And breathe. What a weekend for Notts County as they overcame that bump in the road at Dorking Wanderers last weekend and got back on the straight and narrow with a convincing 3-1 win at York City on Saturday afternoon.
Roared on by the travelling 1734 Magpies at the LNER Community Stadium, Luke Williams' side produced yet another memorable away day victory thanks to a stunning free-kick from Quevin Castro followed by yet another brace from Macaulay Langstaff, cancelling out Fraser Kerr's 35th minute equaliser.
It was a performance needed to rectify their first defeat of the National League campaign, with every player solely focused on ensuring a similar slip-up would not occur in consecutive matches.
READ MORE: Every word Quevin Castro said on stunning strike and Notts County aim after York City win
The result sees the Magpies jump to third in the table following Solihull Moors' defeat to Woking, with Notts' next fixture in the shape of Altrincham at Meadow Lane next Saturday, before a top of the table clash with Wrexham the following week.
Upon reflection, here are five things we learned following the Magpies' 3-1 win at York City yesterday.
Quevin Castro's first start for the Magpies
Ahead of kick-off, Williams made the decision to start the 21-year-old West Brom loanee ahead of the in-form Cedwyn Scott, after the Notts boss revealed the striker was struggling with a knock picked up against Dorking Wanderers last weekend.
And the midfielder certainly repaid the faith shown in him by his manager, taking just five minutes to showcase to everyone in the LNER Community Stadium the quality he possesses with an absolutely brilliant free-kick that mirrored Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic technique.
From my position, it looked as though the ball had sailed narrowly wide of Ethan Ross' net, but as the York keeper dropped to his knees as the ball nestled into the net, it was clear the quality of the strike simply caught everyone off guard due to the distance of which it was struck.
Whilst his goal will be the highlight of his performance, Castro's overall display was also something to be admired both with, and without possession.
He continually looked to play on the front foot, often dropping deep to receive the ball from the back three and drive through the York City midfield. The Portuguese midfielder possesses great strength and aerial ability, giving Notts a different way of playing and an option to go long for Castro to win knockdowns for his side.
The speed of the 21-year-old also surprises you given his six-foot four frame, but that was utilised on a number of occasions, most notably in the second half when breaking into the box and almost providing an assist for Adam Chicksen who turned his effort over the bar.
A brilliant display, and one that will get Notts fans excited about what he can do for the Magpies this season.
Get him on the plane, Gareth
I am simply running out of superlatives to describe how good Macaulay Langstaff is.
Get him in the box and more often than not, the ball will end up in the back of the net. His movement is that of a Premier League striker, creating space not just for himself, but for the players around him as well.
A change in formation by Williams left the 25-year-old up front by himself, but he was more than happy to lead the line and start the press from the front. We saw a lot more of his hold up play in the opening 45 minutes which has significantly improved since joining the Magpies, linking the play between midfield and attack and showing some neat touches to create dangerous openings for his side.
His predatory movement and instinctive finishing were on show for both of his goals at the LNER Community Stadium, peeling to the back post before steering Aaron Nemane's powerful cross beyond Ethan Ross, before capitalising on a defensive mistake for his second. Bearing down on goal, I don't think anyone inside the stadium felt as though the Notts number nine would miss.
With those two goals, he becomes the leading goal-scorer in England's top five leagues this season, taking over Manchester City's Erling Haaland after netting his 12th goal of the season in just his 10th National League game.
Since England's last goal from open play in their 3-0 friendly win over Ivory Coast, Langstaff has scored 16 times for both Gateshead and Notts. With the World Cup just months away, Gareth Southgate may be considering getting him on that plane for Qatar.
Returning players make an impact
After a difficult week in terms of injuries for Williams' side, it was a welcome surprise to see both Richard Brindley and Sam Austin back in the matchday squad after their absences in recent weeks.
Whilst Geraldo Bajrami's omission from the squad dealt another blow to the Magpies, the return of the 29-year-old defender was music to the ears of many, and he proved why he is so important to Notts' back three.
After the game, the Magpies boss labelled his performance as 'class' with yet another dominant display in the air and on the ball. The presence of Lenell John-Lewis was an avenue York City looked to play through, but Brindley was simply too strong and too powerful, winning a number of battles with the Minstermen captain.
The attacking play from Notts has not been affected with the absence of Austin, but the midfielder's return gave the Magpies a breath of fresh air from the bench, instantly involved with his tireless pressing.
And that persistence paid off 14 minutes into his appearance, capitalising on a mistake from Maxim Kouogun to place an inch-perfect pass into the path of Langstaff to seal all three points ten minutes from time.
With time scales yet to be placed on Aden Baldwin, Joel Taylor and Bajrami on when they will return, it is encouraging that Notts are getting their key players back at the right time as the busy festive period looms.
Back to winning ways
The defeat at Dorking Wanderers last weekend was disappointing after controlling large parts of the encounter at Meadowbank Park, creating enough chances to win two or three football matches.
But it was imperative that Notts cleared those 90 minutes of football out of their head and focused on putting things right against John Askey's side, and they most certainly did that.
Every single player looked focused and determined to ensure the three points came back to Nottingham, with Williams emphasising the importance of gaining those three points after the game.
One of the most disappointing factors from the defeat last Saturday was that results from the sides around them went in the Magpies' favour but were unable to capitalise. With both Wrexham and Chesterfield recording wins over Maidstone and Torquay respectively, it was important they kept pace with the top two.
With Solihull Moors losing away to Woking, it opened a two-point gap to Boreham Wood with Notts climbing into third place ahead of their fixture against Altrincham at Meadow Lane next Saturday.
If Notts do win that fixture next week, it sets up a mouth-watering midweek tie against Wrexham which will show a clear indication as to what this Notts side can achieve in the National League this season.
Memorable away day
So far this season, we have had emphatic wins over Halifax Town and Dagenham and Redbridge on the road, but I believe this was the best performance and atmosphere for a Notts away fixture.
Ahead of the fixture, the Magpies' initial allocation was bumped up from 1600 to 1750, with the official attendance in the LNER Community Stadium confirmed as 1734.
The fans were brilliant all afternoon, with renditions of 'I Had a Wheelbarrow' echoing around the stadium before, during, and after the referee's final whistle.
And it looked as though those travelling fans would not see a goal at their end of the stadium, but how fitting that Langstaff was on hand to place the ball into the net in front of the away support to round off a brilliant performance and a brilliant day for the Notts fans.
