Chris Buckley: Jon Stead and Shola Ameobi can use experience to help out young strikers at Notts County

With Jon Stead and Shola Ameobi both signing the contract extensions offered to them by Notts County, it dismisses my concerns over who can lead the Magpies front line during the 2017-18 season.

The majority of fans I know were quietly confident about both of them signing, but I had my doubts and I thought it would be just one of the two staying put.

Yet it is fantastic news that Kevin Nolan has successfully managed to retain them both, they showed us last season what a hard-working duo could do up front.

Even when they didn’t play together, they allowed a poor Magpie squad to bounce back and shine after the 10-game losing run in League Two.

Both players have a wealth of experience, each has something vastly different in their locker and I feel that they can be the key to passing the torch on and for this historic club to find their own natural goalscorer.

We all know it’s very unlikely that they will have the engines to play game after game from August to May - we have to accept that we will need someone else to step in for one or even both from time to time.

This isn’t a negative for me, I firmly feel it presents a perfect opportunity for Notts to recruit a young upcoming striker who can thrive as an understudy to the pair.

Stead has recently expressed his concern with the Notts squad, sending out a message that most fans will only know too well.

He said in relation to requiring a couple of 15-20+ goalscorers, "we are going to need a couple of them. I know the manager is working to get players in and I still think we are a little bit light. I think we need three or four more players in then we can have a right go."

There’s no denying we need more strength in depth in certain departments, yet a concern for me is injury up top and a lack of a pacey, speedy threat.

Aaron Collins would be the perfect example of someone young who fit the mould, he arrived with few expectations from my own opinion but quickly highlighted to me why he fitted the bill.

I feel Nolan should identify a young striker of that calibre who can fill the void and take the strain off Stead and Ameobi.

I’m not expecting fireworks from the off, yet it would be a great blessing to know we have depth throughout the squad and I feel the pair offer a lot of attraction to other potential signings – if we were able to get some creativity on the flanks and centre of midfield, for example.

Providing we strengthen the defence properly and allow the attacking players to do their thing, then I don’t see why a young striker couldn’t thrive at Meadow Lane.

I realise that we require a squad of about 22-25 players, but having the quality and depth in the squad will be paramount to Notts having a successful go this upcoming campaign.

Honestly, Notts should be far more hardworking – the question right now is all down to where the creativity will come from?

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