Sam Bunce and Charlie Wood
Tom Iorpenda’s 88th minute winner pushed Notts County into second place after a five-goal thriller at Meadow Lane.
Pre-match, travelling manager Paul Warne said: “If both teams play at their best, it should be a good spectacle.” He was not wrong. It did not take long for his side, who boast the best attacking record in the league, to bring the hotly anticipated clash into life.
Only three minutes into the game, Callum Paterson found Nathaniel Mendez-Laing in acres of space, with only Kelle Roos to beat. The Guatemalan international neatly tucked his right-footed shot beyond the helpless goalkeeper.
County were quick to respond in the 9th-minute through an incredible long-range effort from Matthew Dennis. The club’s top-scorer was afforded time to curl a sublime effort into the top-right corner from 25 yards out.
Moments later, the referee deemed Conor Grant’s late contact on Laurence Maguire in the area enough to justify awarding a penalty. The contentious penalty was coolly chipped in by Mendez-Laing for his second of the game.
The action simply did not halt. Alassana Jatta latched onto a horrendous headed clearance from Maguire. The striker’s pace and power kept defender Marvin Ekpiteta at bay before he placed his shot to Craig MacGillivray’s left to make it 2-2 in just 26 minutes.
Both sides had strong chances to go into the break as the leaders. Intricate play in midfield allowed Dennis to put a teasing low-driven cross into the box, only for Tom Iorpenda to hit the bar from point-blank range.
Mendez-Laing was poised to get his hat-trick before Keanan Bennetts charged back to make a perfectly timed last-ditch challenge.
No action-packed first half can be complete without refereeing drama. Already on a yellow card for an earlier challenge on Dennis, Aaron Nemane caught Grant late, leading to wild protests from players and fans alike. However, the referee kept his red card firmly in his pocket.
MK Dons managed to sustain pressure in early parts of the second half as County retreated.
Maguire came close when he dragged his header a fraction wide from a corner, and Alex Gilbey spurned his opportunity going through on goal, firing straight into the gloves of Roos.
Mendez-Laing went tantalizingly close to netting a hat-trick, but he couldn’t apply the decisive touch to guide Jon Mellish’s drilled cross towards goal.
As both teams searched for a third goal, Iorpenda presented a glimmer of quality for the hosts as he shrugged off his marker and shifted the ball to Dennis. The County marksman had time to pick his spot, yet he could not add to his earlier goal.
Substitute Collins forced Jacob Bedeau to make a crucial intervention while Roos had to be alert to the rebound and stood tall to deny the visitors. Gethin Jones narrowly missed the target as MK Dons continued to utilise their threat down the left side.
Paterson looked to reinforcements and entrusted Jodi Jones to add creativity. This paid dividends as Jones sent in an audacious delivery, targeting Kellan Gordon at the back post, only for MacGillivray to produce a sensational stop. There was no time to dwell with the County supporters sensing there could be a winner on the cards.
MacGillivray spilled the initial corner, and a goal-mouth scramble ensued. County had an effort repelled off the line, but Iorpenda was there to convert and send Meadow Lane into ecstasy.
Nine minutes of added time was the amount displayed by the fourth official, so it was by no means the end of the contest. MK Dons had a flurry of chances to restore parity before the final whistle, but County held strong to pick up a valuable win.
The Magpies climbed into second place, capitalising on Swindon dropping points to Cheltenham, while their opponents slipped down into 5th.
Sam Bunce and Charlie Wood
Featured image courtesy of Jocey Nel. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @nottscountyfc via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
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