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Hmm, not a tough choice really. Only 2 candidates for me, McDonald, who defended on his own in the 1st half and provided composure on the ball and was solid in everything he did. Iorpenda provided energy & grit, which was sadly lacking in Norburn today. I’d go for McDonald, simply because Iorpenda’s end product & final ball often let him down - but he was the only player offering any threat until Luker came on. We need their Glover (15) & Stead (10), not to mention the gigantic Chinedu (22). They were the 3 outstanding players on the pitch today. I’d have had a contract in Glover’s hand before he reached the touchline when they subbed him. We have no one with that pace, energy & creativity. He tore Bennetts apart from wing back then moved into central midfield and ran the show. Yes, he conceded the penalty but we have no one who’d have got back from the opposition’s box to make the challenge!

Performance does not really matter at this stage. What matters is going into the final run with some level of consistency, especially with the chance that even if we beat Barnet, we could still be sitting right on the edge of the playoffs. Winning is what counts now, and these points could be the difference between automatic promotion and the playoffs. The match might feel tense, but I think Martin Paterson will have pushed the players hard after the last defeat. Winning in a scrappy way can help rebuild belief, and once that belief returns, performances often follow. Football is never simple with Notts County, but getting the result is what keeps the season alive.

Still thinking tbh. Palmer was steady and solid all game, plus he made some good challenges/tackles and pinged some lovely long passes around. He scored a screamer and could have another 2 tbh. Iorpenda had an incredible 25 mins in the 2nd half, all crafty touches, fierce challenges and mazy runs, culminating in a spectacular goal and another good set up for the og. Hard to split them - Palmer, cool, driving force & Iorpenda, industrious, creative and lethal. Both worthy 9/10 today.

I totally think you can get out this league playing the way we do, just my opinion, I think we are just a couple of pieces short in the puzzle. At the start of last season, we had the luxury of both Crowley and Didzy in the attacking midfield roles… It’s tragic that Crowley has only started 13 matches for MK this season and spent more time off the pitch than on it. I hurts me to think where we’d be if we had players with the quality of these two... No idea if we missed out on certain targets, I think we probably did due to the late loanee signings, but going into this season and basically asking a handful of very inexperienced 20-year-olds to shine in this position was too much.

I believe the performance will be better, but I want to see the lads show that they are trying. This doesn't mean I don't think they are, but having watched the Cambridge United game and seeing us unable to really trouble them even though their keeper got sent off, resulting in them going down to 10 men. How vital that game was, we didn't give anywhere near as good of an account that we should have. Barnet shouldn't be underestimated, but on paper it shouldn't be as difficult. There needs to be more urgancy to get the ball forward, and certainly more zonal awareness at the back. James Belshaw can't be left exposed so easily, because these 3 remaining games could ease pressure off us if we handle them right and the results go our way. I agree that having 4 at the back would give us some stability. It could always switch during the game, as I also like the idea of two strikers. Now it is crucial we get the most out of what remains, and I just hope the results go our way. As per usual, and I keep saying this, it will go down to the very last game of the season.

There was a lot wrong with last weekend’s performance, mostly defending set-pieces, but luckily Barent aren’t a big physical side and in theory shouldn't worry us in that way. But they are still a good side who have beaten Cambridge and MK Dons recently and with an outside chance of play-offs they’ll need the 3 points as much as we do… Should be a cracker, but we thought that last weekend! I think Jatta is still missing, so purely for his goal threat I’d have Dennis starting. I wouldn’t be against him and Ndlovu upfront, but I would be against a midfield three of Palmer, Norburn and Iorpenda which I think would likely back them up… Right now I’m all for the win-loss run continuing, just for this weekend anyway!

I agree, and to that end I would suggest another crack at 4-4-2, at least for the first 60 minutes. Play Browne with Ness in the middle, Jones and Bennetts as attacking midfielders, and Dennis with Ndlovu up top. We need to scrap for points in each of our last 3 games, in order to gain a bit of confidence after last weekend, and we also need to develop some versatility and unpredictability to tackle the playoffs.

Never give up,stay positive. Only pass when you know it's on. Tight from back to front. Together we win, devided we fall. Strong and hard in all we do. Captain Matt lead us to victory. Ollie Norburn please stay on the pitch. Undivided love from all your fans. Nothing but the best for all the game. Treat the game like a cup final. You match all these and were going up. COYP............

