Martin Paterson enjoyed his first Nottinghamshire Derby on Saturday and his players delivered him a big result to mark the occasion.

Martin Paterson applauds the fans after the League Two Play-Off Semi Final First Leg match between Chesterfield and Notts County at SMH Group Stadium on May 10, 2026 in Chesterfield, England. (Photo by Barrington Coombs/Getty Images)

An impressive effort from substitute Callum Roberts opened the scoring in the first half, just four minutes after he came off the bench.

Notts County then netted their second on 65 minutes through Daniel Kanu, capitalising on an error from Louis Reed, who gave up possession just outside the box.

“It was a very good performance and I thought we were good value for it. There were lots of positives and there have been lots of positives over the last three or four weeks,” Paterson said after the match.

“But I have so much respect for Nigel Clough and what he’s done in the game and at this football club to start patting myself or us on the back too much.

“It is a really, really good win, but it’s a long season. We still have a lot of work to do and a lot of mountains to keep climbing at this level. So we are just going to go about our business. The key thing on derby day is the fans and the players go and enjoy it.

“I am delighted for everyone involved. I am very pleased with the performance. From a humble aspect it probably should have been over a little bit earlier.”

The win lifts Notts County up to 17th in the League One table and drops Mansfield Town down to 12th, with their first home defeat of the season now on the board.

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