Notts County cruise into League One with emphatic win over Salford

The final match of the English domestic season saw football’s oldest professional club continue a clamber back up the divisions. Alassana Jatta’s injection of higher echelon quality for the opening goal began a County stroll in baking Wembley sunshine as Salford melted away. Following Lucas Ness’s towering header, Jodi Jones’s second-half goal confirmed County’s promotion to League One.

Salford, club of the Class of 92, facing Notts County was celebrity versus tradition. Not that Salford lack football heritage within their ownership, nowadays Gary Neville and Sir David Beckham, with further former Manchester United notables lending a hand. Beckham, furthering the A-lister trend of soccer ownership by co-owning two, was in the posh seats, along from Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt.

Not that County eschew modernity, their Danish owners are leading lights in data analytics. Having spent four years in non-league until 2023, County’s is a redemption arc for a top-division club in 1991-2, relegated the season before the Premier League year zero.

County, coached by Martin Paterson, former assistant at Beckham’s Inter Miami, set about their task at quite a lick, Jones, their impressive, buzzy Maltese No 10, at the heart of neat possession play. In temperatures approaching 36 degrees, Karl Robinson, the lower league specialist hired in 2024 to rescue the Salford project, suffered as his team sweated cobs in chasing shadows. Those travelling south from Nottingham shared their disapproval of Neville and Salford’s low turnout; Wembley’s South Stand was three-quarters empty, Salford fans numbering about 5,000 of an overall 30,851.

Salford’s approach was direct, former Everton full-back Luke Garbutt’s left foot diagonals for Daniel Udoh, the striker, as the key weapon. Pushing forward at a set piece left the back door open. Garbutt’s disappointing corner fell straight into the arms of James Belshaw, the County keeper, and within moments, Jones’s curving pass – a beauty – had found Jatta. The striker’s pace burned him beyond Brandon Cooper and Adebola Oluwo. The finish was firm, though the Salford goalkeeper, Matt Young, will have his regrets.

Lucas Ness of Notts County scores their side’s second goal of the game Photograph: Ian Tuttle/Shutterstock

Finishing the regular season a point and a place above County, Salford would have gone up automatically had they won at Crawley on the final day. They also beat County home and away and yet Wembley proved different. Haji Mnoga’s hefty challenge on Jones might well have been a red card with a video assistant referee on duty before yellow was instead awarded. Punishment enough swiftly arrived when Ness rose highest to win an aerial battle started by Rod McDonald’s up and under, for a 2-0 half-time lead. Cue TV pictures of a rictus, camera-aware Beckham.

Did defending under piercingly bright sun play its part in Salford’s downfall? From the second half whistle, County successfully squeezed play into the shaded section of Wembley turf, still slicker in possession as Salford’s desperation began to evidence itself. Another wild Mnoga challenge saw him fortunate to escape a red card. Robinson made reinforcements on the hour, including Fabio Borini, once of Liverpool, Chelsea, Roma and Milan but raising their game in conditions rather different to those found in rainy Kersal proved beyond Salford.

Conor Grant, a second-half arrival, supplied the clincher, blazing to the byline, his cutback evading Salford defenders for Jones to provide a cool finish followed by a maniacal celebration on the advertising hoardings. Celebration time for Magpies fans. In their cushioned seats, Neville’s and Beckham’s faces wore the cruelty of the playoffs and the innate difficulties of lower division football. League One is the boundary their pet project has yet to cross. It welcomes back Notts County.