Magpies steal maximum points

Notts County kept their promotion push going with an ugly 1-0 victory at Coventry.In a bright start Coventry midfielder Adam Barton fired a low shot wide after two minutes and at the other end Mike Edwards bundled goalwards but his effort was easily saved by Ryan Allsop.The early action was hardly a sign of things to come as both sides struggled to impose themselves on a game that appeared there for the taking in the opening period.Neither side really got going in the second half until 18-year-old Coventry midfielder Jack Finch shot just over from the edge of the box in the 58th minute to lift the subdued home crowd.But it was the visitors who took the lead with their first real attack of substance when the ball broke to Garry Thompson in the 72nd minute and he raced forward and passed the ball into the corner of the net.Coventry had strong claims for a penalty when Hayden Hollis fouled Gary Madine in the box with three minutes left, but Notts goalkeeper Roy Carroll, on duty for Northern Ireland in their Euro qualifying defeat in Romania on Friday night, was not called into action as referee Michael Bull waved away the appeals.