Notts County secured promotion to EFL League One on Monday with a 3-0 victory over Salford City in the League Two play-off final at Wembley.
The victory marks Notts County’s second promotion in four seasons under head coach Martin Paterson.
Alassana Jatta opened the scoring in the 31st minute, followed by a goal from Lucas Ness just before halftime. The match ultimately belonged to winger Jodi Jones. The 28-year-old was unanimously named Man of the Match after creating the first two goals and firing home the final strike in the 69th minute.
Jones’s performance capped one of the most demanding injury comebacks in English football. He suffered three severe anterior cruciate ligament tears between November 2017 and August 2021. During his stint at Coventry City, he missed 130 games while enduring an 897-day absence. He went more than five years without starting a league match before his loan transfer to Notts County in January 2023.
Following the final whistle, Salford City manager Karl Robinson offered a blunt apology to supporters. Robinson admitted his side failed to follow their tactical plan and simply “got beat in most aspects of the game.”
Notts County now moves up the EFL pyramid alongside fellow bank holiday play-off winners Hull City and Bolton Wanderers for the 2026–27 season.
An emotional Jones addressed the crowd after lifting the trophy, thanking his family and Coventry City for keeping him on contract during his darkest rehabilitation phases. “I’m back playing football and enjoying myself, that’s the main thing,” Jones told reporters.