We take a look at how the press from both camps viewed Notts County's 1-1 draw at Chesterfield on the final day of the season.

Striker Spencer Weir-Daley put the Magpies ahead at Saltergate, only to see Jack Lester cancel his goal out before the hour.

Nottingham Evening Post Report by James Pallatt

The Magpies should have turned up at Saltergate in an old-fashioned red London double-decker bus, driven by Cliff Richard, singing: "We're all going on a summer holiday".

Most of the players thought they were already on holiday. Not all, it has to be said. Some of them treated it professionally - admirably, and rightly so.

But most of them had mentally jetted off to somewhere exotic, and were going through the motions of a meaningless final game of to the season. Painfully so at times in the first half.

Boss Ian McParland admitted the same at the end, with sheer frustration.

Okay, so the club's Football League status was secure before they got off the team coach, after last Saturday's win against Wycombe at Meadow Lane.

It was, in truth, a game with nothing significant at stake. Apart, that is, from it being one that presented the Magpies an opportunity to end a season of low points on a high note.

It was also a chance for Notts County to claim only their third away win of the season, after lonely successes at Accrington and Chester, and finish on 50 points - something McParland pointed to as a significant tally for his side in the build-up to the encounter.

Oh yeah, then there is the little matter of pride. We mustn't forget that.

The Spireites too, had very little motivation after narrowly missing out on the play-offs in League Two. But the gulf in class and commitment between the two sides was quite unbelievable in the opening 45 minutes.

Chesterfield were quicker and slicker than the Magpies. They had an extra edge to their game.

The Notts players were chasing shadows (and no, not Cliff's backing-group) at times. Former Nottingham Forest striker Jack Lester and his lively strike partner Jamie Ward tore the defence apart with their pace and trickery.

They made Mike Edwards and Michael Johnson, who was playing despite an ankle problem because of other injuries, look very uneasy and ragged at times which is a difficult thing to do given their outstanding defensive abilities.

It took some remarkable last-ditch defending and a series of wonder saves from Russell Hoult to keep the rampaging home side at bay.

Lester and Ward linked-up brilliantly to put Chesterfield captain Peter Leven through on goal in the opening minutes, but Hoult stood tall and blocked his close-range effort.

Leven then tested Hoult with a stinging long-range drive but he proved more than equal to it, saving it low to his right.

Better, more heroic, was to come from the on-loan keeper. Typically so, given his unbelievable form since arriving at Meadow Lane after Kevin Pilkington's injury.

Hoult instinctively parried a point-blank effort from Lester and then a rather tamer one from Aaron Downes. His defence was in disarray, but he looked in unbeatable form.

He was only beaten twice in the entire game. First, by an audacious overhead kick from Ward that Edwards headed brilliantly off the goal-line in the first half. And then, by a second half thunderbolt from Lloyd Kerry that hit the crossbar.

It is a shame he never kept his eighth clean-sheet in what is likely to be his last game for the club, with his loan spell from Championship outfit Stoke City now set to come to an end.

But he has played a central part in saving the Magpies from relegation out of the Football League and that will never be forgotten. It was a major coup bringing him to Meadow Lane, just like it was with Johnson.

It was recalled striker Spencer Weir-Daley that took centre-stage at the very end of the first half, as Notts somehow, somehow, took the lead.

It was all very hopeful as midfielder Neil MacKenzie played the ball forward into the penalty area from a throw-in.

And then it was all very hilarious as a mix-up between keeper Barry Roche and Downes gifted Weir-Daley with the simplest of tasks.

He nicked it past the red-faced pair and then prodded it into the empty net. It came completely and utterly against the run of play, but Weir-Daley didn't care as he celebrated his third goal of the season.

In truth, he could, and perhaps should, have added to his first half strike in the opening minutes of the second half as Notts came out reinvigorated from a rollicking from McParland.

