Where to start! Fantastic win for the Shots, obviously, but it’s been a long time since I felt that I had a hangover in the first half. The other thing to note was that when you are in middle age, all that singing and bouncing around and charging at the fence does take it’s toll – couldn’t believe how out of breath I was!

Decent crowd too, our best of the season against arguably the biggest club in our division who for some reason looked a bit out of sorts and were without a cutting edge. 345 travelling fans, well Yeovil were a lot louder and you hardly heard County’s fans until at 1-1 they piped up with “it’s all gone quiet over there” at which young Alfy Whittingham almost immediately restored our lead and… well, perfect timing and they soon shut back up again.

 

 

 

Second half I did my usual and went and sat in the south stand. A few early scrapes just after the interval but I thought our players chased and fought for everything today in a team totally unrecognisable from Dagenham.

Just my opinion but dropping KLF I thought was right and Kinsella was clearly a huge miss from last week. Then starting Whittingham was something a few others like me had been calling for.

So County won the first corner on four minutes and two minutes later, we won our forst corner kick after good work by Chislett. No real sign of the larger than usual attendance at 2.30pm but the home end soon racked up and the place was buzzing.

We took the lead with a looping header from Mo Betts with the cross supplied by Jack Powell, Mo’s header going into the top corner over Sam Slocombe – Mum wouldn’t have been best pleased and I’m sure she would have been unanimous in that… actually there is a resemblance isn’t there?!

It wasn’t expected I suspect by anyone that we might take the lead in this game – an away banker on a football coupon if ever there was one and we knew that the visitors had plenty of firepower as they showed that lot up the road a few weeks back when they ripped them to shreds.

And on the balance of play, they probably merited the equaliser except that when it came it was such a flukey affair, Doyle’s shot on the half-volley defelcted by Wootton past a helpless Mitch Walker.

Wasn’t expecting us to regain the lead either as previously against higher class opponents we’ve mostly gone on to lose but just before half time, THAT moment, the moment that quietened the visiting fans again came when Alfy mugged Michael Doyle and stuck the ball neatly past Slocombe.

Got just a few second half seconds (ninety or so and you cancount them), mostly soundbytes really, how fantastic must it be to hear your name chanted from the stands…

 

 

 

Maybe County were still smarting after that home humbling by Barrow, who knows, but we took full advantage and this much needed win comes off the back of Danny Searle telling us there would be a reaction after Dagenham.

It’s such knife-edge stuff on the ShotsWeb forum too, we’ve had a thread of a petition for the boss to go, maybe this performance will not just silence the doubters but also galvanise our players for Tuesday and beyond because WE KNOW that we’re not a bad side and what did people expect from a team thrown together anyway? Maybe it all is starting to gel although with Yeovil around the corner, best not to get too carried away.

It’s such a great feeling to have that winning feeling again, I love it! Well done to the players and all our amazing fans who returned to The Rec in good numbers today!

Here’s Jake Williams’ vlog on today…

Before the game, Notts County were in inth position and just outside the play-off position and the Shots just hovering above the relegation zone. We are only fifteen points from the top of the table now! What else happened in the National League today?

Well, just four of the 12 sides in the top-half of the division managed to win their games today. One of those sides was Woking who played out a five-goal thriller in front of the BT cameras at York Road.

Moussa Diarra, Jamar Loza and Jake Hyde did the business for the Cards despite Maidenhead substitute Danny Whitehall doing his best to change the outcome.

Harrogate made it five straight home wins after coming from behind against Chesterfield – Ryan Fallowfield hit the winner either side of goals from Josh Falkingham and Jack Muldoon.

A stunner from Barrow‘s John Rooney was deservedly the difference between the leaders and Barnet who grabbed a late consolation through Jack Taylor.

Not to outdone, Bromley kept the pressure on the top with a win at Sutton United courtesy of goals from debutante Ben Williamson and Michael Cheek.

Solihull Moors and FC Halifax were both held to draws against Dover and Eastleigh respectively.

Chorley pulled themselves within a point of safety with a fine Marcus Carver-inspired win over Torquay.

Dave Challinor saw his new Hartlepool United side come back from two goals down against Boreham Wood.

Sorba Thomas and Kabongo Tshimanga had the Wood looking comfortable but Nicky Featherstone and Gime Toure had other ideas.

Sam Walker struck deep into stoppage time to rescue a point for Stockport County who had trailed against Ebbsfleet United at Edgeley Park.

Yeovil led twice against Wrexham as Rhys Murphy bagged a hat-trick.

But the Dragons showed their fighting side with goals from Akil Wright, Paul Rutherford and Bobby Grant.