Play-off final - The Ammies (Wembley)

Team - Salford City

Date - 25 May 2026 15.00

Where - Wemberleyyy

What would your starting line-up be? What will be the key areas for the Magpies to get a victory? What do you think the final score will be? And are we going up?

Have your say below, join in with the Pride of Nottingham match discussion.

Well, another unchanged team seems the obvious move.

It's worth asking the question though. Our last Wembley appearance needed Johnny Bostock to get on the ball and control the play. Do we need Matty Palmer to try to do the same this time?

This may be an unpopular opinion as everyone is an hero after beating C'Field, but I thought Robbo had a really bad game on Friday - couldn't do a thing right for long periods of the game. So Palmer for Robbo in the strating XI to give us more control?

I'd say not cos I don't think Salford are a team to get on the ball and dominate us that way (unlike C'Field who are). But they do have a lot of athletic players, who could pick off Palmer and Robbo would be needed to try to keep them in check.

So after that, it's back full circle to unchanged for me! I don't think anyone else is pressing for a place in the starting XI.

It's a dilemma @theAnticlough, do you go for the control of Palmer or the physical presence of Robertson?

Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me, but I thought we showed signs of getting to grips with Salford last time we played them (ignoring the two near-identical and entirely preventable goals we conceded of course). Norburn was suspended and Robertson injured for that one, so we played with Palmer and Iorpenda in the middle and both Jatta and Dennis up front. We were missing Jones then too. I think the coaching team might be rewatching that game.

I don't have a great feeling about it because it's Salford, but it's a one-off and we're nothing if not determined.

This would be my starting 11 and bench to play Salford. An unchanged match squad that faced Chesterfield in the playoff 2nd leg. I think Martin has found his most effective starting 11, with a strong bench to cover all possibilities.

Norburn & Robertson are our strongest duo in CM. Iorpenda & Luker are strong together in the AM positions.

I don't think that there is a better back three in League 2 other than Ness, McDonald & Bedeau & with Belshaw behind those three, & Norburn & Robertson in front of them, they make formidable line up of six.

If Notts can take their chances upfront & defend as well as they did against Chesterfield in the two playoff legs, Notts have a good chance of coming out on top.

Starting lineup is likely to be the same, dependent upon fitness/injuries.

I don’t see the argument for starting with Palmer tbh. This will be a battle against a strong, physical but quick and combative team. We have been far more solid & effective with Robertson & Norburn as a partnership. We’ve overcome Chesterfield in 2 games, why mess about? Both offer more in the opposition’s half too.

I’d say Palmer is a steadying, controlling influence once the game is “won” or we are, comfortably, on top. He’s not the man for the first 60 mins at Wembley, and he has “previous”, remember?

The only disappointment for me is not being able to find a starting place for Grant. His energy, movement, touch, awareness and skill is tailor made for this occasion. I think he’ll be on the bench but suspect he’ll make an appearance early in the 2nd half.

Edited May 20May 20 by YoopEyes

I see the benefits of being unchanged, but I am quite curious as to if playing two strikers would better our attack against Salford? I personally would have Matt Palmer in all day, if he's 100% fit. I love Scott Robertson but he doesn't dictate the tempo as well as Palmer does.

Both are similar, and Robertson might be more defensive focused but that could also be a hinder to us, as he can get easily booked.

Palmer isn't as rash, but is a lot better at moving the ball around and into areas that our players can exploit. I would keep Ollie Norburn in, so there's no option to switch Robertson with him.

Keeper, and the defence writes itself. There's no need to tinker with that.

I am unsure if Keanan Bennetts is out, but I would love to see him make the bench. He could be a great impact player if he were more direct. However, we do need to see more from Alassana Jatta and it's not all on his shoulders.

Notts has to attack and bring him into the game, but Jatta needs to strike and avoid overthinking or placing the ball straight towards the keeper. It's why I would be tempted to have another striker on.

Personally at this stage I would rather the team concentrate on keeping a clean sheet & pinching a goal like we did in the playoff semi final 1st leg.

To turnaround two defeats by chesterfield, to a narrow win over them in the two legs with two clean sheets, is worth repeating against Salford, who beat Notts twice this season.

I have seen Salford play against Notts, they push to control the game and try to keep the play 'wide'. When Notts has the ball, they pull ranks and put bodies around the ball. It's disruptive football, and doesn't suit our style of play. It's constant pressure, where they look to break with pace and they have a lot of players who can cause us headaches.

