Jatta Double Sinks Town

Harrogate Town 0-2 Notts County (EFL League Two) 28.03.2026

A goal in each half from striker Alassana Jatta keeps EFL League Two high-fliers, Notts County, in both the title race, and the race for promotion, as sides head into the final six games of the season.

Away to bottom club Harrogate Town, on Saturday afternoon, Martin Paterson’s charges yet again showed their season-long bounce-back-ability, winning a game for the ninth time having lost the one before.

Having lost 3-0 away to Oldham Athletic in midweek, County continued their promotion push, helped by losses for both leaders Bromley, second place MK Dons, and for Cambridge United, who County leapfrogged into third with Jatta’s goals.

He opened the scoring just ten minutes into the contest, tapping home at the back post to finish off a move that involved Keanan Bennetts, Harald Tangen, and Tom Iorpenda; the hosts could easily have been running away with the contest by half-time as well.

Matthew Dennis, Bennetts, and Jatta, both creating chances which failed to materialise, County going into the break just a goal to the good, and having been forced into a change, Tangen being replaced by Conor Grant in the closing stages of the first through injury.

Paterson’s promotion-chasers picked up where they left off upon the restart also, Bennetts seeing a penalty appeal waved away in the opening throes of the half, with Dennis and Grant both finding a way through, only to come up short.

The visitors created a few of their own as midfielder Ellis Taylor sees an effort eventually blocked, whilst home shot-stopper, James Belshaw, saved well from Guyanan midfielder Stephen Duke-McKenna, and Irish defender Jacob Slater firing wide of goal.

The hosts finally added a second as they headed towards the closing ten minutes, a cross-shot from Jones being claimed by Jatta, and he rifled the ball into the roof of Ipswich Town loanee, Henry Gray’s net on the angle.

Duke-McKenna came close to halving the deficit five minutes later, his effort crashing against Belshaw’s crossbar, but the hosts saw out stoppage time and registered another, valuable, three points.

With the Easter fixtures up next, County face two games in quick succession this coming weekend; Good Friday has them away to fellow promotion hopefuls, Salford City (sixth), whilst Bank Holiday Monday is at Meadow Lane against visiting Newport County (third bottom).

Notts County – James Belshaw, Lewis Macari, Lucas Ness, Jacob Bedeau, Keanan Bennetts (Luke Browne, 89), Matthew Palmer (capt), Tom Iorpenda, Jodi Jones (Jayden Luker, 89), Harald Tangen (Conor Grant, 44), Alassana Jatta, Matthew Dennis (Lee Ndlovu, 71).