Match Report: Oldham Athletic 1-1 Notts County, 3 May 2014

Well folks, I am absolutely thrilled to be able to tell you, in case you've been hiding under a rock this afternoon, that NOTTS COUNTY ARE STAYING UP!!

It was a bumpy ride, and at one point, it really seemed like everything that could have gone wrong was going wrong, but things eventually worked out and the end result is that, despite being dead and buried as far back as six weeks ago, we will now spend another season in League One.

Oldham Athletic were the team that stood between us and finding out our fate, between us and the Great Escape. The final result stood at 1-1, but with the home side taking the lead midway through the second half and our relegation rivals Crewe Alexandra and Tranmere Rovers leading in their respective games, we were staring into the abyss. We were relegated.

But then, we were given a chance. A penalty. And Alan Sheehan, arguably the team's best performer this season, did what he had to do with calm and precision. He put away the penalty for the equalising goal, which saw us come out of the drop zone.

Tranmere ended up ultimately losing 2-1 to Bradford City, thus giving us a three-point safety cushion, and when the final whistle went, the scenes of jubilation from the Black And White Army - all 3361 of them - were cathartic, intense and joyous.

With everything that took place today, it almost makes the actual match action seem irrelevant, but nevertheless, it wouldn't be a match report otherwise!

Hayden Mullins recall by Birmingham City meant that Gary Liddle dropped back into defence, partnering young Haydn Hollis. On-loan midfielder Josh Vela lined up in the centre alongside Curtis Thompson.

The first shot of the game fell to the Magpies, as Jimmy Spencer had an effort following an assist from Ronan Murray. The former Huddersfield man, however, was off target.

Jamal Campbell-Ryce was a constant threat on the flanks, and in the eighth minute, set up Murray, who sadly fired wide. The two combined again in the 37th minute, and Murray's resulting half-volley did better this time, having to be deflected out for a corner.

By this point, both Crewe and Tranmere were leading in their games, and as it was, Notts would only stay up on goal difference. Skin of their teeth would have been an understatement.

Towards the end of the half, Oldham were in the ascendancy, with Bartosz Bialkowski having to be at his best to thwart a dangerous chance from Jonson Clarke-Harris. Hollis then had to produced a stunning goal-line clearance following another effort by the same man moments later.

The half-time whistle offered little solace to the away fans, because things were still too tight with the other results being taken into consideration.

Shaun Derry must have thought so too, and he must have delivered a rousing team talk, as the Magpies were invigorated come the start of the second period.

Spencer's header into Murray's path just after the restart set up a tantalising one-on-one situation between the Irishman and Paul Rachubka, but the goalkeeper came off best, his instinctive save keeping the scoreline goalless.

Moments later, a JCR cross curled over the Latics goalkeeper, but right-back Connor Brown was at hand to make a last-gasp clearance.

In the 68th minute, Notts were staring into the abyss. They had a foot in League Two. They slipped back into the relegation zone when Adam Lockwood connected with a Gary Harkins free kick, his header looping past Bart to put the home side a goal up. The Crewe and Tranmere results, meanwhile, remained the same.

It could have been even worse moments later, because James Dayton was able to latch onto a ball from Clarke-Harris, but Bart made another spectacular save to keep the hosts' goal tally down to just the one.

And then, the lifeline. JCR's cross was handled by Jonathan Grounds, a penalty was awarded, and Alan Sheehan duly stepped up. Rarely had a single penalty kick been so important in the history of Notts County Football Club, but the Irishman kept his cool and smash the ball into the top-right corner, much to the delight of the 3361 Notts supporters.

Things would get even better for the visitors, as Lockwood was sent off following a desperate tackle on Spencer and Bradford turned the scoreline around against Tranmere.

Eventually, the final whistle went, to signal the end of the game and the end of the season. And crucially, Notts County ended the 2013-14 season in 20th place, when just as far back as six weeks ago, we were all but relegated.

Well, what a season. What an utterly insane odyssey of a season. More ups and downs than a rollercoaster. But all's well that ends well, and next season, we will be in League One once again!

I would like to wish all Pride of Nottingham fans and followers a very enjoyable summer, safe in the knowledge that we've survived the unsurvivable! Thank you for reading our match reports and enjoying the site content!

One more time... COME ON YOU PIES!!!