Notts County will have Coventry City regret as play-off memory filters back | OneFootball

The last time Notts were in the League Two play-offs, they were beaten by Coventry, in a tie that will have left them with plenty of regrets.

Notts County’s last League Two play-off memory is one which will surely still be tinged with regret at Meadow Lane.

Back in 2018, the Magpies were knocked out of the fourth tier play-offs by Coventry City, in a semi-final tie that was full of big moments and controversy.

Following a 1-1 draw in the first leg, the tie was set up for Notts to seal victory at Meadow Lane. However, the Sky Blues tore up the script and booked their place at Wembley with a commanding 4-1 win away from home.

It was a gut-wrenching end to what had been an excellent season for the world’s oldest Football League club, and the fact that several key moments of the tie had gone against them left a bitter taste for the following summer.

Notts will have huge regrets over the way the tie turned out

Despite expectations for them being fairly low before a ball was kicked, the 2017/18 campaign proved to be a fruitful one for Notts.

Having been threatened by relegation out of the Football League in the season prior, it was a pleasant surprise for the club to be challenging for automatic promotion for much of the season.

However, after Nottingham Forest loanee Ryan Yates was recalled in January, the Magpies began to falter as the campaign neared its close.

Nevertheless, Kevin Nolan’s men finished the campaign in fifth, handing themselves the opportunity to seal promotion through the play-offs instead.

They were met by Mark Robins’ Coventry, who were playing in the fourth tier for the first time since 1959. The Sky Blues finished just two points below Notts and, with the league clashes providing one win apiece, there was very little to split the two sides heading into the semi-final tie.

Jonathan Forte broke the deadlock for Notts midway through the first leg, netting a delightful flick in what were monsoon-like conditions at the Ricoh Arena.

Backed by a huge travelling support and defending resolutely, Nolan’s side looked set to take a slender advantage back to Nottingham for the second leg. That was until Marc McNulty converted a controversial spot kick just three minutes from time, restoring parity in the tie.

The fact that Notts conceded so late on handed all the momentum to Coventry, and that proved to be telling in the second leg.

Goals from Maxime Biamou and McNulty had the visitors 2-0 up, before Jorge Grant halved the deficit on the stroke of half-time.

Forte then had a goal ruled out for offside, despite replays suggesting he was marginally onside. From there, the visitors took charge, and late strikes from Biamou and Tom Bayliss booked their place in the final.

Notts were left to wonder what could have been, knowing that they had been found wanting in the key stages of the tie.

The clubs have had contrasting fortunes since then

Robins’ side went on to claim promotion with a victory over Exeter City at Wembley, and, since then, there has been a stark contrast in the fortunes of the two clubs.

The Sky Blues have gone from strength-to-strength, taking just one season to reacclimatise to League One, before they were promoted to the second tier as champions in 2019/20.

Since then, they have gradually built to the point where they are now a club capable of challenging for a return to the top-flight. They have experienced both play-off final and FA Cup semi-final heartbreak, but now find themselves with another shot at securing promotion to the Premier League.

For Notts, meanwhile, the last few years could not have been more different.

Stung by the nature of their play-off defeat, the Magpies spent big the following summer, putting significant pressure on themselves in the process.

What followed was a disastrous campaign that ended with relegation into non-league for the first time in their history.

They are now finally heading back in the right direction, having spent four years in the National League and, while things are looking up for the club at present, that regret will surely still remain.