Notts County take on Harrogate Town in the National League Play-Off final for a place in League Two today (August 2).
The Magpies hope to achieve an immediate return to the Football League after their relegation from the fourth tier last season.
Neal Ardley’s side made it to the final after beating Barnet 2-0 at Meadow Lane last Sunday.
Goals from Kristian Dennis and Cal Roberts were enough to send Notts to Wembley and keep the promotion dream alive.
County were victorious when the two sides last met in August – their only meeting this season with their March meeting at Meadow Lane cancelled due to coronavirus.
The Magpies left Yorkshire with the three points from a 2-0 result that flattered the visitors.
The Yorkshire side were unfortunate to lose and Ardley believes the result then will have no impact on Sunday’s fixture.
“I think it’s irrelevant [the result].” he told Platform. “I think it is a game that, when you look back at it, Harrogate will wonder how they didn’t win it.
“They missed a penalty and had a man sent off, both teams could have scored three goals in the first half.
“They could have scored another three in the second half but didn’t and we knicked one.
“It was just an end-to-end, 100mph game.
“We weren’t the same team then as we are now: we didn’t have the same patterns, same style of play.
“We were still trying to find our feet and get fit. I think they’ve got more players and better players into their squad so they’ve got more rhythm as well.
“It’s at Wembley now, not on a plastic pitch, and it [the game] was almost a year ago.”
County take on Harrogate Town – who beat Boreham Wood 1-0 in their semi-final – at Wembley with a 15:00 kick-off.
Follow live updates as Notts County target an immediate return to the Football League.
By Matt Lee
Main Photo: Pixabay