Here is Ed Aarons’ report from Wembley.
Notts County return to the Football League
Right, time for a nice cup of tea and a long lie-down in a darkened room. There’ll be a match report to follow but, for the moment, commiserations to Chesterfield and congratulations to Notts County who, after four years away, are going back up to League Two.
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Bostock sees the funny side, at least. “I thought it was crossbar challenge,” he laughs, speaking to BT Sport. “I thought that was it, if I scored that we’d have been celebrating, but Cedwyn Scott missed a penalty against Wrexham and he took us up today, so I’m relieved.”
Is John Bostock the most relieved man in the country right now? That penalty, goodness me.
Notts County win 4-3 on penalties
What an absolutely ridiculous game of association football. Joy for County, despair for Chesterfield. Williams raises his hands in a moment of sheer elation on the sidelines. County fans are crying in the stands. Chesterfield fans are crying in the stands. How are any of us going to come down from the high of this game? Stupid, stupid, stupid, brilliant, brilliant, brilliant game.
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PENALTIES: Chesterfield 3-4 Notts County. Scott. Can he do it? YES! NOTTS COUNTY ARE GOING BACK TO THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE!
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PENALTIES: Chesterfield 3-3 Notts County. Quigley scores. It’s not over yet.
PENALTIES: Chesterfield 2-3 Notts County. Bostock tries a Panenka. He hits the crossbar. Wow.
PENALTIES: Chesterfield 2-3 Notts County. King is up next. And it’s saved! Heroics from Mair!
PENALTIES: Chesterfield 2-3 Notts County. Jones finds the corner.
PENALTIES: Chesterfield 2-2 Notts County. Laurence Maguire keeps Chesterfield in touch.
PENALTIES: Chesterfield 1-2 Notts County. Rodrigues makes no mistake, leaving Fitzsimons standing like a statue.
PENALTIES: Chesterfield 1-1 Notts County. What a save! Mair guesses the right way to deny Oldaker.
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PENALTIES: Chesterfield 1-1 Notts County. Langstaff almost breaks the net.
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PENALTIES: Chesterfield 1-0 Notts County. Banks thunders past Mair.
The penalty shootout begins
Banks is up first for Chesterfield …
Extra time, full time, Chesterfield 2-2 Notts County
After a breathless spell of extra time, it’s official: the game will be decided by penalties. There have been some late substitutions which will affect the shootout, not least Williams bringing off Slocombe, his starting goalkeeper, for Archie Mair. Baldwin has also made way, with Richard Brindley on in his place.
Azure writes in. “It’s the nature of football and all, but it must be soul-destroying to finish a narrow second, miles ahead of the other playoff contenders, without getting promoted. But County’ve dragged themselves back level! Late drama?” That’s a guarantee!
119 min Jones almost wins it! He spots Fitzsimons in a vulnerable position once more and looks to curl one from distance, sending his shot narrowly wide.
Just catching up on my emails. “Hi Will!” Hello, Joe Pearson. “It seems like all the press was that County should go up this year, just so the National League would be competitive next year, given their resources and whatnot. But if they fail here, doesn’t it seem likely that they will earn the one automatic spot at the next time of asking?” It’s a bit early to be thinking of next season, isn’t it? Keeping up with the last five minutes of extra time seems challenging enough.
113 min Grimes is booked. King was booked a while back. Everyone’s flagging, this live blogger included.
110 min County aren’t interested in penalties, swamping Chesterfield’s area and leaving their opponents in total disarray as they chase a winner. Nemane almost forces his way through, as does Scott, resulting in two chaotic scrambles in quick succession.
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GOAL! Chesterfield 2-2 Notts County (Rodrigues 107)
They’ve done it again! They’ve done it again! Rodrigues scuffs one and it balloons up and over Fitzsimons, nestling in the back of the net. Can you believe it?
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Second period of extra time begins
This is absolutely nail-biting now. Can Chesterfield cling on?
Another email has landed in the inbox, this time from Alexandra Harbison. “Wrexham may be Deadpool’s team, but based off this season, Notts County might be the Juggernaut’s... or JuggerNotts, if you will.” Commendably terrible pun, that. Good Marvel knowledge, too.
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Extra time, half-time, Chesterfield 2-1 Notts County
Chesterfield outlast a lengthy siege of their box, surviving a near miss when Nemane skips in behind – only to see his shot blocked – and another when Rawlinson curls just wide from the edge of the area. If they can resist County for another 15 minutes, they will return to the Football League for the first time since 2018.
