Butcher brace brings excellent point

Last updated : 25 August 2007 By Paul Smith

A poor first half display saw Tommy Wright notch the hosts into a deserved half-time lead after a 41st minute strike, but Butcher equalised after Notts had showed plenty of resilience halfway through the second period.

The Quakers though restored their lead undeservedly with four minutes left through Ian Miller only for Butcher to again equalise, adding to last week's heroics against Brentford, an incredible four minutes into stoppage time.

Butcher... heroic brace

After only two draws and a Carling Cup defeat to show for his 4-3-3 formation, Notts boss Steve Thompson switched to the more familiar and traditional 4-4-2 shape.

There were also changes to personnel with Spencer Weir-Daley, Jay Smith and Austin McCann all introduced for their first league starts of the season as Jason Lee, Matt Somner and Andy Parkinson made way.

Lee of course was suspended after an unknown incident against Brentford last week while Myles Weston was also unavailable after a further recurrence of his hamstring injury.

In the absence of Lee and long-term injury victim Mike Edwards, 22-year-old Stephen Hunt was given the captain's armband.

Included for the table-topping Quakers were former Notts men Chris Palmer and Alan White.

White, often criticised during his time at Meadow Lane for his individual errors last term, had clearly been targeted as an early area of weakness by Thompson as he put the pacey Weir-Daley straight up against him to use his pace against the former Boston man.

But it was the hosts who went close first as Kevin McBride struck a post and Tommy Wright followed up to claims that the ball had crossed the line from those in Darlington colours. It was definitely a heart in mouth moment as Notts goalkeeper Kevin Pilkington reacted quickest.

In the eleventh minute Notts had their hearts beating once again as Palmer produced some great work down the wing before getting the ball into the box where it was put onto his own bar by Adam Tann and subsequently swept home by Pawel Abbott. However the referee spotted an infringement for which Abbott, a £100,000 summer signing, was booked.

Weir-Daley then again showed White a clear pair of heels but the attack came to nothing as Notts failed to produce action in the immediate area surrounding David Stockdale's goal.

It was clear Notts' former Forest man, on his first Magpies start, was keen to impress as shortly after he turned the experienced Stephen Foster with ease before hitting from distance, but it was off target.

Penney... his side had 100% start until Notts arrived at Darlington
Richard Butcher then had Notts' first real chance of the game as Stockdale dropped a catch but the Notts midfielder's goal bound loop dropped on top of the vacant net as he awkwardly fell to the floor. While it wasn't an easy chance it was one Butcher should really have taken, particularly after his strike against Brentford last week.

Far from allowing the miss to get him down, Butcher was quick to re-involve himself in the action, neatly linking up with fellow midfielder Smith as Notts began to take better control in the midfield after the Quakers had enjoyed a more dominant start.

But after a frenetic opening, the game started to die down in terms of goalmouth action during the middle of the half with both sides having had decent opportunities, particularly so the hosts who looked more threatening in the final third.

One of the liveliest players on show in the first half was Palmer, on-loan with the Quakers from fellow League Two outfit Wycombe Wanderers, and he was clearly giving Lee Canoville a few problems as the duo enjoyed a good tussle.

Luckily for Notts Palmer's crossing wasn't always the greatest quality, similar to Notts' as the game petered out towards the end of the half. The action wasn't helped by the constant whistle blowing of Premiership referee Peter Walton who turned the game into a stop start affair.

The best Notts move came in the 40th minute as some neat midfield link up play saw MacKenzie strike towards goal and via a deflection behind for a corner, but offside was given and the hosts went straight down the other end to take the lead.

Wright... Old Notts nemesis opened scoring

Wright neatly finished after a long kick from Stockdale was well brought down and laid off by Abbott for his strike partner to hit low past Pilkington from the edge of the area.

It was the third time in three games that Notts had fell behind in the first period, and it was obvious that the Magpies were having trouble exerting themselves onto the offensive.

MacKenzie tried to reply immediately with another long range effort that troubled Stockdale but he was more than equal to it diving low to save well and hold onto the ball.

To sum up the first period the hosts deservedly led as they looked to continue their 100% start to the season having twice hit the post and looking much the brighter side, particularly in the final third.

For Notts, Weir-Daley looked bright early on but he soon faded and Pilkington's goal had been far too busy for the 300 or so travelling Notts fans to stomach.

More work for Pilkington came straight away in the second half as he was forced to acrobatically thwart Tim Ryan's goal bound effort after he was teed up from a free-kick just outside the box following an unnecessary foul by Tann.

Parkinson... Changed game
Thompson shuffled his pack by bringing Andy Parkinson into the action, surprisingly replacing Weir-Daley who had clearly been given little service since his good start, particularly with White and Foster increasingly dominant.

Mayo hit a free-kick towards goal with the rebound dropping for Smith who shot well at goal but it was narrowly off target.

Parkinson showed a neat bit of trickery to work an opening on the wing but his cross didn't match the build up as Notts again struggled to test Stockdale - who had showed himself to be possibly culpable after dropping to Butcher in the first half.

In the seventieth minute Stockdale looked likely to finally have something to do as Butcher and Mayo teed up Dudfield whose effort was on target but blocked before Stockdale had to react.

Finally Dudfield was coming to life after a somewhat disappointing quiet start to the season, and he dribbled his way through three challenges to win a free-kick as Notts upped the tempo.

Considerably it seemed as an equaliser was forged through Butcher, his second in Notts colours, tapping in from close range after great work from Smith and more so Parkinson, twisting past Foster and crossing well.

Again Foster was sent dizzy by the former Tranmere Rovers ace straight after and Parkinson crossed for Smith whose effort was put out for Notts' first corner of the match.

Dudfield... After anonymous start, he worked hard and helped with the equaliser

Mayo's poor centre was headed away to Butcher who struck off target.

Thompson's second change introduced Gary Silk for Canoville, who had got better as the game went on, but was still replaced at right-back by Silk who started the season at Grimsby in that position.

Another corner was forced by Notts amd a better delivery, this time from the quiet MacKenzie, was nodded goalwards by Dudfield but agonisingly wide.

A decent game was set for a nervy finish, and for once it was Notts who looked more like scoring.

MacKenzie, after a quiet showing, particularly so in the first period was replaced by Somner in Thompson's final change as he looked to consolidate the midfield more and at the very least hold on to what would be a fair point.

Goalscorer Wright then produced a superb save from Pilkington but from the following corner the Quakers undeservedly considering the Magpies' second half resurgence, regained the lead though Ian Miller after another goalmouth melee. This time the linesman adjudged the ball to have crossed the line, but any debate would only cloud over what was again ultimately shocking defending from a set-piece.

That would have made Notts fans nervous as another corner was forced by the hosts soon after as Wainwright shot well, with White heading wide from the dead ball.

Kindly it seemed, Notts were given four minutes of stoppage time to force an equaliser.

A third Darlington goal nearly came through substitute Gregg Blundell as he raced through on goal and lofted goalwards past the advancing Pilkington but it was off target.

Mayo was also off target for Notts when well positioned deep into stoppage time, but he lashed into the side netting, denying Notts a late, late leveller.

Butcher, the man of the moment, was not to be denied however as in the final action of a thoroughly entertaining affair, the former Lincoln star netted once again, his third in as many League Two games for the Magpies as he latched onto a loose ball to thrash past Stockdale after Dudfield and especially Somner had battled through the box.

Delirious celebrations followed, with Notts picking up a superb point that will get optimism flowing again.

Thoroughly deserved it was too, after an improved second half showing.