Yes, has to be Lucas Ness - what a day for him. He's been doing really well since he got the job in the centre of defence. Who else to mention? I thought Kouhyar had his best starting game for the club. Macari, Iorpenda were good, as usual - two of our best, most consistent players. Ndlovu was good and Luker gave us the impact sub performance we don't always get.

From the Away end it looked like he’d stamped on their player, Ref consulted the linesman, However nothing given. Thought he was going to get a Red, Any other form of job he’d be sacked for assaulting someone. It’s time we cut our losses and get rid. These clowns are costing us any chance of promotion. The time, effort, money we put in to this club in the quest for success is starting to feel a waste of time. Injuries aside it’s looking like a play off campaign again and in my view with our backing and squad quality this will be classed as a failure. If we go up either way I’ll soon forget the barriers to success. However if we fail on both fronts it’s another clear out from top down.

Yeah, I was well on the way to giving it to our passmaster general himself Matt Palmer. He scored a corker, but it's been overshadowed by Iorpenda’s wonder goal. Tom's energy for the last 30 minutes was phenomenal!

There have not been many games this season where one player stood head and shoulders above the rest of the team. Well for me today was one of those occasions. My vote goes to Tom Iorpenda. His all round game was excellent today and his goal would have graced the premier league. A thing of beauty!

I’m not sure how much form counts in the play-offs. Take last season, Chesterfield were the in-form team whereas Walsall since January had been struggling, yet they won 4-1 overall and were than a tad unlucky to lose in the final. We have been a bit better this season against the stronger teams in the division overall and on our good days we can compete with the best teams in the division. For me we should almost go into them with a nothing to lose attitude, no sitting back playing for 1-0s. Go man for man, press hard, front-foot brave attacking football. If we lose we lose but at least do it having tried to be positive. Jatta back will be a massive boost and if we can get Tsaroulla, Tangen and Robbo back too I’d be even more optimistic. If it is to be play-offs I’d be more hopeful than last season so that’s something (assuming we avoid Salford!)

I don't know. The problem with the play-offs is that you have an opponent! Usually one that really, really wants to win and to beat them you usually have to want it more. It's as much about will as it is about skill. It's not about being 'nice' or 'nasty' but you've got to be really competitive and it doesn't look like we are (again).

I initially went for McDonald, but with two goals conceded it just took the the shine of it. But great to see him back! So my pick is Iorpenda, not his best game in a Notts shirt, but he epitomisies the desire and will to make something happen especially in a team performance that was lacking ideas and quality.

You’re absolutely right there. One thing we know about the club is that they’re not always ready to react when bad stuff happens Like when Luke Williams left When Montague left When Crowley left followed by Didzy The No10 positions have been an absolute nightmare this season, yet we play to a system that depends on that area for creativity and production (goals and assists) which have been chronically lacking

I also went with Palmer, just for the kind of default he did what he does. It was good to get McDonald back, I thought he did well too, I just feel more assured with in the middle than Ness... (even though we lost!)

I kind of feel like we’ve ended up in a situation where Iorpenda has become the go to attacking midfielder because none of the other players are really up to scratch. Luker is just back from a serious knee-injury, Hall has got worse as the season progressed and Grant sitting on the bench when we needed a goal tells a story... I agree he should be playing alongside one of either Palmer or Norburn in CM. I don't think the Palmer and Norburn partnership works because they are too similar in terms of style. And playing them both also means we have no other genuine central midfielders on the bench. If we potentially want fresh legs for the last 30 minutes or so we have none! The side just feels a tad lacking and unbalanced at the minute, and we've also had the situation where basically for a whole season we’ve had no natural right-footed wingback, that for me has been a massive hindrance. Anyway as for today, it seems the pressure has got to the players, it was far from a confident performance or one where they were up for the challenge of catching Cambridge. The thought of the play-offs just fills me with dread, especially if we have to play Salford again.

I picked Palmer as well, although he feels almost like a default choice. He consistently does his thing. Yet I feel we lack a character next to him, a Bish type, somebody who steps forward when it counts and refuses to be beaten. Palmer is Mr Reliable, but we need more.

