Goalkeeper James Belshaw helped Notts County reach the League Two play-off final in London by making a tie-defining save against Chesterfield in the semi-final second leg at Meadow Lane. The match ended goalless, giving Notts County a 1-0 aggregate win. Supporters celebrated by spilling onto the pitch after the result. Belshaw ran toward his father, Paul, who has been a long-time season ticket holder and watched from the Kop stand. Belshaw has supported the club since childhood, including Wembley trips as a fan and earlier defeats and victories. He now has the chance to play for his boyhood club at the national stadium.
"The goalkeeper played an instrumental role in getting the Magpies to the League Two play-off final in London on Monday, 25 May by pulling off a tie-defining save to deny Chesterfield's Dilan Markanday in Friday night's semi-final second leg at Meadow Lane. Notts held on for a goalless draw on the night to progress with a 1-0 aggregate win that prompted home supporters to spill out on to the pitch in celebration."
"Belshaw picked his way through the hoard of euphoric fans while punching the air in triumph as he galloped toward the Kop stand where his father and long-time season ticket holder, Paul, was watching. "I ran up towards him, I couldn't really see him - I just started and went a bit mad as the emotions kind of took over," Belshaw told BBC Sport. "It was very surreal and I'm very honoured to be a small part in this journey.""
"From a young age, Belshaw sat in that towering stand at Meadow Lane as a supporter. For years he followed the club home and away - which included travelling to Wembley as a five-year-old with family to watch the Magpies beat Ascoli to win the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1995, then lose to Bradford in the third-tier play-off a year later. He was also there in 2023 as a supporter when Notts County reclaimed their mantle of the oldest Football League club in the world when they beat Chesterfield on penalties in the National League promotion final."
"Three years earlier he had also been at Wembley for the same showpiece event - the major difference that time being that he was in goal for Harrogate Town as the Yorkshire side beat his beloved Magpies in the behind-closed-doors decider during the Covid pandemic. "That was a tough one," he said. "Everyone knows what this club means to me, but unfortunately as a footballe"
Read at www.bbc.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]