Notts County Face Chesterfield in Play-off Decider

Notts County will face Chesterfield at Meadow Lane on Friday evening in the League Two Play-off second leg.

The Magpies have a 1-0 lead after Sunday’s first leg at the SMH Group Stadium.

Luker’s Goal Gives Notts County the Edge

Jayden Luker scored the winning goal in the first half of the first leg, finishing off Tom Iorpenda’s low cross.

The Luton Town loanee has featured 15 times in all competitions for Notts County this season, scoring four and assisting three.

All three of Luker’s assists came in one game, a 4-0 win against Crawley Town in September.

Chesterfield Aim to Reverse the Deficit at Meadow Lane

Chesterfield missed out on extending their unbeaten run to nine games in the first leg but will be looking to return to winning ways and turn around the deficit.

The visit to Meadow Lane earlier this season finished 3-2 to the Spireites in an action-packed affair, as Armando Dobra, Tom Naylor and Liam Mandeville all got on the scoresheet.

Paul Cook has faced Notts County on 16 occasions in his managerial career, winning seven, drawing four and losing five.

Cook is unbeaten in four visits to Meadow Lane since returning to Chesterfield, winning the most recent two fixtures.

“Sunday’s game was probably a disappointment in relation to the actual game. Obviously, we’ve missed a penalty which hasn’t helped, but the game was a little bit of a non-event really.

“We’ll go there to win the game, as we’ll always do. And for us, we’ve been there before, and we’ve won there before. Like I always say, the best indicator of the future is the past. If we’ve scored goals there, we can score again.”

Officials Named for Second Leg

Thomas Parsons will take charge of this play-off second leg, assisted by Danny Guest, Matthew Jones and fourth official, Ollie Yates.

Parsons has previously officiated the Spireites’ 3-3 draw with Accrington Stanley at the SMH Group Stadium this season, in which he awarded Chesterfield a late penalty.

Last season, Parsons was the referee for two Spireites wins. The first was a 3-0 win away at Newport, and the second was away at Accrington Stanley, which secured Chesterfield’s play-off position.

Cook stated, “I’m just looking forward to the game. Football will always come down to players, without a shadow of a doubt. Tactics are important, but the big moments in the game will be decided by players, and both teams have good players.”

Notts County won their first game at the SMH Group Stadium since 2023 in the National League.

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