Shrewsbury boss Matt Taylor praised his side for overcoming their injury crisis to reach the third round of the FA Cup with a 3-2 win over Notts County.

Ryan Bowman’s hat-trick sealed victory as the striker opened the scoring in the first minute and, following Richard Brindley’s equaliser, netted twice more in the second half before James Sanderson’s late consolation.

“I think what sums up the evening and the week we have had for me is the players celebrating with all of the supporters,” Taylor said.

“The supporters have seen how hard they worked, but what they’ve done again is put their bodies on the line. Elliott Bennett is playing with eight stitches and you must look at the state of the squad – their effort and application was fantastic.

“We got beaten 4-0 at Blackpool and I questioned the players a lot and in the space of seven days we have picked up four points in the league and are through to the next round of the FA Cup, all with 11 injuries, and that is the reality. We have left 11 first-team players in the treatment room today.

“I’m really pleased because 674 Shrewsbury fans have travelled and it’s cold, it’s a lot of money to get here and to share that moment with the players is what this football club is all about.”

County’s defenders endured a night to forget and boss Luke Williams was unimpressed in the manner of all three goals his side conceded.

“I’m disappointed, very disappointed,” he said.

“It’s not a disgrace to concede goals against a really good team, but the manner in which we concede those goals is the problem. To lose 3-2 in the cup leaves me with a really horrible feeling.”

There was, though, a moment to remember for young academy star Sanderson, who made his professional debut the day after his 17th birthday and scored with almost his first touch of the game with a fine finish from just outside the area.

Williams has high hopes for him but wants him to keep his feet on the ground.

He said: “He came to train with the first team straight and we saw straight away that he has a few traits like a senior player – more than you would expect from a young guy.

“He took the goal brilliantly, but then I realised he had his socks low like as if he was a £100million player like Jack Grealish, so we had a quick conversation about that one. But I am really impressed with him and we need make sure that he remember that he’s still got a long way to go.”

Ryan Bowman’s hat-trick fired Shrewsbury into the FA Cup third round with a 3-2 victory over Notts County.

Bowman gave his side an early lead, only for Richard Brindley to equalise for the hosts, but the Shrews striker completed his treble with two goals inside eight second-half minutes before 17-year-old James Sanderson pulled one back late on for County.

The visitors were gifted the lead in the first minute when Aden Baldwin’s slip let in Dan Udoh, who squared the ball to Bowman for a simple finish.

Luke Williams’ side dominated possession and were rewarded seven minutes before the break when Brindley’s long-range effort flew beyond Marko Marosi.

But Shrewsbury were able to regain their lead early in the second half as another defensive error allowed Bowman to grab his second and he struck for a third time in the 56th minute after another mistake from Baldwin.

The hosts got their second late on through Sanderson, picking his spot with one of his first touches on his professional debut.

Luke Williams heaped praise on his Notts County defenders as their importance was highlighted during their 3-2 win over Crawley in the FA Cup.

Danilo Orsi scored twice for the visitors but goals from Dan Crowley, David McGoldrick and substitute Macaulay Langstaff saw the Magpies progress to the second round for the first time since 2019.

“I thought Crawley were absolutely brilliant, they also deserved to be in the hat for the next round because both teams created enough chances to win the game,” said Williams.

“They made it very difficult for us but I was disappointed with the overall performance because I thought we lacked bite, and I don’t think we were convincing enough.

“We were sloppy at times with trying to smooth the game when the ball is in a compromised position, and you need to put your body there.

“I didn’t enjoy the performance overall, but I enjoyed the attitude of the players trying to win.

“The defenders defended the box, and if they didn’t it could have been a disaster because we missed too many tackles and then we are relying on three guys and the goalkeeper to get us out of trouble – and they did that.”

Crawley boss Scott Lindsey said: “Yeah, there are some real positives from the game. We got 90 minutes into some of the players and maybe in slightly different positions of what they are used to.

“I thought they really commanded in the way we played and we created a lot – Adam Campbell coming in for us was a massive plus and Ade Adeyemo coming onto the pitch was a real positive and involved in one of the actions we could have scored at the end.

“(There are) lots of positives but we’re really disappointed not to get something from the game.”

The Red Devils return to the Broadfield Stadium on Tuesday to take on Aston Villa’s Under-21 team in the EFL Trophy and Lindsey insists his side are relishing the challenge.

After three successive away matches, he added: “It feels like it’s been ages, of course we are looking forward to being back at home.

“We are really good at home and we get a lot of points at home, so it will be a nice change of jumping on the bus again.

“We are going to be picking a team that is going to win us the game for sure. It will be an opportunity for some of the lads who haven’t played as much, but these boys are more than capable of beating Aston Villa on Tuesday night.”

Notts County manager Luke Williams has challenged his players to produce a response following the disappointment of crashing out of the Carabao Cup at home to Lincoln.

The Magpies were dumped out of with goals in either half from Sean Roughan and Lasse Sorensen and finished with 10 men following a red card for Aden Baldwin.

County’s return to league football had ended in a 5-1 thrashing at Sutton on Saturday, and Williams feels his side again let themselves down.

“It’s disappointing in reality because of the weekend,” Williams said.

“We are not expected to win against a team in the league above us, but with the backdrop of the weekend now feels terrible.

“We conceded again from a corner, pathetic again from a corner, and now it feels awful.”

County were reduced to 10-men in the 56th minute when Baldwin was sent off for a second caution – something which left Williams aggrieved once again.

“When you are on a yellow card, you have an awareness that you can’t do something silly – and I don’t think it’s like he is jumping on a grenade for a team,” Williams said.

“The ball is going to go through to the goalkeeper, but everyone can make a mistake and unfortunately you don’t have the luxury to make a mistake in the same way.”

