for Swindon on the other hand, they came into the fixture as the league’s top scorers and an impressive undefeated record. Unfortunately for the away side, this streak was to be ended after a magnificent first half which saw Notts eventually control the game as 3-1 winners.
Notts had made one change from the defeat away at Colchester, with John Bostock returning to the side after his appearance off the bench on Saturday. This was at the expense of Sam Austin who was on the bench for this fixture. The home side were to be aware of the away side, with the attacking trio of Jake Young, Dan Kemp and former QPR and Southampton striker Charlie Austin. However, Rushian Hepburn-Murphy led the line for the Robins, with Jake Young taking his place on the bench. Both squads had quality all over the pitch, and it was sure to be an exciting matchup.
After an unusually slow start in their previous fixture, Notts showed no mistake in their approach to the opening exchanges, executing their high press and not allowing Swindon to have any time with the ball. The exceptional hard work off the ball was rewarded in the 10th minute when Jodi Jones threaded through a pass into the path of David McGoldrick, who showed fantastic composure in chipping the ball into the back of the net. There seemed to be no sign of slowing down as the Magpies continued to be disciplined in their approach and created many chances to extend their lead further.
However in the 34th minute, Aaron Nemane capitalised on a misjudged header by the defender and was pulled to the ground, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded to the hosts. It was lethal striker Macaulay Langstaff who stepped up to make it 2-0, firing into the bottom left hand corner and achieving his 50th goal for the club. County were relentless even after gaining the two goal lead, with the desire to extend it beyond reach. It was 3 minutes later when they did with McGoldrick crossing the ball to an unmarked Dan Crowley at the back post, who finished calmly making it 3-0 before half time. It was an outstanding performance so far, frustrating the opposition with their pressure and high intensity approach. The referee brought the first half to a close with Notts with a seemingly comfortable 3-0 lead. However, Notts needed to control the opening moments of the second half to ensure that the rest of the game would be comfortable.
The second half began with the visitors making 2 changes at the start of the half to bring more fluidity and launch a potential comeback. It began to push the Robins up the pitch and Stone began to be tested in the Notts goal much more often. It was not long until Swindon scored to make it 3-1, with a cross from Romeao Hutton meeting the head of Tyrese Shade, who game the away side their reward for their early spell of pressure. Momentum was with the Robins at this point, however Notts remained calm and continued to play the way which made them successful in the first half. This gave Swindon little clear cut chances, until Blake-Tracy missed a crucial chance in the 64th minute.
Notts had used their 5 substitutions by the 77th minute, taking the risk as if any potential injury was to happen, they would finish the game with 10 men on the field. Captain Kyle Cameron made a massive block in the 86th minute from a Dan Kemp shot, which would have definitely made the final moments of the game uncomfortable to watch for the home supporters. This appeared to be Swindon’s final clear cut chance of the game as Notts continued to take the sting out of the game, keeping possession of the ball, which frustrated the away side, who needed to score as soon as possible and apply pressure on the Magpies. The referee blew his whistle for the final time which meant that Notts secured a massive victory, winning 3-1.
It was an outstanding performance from Notts who although scoring 3 fantastic goals, were able to control the game in the important moments where it looked as if Swindon were going to come back into the game. It showed a defensive improvement from recent games such as Forest Green and Colchester where the control of the game slipped very easily. Once again, a solid display from all of the players on the pitch, and were able to utilise their five substitutions in providing the energy needed to get County over the line. Overall, an impressive display and Notts deservedly remain top of the league as a result.
Starting 11: 26 Stone - 15 Baldwin (77’), 2 Brindley, 4 Cameron - 11 Nemane (69’), 18 Palmer (77’), 16 Bostock, 10 Jones, 7 Crowley (71’) - 17 McGoldrick (77’), 9 Langstaff
Subs Used: 21 Adebayo (69’), 8 Austin (71’), 5 Rawlinson (77’), 6 O’Brien (77’), 27 Morias (77’)
Not Used: 1 Slocombe, 14 Randall
Attendance: 9,810