Notts 1 Accrington Stanley 0

Chants of “We’re staying up” rang around Meadow Lane at the final whistle as Notts County claimed a vital 1-0 victory and moved five points clear of the drop zone.

The Magpies merited the three points, particularly on their first-half performance, and they were cheered on by a buoyant Notts crowd, emanating from The Kop.

The idea to move Notts fans behind the goal, previously claimed by the travelling contingent, was well received by Ian McParland, and it undoubtedly generated an atmosphere for the home side to thrive on.

“I thought they were fantastic today,” McParland commented. “They stuck with us, and we got a bit edgy because of the position we are in, but the fans kept going and the noise was fantastic coming out of The Kop”.

The inclusion of Myles Weston on the left side of the midfield four provided Notts with a cutting edge, and the youngster’s pace was too hot to handle for the Accrington defence. Jason Lee almost profited from Weston’s mazy run and pass, but the veteran striker shot straight at Accrington keeper Kenny Arthur.

County continued to ask the questions, with the away side content on getting men behind the ball and breaking on the counter-attack when the opportunity arose. However despite Notts possession, their Achilles heel, of scoring when on top of the opposition, seemed to be rearing it’s ugly head once again.

That was until the 36th minute, when striker Ryan Jarvis drilled home to give Notts a deserved lead. A deep ball in to the box fell at the front man’s feet, and after his initial effort was blocked, he made no mistake with the second bite of the cherry, shooting into the bottom left hand corner.

The goal, Jarvis’s first since February, was richly deserved after his hard-working performances in recent weeks, and it helped to steady the nerves of the home fans.

The second period saw Stanley come out the blocks quicker than the Magpies, in eager pursuit of an equaliser. Shaun Whalley should have done better with his effort, which flew high and wide following Paul Mullin’s measured flick-on.

The tempo, which had dictated County’s earlier play, seemed to be on the wane, and in an effort to ignite the spark once more, the Notts boss introduced Lawrie Dudfield in place of the quiet Danny Crow. It almost proved to be an inspired substitution, with Dudfield beating his marker before firing a fierce shot at the Stanley keeper.

At the other end, the visitors nearly grabbed an equaliser through Whalley, as the pendulum swung once more. He beat two County defenders before firing marginally wide of Russell Hoult’s goal. Stanley’s attacking approach opened up the game and it started to become a real end-to-end encounter.

Weston’s pace again blighted the Accrington back four, and Phillip Edwards was lucky to stay on the pitch after recklessly hauling the winger down. Referee Mr Boyeson only brandished a yellow, but it could have been worse had Edwards been adjudged to be the last man.

McParland was quick to praise the youngster after his performance. “Myles has got ability he just has to realise that. He’s 20 now, I’m hoping in the next six months he’s going to fully develop.”

Notts had to hang on towards the end as the visitors threw everything they had at them, but not for the first time this season, the County defence were resolute and remained solid in weathering the Stanley storm.