Match Discussion: Game 5 - The Owd Reds (H)

[TheSkipper 𝕏 TheSkipperNCFC]

I think the truth of how Accrington Stanley played is somewhere in between poor, and totally outplayed. I wouldn't class them as poor myself, because that discredits the work rate Notts showed towards wanting to win the ball back. Notts have a very good defence now, but it's partnered with a very pressing and effective midfield. The work that has gone into the pre-season and training up to this point seems to be a major part of the transition on the pitch. To put on a commanding performance like that when you are easily missing two of your best players, along with another yet to make a full start sitting on the bench. You can see that we are a team, rather than reliant on individual alone.

This might sound controversial, but I think the game would have turned out different if Notts wasn't at home. I think we may have struggled to be clinical on goal with fewer chances perhaps being created.

That is debatable, but I think we are showing a dominance at home which is encouraged due to our support, Notts never look to sit back now. Our players want the ball, they want to win it back and when chances for the opposition opens up, our players want to defend and protect Alex Bass.

Lewis Macari had a slip, where he played himself into danger, and it was almost a repeat of what we would have seen last season. He picked himself up, and defensively it was dealt with. Mistakes will happen, especially with it raining and being slippery. What I would rather point out more than mistakes, is how collectively as a group of players the ambition to not concede is much higher now.

[Robbie 𝕏 @Robbie_NCFC]

@Super_Danny_Allsopp I think you may be right about Scott, I don't think that he's up to League 2 standard.

National League may be his level.

[Piethagoram 𝕏 @piethagoram]

 

[NiftyNick]

I thought Accrington Stanley were not bad, just average. I think it showed why they are struggling because they never got momentum and every time they tried to build something, we wanted the ball back. I think Notts did well to quiet them down. I thought George Abbott was a great player in midfield, and I'm glad David McGoldrick scored for us. He looked tired by the 60th minute, but it was good that he wasn't substituted before then!

[The Heff]

It always makes me laugh when people call David McGoldrick a "cheat code." It's a strange comment that is used to impress the reader. McGoldrick has benefited from needing to be at his best, while not playing too much. It helps that the team has a consistent quality across the first team and bench. When he's in this form, it's important to play him, but when he slows down, which is natural, he can still make an impact. Right now, he's showing why he should be starting. I had hoped to see Jevani Brown as the striker, but I was pleased Cedwyn Scott was given that chance. It was a very good result for Notts!

[DangerousSausage]

Accrington looked very Conferencey to mee and we know how that ends. However, you can only beat what's in front of you and we lost against some very poor sides last season. Winning is a habit, long may it continue!

Regarding Scott, it's a bit unfair to judge him based on a cameo. However, many of his appearances have been cameos, and often out of position too. His spell with us has been stop-start in general, and while that isn't anyone's fault, I think the next few months will be important for him. I hope his injury isn't anything major.

[Blake]

I think it's a bit harsh on Cedwyn Scott. He's still recovering from a bad injury and just needs more time. Notts played well; it was a solid 90 minutes. Alex Bass could have been forgiven for drifting off, but he stayed sharp and focused until the very end. He could have played more as a defender than a goalkeeper, but that’s probably because of how we played. Accrington will sort themselves out, and I don't think they'll be relegated.

[Fozzy]

Definitely harsh on Scott by saying he isn’t good enough, the guy missed nearly the whole of last season and has now picked up another injury, it could take him till January to regain his match sharpness and confidence to tackle. At least he got into position when he missed the chance and he nearly played Edward’s in with a great first touch., just a fraction too close to the keeper. He just needs a bit of luck and a goal.

 

[RetroPie 𝕏 @Retro_Pie]

Cedwyn Scott did well last season. I don't think he's not good enough. He just needs a goal and some confidence. Remember, he's playing deeper now, and he's a striker. I can't criticise a player who works hard, even though he's playing out of position. I thought he did well against Accrington Stanley. Maybe if he had played longer, he would have done even better? Notts did everything they needed to do. Accrington couldn't play well or build momentum. They need to improve, but I don't think they'll be higher than mid-table. They need to sign better players. I think they'll be okay and address this in January. Thankfully, David McGoldrick has shown he's still a good striker, but I agree he looked tired after the first half.

Edited September 8 by RetroPie

[Wilfordpie]

The main point for me is how confident the team played. They were not worried or less creative. There were complaints about backward passing, but this is happening less now. Going forward, at least against Accrington, Notts looked determined to show their quality.

[B&Wstripes]

Accrington Stanley wasn’t very good, but I think credit has to go to Notts for how they managed them. I don’t think we allowed them to get any strides or confidence going. Early on, even minutes in, we forced them to chase everything. It was a routine win but an excellent 90 minutes of football.

[KingMaynard]

I wouldn’t call them poor myself. I think they struggled and could have performed better. I think 2-0 flatters them because a third goal should have gone in, maybe even two more attempts. Kelly was very good for them in goal. We won’t always win by more than two goals, so I am happy and acknowledge the effort it took with a squad without Jones or Crowley.

[eighteensixtytwo]

It finished 2-0, credit to Accrington's defence and the outstanding performance by their keeper. Some of his saves were top class, which kept them in the game to some extent. Notts had plenty of time to choose where to attack, and at times it was a real joy to watch. It was 90 minutes of good football with many positives. I hope Alex Bass can start getting the clean sheets he’s aiming for.

 

[Blake]

3 hours ago, KingMaynard said:

I wouldn’t call them poor myself. I think they struggled and could have performed better. I think 2-0 flatters them because a third goal should have gone in, maybe even two more attempts. Kelly was very good for them in goal. We won’t always win by more than two goals, so I am happy and acknowledge the effort it took with a squad without Jones or Crowley.

Yeah, they did defend well in spells, and Notts played some really good football that put them under pressure. I do like how Notts throws waves of pressured attacks; it’s a sign of quality.

[OoooooTommy]

Notts now have a much higher pressing game, where the moment they lose the ball, anyone is capable of winning it back. Losing Aaron Nemane seemed disappointing, but from a defensive point of view, I think we are stronger out wide. Nick Trousella could be the best player we have had on the left for some time. He is defensively solid and very good going forward. Accrington wasn’t so much awful as unable to play. They had attacks that could have got them back into the game, but defensively and in goal, Notts were top-notch.

[CliftonMagpie]

It was good to see Notts get straight to making Accrington work. The way we passed early on gave Notts a feel for what to expect from them. Making them chase for the ball, as we casually knocked it around, gave our players a glimpse into how their movement would open up. I think we started to figure that out quite early, hence the focus on playing the ball through the middle to David McGoldrick. Jacob Bedeau’s pass was well-timed, and McGoldrick’s finish was Premier League standard.

With Notts using the centre of the pitch a bit more, it was encouraging. Though we did use the wider spaces to draw markers and at times needed to lump the ball forward.

There was only a little bit of pressure from Accrington, as defensively Notts were on top of things. I liked seeing George Abbott get stuck in. It took him some time to get more involved, but it’s not a negative. I think for the first 20 minutes he just wanted to focus on defending and what he could do to help, while he became more confident on the ball.

He looked good going forward too, very focused with his passing.

I am not sure how a third goal didn’t go in. I can imagine if David McGoldrick hadn’t scored his goals. Some of the saves Michael Kelly pulled off were frustrating, as he did have a top game, but Notts were just unlucky at other times.

 

[Piethagoram 𝕏 @piethagoram]