Notts County twice battle back against Scarborough Athletic to secure their first win...
Notts County twice came from behind against Scarborough Athletic to secure their first win of pre-season. A Joss Labadie brace and an Alan Judge wonder-strike provided the goals for the Magpies in a goals-packed second half.
Although the hosts saw little of the play in the opening 45, they were able to go into the interval a goal to the good. This came on 42 minutes, when Oliver Ryan fired into the bottom-left corner from the penalty spot after a handball by Alan Sheehan.
Notts could have netted on multiple occasions prior to the opener, even as early as the fourth minute. Seadogs stopper Kevin Martin dithered in possession, allowing Yoann Arquin to pounce, only the striker's first attempt was superbly blocked by the recovering Martin and the following rebounds were eventually snuffed out by the retreating defenders.
Alan Sheehan later came close with a powerful hit from just outside the box, which narrowly cleared the crossbar. Alan Judge also tried his luck from distance, first curling inches wide and then firing over, following a delightful long pass by Arquin.
Three changes were made at the interval, with Jeff Hughes, Hamza Bencherif and trialist Enzo Fuentes replacing Neal Bishop, Alan Sheehan and Dean Leacock. Labadie had already been introduced on 30 minutes at the expense of Jamal Campbell-Ryce- a pre-determined switch that gave Campbell-Ryce a run-out after his recovery from a calf issue.
Labadie equalised for County on 54, capitalising on a defensive error. The energetic midfielder proceeded inside from the right flank to place confidently inside the goalkeeper's near post.
Judge continued to threaten from range with two further efforts and Arquin struck over following a knockdown by Enoch Showunmi, who had replaced Gavin Mahon. Unlike Notts, Scarborough were able to find the net again, with James Bennett rounding off a fast-paced attack with a looped finish over replacement goalkeeper Fabian Spiess.
Showunmi almost hit back immediately when he connected with Arquin's near-post centre, forcing Martin into a reaction save. However, there was nothing Martin could do to keep out Judge's 80th-minute strike that flew into the top-right corner from outside the box.
Four minutes from time, Labadie completed the scoring by curling into the bottom-right corner inside a crowded area. The goal rounded off another worthwhile 90 minutes for the Magpies ahead of the Spanish training camp and provided the travelling fans with the satisfaction of a victory for their team.
Starting Line-up: Bialkowski, Regan, Smith, Leacock, Sheehan, Mahon, Liddle, Bishop, Campbell-Ryce, Arquin, Judge.