Notts County vs Salford City: One side seeks to end a decade-long wait while the other chases historic promotion

by Thobelani Moyo | by Thobelani Moyo

image Notts County vs Salford City: One side seeks to end a decade-long wait while the other chases historic promotion
It comes down to the very end as Notts County and Salford City are set to battle it out for a place in League One. 2015 was the last time Notts County graced English third-tier competition, while Salford are aiming to reach it for the first time in history. The Ammies are slight favorites to defeat their opponents, having had the upper hand in past meetings, winning five consecutive games.
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The play-off final sees Notts aim to end a decade-long wait

It has been a remarkable resurgence for Notts County over the past few years since Danish brothers Christoffer and Alexander Reedtz acquired one of the world's oldest professional football clubs in July 2019.

Having spent four years in non-league football, the team secured EFL status in 2023 after winning the National League play-off final at Wembley in May 2023. Since then, they have grown into genuine promotion hopefuls in League Two and could cap off their remarkable rise with a place in League One.

It has been 11 years since Notts County last featured in the third tier, and are one game away from seeing their League One dreams materialise. 

The Magpies put together an outstanding 2025-26 League Two season by finishing fifth in the standings with 80 points. Unfortunately, that was not enough to secure automatic promotion, which they missed by just two points, ultimately leading them into the promotion playoffs.

Martin Paterson's men are now tasked with overcoming Salford City in the promotion play-off finals. In the prior round, they beat Chesterfield 1-0 on aggregate. Surprisingly, this is the same opponent they beat in the National League promotion final three years ago.

Salford City is chasing a historic promotion to League One

salford players celebrate after scoringSalford City was also in the mix for securing an automatic promotion play-off spot, but fell short of doing so. The Greater Manchester outfit finished fourth with 81 points and were a point ahead of Notts County.

With a promotion play-off spot already in the bag, they faced Grimsby in the semi-finals and won 4-3 on aggregate. Now, they are one game away from promotion to League One for the first time in their club history.

This is Salford's seventh attempt at aiming for promotion to League One for the first time in history. 

The Ammies have enjoyed success over Notts County this season, winning their last two games. In fact, they've not suffered defeat against this opponent since September 2023. 

Check out Salford’s head-to-head record with Notts County across all competitions:

  • 2025/26 League Two – Salford City 2:1 Notts County
  • 2025/26 League Two – Notts County 1:2 Salford City
  • 2024/25 League Two – Notts County 1:3 Salford City
  • 2024/25 League Two – Salford City 3:0 Notts County
  • 2023/24 League Two – Notts County 1:2 Salford City
  • 2023/24 League Two – Salford City 0:2 Notts County
  • 2015/16 FA Cup (First Round) – Salford City 2:0 Notts County

Karl Robinson's men are on the road where they've avoided defeat in their last three games, including a 2-1 win over Grimsby in the first leg of the promotion play-off semi-finals. Kallum Cesay opened the scoring in that match and also decided the game in the return leg with his 117th-minute goal.

Match Details

  • Date and Time: Monday, May 25, 2026, at 15:00 BST
  • Venue: Wembley Stadium 
  • Referee: TBC