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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.

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.

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.

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.

Credit to the back line for how they handled the late balls into the area. Ness and Bedeau took the first contacts and when the knockdowns fell, we had bodies around it. Roos’ decision-making was the difference between panic and control. A couple of high takes, one low claim, and we reset our shape. We also managed the bookings well. Bedeau takes one for a strong challenge, but after that we avoided cheap fouls near the box.

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.

a very enjoyable away game, fans were class! i thought they did well to make a game of it in the second half, i did not see their goal all that well due to being blocked but i thought despite it notts deserved the three points. i am going to enjoy the rest of my trip home now. 😀

We varied it nicely. Bennetts and Tsaroulla gave us width early on, and the set-piece threat paid off, Jatta pounced, Hall finished smartly. Cheltenham had their spell after the break, but we stayed solid. Roos made a vital save, we handled the bookings, used the bench well, and saw it out with composure.

Proper away display. Two first-half goals, then managed it well when they came on strong.

The first half was an excellent performance one of the best I’ve seen this season, we could easily have been 4-0 in the lead but I said in the matchday thread that Cheltenham would be a different side in the second half and so it proved, I did get nervous when they scored but Notts showed great resilience and held on for a great away win.

Good win for Notts, sounded like we played really well.

Fantastic three points against an in form team. Was that Scott Robertson's best performance in a Notts shirt? I think it was right up there. Notts go into the promotion places in third place for the first time this season. I was worried when Palmer & Jones weren't playing tonight but the players that came in, Iorpenda & Bennetts did brilliantly especially in the first half. The performance in that first half was arguably the best half of football under Paterson.

Tsaroulla excellent down the left. Unlucky with the header off the post.