All three goals came in the first half, with simple errors leading to the goals. The first was a wonderful strike from Ben Pringle, who punished us in our previous meeting but in truth the goal should have been prevented. The marking was very loose, allowing them to play in such a style that really dominated the match early on. The second goal, again was down to a lack in defence, although a simple nod onto Mark Bradley allowed him to shoot the ball into our net from a very inviting corner (which arguably should have been cleared).
Notts had brief spells which saw us play our passing football, which wasn't always the best it as been. The odd miss timed pass, missing link in the play and lack of final finishing really had it's impact on the game. Frustration appeared to be getting the better of the players, as each time a chance came to us it seemed to only end up being wasted.
The game became even more difficult when Damon Stewart lashed out with his elbow at Alex Revell who had been making a habit of making the most of incidents all evening. It was clearly a bookable offence, most probably deserving the colour red.
The third goal was dubious (possible bad call from the assistant referee “linesman”) who appeared to flag for offside only to buckle, allowing play to continue. A simple pass towards an open net saw Daniel Nardiello tap in a easy finish.
By this point it was clear that unless changes were made, this would be an even more depressing evening as no signs early on gave me the feeling we would be capable of fighting back. It was around the third goal when noises increasingly started to echo out and it was clear by the comments of fans, that Notts would have a uphill battle, with not only the game.
The second half showed signs of what Notts are capable off, having gone down to 10 men. No further goals were conceded and for the most part, Notts attacked with open football. The direction of which didn't have any final product, although it was much better to see. We piled pressure onto Rotherham, although no clear chances arose. Jamel Campbell-Ryce tried his best throughout the game, his dedicated play and availability really impressed me. Alan Judge had a very quiet game, though tried his best to create play. The substitutes allowed us to take back the hold of the game but Notts were unable to make it count.
No doubt a debut to forget for Liam Mitchell, who was probably one of Keith Curles tactical mistakes. No fault is aimed in his direction, although I felt it wasn't the best time to give the lad the nod to play. I hope he doesn't take the games negativity on board, as it's always nice to see our youngsters break through although personally I would of given Kevin Pilkington the nod instead.
