By Paxton McNaught
Notts County and Salford City make their way down to Wembley this coming Monday in the play off finals – who will be promoted, and who will stay in League Two for another season?
The Magpies proceeded to Wembley after beating Chesterfield on aggregate. Jayden Luker’s goal in the first leg was the only goal in both legs of this play-off semifinals, so a nil-nil draw with Chesterfield at Meadow Lane secured their place in the final.
Karl Robinson’s side put four goals past Grimsby Town to get to the final. Two of these goals came from 23 Year Old Kallum Cesay, with the others being scored by Reece Staunton and Daniel Udoh.
Both teams go into this head-to-head looking for a historic win that will push them up a division, alongside Bromley who gained automatic promotion at the end of the League Two season for finishing top of the table.
Team News
Notts County FC
Notts County have the majority of their squad fit and available for this clash, apart from defender Lewis Macari.
Macari suffered a lower leg injury when the Magpies traveled to Colchester United in late April. He had to undergo surgery in hospital in Cambridge, but has since returned to Nottingham for ongoing assessment and care.
Salford City
Salford City have a strong squad available for selection, though they are missing former Nottingham Forest and Hearts midfielder Jorge Grant.
The recent return of Josh Austerfield has been a relief for The Ammies, and they have not lost a single game since he came back into the side in early April. Fans will be hoping this streak continues, and that Salford will be victorious at Wembley.
Predicted Line-ups
Notts County F.C: Belshaw; Ness, McDonald, Bedeau; Tsaroulla, Norburn, Robertson, Jones; Iorpenda, Luker; Jatta
Salford City: Young; Mnoga, Oluwo, Cooper, Garbutt; Graydon, Butcher, Austerfield, N’Mai; Cesay, Udoh
Key Players
James Belshaw – Notts County F.C
Belshaw has been an asset to Notts County ever since he joined them in January of the 2025/2026 season on an undisclosed fee. The goalkeeper signed an 18-month contract, coming from Harrogate Town F.C, who ended up being relegated at the end of this season.
He played an instrumental role in getting The Magpies to the play-off final, pulling off an immaculate save to deny Chesterfield’s Dilan Markanday from putting the Spireites in front in the second leg.
The goalkeeper cannot wait to represent his childhood club at Wembley, telling reporters that it is a dream come true.
Kallum Cesay – Salford City
This young striker has made a big splash in recent games. After being out of the side for a substantial amount of the season, Cesay returned to play against Crawley Town in their last league fixture, playing the final 15 minutes. He then completed a full 90 minutes in the first leg against Grimsby, using his pace and strong chemistry with strike partner Udoh to outwit defenders and create a new attacking option for Salford City.
Cesay will be keen to add to his goal tally, as well as wanting to help push his team to the finish line and secure promotion into League One.