I'm so fed up of us failing at the crucial moment and having to watch other teams' fans celebrate instead. We were scrappy, wasteful in possession and vulnerable at the back. "They wanted it more" is overused in football, but it certainly looked like Barnet did today. They weren't special, but they were a little bit sharper, a bit faster to claim loose balls, a bit more confident. Playoffs it is then. I've got zero expectations. Looking at the table, it's agonisingly close. If we had drawn against Cambridge (and let's not forget we were playing ten men for most of that one) and lost today, we would be third now. The bar isn't that high yet somehow we're managing to miss it.

I think that last Saturday's match against Cambridge, demonstrated that possession is not the be all or end all when it comes to being successful in a football match. If the players are not motivated to play their socks off to win this match then they shouldn't be playing in the black and white. It's as simple as that. Hopefully, there will be a good crowd to cheer them over the line. The crowd can play a big part in doing that because it will be a very hard match against a side that is 2nd in the form league.

It is very simple, play as we did last weekend and we are toast, play to our potential then get ready for promotion. 🙈🙉🙊 COYP ⚽️🥇

The main thing I want to see on Saturday is desire. This time last year we were letting every opponent get what they want, and we perfected that generosity in the play-offs. Barnet need wins, draws aren't that much use to them... I want autos as much as anybody, but if the game's difficult I'd be happy to see us stop them getting want they want. A bad-tempered draw would at least show we care and we won't be pushovers any more, continuing for anyone we face in the play-offs. Just don't end this season like the last one. If we fall short, let us go down kicking and screaming and fighting for every last ball.

What's the point in having players suspended if they can just bring in a replacement outside the window? Where's the punishment? They've got a reserve keeper, they should have had to use him. How is it fair that Cambridge are allowed to bring in an experienced replacement for their suspended player despite already having an alternative, while we have to do without our top scorer for three games?

What a fantastic game we have lined up. Couldn't be more meaningful or crucial. Full, tight little ground, top atmosphere. Either them or us could take a giant stride towards League 1 with a win. After watching them V Swindon, I thought they were way better than Salford. Definitely could see why they're 20 goals better than them in GD and lost 8 fewer games. They maintained their breakneck speed by and large, but they put so much effort into the first 30mins that they did inevitably flag later in the game. Only then could Swindon get a foothold in the game, they were mauled in the first half. Knight, Brophy and Mpanzu were the dangermen on that night. Like we just about managed at Salford, we have to avoid being blown away in the first 30mins. I say that because we're still missing a big chunk of our spine - Platt, McDonald, Robertson, Jatta plus creative players in Jones and Tangan.

I had a list of three, Lucas Ness being up there along with Tom Iorpenda and Ollie Norburn. Though there are more players who digged deep and put in a solid performance, it was great to see Jayden Luker back in the team and I think my thoughts of if we need him should be proven wrong which I am happy for. As if he played longer, I think he would be up there and within most fans consideration. The impact he made in the past, made me hope that somehow we can make a deal to sign him. He's too good for League Two, and would be a useful addition if we were to gain promotion. That said, Lucas Ness was outstanding and earned my vote, as he defended like a real leader and gave us much more than just a typical defender's solid performance with his goal contributions.

I thought Ndlovu was very good today held the ball up well and pressed and fought for everything. Belshaw made some important saves. For me though it has to be Lucas Ness. He has come into the side recently due to injuries to Platt and McDonald under a lot of pressure and done really well. For me he has been close to mom on a few occasions already, so today it’s a well deserved award!

Ness decisively turned the game in our favour with his two goals and generally played well, although I think he switched off for Newport’s goal. Norburn and Iorpenda were their consistent selves too. Kouhyar was industrious and hard working, but didn’t have the beating of his man the same way as Bennetts did on the other side.

Because I was only watching on the TV I didn’t see anything but I do remember feeling very nervous when there was mini-brawl, with a Salford CB on the floor, all seemingly aimed towards Jatta. He’s accepted the ban, without a challenge, so it’s pretty obvious he’s done something he shouldn’t. I’m almost certain the Salford CBs will have wound him up all match, alongside the usual grabbing and stepping on toes because that’s what a lot do. He’s got to not let it get to him though, or failing that be as sly as them. I’m not enjoying this period of a different player getting banned each week, it’s like we are try to self-sabotage our promotion chances.

Not to fill you all with dread but our record against Karl Robinson (well his MK and Salford sides) is absolutely awful. We’ve faced off 14 times, in our first match back in 2010 we won 2-0, but ever since then it’s been 2 draws & 11 losses! It’s like he took that first loss personally and vowed to never lose again. We have been totally done by Salford since he joined them; 4 matches, 4 losses and last season in particular we had two dreadful outings against them. I can still see Crowley losing the ball on the edge of our own area when I close my eyes. I hope the technical board have gone into overdrive in preparation for this one, a draw will feel like an almost miraculous result and I’ll take it right now!