Defensively, I don't think they are as weak as some think, but I certainly believe two strikers could cause Matty Young some problems.

Not that he isn't a decent keeper, because he is but as a young squad player he must have some nerves and any of the three strikers we have could put the fear of god into him, but I think Alassana Jatta would benefit from someone to work off. Someone who can help him advance or simply assist in obtaining markers. I wouldn't want Notts to be defensive; against Chesterfield we struggled and it was Aaron Nemane who forced us out of our own half.

It's important we go play, rather than rely on putting away a sigle chance or poaching the game.

Salford love to play footballing sides like Notts. As @Chris said they are disrupters.

I think Notts have to play just as they did against Chesterfield with controlled aggression, hard work all over the pitch, aggressive pressing, compactness off the ball along with steely resilience, & try to steal a goal on the break if possible.

Don't let Salford play the way they want. Disrupt their play and give them some of their own medicine. Notts have shown that they can succeed against physical teams.

I think this match is going to be completely different to the ones we've seen earlier this season and that's down to one key factor; the heat. It’s going to be potentially 32° on Monday, so running around in those temperatures will be hell (it'll be unbearable just sitting in it!). I would usually be all for trying to press relentlessly but in heat like that it’s just not possible, I think conserving energy will be key here.

We’d also be mad if we didn’t make all 5 subs, I think fresh legs will be the deciding factor in this one. You don’t want to complain about the weather but it really isn’t ideal for football, I think it’ll have a massive impact the match. I can see it being a really slow tempo match, especially by the end I expect some players to really be flagging. Extra-time would just be a killer if it happens (I would probably shake hands and go straight to pens!)

2 hours ago, Robbie said:

I think Notts have to play just as they did against Chesterfield with controlled aggression, hard work all over the pitch, aggressive pressing, compactness off the ball along with steely resilience, & try to steal a goal on the break if possible.

I totally agree with @Robbie the two games against Chesterfield were a catalyst for us to take with us to Wembley and give every ounce of fight, controlled aggression and passing accuracy, the real Notts County. Then there will only be one winner 🏆 COYP.

I think the games against Chesterfield are in danger of being misunderstood.

It was a match up of 2 very good footballing sides, No1 in ball possession for the season - Chesterfield, and us 5th. They fielded their main playmaker Braybrook while we left ours, Palmer, on the bench. But the main reason they had the majority of the game over the two legs was that they were chasing the game.

We were absolutely magnificent in defending everything they threw at us, but that was because we had to rather than strategy. They've had the continuity of Paul Cook building that team and style of play over many years and they're very good at it. Of course, we would have liked to keep the ball better - Robbo to do a better impersonation of Palmer in terms of playmaking, but the games didn't go like that and we were forced into defending instead.

Edited May 22May 22 by theAnticlough

Salford were 8th or 9th over the season in ball possession (depending where you get your stats from), but they dominate in a different way to Chesterfield. They're disruptive as @Robbie says - they have some great athletes and good individual players on big money.

We should have more of the game than against Chesterfield. And for sure this has to be one of our goals, keep them out of our half and away from our box as much as possible - they're dangerous. But when we're called upon to withstand pressure for long periods, lets hope the organisation, discipline and sheer guts we showed against C'field is repeated.

I'm worried on behalf of Jodi. Remember the game at Shrewsbury when he couldn't get anything out of their RB and had to be taken off?

This will be on a much bigger pitch than the reduced Shrewsbury one, but Mnogo is an awesome player IMO, incredible athlete and physical player. He might be just too much for JJ. Can we do anything different? If JJ can use his trickery and get him on a yellow, maybe it can go well. I just fear that side of the pitch being snuffed out and that'd be a big blow to our creativity.

How much will we be willing to risk Bedeau making overloads deep down the left?

Pity we don't have more reps of JJ being inside or we could ask Iorpenda to cover Mnogo defensively and confuse them coming in from there in attack.

Match ups between teams is massive in the play offs and I worry about this one, and the double they got over us bears it out.

Another thing I'm worried about? The game meaning so much to Jatta he tightens up. It's not just this season, but last seasons games as well - he must want to put one over them so much.

Yeah I almost certain they'll target Jatta to get another reaction (with VAR this won't be missed this time) and Jodi can get wound up pretty easily too, I suspect Mnoga (if he starts) will go in hard on JJ from the off to see how the ref reacts and what he can potentially get away with.

