Chesterfield 2-2 Notts County (4-3 on penalties): Magpies seal promotion in shootout

Ruben Rodrigues sent the last to a shootout aft scoring his 19th extremity of the season

Notts County needed a punishment to shootout to reclaim their presumption arsenic 'world's oldest shot league club' arsenic they doubly battled backmost from a extremity down to bushed Chesterfield successful an astonishing National League promotion last astatine Wembley.

Victory for the 161-year-old Magpies, who were laminitis members of the EFL 135 years ago, ended their four-year non-league exile portion decision consigned Chesterfield to a sixth play successful the National League.

Ruben Rodrigues had bounced a volley disconnected the turf and implicit goalkeeper Ross Fitzsimons to level astatine 2-2 successful the 2nd fractional of extra-time to guarantee the showdown would beryllium decided from the spot.

Armando Dobra's curled decorativeness had restored Chesterfield's pb successful the archetypal play of 15 further minutes aft an enthralling crippled ended 1-1 astatine the extremity of mean time.

A calamitous commencement from Notts goalkeeper Slocombe - which had the Magpies defending a uncommon indirect free-kick wrong the container aft conscionable 2 minutes - outgo them dearly arsenic his situation connected Andrew Dallas allowed the striker to enactment Chesterfield up from the spot.

The Spireites had Notts scrambling to enactment successful interaction astatine the interruption arsenic the broadside that won a club-record 35 league games during the regular play struggled to muster a meaningful response.

Sam Austin sent a changeable implicit the barroom from the borderline of the country and Connell Rawlinson wastefully steered a header wide for a much-improved Notts aft the break.

Liam Mandeville squandered a precocious accidental to seal triumph moments earlier Notts seasoned Bostock caught Chesterfield goalkeeper Ross Fitzsimons retired with set-piece that skipped successful astatine the adjacent post.

Dobra edged the Derbyshire nine backmost up 3 infinitesimal aft the restart, and aft Macaulay Langstaff and Rawlinson went adjacent to again restoring parity, it was Rodrigues who ensured the last would beryllium decided from 12 yards.

• Relive the National League promotion last arsenic it happened

After 4 years and 3 failed play-off attempts - including decision by Harrogate successful the 2020 promotion last played down closed doors astatine Wembley during the Covid-19 pandemic - Notts yet secured their EFL instrumentality astatine the extremity of a record-breaking season.

Luke Williams' broadside were pipped for automatic promotion and the rubric by Hollywood-funded Wrexham, who topped the array with an all-time precocious 111 points.

The 107 points the Magpies collected to decorativeness 2nd would person got them consecutive up arsenic champions successful each different play earlier this one.

The club-record wins full and 117 goals successful a run - which included a grounds 25-game unbeaten league tally betwixt September and February - would person counted for thing if they had mislaid astatine the nationalist stadium.

Chesterfield finished 1 spot beneath Notts successful the table, but the spread betwixt the 2 was 23 points.

They were, however, the lone side, different than Wrexham and Notts, to person a spell astatine the apical of the array aboriginal successful the season.

And they pushed Notts to their limits astatine Wembley successful an unthinkable and energy-sapping game.

Goalkeeping calamities and heroics

Chesterfield were presented with a bizarre accidental astir instantly aft kick-off erstwhile they conceded an indirect escaped footwear successful the punishment area.

Notts acceptable their full broadside up a gait successful beforehand of the extremity enactment to artifact Jeff King's effort from the near of the punishment spot, but the uncertain commencement by the Magpies rapidly got worse.

Slocombe raced retired to effort unopen Dallas down connected the borderline of the area, but caught the Spireites guardant arsenic helium tried to assistance the shot beyond the keeper.

Dallas collected himself and went consecutive down the mediate to bushed Slocombe from the spot to enactment the Derbyshire nine up aft 5 chaotic minutes.

Nervy Notts struggled to lucifer frenetic Chesterfield for overmuch of the archetypal half, but Austin had a accidental to level from adjacent scope successful the 17th infinitesimal erstwhile helium leapt and stretched to conscionable a lofted transverse from Aaron Nemane.

Dallas continued to torment Notts backline down the left, calling Slocombe into enactment arsenic the guardant attempted propulsion a unsafe shot backmost crossed goal.

It was not until the the 37th infinitesimal that Notts managed to registry a changeable connected extremity with Nemane sending an effort straight into Ross Fitzsimons' hands.

Austin and Rawlinson were disconnected people successful hunt of a second-half equaliser, lone for Bostock to present with a clever free-kick aft a Slocombe mistake astatine the different extremity astir talented Chesterfield the triumph successful mean time.

Dobra had Chesterfield up again successful extra-time and portion Macaulay Langstaff went adjacent to adding to his National League grounds 42 goals and Rawlinson besides flashed a accidental wide, it was Rodrigues who salvaged Notts' hopes.

On-loan Norwich keeper Mair, successful conscionable his 5th crippled for Notts, played an instrumental relation disconnected the seat with his punishment saves and, aft Bostock made a messiness of his spot-kick to seal it, Scott kept his chill to unafraid victory.

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