Talking Tactics: Notts County vs. Tranmere Rovers

Notts County secured a 2-1 victory over Tranmere Rovers at Meadow Lane. David McGoldrick netted an early goal for the Magpies with a low strike from the edge of the box. 

In the second half, Connell Rawlinson extended their lead by tapping in Matt Palmer’s cross from close range. 

Tranmere Rovers put up a fight towards the end, with Josh Hawkes successfully converting Paul Lewis' delivery to give them hope. However, Notts County held their ground and ultimately emerged victorious. 

The visitors made several changes to their line-up from last weekend’s defeat to Salford City. Aaron Nemane was a thorn in Rovers' side, getting behind their defence twice and sending crosses into the box that were handled by Tom Davies. 

Notts County dominated the game, with Macaulay Langstaff eager to contribute with a goal. Tranmere began to find their footing before the half hour mark when Kieron Morris met an excellent long ball from the back but fired over after breaking into the box. An hour into the game, McGoldrick hit the post with a shot from the edge of the box before Dan Crowley fired wide from a few yards out. Just minutes after, Notts County extended their lead as Rawlinson skilfully tapped in Palmer's powerful cross into the goal. Ian Dawes made four substitutions, bringing Kane Hemmings, Hawkes, Sam Taylor and Reece McAlear into the game. 

The hosts were reduced to ten men when substitute Cedwyn Scott had to leave the field with all substitutions already made. Rovers had their best moments in the final ten minutes when Davies hit the bar with a curling shot from range and Taylor went close shortly afterwards after being set up by Hemmings inside the box. 

Hawkes swept home Lewis’ delivery from the right to give Tranmere hope as the 90th minute approached, but Notts County held on through eight minutes of added time to leave Meadow Lane with all three points.

Was the result fair? In a thrilling 90-minute performance, Notts County put in a tremendous effort to take the lead and double it, with plenty of chances for more. Tranmere Rovers, on the other hand, posed little threat.

From the outset, Notts pushed for an early goal, confidently knocking the ball around and making Tranmere work to chase it. For much of the game, Tranmere were chasing shadows as Notts created exciting early chances. The defence was robust and the midfield pinpoint in their passing. John Bostock put in a flawless performance, effortlessly executing complicated passes. While the entire squad performed strongly, John Bostock, Matt Palmer and Richard Brindley stood out as superb.

Tranmere Rovers looked decent when in possession, moving with pace and determination and creating an early opportunity that Luke Norris blasted over the crossbar. However, they struggled to gain control of the game and defensively looked quite poor. Even before conceding, it seemed that if Notts pressed enough, Tranmere would struggle against their quality. While I believe their defence will improve over time, it is currently their main issue and their lack of defensive composure caused them to struggle greatly.

In terms of tactics: seemed to miss things, which perhaps a better official wouldn't have, but this is League Two after all.

Luke Williams once again demonstrated to Notts County fans that his selection of the starting XI was spot on. Tactically, it was perfect, with the only concern being Williams’ habit this season of making all five substitutions at the same time. Ideally, one should be held back in case of injury or fatigue.

The officials: There were missed incidents that made the referee appear quite inept, such as Tom Davies’ clear handball that should have been awarded as a penalty. The referee failed to allow Notts to take quick free kicks, halting play to make them bring it back, while Tranmere were allowed this luxury. While I have few complaints about the assistants, the referee seemed quite out of his depth. Leading up to Tranmere Rovers’ goal, there was another blatant handball that went unnoticed. The referee simply seemed to miss things that a better official might not have, but this is League Two after all.

Next up: Notts County will remain at home at Meadow Lane for their next match against Accrington Stanley. This is an ideal game for the Magpies, as Stanley currently sit just one position above Notts in 4th place, due only to goal difference.

Accrington is a capable side that enjoys attacking football but is also comfortable defending. They often play through the middle, but also like to play out wide once they are near the opposition’s 25-yard box. They can play slowly, patiently waiting for the opposition to move before countering effectively. While they are also capable of playing with speed and aggression, I expect a mix of both at Meadow Lane. Notts should be able to dictate the tempo of the match with their quality midfield.

Shaun Whalley is a comfortable midfielder who likes to get into scoring positions. He can be a threat, with teams usually focusing on more advanced players such as Josh Andrews, Matt Lowe and Leslie Adekoya. Sean McConville is also one of Stanley’s key playmakers, who enjoys pressing and retaining the ball.

Notts should remain largely unchanged from their win over Tranmere Rovers. If their midfield can retain possession and patiently play the ball around, this should give them more time to influence the game. I fully expect Accrington to test the Notts defence, so it will be interesting to see how Richard Brindley adapts to this threat in his new role.

Defence will be the main aim for Notts. They can sit deep and create space behind Accrington Stanley while using players such as Jodi Jones, Adam Chicksen and Aaron Nemane to pose a constant threat out wide. Ideally, this would allow for more coverage from the middle of the park and feed into Macaulay Langstaff.

It promises to be another exciting game, one in which I fancy Notts to do well despite Stanley’s strong start.

Check out the Pride of Nottingham web store for all things Notts County! Explore the 2023-24 player prints featuring virtually every player in the home and away shirt.

Add your final thoughts to the Pride of Nottingham match discussion!  Your post-match views will be appreciated, and you can join in the conversation here.