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Joshua Barnes
Joshua Barnes

By Joshua Barnes •

Notts County’s First Five League Games: A Closer Look

As Notts County fans, anticipation for the new football season is always high, and this year is no exception. Fans eagerly await the release of the fixtures, planning their weekends and away trips to support their beloved team. The Magpies will kick off their campaign with an away game against Sutton United, followed by a local derby at home against Grimsby Town. 

The next three games will see Notts County face Morecambe, Doncaster Rovers, and Tranmere Rovers. Each game presents its own challenges and opportunities for the team to start the season on a strong footing.

In this article, we will take a closer look at each of these opening fixtures, analysing the opposition and discussing the potential outcomes. Will Notts County come out on top, or will they face an uphill battle in the opening weeks of the season? Let’s dive in and find out.

With the fixtures now out for the season, let's take a dive into the first five league games of the season.

Sutton United
Sutton United.pngThe U’s, who finished last season in 14th place without a win in their last five games, are our first match back in the EFL since 4th May 2019. In my opinion, this is the perfect opening match for the Magpies. A team that has lost a few of its starlets from last season, including Will Randell, who signed for Notts on a two-year deal. Another reason I think this is perfect is because we will face a team that didn't struggle in the relegation fight last season but also didn't fight in the promotion push either. Some would say “a proper league two club.”

With their top goalscorer only being at six goals throughout the whole of last season and the team as a whole only scoring 48 all season, it remains to be seen if Matt Grey can get his players hitting the back of the net next season. With some work in pre-season and maybe with an additional new striker, they could become an issue for Notts.

Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town.pngOur first home game back in the EFL, and it’s a local derby - how good is that? With Grimsby beating us twice at home in the 21/22 season - once in the league and then scoring in the 119th minute to make it 1:2 in the play-off quarter-final - that brought our season to an end. I am sure the players will be looking for revenge.

Grimsby finished in a respectable 11th place last season but have since been active in the transfer window, signing players like Rekeil Pyke, Harvey Rodgers and Charles Vernam. All of which were playing at a higher level last season. It would be fair to say Grimsby are going to be a few people's favourites to make the playoffs as a minimum. This would be an important three points early on in the season and could set the pace for the rest of the season. I think it would be a great three points, but I feel it could be a struggle; however, with over a month until the game and a full transfer window in place, who knows?

With the right transfer window, I sadly expect Grimsby to be right up there fighting to get out of the division. Grimsby finished last season with a -3 goal difference. I believe this will be one of the things Paul Hurst wants to dramatically improve.

Morecambe
Morecambe_FC.pngMorecambe, which is more famous for its bay and Tyson Fury, are one of the smaller teams in the division with an average attendance of just 4000 last season. Maybe this was because they were in a relegation fight, which they ultimately lost by crashing out of league one last season and now will have to fight in league two again. However, it seems like the shrimpers are in for another tough season with most bookies putting them second favourite to get another relegation.

In my opinion, this is a game where Notts should pick up three points. On the flip side, Morecambe did find a bit of form at the end of the season, winning three of their final five games and drawing one as well. It seems odd that a team that only got relegated by two points is one of the favourites to get relegated. Will Morecambe be a surprise package this season?

Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers.pngBack-to-back away games at the start of the season were always going to be hard, but when you're coming up against another potential promotion rival it becomes that little bit harder; do not let the fact that they finished 18th be a factor in the result. Not only have they been proactive in the transfer window by acquiring players like George Broadbent who had an excellent season with Boreham Wood, they also got Joe Ironside’s signature - a striker who has proven himself at this level with Cambridge and Hartlepool. Joe Ironside was also playing at a higher level last season by playing with league one outfit Cambridge scoring six goals.

This is another game where I feel Notts County could make a statement with a big win away from home. A point should be a minimum for Luke Williams' men in my opinion.

With both teams having their eyes set on playoffs as a minimum this season I think this will be a fantastic game for neutrals; however, it will be nail-biting for both sets of fans.

Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers.pngI can't help but feel Tranmere away will be our toughest game inside the opening five games due to their transfer window. Despite only finishing in twelfth place and three points below Grimsby last season I feel they will be underdogs this season.

As I mentioned earlier, Tranmere has had an impressive transfer window signing ex-Notts player Kristian Dennis, who yet again last season has proven himself within this league, scoring 20 goals last season for the now league one outfit Carlisle, but also getting the signature of Luke Norris. Luke, who has hit double figures in two consecutive seasons, signed for them on a one-year contract after helping his ex-club Stevenage get promoted and has previously won Stevenage’s player of the season. I think this season will be a good season for Tranmere with signing a very prolific pair of strikers and keeping a good core of their team. I would put my house on it that Notts will find Tranmere Rovers a tough team to visit Meadow Lane.

