'I’m wary of in terms of Chesterfield. I pay them respect': Notts County boss keeps his feet on the ground
Notts County chief Martin Paterson is alive to the possibility of a Chesterfield resurgence in part two of their play-off tussle at Meadow Lane.
The Magpies’ 1-0 win at the SMH ended a run of three straight losses to the Spireites.
But at the final whistle the head coach went over to the away section at the SMH and made sure the celebrations weren’t too over the top.
"There will be no getting carried away. We’ve another game to play,” said Paterson, who was in charge when Chesterfield won 3-2 at Meadow Lane only two months ago.
"You would be an absolute fool to think this tie is won. We need to be respectful and work hard. It’s two games, so it is irrelevant how it looks right now.
"What matters is how it looks at the end of the second one.
"I wanted to go across and make sure we clapped the supporters for coming across and backing us.”
Paterson said speaking about the match was strange, adding: “It’s like being interviewed at half time."
He also had no complaints about the early penalty awarded for a foul on Liam Mandeville.
Lee Bonis’ subsequent spot kick slapped the post and then Jayden Luker exacted punishment with the 28th minute strike that proved to be the winner.
Paterson added: "We started well and they got a penalty as soon as they got in our box. I have no over-riding thoughts other than it was a penalty and the boy missed.
"In the first half we were good and in the second half we had to contain them. Chesterfield had a good spell; there are lots of good teams in this division. You can’t just go through games thinking teams aren’t going to have a good spell.
"There was lots of good stuff and things I’m wary of in terms of Chesterfield. I pay them respect.
"Generally I feel the same way as I did before the game. It’s a two-legged tie."
County say there are a few seats remaining for Friday’s second leg. Meadow Lane is listed as having a capacity of just below 20,000 for EFL games.