North End were embarrassingly knocked out of the Carling Cup last night after losing by penalties by the side that got drubbed 5-0 against Bristol City.
But they had their keeper Mildenhall to thank, who stung together great saves from the strikers Cresswell and Fuller and kept their team surprisingly in the Cup.
North End rested three players: Healy, Lewis and O’Neill from the starting line-up, reverting back to a 4-4-2 formation. This is after the West Ham game when Craig Brown claimed "our crosses were poor".
But North End came out brightly and dominated the first half. But is was county that had the first chance, and probably their best chance, of the game on 4minutes when Nicholson put in a swerving cross to Platt who headed it over the bar.
PNE full-back Alexander had a great chance for the Whites 5 minutes later when he dribbled past defenders Barras and Nicholson on the right, only for his final shot to be blocked.
Then it was Fuller’s turn for the whites to dribble past 4 on the right to unleash a cross for Cresswell to miss a sitter of a header that drifted over the bar.
Fuller created another chance minutes later when he collected the ball from a quickly taken free-kick, and flicked it on the left for Keane to hit a full swing shot, but the County keeper tipped it over the bar.
Keane also had another chance minutes later when he had a powerful volley deflected out for a corner.
The second half had great resemblance of a snore draw, but there were a few chances that could have easily been goals. Fuller whacked a shot from 30 yards, which hit inside of the post and bounced out!
But County could have grasped a victory 2 minutes from time when Hafferman got the ball in the box, and turned and put a low shot onto the right, but Gould got down low quick to tip the shot out for a corner.
In extra time Tyrone Mears should have scored for the Whites when Fuller put a cross in from the by-line but Mears scuffed a shot from 6 yards.
North End had plenty of chances like this, desperate to salvage a goal in silver goal rules on the night.
The penalties were took by
Notts County: Stallard, Hackworth, Fenton, Baraclough, Nicholson, Hefferman, Barras.
PNE: Alexander, Cresswell, Healy, Abbott, Jackson, Fuller (missed).