By PON_News
Notts County boss Luke Williams is facing a 'good' problem ahead of the National League clash against Altrincham on Tuesday. During Saturday's win over Scunthorpe, Williams was forced to make an early change following an incident involving Sam Slocombe. As a result, Archie Mair, who arrived on loan from Norwich City in January, was introduced for his league debut. With Tiernan Brooks away on international duty with the Republic of Ireland under-21s, Mair impressed with his composure in possession.
Despite Slocombe's injury, Williams was able to provide an encouraging update on his fitness. Speaking ahead of Tuesday's game, the Magpies manager revealed that the keeper had suffered an impact injury rather than a twist or tear. Williams added that Slocombe was experiencing discomfort but expressed confidence that the muscle would be relaxed enough to do its job and not remain contracted throughout.
As Notts County head to Altrincham, Williams may have to decide between Slocombe and Mair in the goalkeeper position. The Magpies are currently second in the National League table, three points behind Wrexham who have a game in hand. A victory over Altrincham could see them go top of the league, but Williams will need to make the right decision regarding his team selection to achieve this.
Speaking to the Nottingham Post, Luke Williams said: "Sam's in discomfort, but it is not a twist or a tear, it is an impact injury, so we have to feel confident that the muscle is relaxed enough and it can do its job and not stay contracted the whole time.
"We have a bit more time with that so we will see how he goes, but fortunately it was not a break or a tear. We will have to do a fitness test tomorrow and see where we are then."
With three goalkeepers having been utilized in Notts' previous two National League fixtures, Williams is currently faced with the daunting task of selecting his starting goalkeeper for the upcoming match tomorrow.
The Magpies' boss must weigh up the performances of all three shot-stoppers in order to determine the best candidate for the job. This has undoubtedly posed a significant selection headache for Williams, as he must choose wisely in order to secure a victory against their upcoming opponents.
"It is only good problems, Sam has played consistently well over the course of the season and Tiernan has gone in and done incredibly well, and then I thought Archie also did well at the weekend. Williams added,
"It is the perfect problem for me and I need to weigh up all things now and try to pick the most sensible decision and the one that is in the best moment to play the game - and that will be the one that goes in."
Following their win over Scunthorpe on Saturday, Connell Rawlinson praised Archie Mair's impressive performance, despite challenging circumstances. This sentiment was echoed by Notts County boss, Luke Williams.
"His first action was a big one, I think everyone in the ground took a gasp because he made a really big action to get us through the first press, and after that, he showed a good range of passing - he dropped some balls into the guys on the outside and on the angles and into the guys in midfield.
"He was able to open the game up like we want all of the guys to be able to that when they see opportunities to play right to the top of the pitch, he showed everything and it was a good display of what he has got."
Notts County boss, Luke Williams, received some relief in the defensive department with the return of Richard Brindley to the matchday squad for the first time since January. This comes as the club enters the final six games of the National League season.
However, Jodi Jones is expected to miss the upcoming game against Altrincham due to his participation in Malta's 2-0 Euro 2024 qualifier defeat against Italy. On a positive note, Williams was able to give updates on Cedwyn Scott and new signing Junior Morias, indicating they are close to making a return to action.
Williams said: "Junior joined in with the whole group today for the first time and did some conditioning after to get closer to where he needs to be.
"Cedwyn worked really hard today in conditioning to try and get him closer and closer, so the fact that both out on the grass and not inside in the gym is a great sign."
After tomorrow's match, Notts County will enjoy an 11-day break before their next National League fixture against Wealdstone at Meadow Lane. The Magpies will then face a crucial top-of-the-table clash with Wrexham on Bank Holiday Monday.
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