Notts County boss Luke Williams plays down importance of fixture rescheduling

Luke Williams, the manager of Notts County, has clarified that the timing of his team's games is inconsequential, following the most recent rescheduling of their National League fixture. The Magpies were originally scheduled to play against Woking, who are in third place, at 3pm on April 15th. However, the match has been pushed back to 5:30pm to facilitate its broadcast on BT Sport live from Meadow Lane.

Similarly, Wrexham, who are currently the league leaders, have had their fixture against promotion contenders Barnet rescheduled for the same day, with the match at The Hive Stadium now beginning at 12:45pm. It is unsurprising that the fixtures involving the top two teams in the National League have been selected for television coverage, but Notts fans are far from pleased.

Since the beginning of the season, there have only been six 3pm Saturday kick-offs at Meadow Lane. Moreover, the National League's latest update confirms that Notts' final Saturday 3pm match of the season against York City has also been moved to 5:30pm. This has left fans of the club feeling frustrated with the constant changes to their team's fixture schedule, which they believe has negatively impacted their ability to attend games and offer their support.

Despite the fans' dissatisfaction, Williams has emphasised that the timing of the games is not a concern for the team. The manager believes that the team's performance on the field is not dependent on the time of their matches, and that his team will be able to handle any changes to their schedule. As Notts County continues to push for promotion to the Football League, Williams and his team remain focused on their goal, regardless of the timing of their matches.

"No, we don't look at it like that at all," Williams replied when questioned about whether the frequent changes in fixtures could be viewed as a disadvantage in light of their league position.

"I think quite honestly it is irrelevant as to when we kick-off, we only have to make sure that we change our preparations at times and that is not a big deal to us.

"We haven't even looked to see whether this is an advantage or a disadvantage, it quite honestly does not register to us and when we know the kick-off time, we work backward through our schedule to make sure that we arrive at the right place at the right time to play football."

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