Match thread. Alfreton Town v Notts County

The first friendly match of the season for Notts kicks off at 3pm 05/07/25.

No doubt Notts will have some trialists playing in the team & there will be plenty of substitutions during the match.

Will be interesting who will play in goal now that Alex Bass has left.

I wish I could go, but sadly I can’t make it. It would’ve been great to see the new signings in action and start to get a feel for what Martin Paterson might bring as our head coach. These friendlies are really just for getting players back into shape and building up match fitness. I don’t read too much into them. I am a bit curious about the goalkeeper spot and whether there’ll be any surprises. I also wonder what formation we’ll go with, and if there’ll be any changes during matches.

The result and performance don’t mean much, especially if we end up playing different XIs in each half, which is likely.

Any ideas about the chances of a live stream for the Alfreton friendly???

I won't be at the game either, but it should be a good run out for the squad.

Alfreton Town are a good team at their level; while we can outplay them, they do tend to be defensively organised and can be challenging to break down. It all depends on how they play. I know previously they stuck a veteran striker up top, and he had no service. For us, it's all about getting shape, communicating, and preparing to listen to Martin Paterson's instructions. The formation will be interesting, and I hope we can start with the strongest XI at the beginning.

There are plenty of minutes to get the new signings settled and embedded into the team, though I do think most will start.

3 minutes ago, gtownjohnno said:

Any ideas about the chances of a live stream for the Alfreton friendly???

I don't think the club is doing it, from what I have been hearing; if so, I would have thought they would announce it. It does seem a shame if they don't stream the game to those of us who can't make it.

it will be nice getting out back to watching notts, i hope to see some glimpses of early signs of the new signings. i am hoping that matthew dennis can show case his ability, it would also be nice if jodi jones has managed to refind his confidence. last season was difficult with the injuries but hes such a class player. we need to get that drive back out of him, but it might take time. friendlies would be a good way to encourage it.

What I tend to look for early on is who looks sharp, how fit the lads are, and how the new signings are settling in. That first in England, before the Germany trips, it will be a real eye-opener, and it’ll mostly be about fitness. I just hope no one does anything daft in protest over Martin Paterson’s arrival. He deserves a fair chance and shouldn’t be judged too soon.

Some fans might want us to win by a lot or play really well, but it’s the first game since last season ended, so it might not look that good. That’s okay though. What really matters is making sure the players stay fit and get some time on the pitch before the League Two season starts.

I hope Alfreton play nicely and remember it’s just a friendly match. I don’t want to see anyone like Jodi getting kicked or hurt. It would be really bad if someone got injured this early, before the season even begins.

It's Matchday. Notts v Alfreton Town. CMON U PIES.

Here's the Notts line up for the first half.

The match is underway a little late.

Half time. Goalless at the break

The Notts team for the second half

Griffiths makes way for a trialist.

GOOOOOAAAAAL MACARI.

Full Time Alfreton Town 0 Notts County 1

Today's well taken winner scored by Lewis Macari

Get Martin's take on the game today.

I thought there was some encouraging signs for Martin's post match comments today. Firstly, he emphasised that there is a lot to work on (which is fine as it's only the first pre-season friendly) but more importantly, he clearly knows how to fix it. He also mentioned that there will be changes of personnel, which possibly indicates transfers in and out. He didn't gloss over the fact that we didn't play particularly well however we still won. So hopefully he is instilling a winning mentality, which will be needed to get promotion. Did anyone pick up any other positives?

Martin was pleased with new goalkeeper Griffith's performance but he did emphasize that the club was looking for a number one goalie.

He was pleased with some aspects of Notts's play, however he was keen to stress that he will be looking for improvement as the pre season continues.

Martin also reported that the squad had been training hard under his insistence. I was kinda impressed by his first interview & encouraged by the way he came across.

I don't think that we can read a lot from the first pre season game. The players are a little rusty & the new players will have to gel with their team mates on the field.

I just hope that we will see improvement from game to game up to the regular season, & Notts bring in players that will improve the squad further. It was good to see that Notts were giving trialists a run out too.

It sounded like a good game, where Alfreton Town wanted to take the game more seriously and Matin Paterson wanted Notts to be competitive. I hope the signs are positive; the comments I have read seem to have settled some of the criticism. There seem to be more fans willing to give Paterson a chance; this could all change, I know, but it does sound more promising than it did.

Harry Griffiths has also been among the notable names praised, which will only do him good.

Two competitive Notts teams in both halves, no goals conceded, no injuries, vital match minutes for several new signings, and some good showings from trialists (from what I read). Encouraging!

I thought the second half team looked a bit livelier. I’m not sure if it was because of the heat or if Alfreton were just getting tired.

It was nice to see Sam Osborne working hard for them. I think he’ll do well in their team because they played pretty well overall.

Out of all the defenders, Lucas Ness had a harder time, but he still dealt with what Alfreton threw at him. It was good to see him play with our main two defenders, Matty Platt and Jacob Bedeau.

I heard some people criticising Alassana Jatta and Mai Traore. I thought Traore gave a bit more than Jatta. The first team didn’t create much, apart from a few crosses from Kellan Gordon.

There was some good footwork to make space, but Alfreton defended with a lot of players behind the ball.

The player who impressed me most was Maziar Kouhyar. He looked like the best one out there. I don’t know what others thought, but he stood out to me.

It was a good workout for both sides. Alfreton Town are always a tough test. I was happy to see Paterson name what looked like a strong starting eleven. I was actually expecting a more experimental line-up, so that was a nice surprise. Both our sides gave a good showing, and Alfreton weren’t far off scoring a couple of times themselves.

The Alfreton Town game sounded like a good workout for all participants. I thought Martins after match interview was positive and straight to the point, giving praise where it was warranted and pulling no punches on our areas for improvement.

I hope that whilst we are out in Germany this theme continues and our qualities, both attacking and defending with a pinch of match craft improve as needed. So much to look forward to for the new season looming.

I didn’t go to the match, but I tried to follow it on X, though in the end I mostly relied on Google alerts. It’s just nice to see the squad back in action. Not letting in any goals and using two full elevens is a real plus. The games in Germany will be more of a challenge, but I hope the players enjoy the experience without putting too much pressure on themselves.

There were lots of good things to take from the game. It helped Paterson see what still needs work and how to get the team playing the way he wants.

I really liked what he said after the match. He answered the questions clearly and didn’t make any excuses.