103 min Langstaff gets in behind again, spinning and getting a shot on target from a narrowing angle. Fitzsimons is equal to it, making a low save.
101 min Nemane attempts to dribble through on the left, but he’s starting to tire and is dispossessed. Oldaker looks to play through Akinola on the counter, but his pass is cut out.
99 min That’s a big miss. Langstaff peels off the shoulder and gets in behind, but pulls his shot wide with Fitzsimons rooted to the spot.
96 min Jones is the latest player to go into the book. County look deflated but, if anyone can pull off another dramatic turnaround, it’s them.
GOAL! Chesterfield 2-1 Notts County (Dobra 93)
Well, well, well.
Chesterfield move the ball at speed, leaving Dobra in space out on the left. He cuts inside and, taking a touch, curls a shot past Slocombe and into the back of the net. County are behind once again.
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Extra time begins
We’ve got another half an hour of thrills and spills to come at Wembley, at least. Let’s get back to it, shall we?
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Full time, Chesterfield 1-1 Notts County
If Bostock’s goal was an absolute sickener for Chesterfield, they didn’t let it show. They came straight back at County, showing they still have the stomach for the fight.
Their opponents will have an exhilarating sense of deju vu, however. Having come from behind to win in the semi-finals, they will fancy their chances of repeating the trick in extra time or, if it comes to it, from the penalty spot.
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90+1 min Dobra catches Jones with a late tackle and, in retaliation, Jones barges him from behind. Dobra goes down in a heap but thankfully the referee, Matthew Corlett, is in no mood for nonsense, steadfastly ignoring both of them.
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88 min Chesterfield almost hit back straight away, a mad scramble in the County box ending with the ball being hoofed away in a blind panic. Cook makes a third substitution, bringing on Tim Akinola for Mandeville.
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GOAL! Chesterfield 1-1 Notts County (Bostock 88)
County win yet another free kick and, this time, Bostock steps up. He spots Fitzsimons out of position and smashes in a shot which sneaks in at the near post, sending the County fans absolutely spare. With a little over two minutes to go, they have their leveller! It’s back on!
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85 min That could have been the end of it! Slocombe makes another horrible error, playing the ball straight to Mandeville only for the Chesterfield man to thrash a shot over the crossbar.
81 min Clements brings down Jones out wide, giving County a dangerous free kick. Palmer sends in a delivery which floats out harmlessly for a throw-in. If County are going to pull off another famous comeback, they’ll need to do better than that.
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77 min Cook makes another change, bringing off Dallas, his goalscorer, for Joe Quigley.
75 min Jones tries to go past King out wide, but meets with a brick wall. Chesterfield are holding firm, even as County scrabble about for a crack in the facade.
71 min County fans are livid after Macaulay Langstaff fails to win a foul after a light tug from Grimes. It’s all getting a bit twitchy now.
69 min County win another free kick in Chesterfield’s half, Palmer whipping in a delivery which is cleared with ease. Chesterfield make their first change of the game, Colclough swapping out for Ollie Banks.
67 min Chesterfield have a decent chance of their own, Ryan Colclough making inroads down the right before dragging a shot across the face of goal and narrowly wide.
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66 min Inches wide! At a free kick, Connell Rawlinson gets his head to the ball and steers it just wide of the post. That could so easily have been the equaliser.
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64 min The game is seriously stretched now but, even so, neither side can carve out a clear opportunity. County make another change, Austin making way for Cedwyn Scott in an attacking substitution from Williams.
62 min Nemane, Palmer and Rodrigues combine on the edge of the area, but can’t find a way through the Chesterfield defence. Chesterfield win the ball through Dobra, who bombs upfield but is eventually crowded out.
58 min Palmer wins a free kick in Chesterfield’s final third after being chopped down by Dobra. County play it short, moving the ball from side to side in pursuit of an opening which never comes.
54 min Jones, the magic man, is on for Chicksen, who has had a frustrating afternoon all told. Darren Oldaker picks up a first caution for Chesterfield, while Cook is also booked for his protests on the sidelines.
53 min Clements is brought down by Nemane and Chesterfield have a free kick 35 yards out. Jamie Grimes attempts a knockdown on the edge of the area, but it’s too obvious and County deal with it.
