(36) Massive save from Belshaw to deny Forde one-on-one!

️Notts 1-0 Bristol R

(40) Huge block from Mola to deny Grant after he'd done brilliantly to get past two players in the area.

️Notts 1 Bristol 0

HALF TIME

Love this game.

Gas leaving forwards up all the time means the game is really stretched and we don't get the usual sight of our defenders having most of the ball. With so much space, this should be the perfect game for Iorpenda running from deep.

Would another booking mean Tsaroulla banned for a play-off 1st leg? I know he needs the pitch time, but let's bring on Kouhyar to be safe.

As it stands, one goal for Crewe, any deflection or fluke of any kind, and we're up!

Brilliant performance so far, we've really risen to the occasion. Rovers still look handy though, this game isn't finished yet. We have a tendency to overplay it at times.

I really like Crewe Alexandra.

(46) We get away in the 2nd half.

Notts 1 Bristol R 0

(49) Excellent pace and power from Jatta to hold off his man as he runs towards goal following Luker's through ball - but Young's equal to his shot.

️Notts 1 Bristol R 0

(58) Goal to Bristol R

Notts 1 Bristol R 1

(58) Norburn, Luker and Grant are off for Palmer, Robertson and Hall.

️ Notts 1 Bristol R 1

(72) Update

Ndlovu on for Jones

Dennis on for Jatta

(86) Bedeau turns the ball home after Dennis' cross hit the post - but the assistant's flag is up for offside.

️Notts 1 Bristol R 1

Six minutes added

CMON Notts

FULL TIME.

I suppose it's better than losing out by goal difference with Cambridge drawing at Crewe.

We have to back ourselves against Chesterfield in the playoffs after how we played in that first half against in form Bristol R

Yeah it was alright from that angle @Robbie 

Epic two leg battle coming up. Great rivalry we have with them from all the massive games in recent years.

We've won the last two play-off encounters against them. Let's make it a hat-trick

Top of League 2 at the end of the regular season.

Really good first half. Evans made one change at half time and we seemed to lose all our shape and belief - worrying.

Just to be masochistic, I had a look back at the run-in: 13 points from the last 8 games would have been good enough but we only managed ten. We could only beat Harrogate, Newport and Colchester. Cambridge only got 10 points from their last eight games as well, with only two wins, against Barrow and Notts.

It’s a pity we were slow out of the blocks in the 2nd half and we failed to adapt to their changes. The opening 45 mins were full of enterprise, creativity, pace and we got the ball forwards quickly. That reappeared in the last 10 -15 mins, to an extent.

We are too pedestrian with Palmer, he never picks the incisive through ball. Ndluuurv and Hall may as well have stayed on the bench tbh.

It was always going to be a tough gig and we just can’t seem to get over the line in these tight encounters. Chesterfield will be the same, another nerve shredder……..

Our lack of finishing worries me greatly - as does our defensive frailty, we are almost bound to concede against big, physical teams. Chesterfield are a big, physical team…..

6 minutes ago, Sheffield Pie said:

Just to be masochistic, I had a look back at the run-in: 13 points from the last 8 games would have been good enough but we only managed ten. We could only beat Harrogate, Newport and Colchester. Cambridge only got 10 points from their last eight games as well, with only two wins, against Barrow and Notts.

Pretty damning and depressing looking at that - but we were badly hit by injuries and suspensions, seems we could ill-afford that to happen.

Still, all is not lost. All to play for. The 3 promoted teams all deserved it more.

Then again, smalls margins. A goal for us instead of Barnet and we're up.

That was the game IMO and felt it at the time.

I'm going to remain positive. The Club has had another excellent season where all possibilities were on in the final game. We couldn't quite make automatic promotion, but we have earned a playoff place,.

This Notts squad have a reasonable chance of getting to another playoff final in front of a massive crowd at Wembley Stadium, against either Grimsby or Salford, if we can beat Chesterfield over two legs.

Sixty other clubs in the EFL would absolutely love to be in this position to be able to have another opportunity to get promoted.

All we can do now is get behind the team to try to get them over the finishing line. We did it in the National League, we can still do it in 2026.

If Notts can play like they did in the first half against a very good Bristol Rovers, I don't think we have anything to fear.

Ive got to say it...........if we have to look for a replacement for Lewis Macari in the close season i hope Richard Montague looks no further than Bristol Rovers number 2 Senior........he's 1 of the quickest full backs i think ive ever seen.....

Once more I find myself agreeing with @Robbie I am staying positive, I didn’t expect we’d be promoted today we’ve just fell short of automatic promotion but that doesn’t mean we can’t win the playoffs, let get behind the players for the last few games and see where it takes us.

Tone (positive pie)

I was kind of relieved at the end when I saw Cambridge drew, had Crewe got a surprise goal I think we'd have gone into overdrive analysing if Bedeau was offside or not!

I agree first half was really good, second half we didn't quite get to grips with Bristol's changes but I thought when we bought Robbo and Palmer on we regained that control. It just then all went a bit wild and disjointed for the last 20 as we tried to get the winning goal.

I might be in the minority again here but I thought the ref was actually pretty good. Although I thought the yellow for Tsaroulla was harsh, it just looked like a coming together but not a dive. But all 3 of the penalty shouts (2 for us, 1 for them) were all really soft, I think he got them all right.

Last time we played Chesterfield it was with 10 men for 75 minutes and we did pretty well on the whole, I'd be lying if I said I was looking forward to the play-offs but I think if we perform like we can, we can get the better of Chesterfield over the two legs.