JON ROCK STEADY IN VITAL WIN
NOTTS County boss Kevin Nolan is in no doubt about his best piece of business in the January transfer window – keeping hold of Jon Stead.
The striker grabbed a vital double as County moved four points clear of relegation rivals Leyton Orient with victory.
Orient had fought back from 2-0 down with goals by Paul McCallum and Teddy Mezague but Stead’s composed finish with six minutes remaining sealed it for the Magpies.
The 33-year-old was heavily linked with a move to America last month but, after giving Nolan bragging rights over his old club, the manager couldn’t have been happier to retain his talisman.
“When Steady is in the box you can’t give him too many chances and he put his goals away fantastically well,” said Nolan.
“Without a shadow of a doubt, our best bit of [January] business was keeping Jon Stead. He has proven that with his goals.
“You can see he is like a new man since we put that to bed. He’s a fantastic professional, does everything right and having someone of his e xperience is great.
“The mix of youth and experience means this team is in good health. We’ve put to bed that hoodoo of playing away and not putting in a performance.”
Jorge Grant, making his first start since joining on loan from Nottingham Forest, broke the deadlock after 35 minutes, producing a cool finish after a flick-on from Stead evaded two defenders.
Stead doubled County’s lead three minutes into the second half after beating Sam Sargeant to a through ball and bundling it in off the bar.
McCallum’s headed effort immediately afterwards put Orient back in it after Nigel Atangana had hit the bar before Mezague’s emphatic finish into the top corner looked to have given the hosts at least a point.
However, Stead side-footed a finish from the edge of the box on 84 minutes to give the Magpies an invaluable win.
Orient were without captain Liam Kelly following his six-game ban for shoving a ball-boy, and manager Danny Webb is adamant his skipper has been badly treated.
“It seems very excessive, extremely excessive,” said Webb, of the ban.
“A three-game ban, maybe. Did the referee see it? Plymouth certainly did. That’s the most disappointing thing, that a club who holds such high moral standards as Plymouth has the nerve to do that.
“The balance is tilting the other way now, which is always going to be difficult. I’m looking at the bench and they’re all capable players, but it was a very young bench. “If we had that bit more nous maybe we would have got something out of that game.”