Notts Too Hot For Oldham

Martin Paterson’s Notts County side continued their slow-yet-steady rise up the EFL League Two table with a comfortable, 3-1 win at home to Oldham Athletic on Saturday afternoon.

The Meadow Lane hosts were two-to-the-good at half-time, and three goals ahead early in the second, before the visiting Latics struck via Michael Mellon, who lobbed home shot-stopper, Kelle Roos.

Before that and County took an early lead via an own-goal after when a quick throw-n led to Alassana Jatta’s cross was deflected home by Donervon Daniels after seven minutes; the lead was doubled just before the half hour mark, with Jatta again involved.

Constantly causing havoc, the County frontman kept the attack going before playing a lovely ball through to Tyrese Hall, who curled his effort past Matthew Hudson in the visiting goal.

Two goals to the good at the break, the roles were reversed in the opening minutes of the second period when Hall turned provider, slipping the ball through for Jatta to score the third, with a left-footed effort.

However, five minutes later and the visitors grabbed a lifeline after a quick, launched ball upfield from ‘keeper, Hudson, which was finished by Mellon, lobbing Hudson’s opposite number, Roos, in the Stags goal.

County though held on for another three points, and stretched their unbeaten run at home to five matches (won four, drawn one).

NOTTS COUNTY – Kelle Roos, Lewis Macari, Rod MacDonald, Jacob Bedeau, Nick Tsaroulla, Matthew Palmer (capt; Oliver Norburn, 93), Jodi Jones (Keanan Bennetts, 46), Tom Iorpenda (Maziar Kouhyar, 65), Tyrese Hall (Conor Grant, 65), Alassana Jatta (Matthew Dennis, 65)

Meanwhile, in EFL League One, Nigel Clough’s Mansfield Town side were held to a 1-1 draw when away to Reading.

The point, gained courtesy of Tyler Roberts’ seventh minute effort, sees the Stags sitting in twelfth place, on fifteen points, after eleven games, with the hosts’ Jack Marriott levelling proceedings with twenty minutes remaining.

Roberts has now scored five times for the Stags, and it was his fifth goal in his last five appearances against the Royals, this one seeing him capitalise on some great work from Rhys Oates before slotting home.

The equaliser came after Royals substitute, Matt Ritchie, played the ball back to Jack Marriott to finish past Liam Roberts in the Stags goal.

With Mansfield’s game at home to Plymouth Argyle on 11 October postponed (international duty), the Stags’ next league game is on Saturday 18 October when they travel to eleventh place Luton Town; meanwhile County, whose game at Swindon Town has also been postponed, travel to tenth place Barnet on the same day.