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Stuart Maynard Reflects on Frustrating Defeat Against Gillingham: "We Deserved More"


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Notts County head coach Stuart Maynard expressed his frustration following a narrow 1-0 defeat to Gillingham, the team's first loss of the League Two season. 

Despite dominating large portions of the game, the Magpies were unable to find the back of the net, with Gillingham’s Elliott Nevitt scoring the only goal in controversial circumstances.

Maynard remained proud of his team’s performance but lamented missed opportunities, suggesting that on chances alone, Notts County should have won the game. 

"I thought we were excellent all afternoon," Maynard said. "In the first half, we could be 2 or 3 up. We played some really good football and showed what we're about this season."

Notts County's first half was filled with promising chances. Jodi Jones forced a fine save, Nick Troussla and George Abbott both struck the post from close range.

Soon after, another effort found the side netting. Maynard reflected on these moments as key to the match: "We deserved to win the game on chances alone. We performed to a very high level today, but it's frustrating when things don't go your way."

Adding to the frustration was a disallowed equaliser late in the second half. Maynard was quick to highlight what he believed was a clear error by the officials.

"We've had a goal that's been disallowed that we believe, and we've seen back, is onside," he explained. The decision left the fans and players alike feeling aggrieved.

Maynard also received a yellow card for his protests over a penalty appeal that was denied. "We watched it back, and from the angle you can see on the video, it's a clear penalty," he said. 

Despite these contentious decisions, Maynard remained philosophical about the outcome, stating that his team cannot rely on officials to win matches. "We can't control the officials; what we can control is making sure we go away and come back even better."

Compounding Notts County's frustrations were injuries and key absences. Alassana Jatta was ruled out due to a concussion protocol following the previous game against Bromley, and Jodi Jones was forced off late in the match after a tough challenge.

"Jodi got injured, and we didn’t have an attacking sub to bring on. But Cundie is brilliant in the air, so we put the big man up there, and he caused real problems."

Maynard also gave an update on Jatta, explaining the decision to rest him. "It’s precautionary. He felt a little dizziness after the Bromley game, and we’ve got to treat him with the right medical care."

Despite the defeat, Maynard praised his players for their mentality and determination. "I’m proud of that performance. When you go 1-0 down and are as dominant as we were, to keep going is difficult, but we’ve got a really good mentality within this group," he said.

Maynard emphasised that while missing key players like Jatta and Scott Robertson is a challenge, he believes in the depth of the squad.

The focus now turns to the upcoming EFL Trophy fixture, where Maynard hinted at squad rotation. "Every game we go into, we want to win, no matter what team we put out," he asserted. 

With the possibility of fresh legs coming in, Maynard remains confident that his side can bounce back quickly.

Maynard also took a moment to credit Gillingham's defensive resilience. "They’ve come here, defended excellently, and left with a clean sheet. They’ve only conceded two goals all season for a reason," he admitted.

However, he remained confident in his team’s attacking play. "We could have scored three or four goals today. On the attacking side, I thought we were excellent."

The result may have been disappointing, but Maynard’s focus remains on the positives as Notts County look to get back to their winning ways.

Click here to read the Pride of Nottingham's match report. We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section!

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Really disappointing to come away with nothing after dominating the game. It felt like we were all over them at times, but just couldn’t find that final touch. The disallowed goal looked onside to me, and I thought the referee had a poor game overall. Gillingham are a tough side to break down, and they defended brilliantly, but I feel like we should’ve done better with the chances we had. Injuries to Jatta and Jones definitely didn’t help, but we’ve got the depth to deal with that. Maynard’s got the team playing well, and despite the loss, I’m still optimistic about where we’re heading this season. Onto the next game!

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Honestly, it’s one of those matches where we did everything but score. The football was brilliant at times, and the lads really pushed hard, but Gillingham’s defence was rock solid. It’s gutting to lose a game like that, especially with the disallowed goal and missed penalty shout. Felt like nothing went our way, but credit to the team for keeping at it. The injuries didn’t help either, and it’s clear we missed Jatta. Still, plenty of positives to take forward.

