It was clear that the pressure was on Notts, not Chesterfield. They seemed more mentally prepared to just push us back, chase everything and just make it very difficult to play. It was frustrating to see the referee quickly make the penalty call. I didn't fully understand why earlier the in-direct free kick had been given but from speaking to other fans it made sense. I do still feel the penalty was harsh, but I need to review the highlights.
It was a wreckless way to dive into the situation, it was given for the way he slides into Dallas, but he made the save.
Their players are nothing more than wind-up merchants, which was delightful to see how things played out and how their antics didn't prevail in any meaningful way.
I tried to sing my heart out throughout the game, I tried to encourage fans via our Facebook group to believe. Our support needed to be a lot more vocal, it's something we must learn helps during those tense times when the nerves are set in with the players. It helps massively.
I want to make it clear, I don't think Notts played that bad. It's interesting how some fans tend to dwell on the challenging moments of a match. However, it's worth highlighting that there were moments where we displayed excellent ball movement. Admittedly, the first half could have been more polished. But things picked up in the second half, with Notts taking charge and effectively controlling the ball.
That said, I feel Chesterfield were the better team on the day; the shoot-out saw a role reversal with the nerves clearly moving to them.
Both of our goals were mistakes by Ross Fitzsimons, after he tried to wind up the KOP in the league game earlier in the season against Chesterfield I have lost all respect for him. I am glad we've gone up at his expense because he's largely to blame for the reason we went down. He's not a very good keeper. I have no idea why teams like Chesterfield believe he's good enough to be their number one. I'm not trying to be overly critical of Ross, I just find him to be very prone to making mistakes.
When his confidence dips, it's gone, and it went the moment Notts first equalised. By the time we were taking penalties, he looked like he was trying to hold something in.
Matt Palmer was very good at moving forward and picking the ball up, him and John Bostock played well. Although, Bostock was a bit poor on the ball at times but generally made it up by bossing the Chesterfield players around.
Aaron Nemane was class, by far the best player on the pitch and deserved any shouts for the Man of the Match from the Notts perspective.
Jodi Jones coming on, he again made a massive difference. He clicked and switched sides as if he had started, never missing a beat and handled how the Chesterfield players would go in hard on him.
What a comeback! We have that fighting spirit that enables us to get into the matches that we just need to learn to handle from the beginning.
During the interview with Luke Williams, Nick Richardson pointed out that there were two particular performances that were vastly different from Notts County's usual standard. It's not uncommon in big games, although we have been class all season. The same problem arose against Wrexham, so there's something we need to do in regard to handling pressure.
Still, it's great to see the determination and scenes. The win and promotion is massive, Luke Wiliams is a tactical genius and Achie Mair, what a keeper when the pressure is high!