Forrester keeps his cool for Notts

HE could not bear to look. As Jamie Forrester stood poised a few yards from the penalty spot, waiting for the referee to blow his whistle, in front of the away dugout Ian McParland stood with his back turned and head bowed in hope.

His left arm was resting against an end-wall, almost as if he needed support.

The wait for the whistle was eternal, and he kept turning to look but quickly looked away again, preferring to rely on the reaction of the Notts County supporters behind Dean Brill's goal to tell him if his side had staged a swift, stirring, second-half fightback.

And then Anthony Bates blew his whistle, Forrester strode up confidently and side-footed the ball past the Luton keeper. Brill went the right way, diving to his right, and got a hand to the ball, but Forrester had injected too much power on the effort for him to stop it.

The Magpies' fans leapt out of their seats in celebration, and McParland ran out of the technical area, punching the air. Tension gave way to jubilation.

That is why the Notts boss brought Forrester to Meadow Lane. That is why he went for experience. That is why he went for a proven scorer. So that in moments like that, critical moments, anxious moments, he can step-up and score priceless goals.

It came just four minutes after Chris Martin had broken the deadlock to put the home side ahead. If Notts' response was hugely impressive, the defending for Martin's goal was not. Quite the opposite, in fact.

The on-loan striker should never have been given space to cut inside and drill the ball into the bottom far corner of the net. His finish was flawless, leaving Kevin Pilkington with no chance.

Pilkington was again outstanding. He made an error midway through the first half that so very nearly proved costly, when he came off his goal-line but failed to claim the ball and Kevin Nicholls lifted a delightful chip over him from the edge of the penalty area that hit the crossbar.

But he pulled off a great save to deny Sam Parkin in the dying minutes, reacting brilliantly to hold the striker's glancing header at the far post.

Pilkington was in the form of his life before he got injured last season, and he has begun this campaign brilliantly. With Russell Hoult fit again, after a fractured tibia, he knows he has to perform otherwise he will lose the No.1 spot. Right now, he is doing that.

Pilkington was not alone in being impressive for Notts. Myles Weston was again electric. The Luton defence could not live with his pace and skill. The winger is showing the consistency McParland craves, with exciting performances in all four of the Magpies' games so far this season. And he is beginning to ooze the kind of confidence he should have in his ability.

Twice, he threatened to score. In the first half, he raced on to a flick-on from Delroy Facey and showed great strength to hold off a challenge from Michael Spillane inside the penalty area, but blazed over the crossbar. As his influence grew in the second half he toe-poked an effort just past the post.

Substitute Jay Smith did well when he replaced Adam Nowland. Nowland was dictating the game from midfield before he was forced off with a hamstring injury. His loss, potentially for a few weeks, is a huge blow for Notts because he was swiftly growing in stature.

But Smith produced an encouraging display. A couple of times he blazed wildly over the crossbar from ridiculously long-range, when he should perhaps have been more composed. But he worked hard alongside Richard Butcher, and his distribution was good.

On the face of it, it is a draw against the bottom side in the division.

But make no mistake, Luton are only adrift at the foot of League Two because of their massive 30 points deduction imposed by the Football League. Their precarious position has nothing at all to do with the level of ability.

They have picked up four points from their opening three games of the season – two more than the Magpies. They might not escape relegation, but they will be a formidable force on home soil this season. No, it was a good point for Notts and it was their best performance of the season so far. They produced a stirring second-half display in defeat at Bradford City on the opening day, and they were great in the first half in the goal-less draw against Darlington at Meadow Lane.

This time, they were impressive throughout the game. They started with a good tempo and sustained it until the end. And when they fell behind their heads didn't drop. It is no coincidence they are improving with each game. McParland has named the same starting line-up for all three league games, and the players are quickly gelling.

Okay, so a first league win is still proving elusive. They only have two points from a possible nine, and their goal came from the penalty spot rather than open play.

But it has been a difficult start for the Magpies, and they are creating chances. It is only a matter of time before they take them, and surely claim that important first win.