A Cal Roberts penalty and close-range Ed Francis finish secured a comfortable pre-season victory at Alfreton.
We dominated from start to finish, with neither Tiernan Brooks nor Sam Slocombe being troubled, as we made it three wins from three so far this summer.
The lively Roberts won and scored a penalty in the first half before Francis was in the right place at the right time to make it two after the break.
Back from illness, Macaulay Langstaff came close to opening the scoring only for former Magpies loanee Josh Clackstone to clear his shot off the line, with Aden Baldwin heading the resultant corner narrowly wide.
Roberts then nodded Joel Taylor and Adam Chicksen crosses off-target, before the Geordie played a lovely floating ball over the top and watched on as Langstaff produced a sublime touch to take it in his stride only for a defender to bring him down on the edge of the area. With it being a friendly, the referee kept the red card in his pocket and Roberts sent the free-kick just wide.
We were in complete control and Roberts tried his luck again on 24 minutes, rounding off a lovely team move with a long-rage shot which was comfortably saved.
Tobi Adebayo-Rowling was the next man to threaten breaking the deadlock, heading Taylor’s cross wide, before Baldwin’s ball over the top for Langstaff was well smothered by the keeper.
We finally had the breakthrough on the stroke of half-time, though, Roberts leading a counter-attack and eventually drawing a foul in the area. He dispatched the resultant spotkick emphatically to claim his first goal of pre-season.
Our dominance continued after the break with half-time sub Matt Palmer pulling the strings and supplying chances for Adebayo-Rowling and fellow new arrival Kairo Mitchell, who both saw their efforts saved.
But we doubled our lead shortly afterwards when Francis flicked Mitchell’s goalbound shot over the line in a crowded penalty area.
It was proving to be a busy half for home keeper Olly Brown, who did brilliantly to deny Francis a second by pushing his free-kick wide, only for the referee to award a goal kick.
Jim O’Brien and Kyle Cameron also went close as the clock ticked down but 2-0 is how it ended.
We're next in action at St Neots Town on Saturday, where we'll face Cambridge United. Click here for details.
STARTING XI: Brooks; Chicksen, Baldwin, Brindley; Taylor, Adebayo-Rowling; Bajrami [45], Vincent [45], Austin, Roberts; Langstaff [45]
FINAL 30: Slocombe; Cameron, Rawlinson, Mahovo (U19), Munakandafa, Nemane; Francis [45], Palmer [45], O'Brien, McGregor (U19), Mitchell [45]