Christmas is usually the half-way point of an English football season and a good time to judge the whereabouts of any particular team on the year they have had but the 2020/21 season, like the one before it, has been far from ‘usual’ thanks to a global pandemic that has caused mass destruction across almost every walk of life on this planet.

Whilst football has survived, somehow, just about, you can’t help feel that covid-19 came at a really ‘bad’ time for Notts County who with four successive victories (including at leaders Barrow), Neal Ardley’s side were starting show momentum towards the business end of the 2019/20 campaign before football ‘stopped’ and halted the Magpies promotion progress in its tracks.

What happened after, was months of negotiation and frustration as football tried to come to terms with an unfinished season. The National League had pretty much given up the ghost of their campaign, although they would later re-arrange the playoff places on ‘merit’ and house Notts at home to Barnet who were actually well off the pack come the seasons early termination.

The Magpies were brilliant in the playoff semi-final, but they met their match in the final at Wembley, Harrogate too strong, more deserving, they were probably about right too as second best team behind Barrow, worthy of promotion to the football league for the first time in their history, but Notts fans will still question ‘had it not all stopped prematurely, would their team have fared better?’.

County had to quickly pick themselves up from playoff final defeat against Harrogate for a start of season fresh, put back to October. New signings made unearthed, impressed supporters, Elisha Sam, Ruben Rodrigues, the Notts County model courtesy of their Danish ‘Football Radar’ owners was very much ‘head hunting’ those with potential in ‘other’ countries at higher levels than in England but for similar money than what the National League outfit could pay, although the best of the lot was perhaps that of Jake Reeves, a combative midfielder from Bradford City, a player Neal Ardley knew well from his time at Wimbledon, one that knows English football and one that doesn’t shirk a challenge well suited to the league he’s now in.

Notts started their season with a 1-0 defeat at Dover. Disappointment after much promise, was it going to be same old same again following all the hype of pre-season?

Three successive wins suggested perhaps not. Altrincham, Barnet, Sutton, three types of victory, a 3-1 win against Altrincham was very much a dominant performance and one largely put to bed shortly after an hour. A 4-2 win against Barnet tested nerve, from a brilliant first half performance to being on the ropes in the second from 3-0 up to 3-2, before a sucker punch in the final minute to see them home. The 1-0 win at Sutton, a side predicted to be up there in the promotion race, a last-minute victory, scrappy, one that good sides get when not playing well… It was all starting to shape up nicely… Then came Maidenhead…

Credit to the club, they never made an excuse about losing at home 2-3 despite the night before matchday, a number of the clubs ‘best’ players coming down with covid. Post Maidenhead the club did what they could only do, and postpone their next matches, this included the decision to concede their FA Cup place for the first time in the clubs long history, the two week plus enforced break however again stunted the growth of Notts promotion ambition. A rusty looking Magpies got back to action at Aldershot and lost 1-0. They then let a late lead at Halifax slip to take a point when three looked certain… But then came Chesterfield, and everything changed as the minutes struck ninety.

Against Chesterfield the annoyed fans rumbled along the lines of ‘not good enough again’ until a freak show happened with the home side 2-1 up deep into stoppage time…

Kyle Wootton, a scorer of many an important goal for Notts drew County level, before Ruben netted a 96^th minute winner that sent the players and staff into wild joys of emotion, from looking certain losers to taking all three points in the derby, after that match, a new sparkle, a new belief, togetherness, it really did something special to bring a club together, all singing from the same hymn sheet, the players and staff, now all believe that promotion is achievable… Had they ‘really’ believed it before? Not until Chesterfield… That result just ‘did’ something form morale and we’ve seen improvements ever-since.

Notts followed up that win in North Derbyshire with a comprehensive 3-0 defeat of Wealdstone, many said the best of the season so far, it could have been six or seven, County were great that Friday night.

A 0-0 draw at Dagenham was followed up by a 1-0 win at Woking before an unexpected defeat against Boreham Wood when the visitors ‘did a job’ on Notts in what was a ‘reminder’ to Neal Ardley and staff that the club still have a lot to get right.

But County beat Stockport with a resilient performance in front of the BT Sports cameras, the winner coming from Jake Reeves, who is a player that has given the midfield including Michael Doyle and Jim O’Brien another dimension.

Since Chesterfield, and including the 3-0 win in the FA Trophy at the weekend against Morpeth, County have conceded just one goal in six games. A new solidity, largely enforced by a partnership of Connell Rawlinson and Ben Turner who’s been terrific since his inclusion.

With the addition of Tom Walker on loan for the injured Cal Roberts, Notts have not had to be as reliant on their Geordie winger due to the form of others, Enzio, Rodrigues, Elisha Sam, all finding moments of quality to shift Notts along nicely, Kyle Wootton, scoring the goals that helps get the points…. Others are chipping in.

Whilst not quite at the half-way stage of the National League’s campaign, there’s a long old way to go and few questions on whether a 46 game season can even be completed by the end of May, Notts currently played 13 on 23 points in third place are doing okay.

Whilst some would say it’s still not where they need to be, County are already nine points behind leaders Torquay… Others are happy that through turbulence the team is still competing at least in the right areas, for promotion, which is undoubtedly the end goal.

Huge promise with some of the sides individual and collective performances this season so far although not always perfect, the odd stumble is to be expected, with just over a quarter of the season still of a way through, County have an awful long way to go, but for coming through tough and testing times to be in with a fighting chance, Notts players and their Manager deserve credit for what they have done during unprecedented times.

Xmas Files Grading B+ we hope 2021 will be an A* return to the Football League with the odd fan back in attendance too.