Beyond words – Karl Robinson overjoyed with Salford late show against Magpies

Karl Robinson was overjoyed as Salford scored a last-gasp winner to beat promotion rivals Notts County 2-1 in Sky Bet League Two.

Matt Butcher volleyed home from the edge of the box to earn the Ammies three crucial points after Ryan Graydon’s stoppage-time header was cancelled out by Luke Browne’s leveller right at the death.

The chaotic ending to the contest followed 90 minutes of enthralling football, where Graydon hit a post and Notts County substitute Tyrese Hall missed from close range with the goal gaping.

After the match, an ecstatic Robinson reflected on the dramatic ending.

He said: “I thought we were very good and should have been maybe one or two goals ahead in the first half.

“We ended up getting a great goal from a set-piece that was worked on in the week, and then their goal was a blatant foul.

“But our lads responded to that. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve never experienced that.

“When we conceded, we’d got a minute and a half left. When you score you are at your most vulnerable and we tried to reverse that.

“Matt Butcher is making a bit of a name for himself with goals, and when I saw it go in, I was gone.

“It just made no sense. And as far as winning goals go, it was a brilliant strike.

“We are four points ahead of where we finished last year with five games to go. It’s our most wins in the EFL in the club’s history.

“We work hard every day to be as successful as we possibly can, but I have just seen things today that are beyond words.”

Notts County boss Martin Paterson was disappointed with how his team defended set-pieces as Salford scored two late goals.

“We had a clear-cut chance with Tyrese that I thought could have maybe got us one goal ahead. We missed that, which happens in football, no blame on that – it’s how football goes,” he said.

“And then we switch off for a set-play, it’s as simple as that.

“Someone doesn’t do their job as Graydon runs across the front post and he heads it in.

“All of a sudden, you’ve got to react, which we did. We got the ball forward, put as many bodies forward as we could and got the equaliser.

“Then you’ve got to shut the game down. Sometimes you’ve got to take your medicine and say, ‘OK, it’s a draw at home’.

“But again, we cleared the first bit of the set play, and someone switched off on the edge of the box and they scored.

“Two set plays have undone us, and that’s not good enough.

“We have made massive improvements in that area from when I first got here, and we’ve just switched off today.”