Imps manager Mark Kennedy was impressed by his side’s performance and felt the League One side could have won by a more handsome margin.

“I thought we were excellent tonight. I am really pleased,” Kennedy said.

“Tactically we were excellent and did well with the counter press. They had 70% possession and we had 20 shots on goal.

“Football is about winning matches and I think we could have won by four or five tonight.”

Lincoln progressed to the second round of the Carabao Cup with a comfortable 2-0 win at Notts County, who finished with 10 men.

The Imps took the lead in the 23rd minute when Danny Mandroiu’s corner was flicked on by Paudie O’Connor, and defender Sean Roughan was on hand to steer the ball in from close range.

Mark Kennedy’s side continued to dominate proceedings and almost doubled their lead shortly after following miscommunication in the County defence, which allowed Mandroiu to shoot from distance, but his effort sailed over.

Hopes of a comeback from the Magpies in the second half lasted only three minutes. Mandroiu intercepted Richard Brindley’s pass, and after his initial effort was blocked, the ball fell kindly into the path of Lasse Sorensen who slotted home in front of the travelling fans.

Mandroiu continued to dictate the play and almost got himself on the scoresheet, smashing the post with a fierce effort.

In the 56th minute, it went from bad to worse for Luke Williams’ side, who had been beaten 5-1 in their Sky Bet League Two opener at Sutton on Saturday.

Defender Aden Baldwin received a second yellow card for pulling back Tyler Walker just inside his own half as Lincoln went on to close out the match against 10 men.

Chesterfield defeated 10-man Bromley 3-2 after extra time to set up a National League play-off final against Notts County.

Having gone a goal down to Adam Marriott’s opener in first-half stoppage time, the Spireites turned things around after the break and had looked on course for a 2-1 triumph thanks to a Deji Elerewe own goal and Darren Oldaker’s strike.

Michael Cheek dramatically forced extra time, however, with a goal nine minutes into added time, only for Liam Mandeville to grab the winner after 103 minutes, leaving Chesterfield 90 minutes away from ending their four-year exile from the Football League.

The match was delayed by 10 minutes due to crowd congestion, but that did not stop the Spireites making a strong start, with Ryan Colclough forcing Reice Charles-Cook into a low save.

There was a further delay due to an emergency in the crowd, before Bromley took the lead in the eighth minute of first-half injury time.

Ross Fitzsimons was unable to deal with a cross at the near post, allowing Marriott to poke home from a yard out.

Chesterfield upped the ante after the break and levelled when Elerewe turned Colclough’s cross into his own net under pressure from Andrew Dallas.

Bromley, aiming for Football League status for the first time in their history, were reduced to 10 men in the 75th minute when Elerewe was sent off for a tackle on Mandeville.

It did not take long for the hosts to take advantage as Oldaker’s deflected 20-yard free-kick fizzed past Charles-Cook and looked destined to set up their Wembley date.

But Bromley had other ideas and, nine minutes into 10 added on, they sent the game to extra time as Cheek poked home from close range.

The Spireites were not going to be denied, though, and Mandeville sealed their trip to the national stadium by rifling home the winner.

Wrexham's fierce National League title battle with Notts County has been comparable to the great rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Ben Tozer.

There has been a great deal of focus on Wrexham over the past two seasons after the club were bought by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

The Welsh side have thrived in the spotlight, finishing second last year and falling agonisingly short in an epic play-off defeat to Grimsby Town.

Wrexham bounced back this season and are now in pole position for the single automatic promotion place, needing only to beat Boreham Wood on Saturday to seal their return to the Football League.

That is only after a remarkable tussle with Notts County, however, culminating in the dramatic 3-2 Easter Monday win at the Racecourse Ground.

Both Wrexham and Notts have passed 100 points, with the league leaders setting a points record for the top five divisions of English football.

For defender Tozer, that incredible standard encourages comparisons with perhaps football's greatest rivalry, which saw Messi at Barcelona and Ronaldo at Real Madrid hit their peaks at the same time.

"Everyone would rather have won the league by March, and that's just the way things are," Tozer said, looking forward to the Boreham Wood game.

"People generally want things easy, but if you want to go and win a league, it's tough, it's hard. You have to do the right thing day in and day out.

"And again, it's been great to have that pressure. It probably was the same. We'd both be pushing each other really, and that's okay.

"It's a bit like the Messi and Ronaldo situation pushing each other on. It's been tough and it's been good."

Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds lauded both his side and rivals Notts County after they edged a 3-2 classic to go three points clear in the National League.

The Welsh team took the spoils in a five-goal thriller between the division's top two sides, capped off by goalkeeper Ben Foster's dramatic 97th-minute penalty save.

It means Phil Parkinson's men move to 103 points for the season, just three ahead of County, and with a game in hand on their rivals after a pair of record-breaking seasons.

Hollywood star Reynolds, who owns the club alongside fellow actor Rob McElhenney, was quick to credit both his team's opponents and Foster's crucial contribution when he spoke afterwards.

"It was a pressure cooker coming into this, I think, for both of these teams," he told BT Sport. "What both have achieved is historic on every level.

"I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like that. When I get my hands on Ben Foster, he's going to be on the injured reserve list, I'm going to break ribs.

"I'm going to hug him so hard. I don't feel like I have a heart anymore. I feel like I used all the beats I have left during that match.

"That was unlike anything I've ever seen before and indicative of all you lifers who have watched and participated in this beautiful, tortuous game forever.

"I'm actually grateful at this moment that I didn't care about this years ago because it would have just eaten me alive. That was really something."

McElhenney, who was also in attendance for the blockbuster encounter, took to social media afterwards, writing on Twitter: "I can’t believe there was a time when I thought football was boring."

Wrexham, who have four games left this season, next face play-off hopefuls Barnet on Saturday.