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We played some of our best football today but just couldn't break Gillingham down. I think the first half was as good as we’ve seen all season, and if we’d taken one of those chances, it would’ve been a different story. The disallowed goal and penalty shout were tough to take, and I can understand Maynard’s frustration. It didn’t feel like we had much luck, but the effort and quality were definitely there. Injuries to key players didn’t help either, but we’ve got the squad to cope. It’s just one game, and we’re still in a strong position. The team’s mentality is strong, and I’m sure we’ll come back stronger in the next match.

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if we can, should we recall junior morias? stuart maynard has highlighted the lack of cover we have, jevani brown did okay in spells but someone with real energy and quickness might help us. if jodi jones is out, then we can push brown into the team and have morias on the bench or starting. i think maynard said everthing we fault and came across well. i am glad most fans are not blaming him.

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Overall Notts were the better side & had several opportunities to score that on another day they would have done.

Gillingham came with a game plan to defend, & execute a high press on us, & try to capitalise on mistakes or hit us on the break.

The plan for them worked perfectly, but Notts can be positive with their performance. Notts did many things right & could easily have won 3:1.

Jodi's injury near the end is a concern, & Notts did miss Alassana Jatta too. He gives Notts an outlet & Notts missed his finishing on Saturday.

Onward to Morecambe & back to winning ways next week.

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It’s frustrating to lose after such a good performance. I thought we were the better side for most of the game, but Gillingham set up well defensively and limited our chances. That being said, we still had plenty of opportunities, and on another day we could’ve had two or three goals.

The disallowed goal was a tough one to take, especially after seeing it back. It looked onside to me, but sometimes the decisions just don’t go your way. Injuries didn’t help either, with Jodi Jones going off, but the squad has enough depth to cope. Hopefully, Jatta will be back soon. We’ll need to be more clinical going forward, but plenty of positives to build on.

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I thought Notts deserved to get something from the match. Stuart Maynard is right, we had chances, but it just wasn’t our day. I don’t want to complain about the officials, but they were poor.

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I think this was a really harsh result on the lads. For large parts of the game, we looked in control, moved the ball well, and created enough chances to win comfortably. We hit the post twice, had one disallowed, and forced their keeper into some good saves. Gillingham were always going to be tough, but to come away with nothing feels cruel after a performance like that. The refereeing decisions were baffling as well, especially the disallowed goal.

Injuries are a worry, particularly with Jodi going off and Jatta missing, but we’ve got good depth. Stuart Maynard is right – we can’t control the officials, but we can make sure we bounce back stronger. The mentality in this squad is strong, and I’m confident we’ll respond well in the next few games.

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No criticism of Stuart Maynard or the team. Maynard made his points clear and he speaks for us fans. The decisions against Notts were ridiculous, but you have to accept it and move on. I am not bothered that Maynard was issued a yellow card; it shows his frustration and passion.

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I am pleased that Stuart Maynard spoke his mind because that shows character. Not just in the incident that saw him issued a yellow card but in his post-match comments. I hope fans continue to warm to him because he always gives a fair response and acknowledges us fans.

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Stuart Maynard speaks well, considering how angry he must feel. It’s going to be a test to see how Jodi Jones is and when we can likely expect him back. It just means we have to be even more focused on achieving success this season. I don’t want to complain further about the officials; Maynard said how I feel.

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While it’s frustrating to see us dominate possession without making it count, we need to stand by Nick. There are lessons to be learned from this game, and with a bit more clinical finishing, we should have drawn the match. Fine margins in football can make all the difference.

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We Deserved More. Unfortunately neither Life nor Football works out that way. Things usually equal out over a Season, there will be one or more matches, we Notts Fans will come away from and Ask, How The Hell Did Notts Win That Match? As Greavsie used to say It's A Funny Old Game.

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