Saturday’s game saw Notts County face Tranmere in a game which was vital for Notts to win as they continued to climb up the league. The magpies came into the fixture unbeaten in 3 matches, looking to make it 4 against a Tranmere side who had only won once in their first 4. Despite having the majority of possession and many clear cut chances, Notts managed to win 2-1 after some nervy final moments.
Notts made two changes to the starting lineup from their last success away at Doncaster with Rawlinson and Nemane returning to the side at the expense of Baldwin and Austin. Apart from that it was Aidan Stone in goal, Rawlinson, Brindley and Cameron as the three centre backs. Nemane and Jones were the two wingbacks with Bostock and Palmer as the two centre midfielders. The three up front were Crowley, McGoldrick and Langstaff, who looked to build on his two goals away at Doncaster.
Notts started the game incredibly well, showcasing their high tempo passing football to the 10,174 in attendance. What was particularly noticeable was the link up play between Dan Crowley and Aaron Nemane on the right flank, combining well to produce some dangerous crosses for the lethal strike force to latch on to- an ominous sign of things to come. Not long after, David McGoldrick managed to seize control of the ball, taking it in his stride before unleashing a fantastic strike into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0 Notts. 5 minutes later in the 16th minute, it should have been 2 after a pinpoint cross from Jodi Jones found Langstaff who just needed to get a clean strike on the ball. Unfortunately, Langstaff did not catch the ball cleanly, sending his effort bouncing just wide of the post.
After what was a breathtaking first period of the game, Tranmere did grow slightly into the game attempting to keep possession. Morris was sent down the left hand side but could not keep his effort down, much to the relief of the home side. Notts were successful in keeping possession and working hard off the ball to retain it. However, the one goal was the difference between the two sides as the referee brought the first half to a close with the Magpies comfortably winning. It was a great start, but more goals were needed to ensure a convincing victory.
The second half started with Notts unsurprisingly staying with the tactic of fluid possession football, looking to use the threat of the wingbacks in order to create clear cut chances. However in the 59th minute, Notts somehow failed to go 2-0 up after a curling effort from David McGoldrick struck the woodwork before Dan Crowley struck wide from what was a seemingly open goal, following a low cross from Palmer. Notts needed to take their chances otherwise they may have been made to pay, especially after McGoldrick hit the bar with his header.
Following that effort, a well worked corner routine resulted in Rawlinson turning home Palmer’s low cross to make it 2-0 in front of the Kop, much to the delight of the Notts faithful. It seemed as if the win had been secured with the balance of play although there was still a long time to play. By the 71st minute, Notts had used all 5 substitutions, looking to rest some players after working hard. One of the substitutions Cedwyn Scott was only able to last 15 minutes, as he swiftly got injured meaning Notts had to finish the game with 10 men. In the 89th minute, Tranmere set up what was to be a nervy final period of the game as Josh Hawkes smashed home the ball to make it 2-1. There were 8 additional minutes for Notts to hold out and win in which they managed to control the game, and were unlucky at times. Tranmere continued to put the ball into the box, looking for an equaliser, but were unsuccessful in doing so by the time the final whistle was blown. Notts won the game 2-1, picking up 3 massive points and moving up to 4th in the league table.
It was a good win for Notts, despite the final stages in which the solidity of the defence was tested. They created chances and were unlucky not to score more. Although the performance was good, Notts needed to be more clinical, missing some golden opportunities which could have made the result more comfortable. Nevertheless, Notts are now four games unbeaten, moving into the playoff positions and continue to improve every week.
Starting 11: 26 Stone - 2 Brindley, 4 Cameron, 5 Rawlinson (67’) - 7 Crowley (71’), 16 Bostock, 18 Palmer (71’) - 9 Langstaff, 10 Jones, 11 Nemane (67’), 17 McGoldrick (71’)
Substitutions: 1 Slocombe, 6 O’Brien (71’), 8 Austin (71’), 15 Baldwin (67’), 9 Scott (71’)' 21 Adebayo-Rowling (67’), 23 Chicksen
Attendance: 10,174 (805 away)