In the two matches this season 4 of the 3 goals they scored against us were from corners, so they'll be quite happy just playing balls into the channels in the hope they can win more corners!

Then of course we have the current 5 losses in a row against Karl Robinson's Salford, and in the 15 matches we've faced him he has only lost 1 against us!

For me it's going to feel monumental if we win on Monday.

True, but despite all that @menzinho I have us slight favourites this time. Do you?

What do we all think the subs bench will look like? I'm guessing at...

Griffiths, Browne, Palmer, Kouhyar, Grant, Dennis, Ndlovu

I’m probably 60/40 in favour of Salford @theAnticlough , the weather is going to have a big impact and having watched the Championship PO today (well as much as I could it wasn’t exactly a thriller) it only makes me feel a tad more nervous. It was a really slow paced game of few chances where the difference maker was one mistake.

It’s no easy job picking the squad, I think there’s a possibility Palmer starts (we have kept how fit he is pretty quiet) so then it would be either Norburn or Robertson on the bench. Assuming Browne is fit he has to be a sub, if one of the defenders did get injured we would be in trouble.

I would prefer Bennetts over Kouhyar in attacking sense because he’s got the ability to beat players and I think after 70 minutes when players are starting to tire he could be a real outlet for us. But then all our wingbacks would be left-footed, so we’ve got no-one who can cross a ball with their right foot…

Assuming everyone is more or less 100% fit; Griffiths, Browne, Norburn, Bennetts, Tangen, Dennis, Ndlovu.

I just think someone like Tangen can get his foot on the ball and help bring even more control, this might be crucial last 20. Purely because of the heat I’d go for technically better players over your willing runners because I think they are just going to be less effective.

We've got to start with Norburn and Robertson in the centre of midfield otherwise Salford will bully us. Iorpenda has to be partnering Luker in the AM area. I don't think Martin should make any changes. Keep the side together that did so well against Chesterfield.

Agree on the midfield. MP will probably leave it as it is.

Palmer's had a great bounceback season individually and played much better than Norburn overall. But his place has become tangled up with the captaincy and I suspect the meek way we went down to some of those 14 defeats, simllar to the 2 Wimbledon games last year have Pato thinking we need some different leadership on the field. RodMac captains the side now and it gives the team a different flavour and self-image.

Salford have Oluwu, Cesay and Graydon who are a cut above. Yes, they also have some big blokes at the back and some physical presence in midfield. Nmai is a useful prospect.

Overall, they are highly organised and effective team who seem very difficult to beat - they completely outplayed Grimsby twice, despite the close scoreline and they beat us when we should have salvaged the draw we’d fought for.

This is a far bigger challenge than Chesterfield tbh - they are a far better side than them.

Until the Chessie games, I had little confidence of us beating anyone other than Grimsby in the play offs. Now we’ve given ourselves a shot at it - and we have better creative players than they do, plus we have Norburn & Robertson who will compete with their “engine room”.

However, the most significant factor for me is that we have found a defence resilience and balance and we are robust enough to compete all over the field.

We are a team who move the ball at pace (without Palmer!), like they do. They will struggle to cope with that and they get in all sorts of trouble when opponents run at them, like Luker and Iorpenda will.

This could be cracker - unless the temperature affects it. Yesterday’s game was a terrible advert for the C’ship, 2 very ordinary teams, and I guess the weather may have played a part. Still, I think we have more to worry them they have to worry us. Consistency, organisation & confidence are the main weapons tbh.

It's Matchday. CMON U PIES!!

This is it, this is our chance. I hope everyone has a great day at Wembley. I hope the players keep a calm head and impose our game on Salford. And of course I hope we win! I'm an absolute bag of nerves here.

1 hour ago, StarkMallard said:

This is it, this is our chance. I hope everyone has a great day at Wembley. I hope the players keep a calm head and impose our game on Salford. And of course I hope we win! I'm an absolute bag of nerves here.

Echo all of that. But strangely calm here - confident, but ready to accept the reverse in a nigh on 50-50 game.

I think I need to catch sight of Robinson and some of their players to remind myself how much I want us to win it!

Notts match squad unchanged. Starting eleven is as you were.

As expected, nobody will argue with that

Still slightly uneasy at not having Browne on the bench...In a dream world it'll be all over after a hour and we can stop worrying about it ;)