With just 14 league matches left to play I thought it would be interesting to look back at how we performed, in terms of points gained, for the last 14 matches played at the end of our two most recent seasons back in League Two. I knew we had gone out with a bit of a whimper in both seasons but was surprised to see how bad it actually was. First season back was: Won 4 drawn 2 (lost 8). Second season back was Won 4 drawn 3 (lost 7). Last season we were on 57 points at this stage so in an almost identical position for the run in. Martin Paterson has undoubtedly instilled more fight and more steeliness in this year's squad (apparent in some matches more than others of course!) so I for one am expecting more points this year. If we continue on our current points per game we end up on 83 and with this we could sneak into the top three. If we have another end of season slump it could be more like 72/73. So...which scenario is the more likely? I'm going to be an optimist and go for 83. What do others think?

Good question,

To answer quickly, from gut feeling, yes we'll do better than the last two 14-game endings. But I don't have a lot of faith that we'll do all that much better.

The club had a problem to solve at the window, with this season's fortunes at stake - we couldn't support the strikers with goals and assists from the other main attacking positions.

Pato said "Tom will score goals'' and he keeps on picking him there (maybe stubbornness has kicked in). Its 2 from 32 (Grant has the same in slightly fewer games) and at the moment it looks like that's the hill this season will die on. Grant has built his Notts career on 'a few nice touches' but the only currency that matters is goals and assists.

I like these players and think they have a role to play. But their job as No.10s in games like Shrewsbury is to dribble, create, take risks, rain down shots on goal, generally make the defence's live hell (and hopefully assist and score enough over the full season). I don't know if we have the answers in the squad, but MP has to try to find a formula/pairing that works. This, and injuries, is the main reason why I suspect we're heading for something like W5 D4 L4, 77ish pts and 5th place.

If you had to sum up the season so far you might say: a lot of industry, but not quite enough end product. It will be interesting to see if MP can find a formula that works from the resources available. And interesting to see what part Enoru and Tangen (and perhaps Luker) play in opening up defences during the run in. You live in hope ...

I've looked into my crystal ball (although it is slightly defective from overuse). It says we'll have a stronger run-in than last season, but an over-reliance on our front men to score goals will prove our undoing and we'll finish fourth. With Grimsby, Walsall, Chesterfield, Cambridge and Salford still to come, there will be plenty of twists and turns to come.

Tom Iorpenda has been a great signing, but an attacking player he is not. Hall looked like a real prospect at the start of the season but hasn't impressed me for some time now, and Grant is a good player who offers too little in terms of goals and assists. That means we're putting a lot of faith in Enoru and Tangen, a big ask of two players new to this level (and in Tangen's case lacking match practice).

I think that Notts are in a good position to clinch a playoff place, but I'm not sure that we have quite enough to get an automatic place.

In this league I just don't think that you can get an automatic place by playing a purely passing game. We've seen Notts get results recently by working hard, matching other teams for physicality, staying organised, grinding out results. & producing a few moments of quality upfront.

Take the game against Shrewsbury as an example. If Notts had gone more direct & roughed the Shrewsbury players up a bit, they might have been more successful. Notts have shown that they can play direct when it's necessary. They should continue to keep that as an option.