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Notts County were held to a 2–2 draw by Bromley at Meadow Lane, despite a brace from Matthew Dennis.

Head coach Martin Paterson named an unchanged line-up from the midweek win over Shrewsbury Town. With Alassana Jatta ruled out through a back spasm, Jodi Jones again started up front alongside Dennis, who came into the game looking to score for the third consecutive match.

The Magpies began strongly and almost took an early lead when Dennis headed wide from Nick Tsaroulla’s cross. Minutes later, he made no mistake. Goalkeeper Kelle Roos picked him out with a long pass into the left channel. Dennis cut inside on his right foot and drove a precise finish inside the near post to give Notts the perfect start.

Bromley hit back on 18 minutes after Notts failed to clear their lines inside the area. Ben Thompson was quickest to react and fired past Roos to level the score.

The visitors’ physical approach led to several fouls, and there was controversy shortly before the half-hour mark when Omar Sowunmi’s late challenge on Jones earned only a yellow card. From the resulting free-kick, Matt Palmer’s delivery was met by Dennis, who glanced home his second of the afternoon with a tidy header.

Notts carried the 2–1 lead into half-time, but Bromley made three substitutions during the break which helped them grow into the game. Both sides began to trade possession, and although Notts enjoyed 53.3 per cent of the ball, clear chances were limited.

Paterson turned to his bench to inject fresh energy. Conor Grant and Tyrese Hall replaced Oliver Norburn and Jones, while Keanan Bennetts and Kellan Gordon later came on for Tsaroulla and Barry Cotter. Notts came close to extending their advantage on 77 minutes when Hall found himself in a good position inside the box, but his attempted cut-back towards Dennis was cut out.

The missed opportunity proved costly. Bromley were awarded a soft-looking free-kick in the 83rd minute. The initial shot was blocked, but Mitch Pinnock’s follow-up effort struck Idris Odutayo, wrong-footing Roos and nestling in the net for a fortuitous equaliser.

Bromley threatened again shortly afterwards, with Marcus Dinanga heading wide from close range, while at the other end Palmer forced a save from Grant Smith with a well-struck free-kick.

In the closing stages, both sides pushed for a winner, with Bromley earning a succession of corners and Notts defending resolutely. Ultimately, neither team could find the decisive goal and the points were shared.

The Magpies finished with three shots on target to Bromley’s three, while both sides were combative throughout, with Notts committing 12 fouls to Bromley’s 14. County picked up one booking, compared to four for the visitors. Bromley also edged the corner count, winning five to Notts’ three.

The draw will feel frustrating after holding the lead for much of the contest, but Dennis’ fine finishing and another energetic display from the side provided positives for Paterson to build on.

Member Feedback

Recommended Comments

OoooooTommy

Members

The match showed how clinical Matt Dennis can be, but it also highlighted where we need more composure. We controlled possession for long spells yet didn’t test their keeper often enough. The late goal was unfortunate, but if we had created more in the second half we’d have been out of sight.

upthepies

Members

Dennis’ goals are becoming a real asset. He showed great movement for the first and the header for the second was just as good. What’s disappointing is how we let Bromley back into it. At 2–1 we should have been tighter defensively, instead we gave away silly fouls and invited pressure due to the timing of the substitutes. The free-kick for their second was soft, but we still could have defended the second half better. Matches like this are the fine margins in League Two. You can see Paterson is building a team with goals in it, but we need more resilience at the back to turn good performances into wins.

Robbie

+Supporters

I think Notts have great asset in Matt Dennis. It's not just the fact that he can score goals, he can create good opportunities for himself as well as putting away chances given to him by others.

It's not just him scoring goals that impressed me about him either, he works so hard on the pitch creating space for others, & just doing the things that decent strikers do to bring others into the play.

It was a shame about the two goals that Bromley scored, because the way the team played in the first half gives cause for encouragement. Hopefully as every match goes by the players will become much more comfortable together & the sloppy play at the back will diminish.

I would still love to see three new players recruited. A goalkeeper, a playmaker & a striker.

allardyces tash

Members

I felt Bromley were always working their way back into the game. Taking off Nick Tsaroulla and Barry Cotter didn’t help, but I understand it’s about managing fitness, keeping players sharp, and giving them the right amount of minutes.