50 min What a chance. Nemane tears down the right and sends the ball to Austin’s feet in a perfect shooting position. He takes a touch, prompting a sharp intake of breath from the County end. It’s released with a kind of whoopee cushion noise as he scoops his shot over the crossbar.
46 min Nemane shows lovely close control to dance through the midfield, moving the ball on to Austin. He plays in Chicksen on the overlap but, again, the pass is badly executed and Chesterfield clear their lines.
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Second half kicks off
County gets things going again. We’ve got a huge 45 minutes ahead.
Half-time, Chesterfield 1-0 Notts County
After a strange start to the game, with an early wobble from Slocombe gifting Chesterfield their opener, County gradually grew in stature and ended the first half with the lion’s share of possession. Their end product left much to be desired, however, and Chesterfield looked poised to hit them on the counter.
The game is finely balanced at the break and could still go either way. County need to turn their dominance of the ball into something more concrete, while another goal for Cook’s side, even against the run of play, could well knock the stuffing out of them. Then again, never rule out a County comeback.
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45+1 min County catch Chesterfield on the back foot and Rodrigues leaves their centre-backs backpedalling desperately, but his final pass to Chicksen is horribly undercooked. That’s County’s first half in a nutshell, really.
44 min Chesterfield flood the County box with blue shirts, but lack a final ball. Dallas ends up with a half-chance, but Slocombe sweeps up before he can unleash a shot.
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43 min Nemane thinks he’s won a corner after another nifty bit of play out wide, but Clements manages to dispossess him and somehow not get the final touch.
40 min Dallas latches on to another long ball over the top and goes clean through but, mercifully for County, he’s flagged for offside.
37 min Bostock gets the first booking of the game after hauling down Armando Dobra and ending a promising Chesterfield counter-attack.
36 min Good save! Chicksen plays a pass to Austin, who moves it on to Nemane on the right. From a tight angle, he stings Fitzsimons’s palms with a fierce shot. The Chesterfield keeper manages to push it wide.
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34 min County have a long spell of possession, Bostock again pulling the strings from the deep midfield. The ball ends up with Chicksen on the left but he sends another mishit cross straight into the arms of Fitzsimons.
32 min Bostock drives forward and sprays another diagonal pass to Chicksen. He’s forced wide when he’d rather cut inside and the attack peters out.
We’ve got some correspondence from Paulo Biriani. “I really want both teams to go up,” he says. “That only two get promoted from the league really isn’t fair at all. And there should be a rule that all teams getting over 100 points should be promoted regardless.”
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28 min Dallas gallops down the left flank almost unopposed, County’s defence melting away before him. He gets to the byline and tries a cutback, but the ball is finally cleared.
27 min Austin finds himself in space out wide on the left and, taking his time, tries to pick out a teammate with a looped cross. It’s way too close to Ross Fitzsimons, however, and the Chesterfield goalkeeper gathers.
26 min And end-to-end spell ends with a threatening attack from County, but Adam Chicksen overhits his final ball. The game is wide open at the moment and County seem to be growing in confidence.
22 min Jones looks OK to continue and the game gets back under way. Liam Mandeville goes on a mazy run down the left, bamboozling Notts County’s defenders, but can’t pick out a teammate in the middle.
20 min Mike Jones, Chesterfield’s veteran midfielder, is down clutching his leg and will require treatment, causing a break in play.
19 min John Bostock plays a lovely quarterback-style diagonal pass to Nemane, who charges forwards. He gets another dangerous cross to Austin in the box but, again, his teammate fails to guide it goalwards.
18 min Chesterfield win a corner and King steps up, but his delivery sails over everyone and out for a goal kick.
16 min Big chance! Aaron Nemane bursts down the left flank and lofts a cross into the box. Sam Austin gets a toe to it, but can’t guide the ball home from close range.
14 min Rodrigues avoids a booking after crunching into Bailey Clements on the follow-through. The nerves seem to be getting to everyone at the moment.
12 min Dallas nicks the ball off Matt Palmer on the edge of the area and gets a shot away, but Baldwin makes a crucial block.
10 min A mix-up in the Chesterfield defence allows Rúben Rodrigues to scamper forward and whip a ball across the face of goal, but nobody gets on the end of it.
9 min County look to settle but play it back to Slocombe, who launches the ball straight out of play. He needs a hard reset or the game could start to get away from him.
