Sam Bunce and Kian Gadsby
Notts County suffered a disastrous 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their playoff semi-final against AFC Wimbledon, in a game which saw them lose David McGoldrick to injury and have top scorer Alassana Jatta sent off deep into added time.
The hosts came into this game after a 2-1 defeat to Doncaster Rovers saw them miss out on automatic promotion on the final day of the season, whilst AFC Wimbledon won a showdown clash with Grimsby Town 1-0 in their final fixture to extend their season.
County were aiming to end a decade-long absence from League One, and Stuart Maynard made three changes to his side. The major news was that David McGoldrick had recovered from his hamstring injury to start in the attack after missing out against Doncaster. The other changes saw defender Lewis Macari come in for Rod McDonald, and Sam Austin replace Kellan Gordon at wing back.
AFC Wimbledon manager Johnnie Jackson was returning to Meadow Lane after a spell at Notts County as a player in 2009/10. He made one change to his side as Sam Hutchinson, whose winner against Grimsby was his first goal in 3 years, was replaced in midfield by summer signing and 2024 League Two champion Myles Hippolyte.
The game kicked off to a raucous atmosphere, with fans of both sides roaring their team on as they sought to gain an early advantage in the tie.
It took only two minutes for Wimbledon’s top scorer Matty Stevens to have his first chance of the evening, but the striker’s header was comfortably held by Alex Bass.
Minutes later it was County’s turn to attack. A passing combination between McGoldrick and Alassana Jatta saw Jodi Jones released down the right hand side, but his shot was saved by Owen Goodman.
Perhaps expectedly given the magnitude of the match, the game settled into a bit of a lull after that lively start as both sides sized each other up.
That changed after half an hour, as a passing sequence saw County progress the ball into the Wimbledon penalty area. A strike from Conor Grant struck the hand of Joe Lewis from point blank range, but the referee waved away the penalty claims much to the disbelief of the hosts.
The match started to open up again, as Wimbledon created themselves an opportunity to take the lead. Marcus Browne won a free kick on the left hand side, and James Tilley’s delivery found the head of Ryan Johnson. His glancing header appeared to be nestling into the bottom corner, but Alex Bass got down brilliantly to make the save and keep the game goalless.
Not to be outdone, Owen Goodman in the Wimbledon goal then denied County with a spectacular save of his own. Sam Austin pulled the ball back to Grant, but the midfielder’s fierce effort was excellently pushed to safety.
A series of corners meant County ended the half on top, but the Magpies were unable to capitalise as the first half finished goalless.
Now attacking towards the Kop, County came out for the second half desperate to take a lead which might prove pivotal in the tie.
They almost did so immediately, as McGoldrick once again linked up well with Grant, finding him with acres of space inside the penalty area. His powerful strike was pushed back into play by Goodman, and looked set to be tapped home by Jatta. However, a last ditch challenge from Riley Harbottle prevented the ball from reaching the Gambian international and kept the game goalless.
Just before the hour mark Wimbledon replaced 17 goal top scorer Matty Stevens with Omar Bugiel, as the Lebanese forward was sent on to offer a different attacking threat.
That change paid dividends almost immediately, as Wimbledon found a crucial opening goal in the tie.
A cross following a corner routine was swung in from the right hand side by Jake Reeves and found the head of Harbottle, and the Nottingham born defender once again had a crucial involvement as his header found the back of the net to give the Dons a 1-0 lead.
The game came to life after that, as County sought to immediately find the goal that would level the tie. Jodi Jones had a rasping effort from the edge of the area that flew past Goodman, but it bounced back from the post.
Buoyed by a vocal home support, the Magpies were desperately searching for an equaliser. They had two penalty shouts waved away, and Grant again broke into the area but his effort was well saved by Goodman.
Wimbledon were always going to be difficult for the hosts to break down, as they held the best defensive record in League Two this season, keeping 21 clean sheets and only conceding 35 goals. Their solidity meant that as the second half wore on, it looked increasingly likely that the Magpies would have to turn the tie around at the Cherry Red Records Stadium.
County controlled possession as the game came towards a close, and they looked certain to equalise at the death when substitute Will Jarvis slipped Grant through on goal. The midfielder’s lofted effort beat Goodman, but he was yet again denied as the ball was cleared off the line acrobatically by Josh Neufville.
The news of 7 added minutes was greeted by a roar from the home fans, as they hoped that the tie would be level before next week’s clash by the Thames. However, instead David McGoldrick suffered an injury as he looked like he had re-aggravated his hamstring whilst defending a Wimbledon counter attack.
County’s misery was compounded in the fifth minute of added time, as a forceful two footed challenge from Alassanna Jatta on Alistair Smith saw the forward sent off.
The game had a similarity to the story of Notts County’s season. They controlled the ball, and offered a strong attacking threat, but were unable to take their chances when it mattered and were punished by their opponents.
AFC Wimbledon impressed defensively, as they were fairly comfortable despite Notts County’s control of possession. When the hosts did break through, the heroics of Harbottle and Neufville denied County, and Wimbledon will be confident of putting in a similar defensive display in the second leg.
The defeat leaves County with a herculean task in the second leg at Wimbledon next Saturday if they are to progress to the final at Wembley.
Sam Bunce and Kian Gadsby
Featured image courtesy of Jocey Neligwa.
In article image 1 courtesy of @nottscountyfc via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of @efl via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 3 courtesy of @afcwimbledon via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
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