Notts County 1-3 Harrogate Town (National League Playoff Final) 03.08.20
Notts County were beaten at Wembley yesterday as Harrogate Town reach the football league for the first time in the club’s history.
The Magpies were second best on a day that belonged to the small West Yorkshire spa town who pressed Notts from the off and were too hot in attack for the County defenders to handle.
As early as five minutes in, Harrogate were given the lead as Fallowfield drilled in a low cross for Thomson to slide home and open the scoring and on eight minutes it could have been worse as Aaron Martin put through by Burrell shot low and hard skimming the outside of the post when perhaps he should have done better.
One did become two, three minutes short of the half hour when Thomson curled a free kick to the back post where the unmark Hall pounced past Slocombe and it could have been even worse for County five minutes before half time when Martin hit the post from just four yards out.
Whatever the angry Notts Manager Neal Ardley said at half time, it wouldn’t have been pretty but it certainly worked as a minute into the second the mecurial Cal Roberts curled home a free kick from the edge of the box to reduce the deficit and the Geordie winger almost scored a brilliant solo goal cutting in past Burrell and shooting agonisingly wide from 30 yards.
On 55 minutes Wooton forced Belshaw to save at the near post as the Magpies dominated the opening proceedings of the half but a huge sucker punch for County came on 70 minutes when Jack Muldoon went down the right and crossed in for Jack Diamond who put the tie beyond doubt.
Wes Thomas did force the fingertips of Belshaw in the Harrogate goal to keep the advantage at two goals with fifteen minutes remaining as Doyle saw the rebound brilliantly blocked by Fallowfield and in the 94th minute it could have been 4-1 when substitute Jon Stead hit the post curling a low shot off the base of the upright.
A deserved win for Harrogate who played exceptionally well and will now enjoy the football league for the very first time in the clubs long history, Notts didn’t show up for long enough and it will be another year of National League football for them but they will learn and improve from the heartache of a Wembley defeat.
County: Slocombe, Brindley (Kelly-Evans 87), Lacey, Turner, Bagan, Roberts, Rose, Doyle, O’Brien (Thomas 46), Wootton, Dennis (Boldewijn 46).
