We take a look at how the Nottingham Evening Post viewed our 3-0 win over Histon in the First Round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

Two goals from Lawrie Dudfield and substitute Hector Sam's close-range finish secured the win, setting up a home tie with Havant & Waterloovile in Round Two.

Evening Post Report by Steven Fletcher

For all the talk of how Ian McParland has made Notts County a more professional outfit off the pitch, it is what happens on a Saturday afternoon which marks out a good manager.

And, so far, the signs are promising for the Magpies faithful.

Yes, the 3-0 defeat of Histon was a decent result against a battling side who looked more than capable of causing a cup shock as they bossed the early proceedings. But look at the way the manager is already stamping his own style on the Notts first team.

He is managing to coax the best out of Lawrie Dudfield, a striker who has struggled to make his mark at Notts but has now scored three goals in a week.

He has also used his knowledge of the Premier League's youth and reserve teams to sign Liverpool's Craig Lindfield and Birmingham's Krystian Pearce, who have both justified McParland's faith in them so far.

And he has done it without a trio of big names. Jason Lee, Mike Edwards and Stephen Hunt were all injured, yet Notts blew their Blue Square Premier opponents away in a spirited second-half display. Myles Weston and Spencer Weir-Daley were also missing, but their absence was hardly felt as the hosts eventually cantered into the second round.

Notts have endured miserable first-round defeats at Torquay and Leyton Orient in their past two FA Cup campaigns, and were anxious for a run to boost the club's coffers.

They need not have worried. Notts have an impressive cup tradition against non-league opposition, with only one defeat in 16 outings since a 1-0 defeat at Runcorn in 1967. That loss, 4-2 at Southport, came in 2002, but a similar upset was never on the cards this time.

The visitors did, however, have the best of the early exchanges.

In the first minute, captain Adrian Cambridge volleyed over from Gareth Gwillim's cross and three minutes later Danny Wright scooped his shot over from close-range following a scramble in the Notts area.

And after ten minutes there was panic as Murray looked like had squeezed his shot inside Pilkington's right-hand post, but the keeper managed to get a touch to put the ball out for a corner.

These came just after Lindfield's shot from the edge of the area was deflected wide off Gwillim in one of the home side's rare dangerous moments.

Pleasingly for McParland, centre-half Pearce started well and never looked back.

Even during Histon's bright spells, he looked assured, and standing in well for the missing Stephen Hunt.

This was the 17-year-old's senior debut in league or cup, and McParland obviously rates the youngster's potential.

It took until the last five minutes of the first half for the hosts to take charge.

MacKenzie, in his last game before flying to Germany for a knee operation, had a good shot well blocked on the edge of the area.

And then, three minutes after the break, Notts made the breakthrough. Striker Dudfield latched on to a MacKenzie through-ball before blasting a rising shot past the helpless Naisbitt for his second goal in eight days.

Histon refused to surrender, with bulky forward Gwillim proving a handful, with two shots that were well blocked.

Notts should have gone two ahead in the 57th minute, but Richard Butcher somehow shot wide after keeper Naisbitt parried Parkinson's shot into his path.

The home side had to wait until the 73rd minute for the second. Dudfield, who was now running the show up front, ran down the by-line, and squared to Hector Sam. The substitute took one touch to control the ball, then slotted home.

Histon nearly gave their 404 fans hope in the 84th minute, when Langston headed onto the woodwork.

But their misery was compounded when Dudfield took advantage of a poor back pass in the 88th minute to round the keeper for a second.

After the game, McParland was thrilled with his young guns, Pearce and Lindfield, but it was Dudfield who shone brightest as the cup upset failed to materialise.