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GOAL! Chesterfield 1-0 Notts County (Dallas 6)
It’s the perfect start for Chesterfield after a nightmare few minutes for Slocombe. Dallas steps up and thrashes his spot kick into the back of the net, wheeling away gleefully.
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Penalty to Chesterfield!
What on earth is going on?! Andrew Dallas runs on to a long ball over the top and into the box. Slocombe roars off his line and gets the ball, but wipes out Dallas in the process. Chesterfield have a chance to go ahead from the spot.
2 min What a weird start to the game. Chesterfield get an indirect free kick inside the Notts County box after Sam Slocombe, the County goalkeeper, lets the occasion get the better of him and takes two touches at a goal kick. Jeff King has an almighty go, but Slocombe redeems himself by making a big save.
Kick off!
Chesterfield get the game going to a deafening roar. Off we go, then.
The teams are out on the field, greeted by a huge round of applause and spurts of pyro. Who’s going up to the Football League? Let’s find out.
Speaking to BT Sport before the match, Paul Cook, the Chesterfield manager, is asked what he plans to tell his players before kick off. “Be ourselves,” he says. “[Think about] everything that we’ve worked for.
“We’ve got one more big hurdle. It would make our town so proud and we’re going to give it everything we’ve got.”
A few more things to tick off the bingo card: giant foam hands, homemade flags, massive bucket hats and Mr Whippy ice creams. Football in T-shirt weather, you just can’t beat it.
Black and white army out in force! ⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/qnWDBa0vMN
— Notts County FC (@Official_NCFC) May 13, 2023
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As Wembley begins to fill out, the warm-ups get under way. Nervous tension, anyone?
Let’s get down to work! 💪 pic.twitter.com/MJCKbsVm6q
— The National League (@TheVanaramaNL) May 13, 2023
In case you haven’t read it already, here’s Ben Fisher’s interview with Jones, County’s playoff semi-final hero, who has spent much of the last week rewatching his winning goal. And why not?
With a little under an hour to go until kick off, Wembley Way is chock full of Chesterfield and Notts County fans. If you had novelty clown wigs, streaky face paint and jingly jester hats on your National League playoff final bingo card, please cross them off.
Fan-tastic! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/gk9J27HNU0
— The National League (@TheVanaramaNL) May 13, 2023
Notts County team news
Starting XI: Slocombe; Cameron, Baldwin, Rawlinson; Chicksen, Nemane, Bostock, Palmer, Austin; Rodrigues, Langstaff.
For one last time 👊 pic.twitter.com/TIizTcSQN9
— Notts County FC (@Official_NCFC) May 13, 2023
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Chesterfield team news
Starting XI: Fitzsimons; King, Palmer, Grimes, Clements; Jones, Oldaker; Mandeville, Dobra, Colclough; Dallas.
📝 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗪𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗦 📝
— Chesterfield FC (@ChesterfieldFC) May 13, 2023
Paul Cook names an unchanged starting XI from the one that won 3-2 against Bromley in the semi-final!
Tim Akinola has been named on the bench.#Spireites pic.twitter.com/R09Evq4TLg
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Preamble
After amassing a huge 107 points over the course of the regular season only to be outpaced over the final stretch by Wrexham’s star-studded locomotive, Notts County flirted with the unthinkable in their playoff semi-final against Boreham Wood. Their opponents, who finished 35 points behind them across 46 games, had a commanding 2-0 lead at half-time, leaving County to face the miserable prospect of having broken the National League’s previous record points total – 105, for those asking – without getting promoted.
In the end, two goals from Aden Baldwin – including an equaliser in the sixth minute of injury time – and a winner from Jodi Jones in the last minute of extra time handed them the most dramatic comeback imaginable. They will be keen not to make such hard work of it when they face Chesterfield, who finished a mere 23 points behind them, at Wembley this afternoon.
Chesterfield, who edged Bromley in a similarly chaotic semi-final, are no lightweights, taking a point at Meadow Lane back in August but losing 2-1 to County at home. Luke Williams, the County manager, has urged his side not to make the same mistakes again, saying: “We have to use the game [against Boreham Wood] as a lesson for us to be completely focused – not to be distracted by the atmosphere and what’s at stake.
“[My message is] don’t have these thoughts entering your mind when you still have a job to do. I feel that’s going to be crucial for the final.”
