Tactical Talk: Notts County 2-0 Chesterfield, Saturday 12 August 2017

Notts County got their first win of the 2017-18 League Two season on Saturday after beating a dirty Chesterfield side 2-0 at Meadow Lane.

A controversial and heated encounter, Gozie Ugwu should have earned a red card for a number of clashes with home players, and was hauled off at half time by Gary Caldwell.

Scott Wiseman, meanwhile, did get his marching orders after hauling down Terry Hawkridge, denying him a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Ultimately, Jorge Grant proved to be the star man for Notts once again, coming on as a second-half substitute and opening the scoring with a looping header before curling a wonderful free kick into the Spireites net in injury time.

In this article, Pride of Nottingham looks at several aspects of the game, from the performance to whether the result was fair, and how to build on from a successful weekend.

Was the result fair?

It was difficult to see how Notts would score without the changes made within the second half, Jorge Grant instantly made an impact and his direct approach was greatly lacking prior to his arrival, whilst he also gave the squad some calm edge within the final third. It’s harder to suggest that Notts didn’t deserve the 2-0 win, a superb header and free kick greatly warranted.

How did Notts play?

There were signs of that jagged play we saw against Coventry City in the opening day, however there was little sign of nerves. From a defensive perspective, Notts did very well with Dan Jones frequently winning the ball back or breaking down the play. Going forward Notts passed nicely, though play was often forced or simply rushed. For a debut home performance of the campaign, it was a decent showing by Notts.

How did Chesterfield play?

Quite poor, they moved well but often wasted chances. They looked like a side which knew they would struggle and because of this resorted to being physical – which wasn’t pretty at times. They got the ball into the channels and linked well, yet no real tests were offered bar the odd chance and a one on one with Adam Collin.

Did our tactics work out?

To a degree yes, however the line-up worked from the perspective that Notts wouldn’t concede easily but going forward we had little firepower – not due to a lack of effort or performance. Simply down to the way that Chesterfield played and for the fact we desperately lack pace. The second half changes were very well thought out and changed what was lacking within the first period.

How did the referee perform?

I thought he actually did very well, he seemed to miss things but generally play to continue. He didn’t seem to be on either team's side which makes a change, and I know he made some poor decisions but within League Two I expect this.

Who do we play next?

Everton Under-21s in the EFL Trophy / Checkatrade Trophy; league-wise it’s Wycombe Wanderers who will be another stern test for the Magpies.

How should we play them?

We need Jorge Grant to start, it’s hard to see how we can maximise our creativity from midfield without him. Apart from that, I would keep the line-up very similar to the Chesterfield game – perhaps resting Jon Stead. Adam Collin deserves to retain his place despite opinions, the defence is hard to change after the 2-0 home win and the midfield just needs to think before rushing decisions.

Going into the EFL Trophy Notts should use it to experiment with the strike options, along with one or two changes in midfield.

Here's what Chesterfield fans thought of the game, courtesy of Thecfss.co.uk:

Turrhall: We've been the better team, not by much, but better. Ref atrocious.

Spireitefitzy: If he can get a win from here then Caldwell's stock will go up. Just a shame he has a ready made excuse if we lose. No natural wide players on the pitch and playing strikers wherever he feels like, it's poor and lessens our chances lf winning.

Heart of a Niven: [Joe Anyon] looks tiny in goal. He has absolutely no presence and may as well be on the end of a Subbuteo stick for all the good he does.

Spireitefitzy: Not a sending off, but shouldn't really be putting your arms up there to give the ref the opportunity. Ugwu should be off and serving a three game ban but it was missed, not sure if they can go retrospective if it's not reported so shouldnt be any repercussions. He doesn't look up to this level though.

Westbars Spireite: 8-0 on corners suggests a 1-sided game. I know today is only the second league game (and likely defeat) but things could go very wrong, very quickly for Caldwell off the back of last season's farce. He earned no goodwill at all and has to change things quickly. Now would be a good start.

Spire_78: Could sack Caldwell... probably should for his record alone if nothing else - except i'd have more confidence in Kim Jong-un choosing a replacement. The problems run far far deeper than just a poor manager and a collection of mediocre players. The club is being ruined gradually from the top seemingly without a care in the world - genuinely starting to fear for our League future, if this continues we could quite easily follow the likes of Stockport and York.

gordon_brittas: Lowest ebb, and I can see it getting worse if changes aren't made. Two league defeats to bang average opponents. God knows what the score will be when we play the Luton's and Coventry's of this league.

Exharboroughspireite: This has been coming ever since we didn't roll the dice and backed cook for the final push. Sadly I can't see this having a turnaround until either Allen puts some substantial cash into the club again or finds another buyer. The day to day running of the club Is a disgrace and Caldwell appears to be the third manager on the bounce who simply cannot hack it.

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