It was pure delight for the Magpies on Sunday afternoon, as they sealed their spot in the National League Promotion Final at Wembley, in the most dramatic style.

Notts were given a momentous task to carry out in the second half after a Boreham Wood double against the run of play towards the end of the first 45 sent shockwaves around a packed-out Meadow Lane.

But the remainder of the game proved a stern point to everyone, that you should never write off the Magpies, as they fought back with a screamer minutes after the restart and then levelled phenomenally in the 97th minute, taking the tie to extra time. 

From then on, it was just a story of when the hosts would find their inevitable winner, however, while hope slowly began to fade away, it would be another moment of late magic to spark the wildest scenes, mid-season signing Jodi Jones forging his name into County folklore with a last-second strike.

After catching his breath back and taking in the endless celebrations, manager Luke Williams offered his thoughts to the press.

  • Limited “cup experience” looked to trouble Notts

The Notts County boss may well not be getting any sleep for the rest of this week now, but for all the right reasons. 

It could have been a whole different story of heartbreak had the Nottingham outfit failed to stage the comeback that they did, and Williams was quick to begin talking about the lack of knockout involvement his side had in 2022/23.

"I don't know where to start," he told BBC Radio Nottingham, full of emotion.

Boreham Wood headed into the break two goals to the good  (Photo by Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Boreham Wood headed into the break two goals to the good (Photo by Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

"First of all, I had real concerns with my group because this is a 'cup game', we didn't have many cup experiences because we went out early in the competitions so there is a different pressure.

"Then, the atmosphere was the one we wanted, that we tried to create over a long period of time, and the fans are unbelievable.

"We have the atmosphere and a team on the pitch that has been brilliant all season but with very limited cup experience, so then I felt like they were failing the test because they created chances but they snatched at them and didn't deal with the counter-attack brilliantly and then make a silly error which leads to a goal, so a lot of question marks."

  • Duo off the mark

Incredibly, both County scorers in the semi-final triumph noted their first-ever goal for the club, Aden Baldwin and Jodi Jones each striking vitally to confirm a spot at Wembley next Saturday. 

Baldwin was first to get on the scoresheet shortly after the break, netting an unbelievable effort from 30 yards, after a goalless first 30 games at Meadow Lane.

He doubled his total tally in the dying seconds of the ninety to rescue hope and give his side another thirty minutes to prove their worth.

That was before regular-time substitute Jones emerged as savior and hero in the 120th minute, going alone to unleash a wicked strike from the edge of the box, preventing a certain penalty shootout and in fact winning the tie.

Williams reflected on his two scorers post-match, firstly talking about the match winner.

Jodi Jones popped up as the unlikely match winner for the Magpies late in extra time  (Photo by Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Jodi Jones popped up as the unlikely match winner for the Magpies late in extra time (Photo by Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

"With Jodi in particular, it has been very much about trying to get him up to speed in a way to protect him because to go on and play poorly can really damage your confidence, and to play for me in this team at the moment, and when Jodi arrived, the guys were in such great form, it is difficult however good you are, and he had not played for a long period of time so we have to look after him.

"I feel like we gave him two games back-to-back and then he came out the firing line and then comes off the bench, he practiced in training, and then today, delivered," remarked the Notts gaffer.

He also went on to reveal an earlier meeting with centre-back Baldwin: "Me and Aden had a meal together and a long conversation together earlier in the week because we need to continue to push Aden because I think he has special qualities, but we need to push him still, and today he went an extra percent."

  • Looking back on the last gasp winner 

The events which occurred at around 3:10pm on Sunday were no other than extraordinary, not just to Notts County supporters but to the majority of National League enthusiasts.

The commentary of Jones' late, late winner will be forever etched into history, particularly for Williams.

It is guaranteed that the Wembley-bound boss will have watched that goal back more times than he can remember by the time the coach pulls up at the national stadium next weekend.

His celebrations were also quite something to behold, darting down the touchline to join the team huddle, and on being asked to sum up how he felt at that moment, he admitted, "I don't even think I can, I would love to tell you.

Spectacular scenes followed the last-minute winner and the full time whistle at Meadow Lane  (Photo by Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Spectacular scenes followed the last-minute winner and the full time whistle at Meadow Lane (Photo by Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

"I don't think I have ever experienced that combination of emotions, I really don't.

"It was like a lethal cocktail," he joked. "If they can sell it then we are all in trouble.

"I can't explain it, I am trying to search for the words but I can't.”

Obviously, the result does mean a trip to the home of English football to face Chesterfield for a place back in the Football League - Williams' coolly told the press, "We are looking forward to it, we can't wait."