Thank you @theAnticlough and @Fan of Big Tone onwards and upwards from now on. What a beautiful morning especially as Mrs P has appointed me head stable boy 🙃 happy days.

Congratulations @Fan of Big Tone and Mrs T,what a fantastic achievement for you both. No mean feat 100,000 steps you should really be proud of yourselves and in only 30 days. Well done. 🥳

I'd say the odds are still slightly against us, but it's been a fantastic weekend for us. It's all in our hands - win the last six and we're promoted. In reality, I doubt we'll win all our remaining games. Cambridge and Salford away are massive games and both will be a tall order as we're away from home. But what a boost this weekend has given us!

I agree, I think we definitely need to beat at least one of Salford or Cambridge or at least get 2 draws. If we lose both I think then we'd have to win the other 4 matches and rely on other teams to do us a favour. It’s funny how last season all the top 7 teams had a great chance of finishing top 3, but everyone apart from Doncaster and Port Vale had shocking form and basically blew the chance of going up automatically. At this stage last season after 40 matches played with the points we’ve got we’d have been top! This season it’s the complete opposite, no-one has really dropped off, there's a couple of losses here and there but nothing drastic. We could end up with the number of points Doncaster achieved last season and not go up automatically.

Good day all round for Notts. Great stuff. Salford took MK Dongs apart tho’, how Gilbey stayed on the pitch was, as always, a mystery. He’s an absolute animal, a disgrace to professional football in my view. He makes Hunter, Harris, Bremner and Mackay look like snowflakes. Crude, aggressive and plain dirty - just a cheat really. They did get 1 red, rightly so. Salford will be a tough gig on Fri, we need to up from the start. They attack and strong. Dongs made Graydon look like Salah at his best tho’.

I think had we lost 3-0 with 11 players on the pitch I’d be more concerned. Their wasn't much between the sides first half, both teams had good spells. For me we clearly tried to make positive changes at half-time by bringing on Ndluvo, but we didn't get to see if it worked because after 2 minutes we were suddenly one midfielder short and had an excess of forwards. In hindsight we should’ve subbed off Norburn at half-time, of course it’s very easy to say all this after and it doesn’t help we basically only have 3 natural CM’s now and all of them were already playing! Maybe in future matches if Norburn is on a yellow he will be subbed off because he can’t be trusted to not do something stupid. The biggest issue for me was how both goals came from our set-pieces. Are we committing too many players forward? Do we need to leave another player back? Maybe against teams like Oldham we do because if we stop their counter attacks, we make them a lot less dangerous…

Although I voted for Tom Iorpenda, Matt Palmer was also very good. I think Palmer and Norburn work well together with Iorpenda higher up the pitch where he does his best work. I just hope Rod McDonald's injury isn't serious or we could be in trouble for defensive cover.

I'd much rather focus on our 5 goals and attacking play.... but about the 2 conceded The first is such a mess involving so many players that it'd take all day to work out. The second though, we were in pretty good shape as the move developed down their right. Macari as RCB is right to slide over and Tsaroulla is there at RWB as he should be. At that point we had a comfortable 3 v 2 at the back stick. Their late movement is clever though. Should Tsaroulla have passed on his player to Macari? Probably, but when he last saw Hutchinson it might have seemed Grant was with him. That flick of Grant's left arm to say 'here, you have him' isn't good enough really. If you read that situation correctly you keep with the man you're tracking. Ultimately though, if we have a back line of 5 including WBs, there's no way the far end of that line, Tsaroulla in this case, should be that far over. I'd imagine there's a zonal principle there. Just guessing, but maybe 2 communication issues there....Tsaroulla to Macari saying he's yours and Grant screaming 'player' if he's going to stop tracking him as he enters the box

