Game 38 - The Shrimps (H)

Team: Morecambe

Date: 16/03/19

Where: Meadow Lane

What line-up should Neal Ardley opt for? What will be the key areas for the Magpies to get a victory? What do you think the final score will be?

Have your say below, join in with the Pride of Nottingham match discussion.

massive game, if notts can make it 2 wins a row it would be fantastic.

morecambe will work hard, so notts needs to just play with the mindset of working harder. if chances are created for us, i think goals should come. after carlisle kane hemmings will be wanting to get on the score sheet. i would start him and rest jon stead myself.

There's a little hope but if they play as they did in the last home no win will come. They must work harder.

Morecambe is the type of team I would expect Notts to struggle against, they're nothing flash and just a very hard working team.

I hope they don't struggle and put on a good showing.

Morecambe always tend to give Notts a fight on Meadow Lane, Neal Ardley needs to get a similar performance as to the Carlisle game. If the players work hard, they should be able to play them off the park. Control the midfield, defends well and focus.

I'm hoping for a win, though we shall see.

David Vaughan should remain in the team, I think his passing could be useful. I still think three CB's would work best with the squad that we have, now normally I would be against but we have 2 good wing backs, 3 players capable of doing well in sub and 3 excellent hard working CM's. Craig Mackail-Smith and Kane Hemmings further up, Enzio Boldewijn and Jon Stead to come on once they tire.

What does everyone think? Which players will be key in this fixture?

Can we get some score predictions?

If Stead is fit he will play, if Stead plays we’ll lose. It’s like starting every game with 10 men and one of those 10 give the ball away every time they touch it. I am not questioning Stead’s passion, he just attracts the ball being played up to him and he can’t win a ball in the air.

Unfortunately i expect Tuesday night to be just another false start. Notts 1  Morcambe 2 

i do so hope I’m proved totally wrong.

I don't think Jon Stead is the reason why Notts loses games, if he's 100% fit he has to start. If he isn't, then Neal Ardley can afford to give him further rest by keeping him as an option on the bench.

This is one of the games I felt Notts would do very well in.

This is an important game now no more room for errors for the lads. We need to come out with confidence and play well. Keep the defence tight and play balls through the park up to the strikers and them making sure the passes matter. Nothing less than a match rating of 10 from notts will do.

Today was far from the worst performance, yet for me fault falls on Neal Ardley for the lack of sight and management. Kane Hemmings did okay, he was isolated and unsupported for the majority of the game. Usually people would be crying out about how 'lazy' or 'idle' he is but this is far from the case. The issue wasn't so much the players either, it was the tactics.

Morecambe didn't play brilliantly, they were a lot like Notts.

The issue for me is Notts should have gone for the win, someone should have stayed closer to Kane Hemmings to give him proper support. I wouldn't care who, Enzio Boldewin, Lewis Alessandra or even Virgil Gomis. Today we just need two people up top and I honestly feel things would have happened, we had chances, but due to the tactics and instructions it was very empty.

Ardley should have fired the players up and pushed for the win, Notts looked defensively fine and just needed to balance that gamble.

A draw does feel like a fair result, it's just the lack of foresight really.

I would describe the game as comfortably boring, Notts did well until the moment it was needed. Too much passing back and a lot of lacking in movement in the key areas.

Boring