By PON_News
Notts County head coach Stuart Maynard expressed mixed emotions following his side's hard-fought 1-1 draw away at Morecambe.
Matty Platt’s late equaliser, set up by a sublime Sam Austin cross, salvaged a point for the Magpies in a match that began poorly for the visitors.
Despite the draw, Maynard believes the result could have been different had Notts capitalised on key moments and avoided the early concession.
Reflecting on the game, Maynard acknowledged the difficulty of falling behind so early, as Morecambe struck within the opening two minutes. "When you concede that early in the game, it becomes very difficult," Maynard said.
"Places like this make it hard for you, and I thought they were very good at what they did today." The early goal shifted the dynamics of the game, forcing Notts to battle uphill from the start.
Despite the setback, Maynard was pleased with his team’s resilience, adding, "The character and the mentality we've got in this group now to keep going – we said it at half-time, keep going all the way to the end because we’re going to get some big moments."
The first half saw Notts struggle to break down a well-organised Morecambe side, who were relentless in their defensive efforts. Although Maynard’s team controlled much of the ball, they found it hard to create clear-cut chances.
"We said at half-time our quality wasn’t good enough," he noted. "We needed to be more composed in the final third, and I think we saw that in the second half."
One of the game’s key moments came when Austin delivered an inch-perfect cross into the box, which Platt converted to score his first goal for the club.
"What a ball across the box for the goal, it was outstanding," Maynard said, praising Austin’s contribution. "I’m delighted for Sammy [Sam Austin] because his work ethic again today was brilliant."
Platt’s goal was crucial, and although Maynard had identified set pieces as a possible source of goals, it wasn’t in the manner they had planned.
"We thought we could probably score from set pieces today," Maynard said. "It didn’t kind of happen like that, but for Platty [Matty Platt] to get his first goal for the club is brilliant."
The game saw Morecambe set up differently than expected, which did not come as a surprise to Maynard. "Every team that plays us sets up differently," he explained.
"We always prep with two or three different game plans on how teams are going to press us." Notts had to adapt throughout the match, and despite dominating large parts of the second half, the breakthrough came late.
Maynard also touched on what could have been a turning point in the match when Morecambe’s left-sided centre-back, already on a booking, committed a foul on George Abbott. "It should have been a red," Maynard remarked. "It could have been a different game, but we’ll take the point and go again."
The game saw the debut of new signing Josh Martin, a winger signed as a free agent. "He’s a talented footballer," Maynard said. "He can play on either flank, dribble, and go by players. We believe we’ve signed a good player there."
As for injury concerns, Maynard provided an update on Jodi Jones, who is set to miss several weeks following an injury picked up in the previous game.
"We’re waiting on the results of his scan, but we don’t anticipate him being back soon," he said. "Jodi’s a huge miss for us. You look at his goal contribution and assists this season – when you miss big players, it has an impact."
Maynard expressed frustration at the trend of physical fouls his team has endured in recent games, which have contributed to their growing injury list. "Jodi’s been injured from it, and other players have too," he said. "It’s something we need to cut out of the game."
Despite the challenges, Maynard remains optimistic about his side’s ability to bounce back, stressing the importance of squad depth as Notts County navigates a gruelling season ahead.
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