Many thanks for reading. If you want to see more, be sure to follow me on Twitter: @JVB0502

Get involved with the Pride of Nottingham by using our dashboard page and join the conversation with fellow Notts County fans.

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liampie

i think its a good chance to build momentum like we did last season, in my personal opinion the bigger games are grimsby town and tranmere rovers but notts needs to treat them all the same. i think its also nice to get those two games out of the way nice and early, i think if we can build winning streaks like we did in the national league, confidence will grow.

i am very much looking forward to the new season.

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RetroPie

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your analysis of Notts County's opening fixtures, @Joshua Barnes. It's always an exciting time for fans when the new season approaches, and these first five games will certainly be crucial for Notts to establish themselves as contenders.

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thommo

Notts' opening against Sutton United does present the perfect opportunity to establish some early momentum. Given Sutton's form in the tail end of last season, I'd expect Notts to capitalise and set a positive tone for their campaign. Winning the initial games always helps with the morale of the team.

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Chris

Sutton will be ready and up for the game; it's for us to show we have learned and improved since the last time we played them. Yes, we are a different team, but they have changed too. They know how to stop teams playing, so we'll need to be at our best. I also think the fixtures have formed a nice group of games that leads to the next phrase quite nicely for us. I don't think we will be looking at any fixture and thinking, we can't beat them.

At the same time, the coaching staff and Luke Williams won't allow the squad to underestimate them.

I would be happy 9–12 points from the opening games.

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JIMBO

Notts County's opening games will surely set the pace for the rest of the season. Looking forward to some thrilling games!

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upthepies

Intriguing analysis of Notts County's first five league games of the season. Starting with an away game against Sutton United, it certainly presents an excellent chance for Notts to kick off the campaign on a high note. Despite the loss of some key players, Sutton's end-of-season form suggests that they may struggle initially in this year's league. A decisive win for Notts could bolster the team's morale and set the stage for the subsequent challenging encounters.

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MagpieLane

This piece does well to highlight the importance of the derby against Grimsby Town. I remember the gruelling defeat in the playoff quarter-final a few season ago. I'm eager to see Notts County exact some revenge. 

As for Grimsby's active transfers window, it's hard to tell if this will shift the balance in their favour. Time will tell how well these signings integrate with the existing team. Hopefully, Notts uses the advantage of the home ground and get those important three points!

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Blake

@Joshua Barnes I agree with most of your points about Notts County's opening matches. The games against Sutton United and Grimsby Town should serve as a litmus test for the team's preparedness and resolve. The first home game - a local derby - can be a morale booster if we secure a win.

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Fan of Big Tone

I hope Notts don’t go to Sutton feeling complacent I’m sure Luke Williams won’t allow it and if we play to our strengths I think we can come away with the points.

This will set us up for the Grimsby game but I’ve never heard it described as a local derby before, however  with the confidence from a good performance against Sutton and a big crowd at home I’m hoping we can win that too.

Then we’ll see how the rest of the 5 games pan out, no game will be easy though in this league, complacency is our enemy.

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KingMaynard

Great summary of the upcoming season's opening games. The first game against Sutton United is definitely an opportunity for Notts County to hit the ground running. Considering Sutton's performance towards the end of last season, there's a good chance for Notts to secure an immediate victory.

The second game against Grimsby Town will be a thriller. Grimsby has fortified their squad ahead of the season. However, I believe in Notts' team spirit and ability to rise to the occasion.

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Countyman

I too believe that the team has a good chance to start the season with a win against Sutton United. Their lack of significant victories towards the end of the last season makes this a great opportunity for Notts County to get off to a positive start.

 I'm particularly interested in the home game against Grimsby Town and how it pans out. Seeing how they ended our last season, the anticipation is indeed high, and I believe that Notts County won't disappoint

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NottsCountyKev

In the first few games, Notts has a good chance of establishing themselves with the front runners of League Two. I think realistically, there may be several teams 10 games in that just need to find the right balance with their results in order to be a firm title or promotion contender. I would like for Notts to be in the running for either, yet provided we are clear from the drop, then we are fine.

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Michael D Pie.

Great analysis of our first 5 fixtures and I agree Sutton is the one to help settle into playing to the Luke Williams tune. Although Grimsby has the potential to give us a barometer of what's ahead of us over the coming weeks and months I feel that will come after the first half dozen games once we get bedded into the league. Exciting times ahead, can't wait for the season to begin. COYP.

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