Personally, I would have kept Tsaroulla on and taken off Cotter and Jodi. Both need a bit of protection, Cotter because of the physical battles he faces, and Jodi because he’s not quite ready to play a full 90 minutes yet.

Even though I agree the changes didn’t help us, Bromley were starting to find space and cause problems. They got in behind our wing backs and put dangerous balls across the box. Notts struggled with the high balls and looked shaky at the back.

I think Bromley knew which players were likely to make mistakes, and they saw Kelle Roos as someone they could beat. It’s a shame their equaliser came from such a lucky deflection.

Valid points being shared, I do think we dropped the two points we would have gained had we made sure we were balanced in the changes that the subs coming on made. It's disappointing but at the same time promising, as I felt nervous going into the game and thought we looked a lot more like ourselves, at least in the first half. The goals we conceded are another disappointment, but their equaliser wasn't something we could have done much about. I just wished the players showed a bit more urgency to try to get a third goal, as I felt we had it, but we weren't quick enough.

Performance does seem to be getting better, but the stray passes and lack of defensive decisions, such as clearing headers, need to be worked on.

the improvements are there, but we need to see out games better. i dont know why we are so likely to concede other than roos does not build confidence. i do feel like notts are stubborn enough to believe all our problems will be worked out as things improve, but that just makes the expectations of promotion seem unlikely because we are settling for whatever the outcome will be instead of trying to change it. 5 games in we know we are better than this but it seems slow, and the team seems to prone to dropping off when it matters.

BromPie

Members

The balance of the game shows how evenly matched it was, but at home you expect us to win. Possession was fairly even, but our use of the ball could have been sharper. Only three shots on target says a lot about how we struggled to break them down in the second half.

Matthew Dennis continues to impress though, and it’s good to see him scoring regularly now. Defensively, we weren’t troubled much, yet Bromley still found two goals which sums it up. It wasn’t a collapse, just a case of letting control slip. A frustrating result but one we can learn from moving forward.

I enjoyed the game but obviously disappointed we let in a late equaliser. I thought there was plenty of endeavour and passion and I do believe performances are improving we need to be patient, if we can get another couple of players and get the injuries back we might have a decent season. Fingers crossed.

Blake

Members

One of these games, when Dennis finds the net, we’ll come away with all three points. It’ll be a proper reward for his hard work.

He’ll get the support and praise from fans after the match that he truly deserves.

Sir Magpie

Members

The draw feels harsh because the performance deserved more. Dennis gave them a real problem all afternoon and his finishing is improving with every game. Palmer also had a solid game in midfield, controlling the tempo and setting up chances.

Bromley grew stronger after half-time and their subs made a difference. Our own changes didn’t quite have the same impact, and when the equaliser came it felt inevitable. Still, four points from two games in a week isn’t disastrous.

Benji

Members

It’s hard not to feel like that was two points lost. Dennis scoring twice should have been enough for us to see the game out. Bromley didn’t create much until we allowed them to, and even then the equaliser was a huge stroke of luck. I thought the referee was poor too, some of the fouls were harsh on us while Bromley got away with more. Jones going off changed our attack as well, we missed his runs and energy. Overall it wasn’t a bad performance, but we’ve got to be more ruthless when ahead. Still, encouraging signs with Dennis in this sort of form.

KingofCounty

Members

Dennis looks sharp again, shame the result slipped away.

NiftyNick

Members

Bromley’s equaliser was pure fortune, nothing more.

Ash

Members

I think we played much better this time, especially against a strong League Two team. Bromley looked like they could get better as the game went on, and even though they didn’t have loads of shots, they still had some good chances. I think they had one more shot than us, and they probably should’ve got more than just a point. Their goal was really lucky. It somehow got through and ended up in the net, which was a bit unfair.

Even though that happened, I still feel good about how we played. It shows we’re improving.

NottsTastic

Members

Frustrating game but still plenty of positives to take.

JustLikeJuve

Members

The frustration is clear, but it’s also important to remember the positives. Dennis bagging two goals shows he’s finding real consistency, which we’ve been crying out for. Palmer put in another strong showing too, breaking up play and creating the second goal with his set-piece. The late equaliser was unlucky, and sometimes you can’t plan for those deflections. Bromley’s style made it scrappy, with constant fouls breaking up our rhythm. We dealt with most of it but lacked the killer touch for a third goal. If we keep playing with this intent, results will follow. It’s still early days and plenty of time to build momentum.

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