Jon Stead ensures Notts County's survival

Jon Stead's 13th goal of the season proved lucky for Notts County as they beat Hartlepool 1-0 at Meadow Lane to finally dispel any fears of relegation from Sky Bet League Two.The Magpies only needed a point to ensure safety, but claimed all three as Stead struck early in the second half to hand new boss Mark Cooper his second win in four days.The first half was a cagey affair, with Liam Noble firing a couple of efforts just over for Notts, while Rhys Oates had Pools' best when his shot was kept out by keeper Scott Loach's legs.Wes Atkinson brought out a low save from Trevor Carson inside four minutes of the second half and a minute later, the Ulsterman dived to his left to palm a McLeod effort wide.County's pressure paid off after 55 minutes when Noble played a delightful pass to Elliott Hewitt on the right flank and he raced to the byline and pulled the ball back for Stead, who slammed home from eight yards.Notts keeper Loach acrobatically kept out a Lewis Hawkins curler in a rare Pools attack, and from the resultant corner, Noble cleared Rob Jones' shot off the line.Noble went close to doubling Notts advantage, but shot narrowly wide, and at the death, Loach had to to be alert to save from Luke James to ensure a County win.