Key events
25 mins: HYDRATION BREAK!
24 mins: Garbutt swings in the first corner of the match and Notts eventually scramble it away after some head tennis.
Garbutt sends an a superb delivery from the left but Udoh is outjumped. Salford are coming into the game now.
22 mins: Notts County have had around three quarters of possession here. Maybe Salford are trying a rope-a-dope trick on them.
Tsaroulla goes into the book for pushing Longelo down.
Butcher receives the ball around 20 yards out and has a dig, which is deflected wide for a corner.
20 mins: Jatta latches onto a long ball over the top from Luker but Salford crowd him out on the edge of the box. The striker has no support and the Ammies are able to recover possession.
18 mins: Salford play for territory with a throw-in down the line, earning another that can be launched into the box but opts to send it short. It does not result in a chance as Notts County hold firm.
16 mins: Speaking of … Jones lifts a cross into the box for Jatta but the it lacks pace and Jatta gets underneath it, forcing him to head well over.
14 mins: Notts County will want to get more of the ball to Jatta. He can run in behind and through defences but has not been involved too much so far.
12 mins: Jones v Mnoga looks like a battle I want to see. Both players look up for it.
10 mins: McDonald has an absolutely nightmare at the back. He receives a short pass from Belshaw and fails to get rid on three occasions, thanks to an impressive Salford press.
8 mins: Jones is looking lively down the left for Notts County and could be a key man today. A perfect first touch bamboozles Mnoga and the cross is a dangerous one but Salford just about cope.
6 mins: Mnoga is robust in a couple of challenges and drags Salford up the pitch, ultimately winning a free kick. Young pumps it to the edge of the box but Notts County are able to deal with it.
4 mins: Salford have a free kick on the left, which is delivered by Garbutt but easily cleared.
Notts County get in a decent pitch thanks to a good run by Jones, who slips a pass to Iorpenda but his low cross is well defended.
2 mins: Salford go long early doors, which may be an early indication of their plans to conserve energy.
Jatta has an early burst forward but he is tackled before he can cause any damage.
James Belshaw, mercifully, is at the shady end. There is a decent amount of shade on one side of the pitch – I would focus on playing in that area.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
Notts County have four times the amount of fans that Salford do. The Ammies fanbase is pretty small, to be fair.
We will be having hydration breaks because it is so ruddy hot.
The players are in the tunnel …
I did see Notts County beat Harrogate a couple of months back. It was all very easy, so I can’t tell you much except Jatta is a cut above this level as a finisher.
Oh, I’ve interviewed him too.
Gary Neville confirms that co-owner David Beckham is in attendance today. He is rightly concerned by the conditions.
More tedious links to this game, you say?
Gary Neville and Nicky Butt are at Wembley. Not sure if David Beckham will be in attendance, but who knows?
It is boiling at Wembley. Not too far away at Heathrow they have recorded a temperature of 33.5C, making it the hottest May day in history. I would not fancy going through 90 minutes (or more) in this.
Salford missed out on automatic promotion on the final day by a single point, forcing Karl Robinson to go through the playoffs.
“To play 58 games in a year is unbelievable,” Robinson said. “We have done so much, and been through so many moments. It is something that we are really proud of.
“I just hope now that we make ourselves really competitive for one last time and, hopefully, get another win under our belts. If we do that, then I will be happy.”
I have a tenuous collection articles to fit all events. I went to speak to Salford’s Fabio Borini back in October.
From Liverpool to Salford, it’s been a fun journey.
Sky are having bit of chat with James Belshaw, who is a Notts County fan and the club’s goalkeeper having joined in January. It is his daughter Isla’s third birthday today. She will be at Wembley, I am sure.
Do not worry, I interviewed him a while back, so you can learn more about him.
Starting lineups
Notts County (3-4-2-1): Belshaw; Ness, McDonald, Bedeau; Tsaroulla, Norburn, Robertson, Jones; Iorpenda, Luker; Jatta
Subs: Griffiths, Palmer, Kouhyar, Bennetts, Grant, Ndlovu, Dennis
Salford (3-4-3): Young; Oluwo, Cooper, Garbutt; Mnoga, Butcher, Austerfield, Longelo; Cesay, Graydon, Udoh
Subs: Howard, Turton, Woodburn, Stockton, Harris, Borini, Dorrington
Preamble
It does not get bigger than this, especially if you’re from Salford or certain parts of Nottingham. A place in League One is at stake, something Gary Neville has been chasing for many years but repeatedly fallen short. Karl Robinson has carefully built a robust side in recent times to five the club the best chance of reaching the third tier for the first time in their history.
Notts County have a far bigger fanbase and the greater history, so feel it is their right to go up. They possess plenty of quality in the form of striker Alassana Jatta, who should be playing in the Championship, and could be the man to fire them to success at Wembley.
Let’s hope for a cracker!
Kick-off: 3pm BST
