Why Tsaroulla is 'cherishing' play-offs with County

Tsaroulla knows he is lucky to talk about growing old and have a career to reflect on after the head-on collision he was involved in Winchmore Hill, north London when 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 ever really got going.

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

When Tsaroulla appeared in front of the BBC's cameras pitchside to speak after scoring against Leeds, he was overcome with emotion.

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 steadies himself with a promise "not to cry again on TV".

Tsaroulla plays with plenty of energy on the wing and talks passionately about giving everything to Notts' promotion cause, having missed last year's play-off campaign after having to undergo surgery to remove his appendix.

But all the while, he talks of football's importance with perspective.

"When you have the opportunity to play football like this, everyone hypes it up like it's the end of the world, but it's not," he said.

"We will play like our lives depend on it but at the end of the day, they don't. That does relieve the pressure."

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

"His story is really important. There's 23-26 players, if not more, in there and they've all got their own individual stories about why they're here, why they want to achieve something. It's really important and we do harness that and we do speak about it," Paterson said.

"It's all a balance of emotion, passion and then control and the tactical side of it. So all my players' stories and pasts are really important.

"All of us can just chip in together and focus on the future."