Notts County solidified their bid to end a painful three-year spell in the National League with an overwhelming 4-0 home win over play-off hopefuls Southend on Tuesday night.
It’s safe to say Notts are enjoying their football since it’s almost impossible to find an English side in football today that is able to match their current outrageous spell of form.
Macaulay Langstaff and Sam Austin stole the spotlight at Meadow Lane in midweek, netting on either side of half-time to inspire the Magpies’ seventh consecutive league victory.
Branded as ‘non-league Erling Haaland,’ the 26-year-old Langstaff has been on a tear this season, becoming the first Notts player to hit a 30-goal scoring landmark with a hat-trick in a 4-1 demolition of Yeovil last week.
His phenomenal scoring exploits earned him plaudits from manager Luke Williams in the build-up to Tuesday’s thumping victory over Southend.
“He’s just brilliant,” the Notts manager told BBC.
“We are lucky today because he showed his real quality.
“It’s pretty impressive, and he deserves it because he has scored every type of goal.”
The Athletic recently looked back at a ‘relentless’ battle for promotion, showing Williams’ charges cannot rest on their laurels despite boasting a five-point lead at the summit.
Second-placed Wrexham may be lagging five points behind, but with two games in hand, the Red Dragons are hot on Notts’ heels, with both sides seemingly on course to achieving a 100-point milestone.
Notts will have a few days to rest and prepare for Dagenham & Redbridge‘s visit to Meadow Lane on Saturday.
That’s a match they must win as fellow top-place rivals Wrexham are widely expected to ease past relegation-battling Dorking at home.
Match Preview
Notts County
To better understand the optimism in the Notts’ camp, you’d have to go back to mid-September, as it was the last time they lost a league match, going down 3-1 at Dorking.
Not only have the Magpies since won 20 of their subsequent 25 league outings (D5), but that also remains their only slip-up in England’s fifth tier this term (W25, D8).
Head coach Williams knows in-depth about building a fortress, as witnessed by Notts’ incredible 100% unbeaten ratio at Meadow Lane this season (W12, D4), accompanied by a league-low seven goals conceded.
Dagenham & Redbridge
It’s been ‘all or nothing’ for Dag & Red since a 1-1 draw at Bromley in late January, with the Daggers registering two wins and five defeats in their last seven league games.
Therefore, it’s no wonder the odds are firmly stacked against Daryl McMahon’s side here, especially since they’ve encountered no luck on their recent league travels, losing all three away fixtures in February.
Dag & Red’s recent record at Notts doesn’t make for pretty reading either, with their last four league visits to Meadow Lane yielding defeats, all of which saw them concede multiple goals.
Notts County Potential Line-up
(4-4-2): Sam Slocombe; Aden Baldwin, Connell Rawlinson, Kyle Cameron, Adam Chickens; Sam Austin, Matt Palmer, Jodi Jones, John Bostock; Macaulay Langstaff, Ruben Rodrigues.
Prediction
Saturday’s game is a definition of the phrase ‘walk in the park’ in its strictest sense, with Notts currently miles ahead of their visitors in terms of both form and confidence.
Another multi-goal margin triumph is well on the cards for the high-flying Magpies.
Notts County 3-1 Dag & Red
