Jack Carnell reported on Saturday's 9-0 friendly win...
A clinical Notts County side ran out 9 (nine) – 0 winners over Rolls-Royce Leisure, to make it two convincing wins from two during the early stages of pre-season.
Notts eased into a 6-0 lead going into the break, after braces from Jon Stead and Jimmy Spencer, and goals from Filip Valencic and Blair Adams.
A different side started the second half, but three more goals were added to the total, through Genaro Snijders, youth product Lartey Sarpong and a last minute penalty from Trialist.
Fresh from their 8-0 victory over Arnold Town during midweek, the Magpies named similar sides each half to those who played the fixture on Wednesday night.
Jimmy Spencer started the game strongly and went close on a number of occasion early on, forcing Rolls-Royce’s keeper into some excellent saves, but it was Valencic who put the
Magpies ahead with just over 10 minutes gone. His effort from the edge of the box deflected just beyond the reach of the opposition keeper.
Spencer’s early intentions paid off as he grabbed the next two for the visitors, tapping in from close range after good work on the right from Valencic for the first, before curling a left footed effort in from distance, leaving the goalkeeper helpless to put Notts 3-0 up.
Rolls-Royce looked to pull a goal back with half an hour gone, but brilliant last ditch defending from Scott Bennett denied the hosts’ striker from tapping into an empty net after rounding the trialist in Notts’ net.
However, the Magpies continued to threaten and Jon Stead grabbed his first of the afternoon, firing into the roof of the net from outside the area following some excellent footwork. That was before Blair Adams made it five, hitting his effort into the top corner after following his run on from left-back.
Stead then got his second and Notts’ sixth of the game, volleying in from close range after connecting perfectly with a pinpoint cross from Valencic on the left.
Similar to the midweek game, Notts ran the changes at half-time as the likes of Snijders, Mawouna Amevor and Kyle De Silva, fresh from his four goal haul, came into the fold.
De Silva went close early on after the break, his shot going over the bar. As did Adam Campbell, whose free header from deep inside the box went harmlessly wide of the target.
The Magpies did add a seventh midway through the second half, this time through Genaro Snijders, his excellent curling effort nestling into the far corner of the net.
Notts youth product Lartey Sarpong came off the bench to add an eighth with a calm finish into the bottom corner, and the visitors had their ninth during the dying seconds of the game. Trialist was fouled inside the area, and it was the same man who took the penalty, placing it beyond an outstretched opposition keeper to complete another successful pre-season outing for the Magpies.
First half XI: Trialist, Trialist, Smith, Bennett, Adams, Jenner, Swerts, Milsom, Valencic, Spencer, Stead.
Second half XI: Trialist, Trialist, Hollis, Amevor, Sharpe, Noble, Thompson, Trialist, Campbell, De Silva, Snijders.
Substitutes: Sarpong, Richards, Trialist, Trialist.