Notts County 1 Accrington Stanley 2

NOTTS County’s long unbeaten home record in League Two was ended by Accrington today – on a day executive chairman Peter Trembling completed a management buyout of the club.

After ten league games without defeat at Meadow Lane this season, the Magpies lost 2-1 to Accrington.

Michael Symes and James Ryan put the visitors 2-0 ahead before Lee Hughes struck from the penalty spot for Notts.

Kasper Schmeichel saved a late spot-kick from Phil Edwards.

The Magpies were unchanged from their 2-0 win at Hereford United.

Captain John Thompson returned to the squad after serving a one-game ban but had to settle for a place on the substitutes’ bench as Hans Backe stuck with Graeme Lee and Mike Edwards at the heart of the back-four.

Tom Lees returned at right-back for Accrington, after injury.

Having announced his buyout before the game, Trembling walked out of the tunnel and onto the pitch minutes before kick-off and received a rapturous applause from the home supporters.

The Notts’ fans also chanted the name of Sven-Goran Eriksson, who looks set to stay at the club as director of football following the fresh takeover at Meadow Lane.

It was Accrington who threatened first when the game got underway.

Andrew Proctor drove a low cross dangerously across the face of goal on four minutes that Bobby Grant looked set to meet at the far post until Brendan Moloney slid in and put the ball out for a corner.

Lees lifted an effort over the crossbar when the subsequent flag-kick was cleared to him on the edge of the penalty area.

The Magpies replied on seven minutes when Moloney got to the byline and cut the ball back to Neal Bishop inside the box. He aimed a diagonal pass into the six-yard box but it was just too far in front of Hughes.

Billy Kee then tested Schmeichel with a low strike from just outside the box on ten minutes. The Notts’ No.1 held the ball confidently, low down to his left.

It took a great piece of defending from Darren Kempson to deny the Magpies on 19 minutes when Hughes aimed a right-wing cross into the penalty area for Luke Rodgers.

The Accrington centre-back was at full-stretch and in mid-air when he cut out the cross at the near post, with Rodgers unmarked in the six-yard box behind him.

Both sides were showing incredible attacking intent and Symes broke purposefully into the penalty area from the right wing just after the half-hour mark, after Ben Davies gave the ball away.

Again, it took a timely intervention from Moloney to clear when Symes drove the ball across the six-yard box.

Hughes had a glorious chance to put Notts ahead on 35 minutes when he was sent racing through on goal by Bishop. But the visitors’ keeper Dean Bouzanis came quickly off his goal-line and blocked the effort of the Magpies’ leading scorer.

Goal-less at half-time, the Magpies went close to breaking the deadlock early in the second half when Moloney raided forward down the right, onto a pass from Craig Westcarr.

The on-loan right-back cut inside a defender and onto his left foot and fired powerfully at goal from inside the box but Bouzanis reacted rapidly and parried it away.

Hughes then tested Bouzanis minutes later with a header from Davies’ free-kick into the box.

The Magpies made a double substitution on 58 minutes, introducing Matt Ritchie for Westcarr and Karl Hawley for Rodgers.

But they fell behind two minutes later when Symes seized onto a through ball from Kee, rounded Schmeichel and coolly side-footed the ball into the empty net. Mike Edwards tried to stop the ball going over goal-line with a last-ditch slide but his efforts were in vain, and the visitors led.

Hughes had a chance to swiftly restore parity but headed Ritchie’s cross wide on 65 minutes.

Accrington doubled their lead on 74 minutes. Schmeichel denied Kee at his near post after he had beaten the Magpies’ offside trap, but Kee pounced on the rebound and forced the ball across the box to Ryan, who volleyed into the net.

Notts were given a lifeline when Hughes scored his 15th goal of the season from the penalty spot on 82 minutes, after Ritchie’s cross into the box was handled.

In a dramatic and ill-tempered finish, Schmeichel denied Edwards from the penalty spot, after Lee brought Proctor down in the box.

At the start of seven minutes of injury-time, Mike Edwards found space in a crowded penalty area to meet substitute Matt Hamshaw’s corner but headed straight at Bouzanis.

Hughes then headed narrowly wide from close-range and Hawley and Ritchie were both denied by Bouzanis in the dying stages.

NOTTS: Schmeichel, Moloney, Lee, Edwards, Clapham, Westcarr (Ritchie, 58), Ravenhill (Hamshaw, 71), Bishop, Davies, Hughes, Rodgers (Hawley, 58). Subs: Hoult, Jones, Thompson, Akinbiyi.

ACCRINGTON: Bouzanis, Lees, Kempson, Edwards, Winnard, Proctor, Joyce, Ryan, Grant, Kee (McConville, 77), Symes. Subs: Miles, Mullin, Murphy, King, Dunbavin, Flynn.

ATTENDANCE: 5,855 (140 away).