Notts County: Why Nick Saroula is ‘cherishing’ Magpies’ play-off campaign

Tsaroulla knows he is lucky to be able to talk about getting old and has a career to mirror the collision he was involved in at Winchmore Hill, north London, while driving to Spurs training.

He survived the crash but endured months of pain that kept him out of the game for a year and threatened to end his career before it really got going.

Spurs released him in 2018 but found his way back into the game with Brentford’s B team before moving on to progress at Crawley Town – a side he helped out. A famous FA Cup win against Leeds United With a stunning first senior goal in January 2021 before taking part in their League Two promotion play-off success in 2024.

When Saroulla appeared to speak to BBC cameras after scoring against Leeds, he was Overcome with emotion, outsider.

He readily admits that reflecting on what he went through nearly nine years ago and how it has shaped him as a footballer “hits a nerve” as he steels himself by vowing to “never cry on TV again”.

Tsaroulla plays with great energy on the wing and has spoken passionately about giving his all for Notts’ promotion, having missed last year’s play-off campaign after undergoing surgery to remove his appendix.

But all the while, he spoke of the importance of football – and the enormity of Notts’ home tie with Chesterfield, winning the opening leg 1-0 – with a calm attitude.

“When you get to play football like this, everybody hypes it up saying it’s the end of the world, but it’s not,” he said.

“We play like our lives depend on it but at the end of the day, they don’t. It relieves the pressure.”

The early career trauma that Saraulla went through and how he prepares for the match is something Notts head coach Martin Patterson says all the players in the Magpies dressing room can draw on.

“His story is really important. There’s 23-26 players, if not more, out there and they have their own story about why they’re here, why they want to achieve something. It’s really important and we tap into that and we talk about it,” Patterson said.

“It’s all about emotion, passion and then the balance of control and the strategic side of it. So the stories and pasts of all my players are really important.

“We can all chip in together and focus on the future.”