Match Discussion: Game 31 - The Stags (A)

[DangerousSausage]

I thought we were unlucky to go in behind at the break and if it had been a draw everybody would be saying it's a fair result. However, from about the 70th minute onwards we seemed to run out of energy and ideas and really needed some inspiration from the bench. The sub, when it came, was too late. I hope the new signings can improve this in the coming weeks.

Jones and Nemane switching flanks was a brilliant idea at the start, it surprised the opposition and nearly got us ahead in the first minute. However, later in the first half it was pretty evident that they were struggling being on the wrong side, a good example being Nemane reaching the byline at the end of the first half, trying to change feet and getting dispossessed. They should have been changed back sooner.

Baldwin made some eye-catching blocks and tackles, but at least a couple were him recovering from his own mistakes. Warner certainly wasn't overawed by the occasion and looked very confident, maybe a little too confident.

Finally, it's time i got off Facebook. The post-match comments were a mess of people abusing the manager and Mansfield "fans" who obviously hadn't watched the game having a gloat about 2 minutes after the final whistle.

I hope Mansfield go up, on the pitch they absolutely deserve it. Maybe we can swap divisions with them in a year or two, or whenever we're actually ready for promotion. They can keep their bragging rights! 

[ARLukomski 𝕏 ARLukomski Instagram declanweliczko_arlki]

It's obviously frustrating to lose another derby, especially as there was a chance to get something from the game. However, there are definitely positives to take. 

We battled and competed but ran out of ideas and legs in the end. Should've taken one of the chances we had in the first half. Robertson looked good and battled well, making it tough for Maris and Reed to build attacks from deep, winning the ball in good areas. 

Maynard explained in his post match why Jones and Nemane were on opposite wings and I understood. It was a good way of breaking their press. I thought Warner slotted in well and looked more comfortable than Brindley. Baldwin had a good game, helping us play out from the back, heading away plenty of crosses and making his fair share of last ditch blocks and tackles. 

However, we still lack strength in depth. It's the biggest difference between League 2 and the National League. Hence, again, why Austin was the only viable substitute. Nemane was knackered from about 65 mins onwards, as was Bostock. We're not ready to go up and we need to realise it. We can still make a fight of it this season, but if we don't go up it's not the end of the world.  

[TheSkipper 𝕏 TheSkipperNCFC]

Notts seemed to do fine in most parts of the match. We didn’t appear to be on the verge of conceding an easy goal and most of our play was upbeat. I believe our main downfall was how crucial decisions went against us, but that’s football. Robertson seemed very impressive against Mansfield, Jodi couldn’t do much as he was constantly being fouled. I believe if Notts had scored or if it had been allowed, it would be a completely different story. I don’t engage much on social media because there’s too much negativity from fans. We lost, but the team represented themselves well and Maynard has made us look more defensively solid in two games. The next step is to secure that first victory and hopefully, morale and confidence will increase, our season isn’t finished.

[Robbie 𝕏 @Robbie_NCFC]

We have to remember this is our first season back in league 2. To be in the playoff mix with an excellent chance of making the playoffs at the end of the league season is tremendous. It is still in our own hands to achieve it.