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it was a frustrating game and i think the players did well not to get involved lashing out, well outside of matthew dennis pushing over on of their players but its not like we drew the game due to a lack of effort. it was more that harrogate made it hard, and we just did not have that spark of quality to overcome the occasion but i do think this reflects on some important subjects.

I think at times Notts puts extra pressure on themselves, which makes it harder to break down a side that is well organised. Harrogate looked stronger going forward than they did at the back, but they committed plenty of players to both. We had our own way of playing and kept trying to send crosses in from the left. A little more creativity would have helped, but I give credit to Martin Paterson for making attacking changes and not settling for a draw.

A nice article we'll put together. I think one of the things that Martin Paterson has brought to the club is on the preparation side when it comes to matches in league 2. I think that it is making a difference. One area where the team was failing was it's failure to respond to what our opponents were doing & their tactics, however Paterson has demonstrated his ability to be able to change things mid game to Notts advantage, & I think that good match preparation is the key to that change.

Makes sense. Harrogate showed how fragile we can be when we carry the weight of expectation.

Harrogate did not have to do much more than keep shape and wait for errors. We freeze when a weaker side comes to spoil the game. It has happened too often to ignore. I liked the bit about mental preparation because it is a side of football most fans never get to see. We talk about tactics and shape but the real battle is often inside the head. If Paterson can fix that, we will look a different side in tight games.

Football is about learning while you play, and sometimes this season it has looked like promotion might not happen. Then we go on a good run and it feels possible again. There are still lots of games to play, so there are plenty of points to win. Harrogate will not be the only team to show where we are weak. I think back to the matches against Gillingham and Barrow. Those games really showed us a lot and made us think.