We had the audacity last week to ‘question’ whether the start to the season for Notts County has been good enough, despite the turmoil that the club has found themselves in, having agonisingly missed out in last seasons playoffs after a long wait and much debate on whether they would even have the chance to play for promotion in the summer, the club have bounced back following Wembley final defeat against Harrogate with a bit of covid in between the first and most recent of this seasons National League matches, and if Friday night is anything to go by, Notts County FC are looking pretty fine to me.

Ok let’s not get carried away. It was one game. But if anything can get the fans ‘back on board’ with the Ardley way, a thumping, comprehensive, dominant performance against a team above them in league standings, certainly gets the pulses racing full of optimism for a football league return again.

Let’s be true, Notts have stuttered and stumbled on the pitch during this stop start season of uncertainty, but in beating Chesterfield thanks to a late turnaround a week ago at the stadium once known as the Proact, a spark, a new air of belief, found confidence and character has re-ignited, the boost sure to have rejoiced camp ahead of Fridays visit of Wealdstone, the proof was certainly in the pudding.

Notts went at it how they should when playing at the world-famous fortress of Meadow Lane. From the off, attack, attack, attack… A local newspaper down south suggesting that Wealdstone goalkeeper Steve Istead ‘saved’ his side from humiliation…. It was only three…. It could have been so much more.

County moved up to seventh to occupy the last playoff place but more importantly they close the gap on those in, around and above them in the table. Sutton United lie second, a team who Notts beat at Gander Green Lane. Maidenhead are sixth, a side Notts should have beat at Meadow Lane. After Dagenham on Wednesday it’s the visit of Woking who lie fourth on Saturday. Neal Ardley’s men with nothing to fear although Torquay at top are six points ahead of the Magpies with a game in hand lying some distance. It is however a long old season and Notts are fighting in the right weight category at least.

What has gone before we can do nothing about, but what can be done now is certainly something that can be controlled by Notts staff and players with confidence now playing a huge part in going out to play not just in the right way, but with a vision and end goal for success. Players playing without fear, their aim to attack, create and destroy. It really is a simple philosophy when you have good footballers in your team.

One of those, Elisha Sam showing more and more glimpses of talent each week, a mercurial footballer, reminding me of a certain Stan Collymore from over the river all those years ago. Whilst Sam has a long way to go to reach the levels of Stan, he certainly waltzes, struts and swaggers like the former England and Liverpool man.

Left foot, right foot, header, Sam dazed the Wealdstone defence to score from an improbable angle on Friday night, towards the touchline with no place to go, he put through the legs of a defender to cut in and shoot low and hard in front of the Haydn Green End, the cheek to even try and score from that position shows confidence in his own ability, ability which Notts have in abundance.

Enzio is scoring, we all know his qualities, but Ruben Rodrigues is coming good too, a player that is improving each week as he settles in England. With Wootton scoring goals and assisting them too, Jimmy Knowles from the bench and the return of Cal Roberts pending. The Geordie winger watching from home on Friday night, the best performance of the season for Notts, without their star asset needed.

If anything, questions still lie on the defence, but with goals you have opposition worrying about you, rather than you, worrying about what your opponents have in attack.

This next few weeks will really show how far Notts have come. Momentum is always a word used frequently in football and with game time, consistency in playing, training, with match-fitness increasing, with wins chalking up as we go, momentum is certainly a word that Notts can keep using as they look to push on towards that place back in the league.

Whilst there’s certainly a long way to go, whilst a lot of hard work is needed, more of the same please is echoed from all corners of the county as Magpies fans get behind their team with ‘everybody’ happy as long as we keep winning.

*Article provided by Daniel Peacock (Editor).

*Main image @Official_NCFC the three amigos Enzio, Ruben & Sam enjoying themselves for Notts.