Magpies prop up National League after Langstaff’s double for County
Notts County 3, Maidenhead United 0 Maidenhead United are propping up the National League table this week after kicking off their campaign with a 3-0 defeat at Notts County on Saturday afternoon.
The Magpies couldn't have asked for a much tougher start to their sixth season at the top level of non-league football and County – one of the preseason promotion contenders showed them little mercy at Meadow Lane.
Macaulay Langstaff scored twice in the first half, the second coming on the stroke of half-time, and Joel Taylor rubber stamped the home side's victory with a goal just before the hour mark.
The Magpies, who named club captain Alan Massey on the bench and went with a front three of Sam Barratt, Emile Acquah and Koby Arthur had their moments, particularly at the start, but County eventually overwhelmed them.
The visitors might have taken the lead in the second minute, when Barratt
sent over a cross that Acquah got his head to, but Slocombe was able to gather comfortably to relieve the danger.
The home side forced a couple of corner kicks before taking the lead in the 22nd minute, Langstaff's shot having just enough power on it to beat Dan Gyollai after good interplay between Rodrigues and O'Brien to send him through on goal.
Acquah had a good chance to bring the Magpies level in the 43rd minute but Baldwin made a superb block to preserve County's lead, and Langstaff rubbed salt in the wounds a couple of minutes later, making space for the shot before sweeping the ball into the far corner to make it 2-0.
Brindley tested Gyollai with shot from distance in the 49th minute before Joel Taylor wrapped up the points, cutting in from the right and sending a bullet-like shot into the top corner.
Langstaff was inches away from claiming a hat-trick in the 68th minute, as he slid in to try and convert Austin's low cross.
Reece Smith had United's best chance of the second half when he forced Slocombe into a decent save in the 71st minute. They might have netted a consolation in injury-time when the County offside trap was broken, but substitute Adrian Clifton fired over from six yards after getting on the end of a low cross.
A disappointing start to the season for the Magpies who now have a week to prepare for Scunthorpe United's visit to York Road next Saturday.