We don't like to count our Akinbiyi's at NCM (mainly as we tend to find one...) but after last night's three points against Lincoln City at Meadow Lane, Notts have two legs, a couple of arms and in fact everything bar one little toe in League One. It'd require the most bizarre sequence of results in footballing history for Notts to fail to achieve promotion from the fourth tier now. That's not to say the Magpies had it easy against a Lincoln side who had clearly come with the intention of roughing the Magpies up slightly and who quickly managed to turn the game into a real battle and passionate local derby. Even after Moses Swaibu's sending off the Imps played their part, although they were indebted to a virtuoso performance from 'keeper Rob Burch who stopped the score getting embarrassing.
Notts lined up with the side who finished the game at Northampton Town with Delroy Facey making a start against the side who he spent time on loan with earlier in the season, with Luke Rodgers dropped to the bench for what was likely to have been his final game for the club before his move to New York. NCM found ourselves caught in the mad rush outside the Kop trying to get into the match (please, please, please open more turnstiles on Saturday!) and kind of half saw Lee Hughes' opener. Thankfully w'eve since been able to analyse it on Magpie Player again and again. Another delicious free kick by Ben Davies caught Burch in no mans land and Hughes' flicked header found it's way into an empty net to give Notts the perfect start.
What happened next wasn't in the script though as the country's best statistical defence contrived to gift a goal to the visitors. A long ball by Burch was flicked on by Somma and Lee had plenty of time to clear the ball but misjudged it's flight completely, allowing Steven Lennon to poke the ball past Schmeichel to level the scores. This frantic start was only part of one of the most thrilling halves of football seen at Meadow Lane all season. Next up, Delroy Facey won a flick on deep in the Lincoln half and some more awful defending, this time by Danny Hone, allowed Westcarr to knock the ball past Burch who's trailing leg clattered into the Notts winger. Somehow the referee contrived not to give this as a foul, which meant Notts didn't have a chance to regain the lead from the spot and Lincoln's highly rated goalkeeper wasn't sent off.
Whether the fact he got that one horribly wrong was in the referee's mind five minutes later when he sent off Moses Swaibu will never be known, but it probably was. Minutes after Westcarr had been absolutely clattered by Scott Kerr in midfield, he was once again sent sprawling, this time by Swaibu. The referee quickly took out the red card, despite Swaibu sustaining fractured ribs in the collision. We weren't sure at the time and even after the replay it's not a decision that is obviously one way or the other. On one hand, Swaibu's was only one of many meaty challenges in the game and not much worse than Kerr's moments earlier that didn't even receive a yellow, but at the same time it was late, high and studs up.
Weirdly this seemed to galvanise Lincoln who were still up for the fight, almost literally as Graeme Lee received a rather forceful elbow to the head as he jostled for position. Lee Hughes however did it the conventional way, by moving about in the area with a bit of pushing and shoving and received a yellow card. The ref had completely lost the plot by this point. Burch was to become the star soon after as Westcarr's quick throw allowed Hughes to smash goalwards, but Burch parried his shot and somehow was able to claw away the rebound, for one of the most impressive double saves NCM has seen in a long time.
The half ended with yet more controversy as the referee decided Scott Kerr's forearm smash/tackle on Neal Bishop wasn't worthy of a second look. The first forty five hadn't really constituted a nice, friendly local derby. The second period saw Burch continued to frustrate Notts as he parried away Lee Hughes' header, but he could do nothing about another header from Notts' leading scorer that flashed inches wide of the far post. The tension was growing with every minute in the Kop as Notts seemed unable to make the breakthrough, but Graeme Lee sent the Notts fans into ecstasy on sixty five minutes. A corner was played back to Westcarr, who sent over the best cross of the night to the far post where Lee dived forward to send a bullet header flying past Burch and into the roof of the net.
This came at the same time as news from the Don Valley Stadium, where Adam Le Fondre's penalty (believe it or not!) had given Rotherham United the lead over Northampton Town, a result that meant mathematical promotion wasn't possible for Notts whatever the Magpies' result. That wasn't to stop Notts searching for a third and Hughes nearly found it as he danced through the Lincoln defence and sent in a curling shot that clipped the outside of the far post. Facey did make it three, which was perhaps a bit harsh on a spirited if thuggish Lincoln side, late on as he dashed onto a Westcarr through ball and absolutely leathered the ball past Burch and in off the bar. Substitute Johnnie Jackson saw a header brilliantly saved by Burch in injury time before a wild lunge by Luke Rodgers really should've seen him sent off in his final game for the club, but the referee had entirely lost the plot by about the tenth minute, so there we go. Full time was greeted by more good news as it emerged Rochdale had somehow contrived to lose at home to Darlington and the Kop's chorus of "we are top of the league" somehow seemed a fitting end to a cracking night.
One more point....
Notts Co - Schmeichel, Thompson, Lee, Edwards, Hunt, Westcarr (Jackson), Bishop, Ravenhill, Davies (Clapham), Hughes (Rodgers), Facey
NCM Man of the Match - Craig Westcarr
Notts Co 3 (Hughes '1, Lee '65, Facey '87)
Lincoln City 1 (Lennon '3)
Attendance - 7,501 (682 Imps)