The reality was that we were sloppy for both of their goals. They both came down our left flank, where Jones doesn’t provide any cover or support for Bedeau. Theax marking and awareness were shocking for the first and beyond credibility for the second. Other than that, we fought and battled well again, tge balance and shape was generally good but a bit wobbly at times. We engineered great opportunities but either moving the ball quickly or having people prepared to take on opponents. It was Jones, Tangen and Grant in the first half and more of Iorpenda, Bennetts & Hall in the second. If you are clinical in front of goal, you win matches. We scored from 5 well worked and cleverly constructed chances today. 2 of those goals were simply spectacular, the fifth was a superbly created and neatly finished. The other 2 were well earned on the back of a solid team effort. The lack of marking aside, this was a very impressive display from a squad that has developed the art of winning whatever the line up. To be missing the likes of Robbo, Platt, Dennis & Ndlovu yet scoring 9 goals in 2 games at this stage of the season is encouraging, to say the least. The introduction of Norburn and Bennetts was the critical factor today. Jones was running out of gas and ideas and we freed up Iorpenda to play further forwards - he created havoc. Best I’ve seen of Bennetts, he’s improved over the season for my money. He was unplayable today. He’s better defensively and far more robust than Jones - so, if he can go round defenders & cross like he did today then he becomes a viable option as a starter as well as a sub.

Lots of good performances today, including the subs that came on, but I thought that the Player above them all today was Tom Iorpenda. Notts have been blessed with getting two brilliant loanees in successive seasons, Abbott & Iorpenda who are both going to have great careers, Hall is playing his part too. Luker could also make a big difference when he returns.

For his pure commitment and the sensational 2nd half, it probably should go to Iorpenda - but, as I’ve not always been convinced by Palmer, I’m going for him. Without his influence, I’m not sure we’d have won that game as convincingly tbh. When Norburn came on to play alongside him it freed up Iorpenda to push forward - which he did, with spectacular results. (That’s the best team for me, start with Norburn, Palmer, Grant & Iorpenda - I’d play Bennetts too on today’s form.)

How is Matty Palmer not MoM?! Well, he isn't! Cos that has to go to Tom Iorpenda. I'd say two bold things.... That was the best individual performance of the season so far And, that probably puts him well ahead and clinches POTS as well.

Fantastic news on McDonald - welcome back to one of our best players this season. JJ we expected, but still great to see him on the team sheet. Dennis and Bennetts can consider themselves lucky - hoping for much better from them today

He's only human. He gets no protection whatsoever. He's had several facial injuries, all unpunished. I can only imagine what physical and verbal abuse he gets all match. L2 must be one of the worst leagues in the world to play in - the level of targetted aggression, encouraged by managers, plus the most incompetent, naive refs and zero concern from the EFL. The 'any other workplace' argument doesn't really hold because in no other workplace would you be provoked so much.

After the Friday defeat this news is another massive body blow. Notts need to ensure they qualify for the playoffs Hopefully another six points will be enough, to claim a playoff place.

Congratulations on your achievement @Fan of Big Tone! But surely one Steps was more than enough?

The results: Blackpool 1-0 Burton Albion Exeter City 0-0 Leyton Orient Bristol Rovers 2-0 Accrington Stanley Crewe Alexandra 2-1 Oldham Athletic Newport County 1-0 Shrewsbury Town Gateshead 2-1 Yeovil Town Halifax Town 1-2 Scunthorpe United Morecambe 0-2 Aldershot And the winner is meeeee! Followed by @Dan making up for lost time and @theAnticlough. Congrats! Our leaderboard makes interesting reading this week - @william1984 is now just three points ahead of @magpiejue, and @super_ram has also moved within shooting distance. The race for the Balint Bajner Memorial Trophy is far from over. The Good Friday fixtures will magically appear here on Tuesday night. Until then, feel free to post congratulations, recriminations, accusations and commiserations here. Thanks for playing everyone!

It just proves what a change just one week can do in football. Notts earned a vital three points today, but in reality it was like a six pointer. All our main rivals losing within a few minutes of each other puts an entirely different complection on things at the top of league 2. There's all to play for as far as Notts is concerned. Their destiny is right back in their hands. Six games to go. Six wins for Notts and they are promoted no matter what the others do. That sounds simple, but there's going to be more twists and turns before everything comes to a conclusion. But hope now abounds.

The blessing here is Norburn's 2 match suspension and the chance to play to our strengths now It'll force MP, maybe against his instincts but more in line with the club, to play a team based on pass and move, and creative, skillful, attacking play. There's no option now but Palmer and Iorpenda, which is the best midfield pairing anyway.

Ndlovu on. Bennetts should be on asap, Norburn is a risk the longer it goes…….. Tangen could well make ab appearance, or maybe Luker?