Notts pay heavy price for Tann injury

IAN McParland believes the loss of Adam Tann was a huge factor in Notts County conceding two injury-time goals against Scunthorpe United last night.

The Magpies' defender was carried off on a stretcher with a facial injury in the final minute of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy first round tie at Glanford Park.

And McParland revealed he would have been marking the Iron's goal hero Paul Hayes on both set-plays from which he scored to inflict a cruel 2-1 defeat on the Magpies.

He said: "It upset our rhythm when Tanny had to go off. His eye's badly bruised and his cheekbone, but he'll be all right. But it just upset us a bit.

"Tanny goes off and they get a couple of set-plays, and the man he would have been marking sticks them in. Football is cruel but you just have to get on with it."

Richard Butcher struck his third goal of the season to fire Notts ahead early in the first half. McParland was pleased with his side's defending in the face of severe pressure from the home side in the second half, before their costly late lapses.

He felt the Magpies created a few clear-cut chances to kill off the tie, especially for Matt Hamshaw and Delroy Facey.

"We took a bit of a battering for about ten or 15 minutes in the second half but then we got at it and created a few clear-cut chances ourselves," he added. "They had a few half-chances but our boys stuck in there and we were resilient, passed the ball well at times, broke and got chances.

"Scunthorpe have just come down from the Championship and still have some Championship-quality players. But we had more clear-cut chances than them.

"They are a good team but we gave them a good game and really it was finished, but four minutes of injury-time and we lose two goals. The players are all disappointed but they will get over it and get ready for Saturday."