Kian Gadsby
They may have had moments left to salvage something, but frustration boiled over on the Notts County bench at The Crown Meadow. With the Magpies heading towards a 1-0 defeat to League Two relegation battlers Shrewsbury Town, Lewis Macari, Jacob Bedeau and Jodi Jones all gathered cheap yellow cards deep into added time.
It was a sign of a frustrating evening for Notts – one that was compounded by results elsewhere as Swindon Town had defeated Barnet 2-1 to usurp County in the final automatic promotion place.
This piled pressure on Saturday’s match with Tranmere Rovers. In theory, this was an opportunity for the Magpies to return to winning ways and right the errors of midweek; Andy Crosby’s side had only won one of their last eight and were languishing in the bottom half of the table. However, nothing can be taken for granted in this division, and County would have to be at their best to take the three points.
The pressure was ramped up before proceedings even began. With Swindon losing 2-1 against Crewe in the early kick-off, handing Notts the opportunity to creep back into third place. As ever, the League Two table is incredibly congested, but occupying that final spot and being in command of their own destiny could be vital if County are to end their decade long hiatus from the third tier.
Magpies boss Martin Patrerson will have wanted a reaction from his players to atone for the limp result at Shrewsbury. He got one, as Notts put Tranmere to the sword.
A dominant first half display was capped by an own goal, giving Notts a 1-0 lead that was the least that they deserved. Lee Ndlovu enjoyed a brilliant first start in attack, forcing the own goal, making chances and holding the ball up to bring Maz Kouhyar and Tom Iorpenda into play. The only regret that Paterson will have had is that they didn’t score more, as Matty Platt and Ndlovu both spurned chances.
That was rectified moments into the second half. Some skillful dribbling from Nick Tsaroulla led to an opportunity for Ndlovu to tap the ball into the net for his first goal for the club. Less than ten minutes later he tapped home again, this time after some high pressing won Notts the ball back in the penalty area.
The Magpies were not done there. Ndlovu turned provider by picking out Jodi Jones with a sublime outside of the foot pass. The Maltese international finished with aplomb, sparking emotional celebrations as he took in the adulation of the Kop following his first home league goal in over a year.
4-0. Finally, the scoreboard reflected Notts’ control.
There was still plenty of time left on the clock, and County made sure to add some gloss to the scoreline. Harald Tangen was taken out in the box, allowing Matthew Dennis to roll home from the penalty spot and complete the rout. The final score read Notts County 5-0 Tranmere Rovers. A complete annihilation.
Ndlovu will, rightfully, get most of the praise after his phenomenal display, but every player in a black and white shirt contributed to their sides’ biggest win of the season so far. Tom Iorpenda was superb in midfield, working hard and being instrumental in turning defence into attack, while defensively the Magpies limited Tranmere to only one shot on target – an effort from a free kick that was straight at keeper James Belshaw. It truly was a team display.
Meadow Lane rose as one to greet the final whistle, recognising the significance of a performance like that in the push for promotion. Notts County have eleven more games left in their League Two season, starting with a match against Grimsby Town. If they can repeat the trick in the rest of their matches, then the Magpies may be poised to finally return to League One.
Kian Gadsby
Featured image courtesy of Sam Bunce. No changes were made to this image.
