Stuart Maynard Hails Grit After Notts County's Hard-Fought 1-0 Win Over AFC Wimbledon

Hard-fought match, and Maynard’s right, it wasn’t pretty but we got the job done.

Maynard hit the nail on the head when he said it was an 'ugly' win. AFC Wimbledon made it difficult from the start, and it wasn’t a match filled with flair or creativity. But sometimes, that’s what you need in League Two. A clean sheet, a scrappy set-piece goal, and showing grit is what gets you through these tough fixtures. Really pleased to see us come through this one, especially with our defensive efforts.

Notts are made of much stronger stuff this season when it comes to competing with the opposition, showing grit, & playing ugly when the need arises.

It's a  big change from last year in no many ways. The team is now unrecognisable from the team that kept conceding goals like it was no tomorrow.

A strong defence is the number prerequisite to be able to challenge for promotion & I think Notts have that defence that they need  now with more players like McDonald & Ness to come in if necessary.

Games like the one against Wimbledon, they would have lost last season. But we have to give credit for Maynard's substitutions too that changed the game for Notts in that second  half.

It was a game where we really had to dig deep. Wimbledon came with a plan and made it difficult for us, but the team showed real grit to come through with the win. The defensive effort was outstanding, and we kept our shape brilliantly under pressure. We’ve become much harder to break down this season, and that’s really encouraging to see. The goal might have been scrappy, but they all count, and what matters most is the result. Games like this are crucial if we’re going to keep pushing for the top spots. It’s great to see the team pulling together and getting the job done!

Winning ugly is still winning. On to the next one!

fair play, stuart maynard is right and i think had we tried harder to force the pretty football we would have lost the game simply due to how wimbledon had set themselves up.

It wasn’t the prettiest game, but I agree with Maynard, sometimes you’ve got to win ugly. AFC Wimbledon didn’t make it easy for us to play our usual game, but the lads showed real determination. The clean sheet is massive for us, especially given how tight the game was. Maynard’s comments about set-pieces being crucial were spot on. Craig’s work with the team really paid off today with Platt’s goal. Bassi was solid as ever at the back, keeping us calm under pressure. We’ll need to keep up this kind of defensive resilience for the rest of the season if we want to stay near the top of the table.

Completely agree with Stuart Maynard’s assessment, it wasn’t the most attractive match to watch, but it’s great to see the lads come away with the win. AFC Wimbledon’s defensive shape was tough to break down, and it’s matches like these that show the importance of being clinical from set-pieces. Platt’s goal may have been scruffy, but they all count! I also thought our defence handled Wimbledon’s pressure really well. Bassi was immense, and I think Maynard’s spot on with how calm he keeps the team. It’s games like this that test your mental toughness, and Notts showed they’ve got plenty of it.

It’s a good response from the manager. I'm surprised he didn’t mention the officials or some of the tackles made by the AFC Wimbledon players. 

Asking for protection in interviews can get quite dull if it happens too often. I would much rather hear about the preparation that went into the match and why things worked or didn’t.

I hope Stuart Maynard can focus on the positives because, during the defeats, his responses were pretty typical.

He spoke well in his interview after the match. I appreciate the respect he shows, even when the other team doesn't display the same level of class.

The management has done their research, and we should be better at set pieces. It would be great to score more from corners, but that will come with time.