Notts County Reserves 2 PNE Reserves 1: Last-gasp goal spells sorrow for PNE but joy for Magpies
PNE Reserves fielded a very young side for the visit of Notts County in a Central League game which was switched to Springfields, meaning that in theory the visitors were the ‘home’ side.
Due to various circumstances, coach Ryan Taylor was forced to make nine changes from the team which had thrashed Chesterfield 5-0 in their last Central League outing at this venue two weeks ago.
The absentees included Kacper Pasiek and Kaeydn Kamar,a who both scored twice in that win but are now unavailable due to being out on loan at Macclesfield and Ross County.
Also with young professional Theo Carroll having joined up with former North End 2008 Scholar of the Year Adam Barton at Curzon Ashton, it meant third-year scholar Harry Stringfellow – PNE's most senior player – captained the side.
North End's first chance of the game came just inside the 10-minute mark. Centre-forward Michael Ayodele caught County out playing from the back but after he had pounced on a loose back pass on the edge of the area, the grounded County keeper Milai Perrot recovered to smother his shot.
The Magpies went into the interval with a one-goal advantage after taking the lead in the 31st minute.
The goal came after they broke quickly on the counter attack when straight from a PNE corner the ball dropped favourably into the path of Kameron Muir.
Muir was able to run at the stretched defence and carry the ball past the halfway line before playing it through for Harrison Hazzard, who then cooly slotted home to the side of advancing keeper Brandon Milne.
In the opening stages of the second half both teams went on the front foot searching for goals.
Left-back Muhammad Hagi did well in blocking the ball from after a dangerous cross had fallen kindly for Hazzard.
Then at the other end, a good run from Ayodele ended up with him winning a corner .
From the resulting flag-kick, Harry Gerrard – with the aid of a strong wind – was able to send a perfectly-flighted in-swinging corner sailing over the head of Perrot into the top corner of the net to give his side a 56th-minute equaliser.
In the last half-hour the result could have gone either way as the highly entertaining game ebbed and flowed at both ends.
North End's best chance came when substitute, Newcastle born trialist Seb Swan who has spent time in the academies of Sunderland, Newcastle and Cardiff, shot from the edge of the area.
Unfortunately for the 16 year old, after the ball was knocked down for him by fellow substitute Sonto Ifueze, his dipping, goalbound shot was tipped over the bar by Perrot.
The game was to end in joy for the Magpies and sorrow for North End, when County notched a late goal with almost the last kick of the game deep into injury time.
The goal came moments after Ifueze was unable to finish off a well-worked North End move, sending his header wide of the target.
County then went upfield, grabbing the winner when Ashton Shaw drilled in a fierce low cross from the left wing which was fired past a helpless Milne into the net by Alfie Goodwin to cue scenes of delirium at the corner flag from the delighted County players.
PRESTON: Milne, Jackson, Haji, Stringfellow, Blake, Brindle, Noonan, Gerrard, Ayodele, Nickson, Forwood. Subs: Green, Swan, Ifueze, Swift.