Matthew Dennis and Kellan Gordon Seal Notts County’s First Away Win at Tranmere Rovers

Great to see Dennis on the scoresheet again, he’s becoming very reliable in front of goal.

A solid result in the end, though the defending was shaky at times. We looked brightest in the first half, but the goal came from what looked like a clear push on Tom Iorpenda. That moment unsettled us, and we didn’t deal with it well. Credit to the team for improving after the break.

It was good to see Alassana Jatta back in the starting line-up. Hopefully the injury is behind him now and he can build some momentum. He adds something different up front and looks keen to make an impact.

He and Matthew Dennis seem to work well together. They’ve both got pace, which defenders don’t enjoy facing. If they keep linking up, they could become a real threat.

The first half felt flat, but credit to Martin Paterson for making changes at the break. Bringing Kellan Gordon on instantly shifted the momentum, and the way Matt Dennis and Jatta combined showed that this team has attacking options that can cause problems. The defence then stood firm in those nervy final minutes, which is something we’ve needed to see more of away from home.

I’m not trying to be mean, but I think Matt Dennis should’ve scored. We were lucky the ball bounced nicely to Kellan Gordon, and he smashed it in really well.

It was funny when the Tranmere players all fell into the goal and the net. Their keeper acted like he got hurt, but it didn’t look real at all. I’m glad the ref and the linesman didn’t fall for it. They made the right call.

Such a brilliant win! I’m really happy with how it ended.

far better 90 minutes and mistakes will happen, the positives are the second half and how quickly we looked capable of taking back the result in to our own hands. tranmere were very poor, but looked okay attacking, defensively i am glad we made the most of how poor they are. i hope we can build on this and start going from here. i was really impressed with jatta and dennis, i really hope they get to play together more regularly.

This was the kind of performance that has been missing in some of our away games. We looked shaky after going behind, but the response was quick after the break. Kellan Gordon’s introduction made a clear difference as he gave us extra energy down the right. Alassana Jatta also deserves credit for the flick that helped create the chance for Dennis. The defence did look stretched at times, but Kelle Roos made the saves when it mattered most. I liked how the team dug in together during added time, because Tranmere were really throwing bodies forward. It wasn’t pretty, but sometimes away wins need to be like that.

I thought the first half summed up some of our struggles this season. We had the ball but did not create enough. When Tranmere scored just before half-time, it felt like the same story of not turning possession into chances.

The turnaround in the second half was impressive. Dennis keeps proving his worth with the type of finish every side needs, and Gordon’s composure for the winner was excellent. Holding out under pressure at the end was equally important. It was the kind of away win that can build belief in the squad.

Dennis deserves a lot of praise for how he has settled in. His finish at the back post was instinctive and shows he’s got that striker’s knack. It was also encouraging to see Gordon grab the winner, because we need players stepping up from the bench. I thought Norburn worked hard in midfield even if he wasn’t as effective on the ball as usual, but he kept us ticking. The defensive unit did their job late on, and Bedeau in particular made some important interventions. It feels like the squad is starting to find a balance between attack and defence, and if that continues, more wins like this will follow.

I think that Martin Paterson has to take a lot of credit for the substitutions he made in the 2nd half that made all the difference & was indirectly responsible for getting the win for Notts

Of course the players had to execute the Martin's instructions but I was very encouraged by the results & I do think that this match could be a good pointer for things to come. I think it will be a tactic that Martin will pursue going forward.

I also think there is a possibility that we may see two strikers take the field from the beginning of the match, especially in the home games, to give Notts more imputus.

The main positive from this match is how we responded to adversity. We were second best at times in the first half, and Tranmere’s goal was poor to concede. But instead of heads dropping, the players reacted strongly. The build-up for the equaliser was excellent, with Jones and Iorpenda linking up well before Dennis finished. Gordon then showed composure that we have not always had in front of goal. I also noticed Paterson’s tactical tweaks helped, as we pressed higher in the second half. The last ten minutes were nervy, but McDonald and Aljofree defended with focus. It felt like the team showed a bit more maturity here, which could be a turning point.