Lee flicked a throw-in from Mayo into his flight-path on the left, and he was in behind Janos Kovacs. But instead of firing an effort at goal from inside the penalty area, he tried to cut it back for Richard Butcher and his tame effort was blocked.

He then fired wildly high and wide at the far post, when better was demanded.

Butcher had a long-range drive tipped over the crossbar by Roche after Myles Weston pounced on a misplaced pass and gave him the ball 30-yards out, before Lester finally got the goal his performance thoroughly deserved.

He was a threat throughout and he took his chance just before the hour mark with cool aplomb, seizing onto a ball over the top from Leven and steering it past Hoult from close range. It was the 27th goal of the campaign for the Spireites' leading marksman, giving McParland a painful reminder of what his side is lacking - firepower.

Weir-Daley joined Lawrie Dudfield as the most prolific striker, if they are the right words, for Notts this season with his third of the campaign.

McParland admitted afterwards he would love to have a striker of Lester's quality in his squad next season. Magpies' fans will hope and pray for the same.

Sheffield Star Report by Phil Tooley

Chesterfield's campaign ended with a game that mirrored their season.

Spireites had the majority of possession; they had a dozen shots on target with just four in reply, won eleven corners to two but still only came out of the game with a single point.

And just to confirm the symmetry of comparing match with season, it was a defensive mistake that followed an error by the officials that allowed Notts County to take the lead right on half time.

Spencer Weir-Daley brushed aside Aaron Downes and slotted the ball beyond Barry Roche at the second attempt. Downes has had a disappointing season after his triumphs last year when he won a clean sweep of all of the Player of the Year Awards.

The goal came from a throw that was clearly awarded incorrectly. Jason Lee, still Spireites record buy, dribbled the ball over the line but the linesman inexplicably awarded the throw to County and within seconds they'd taken the lead.

However a returning Jack Lester, star turn at this year's awards, levelled with his 27th goal of the season to earn a point.

It's expected that Lee Richardson will confirm today that Spireites have signed 33-year-old defender Robert Page. The former Blades star has been with Huddersfield Town since January after being released by Coventry City and their manager, Stan Ternant, indicated he was desperate to sign the Welsh International but Ternant revealed on Huddersfield's official website that he believed Page was about to move to Saltergate. Page was of course a Bramall Lane contemporary of Lester.

County keeper Russell Hoult, on loan from Stoke City, made a string of excellent saves, the pick of them being to deny Peter Leven and Lester early on and when Lloyd Kerry's over the shoulder looping effort beat the 35 year old, centre half Mike Edwards was on hand to spectacularly head away from under the bar.

County stunned the hosts when they went ahead and they enjoyed their best spell in the early minutes of the second half but Chesterfield gradually began to take stock of the task and by the time Lester ran on to Leven's pass to hold off Edwards and score from close range, Spireites were again in the ascendancy.

Kerry came within a whisker of a winner when he planted a fierce 20 yarder onto the bar. Chesterfield have hit the woodwork more times than any other League Two side this season, 24 in all, another indication of how narrow the band between success and failure is.

Manager Richardson's post match press conference was a repeat show of so many this term; "I think the same as probably most of the people who saw the game. We dominated the first half and somehow went into half time a goal down, we'd missed several really good chances and with a mistake, we gifted them a goal.

"Disappointment with that but credit to the players who kept going and got the equaliser and we probably should have finished the job off, I don't think anyone with a fair mind could have said we didn't deserve all three points but I've said that on too many occasions this season and that's why we've finished the season a bit flat."

He added; "We've gifted so many teams goals this season against the run of play without the need for any real effort from the opposition and it's always going to be difficult to win games like that."

Richardson concluded; "Some of our football in the first half was excellent and hopefully most people appreciated that, certainly the Notts County management commented that way, but we're only talking about a point and that's been the story too often."

Lester ended the weekend with the CFSS Player of the Year award to add to his collection. Defender Janos Kovacs was runner up.