Elite_pie

An entertaining game, but one we were a bit lucky to win. My main concerns about a dodgy defence and a midfield that gives it little protection were only reinforced. Delighted with a 3-2 win, but it could easily have been 5-5. A special mention for Wealdstone, I thought both their team and support were very good. They were comfortable on the ball, and most of their passes whether long or short found a team mate. Their fans were still making plenty of noise even when they were 3-1 down, and they must be gutted to be going home with nothing.

My 'benefit of a replay' view of the key moments: DKE non-goal - their keeper saves it, then with one hand tries to get hold of it with two. Before he does DKE slides in and puts it into the net. Did the keeper have control of the ball? It looks 50/50, which means refs will always side with the goalkeeper. Our first - great first touch and layoff from Ruben, Wootton's shot wasn't cleanly hit but it went where he aimed it. Their first - good from their point of view, but disappointing from ours. We need to defend balls like that much better. Their second - bad error from Cameron. No foul for me, just a very poorly directed header. Our second - Cameron makes amends by being determined to be first to the ball. Our winner - the sort of quality we have that most other teams don't. A very classy goal. JOB non-goal - what can you say, apart from that the lino will be very embarrassed when he watches the replay.

Sorry, but I don't think we played well. We played well in little bursts, but we allowed a (good) team from a division below to match us. We were poor defensively and the midfield never looked like a cohesive unit. I know it was only a friendly, but we have a lot of work to do to look like a promotion team.

Yes, Ebosele was the one who rolled around like he'd been shot at the faintest touch. He didn't need to, because he looks a very promising player. If Jóźwiak was their blond number 7, he was the one who blatantly dived to try and win a penalty. Also the one who appeared to elbow Kyle Cameron in the face off the ball.

It's hard to know how strong the opposition were, but I would take more positives than negatives from the game. The scoreline flattered Derby, there was no obvious gulf between the teams. Disappointing to concede in the way we did from the corner for their first because we were just starting to get on top in the 10 minutes before it. Matty Palmer looked good, and JOB played well. A lot more there than I expected, it was quite a good atmosphere for a pre-season friendly.

Slocombe 7 - I thought he should have saved their first, but he redeemed himself with the one-on-one Tyson save and was pretty good with his handling, kicking and distribution. Rawlinson 6 - Was often forced backwards and sideways, probably better as a centre back. Ellis 8.5* - Just the sort of player you want on your side. Maybe a dodgy defensive moment or two, but puts his body on the line and his effort can't be faulted. An assist, and a memorable winner earns him MOM. Chicksen 8 - In the two games I've watched him live, he's gone from 'Adam who?' to being one of the first names on the teamsheet. He is ideally suited to a left side of a back three role, intelligent positioning, gets stuck in defensively and offers a forward threat. Brindley 7 - Better in the second half than the first, looks a good player on the right side of a back three. Doyle 7 - Typical Doyle, always available for a pass and mostly used the ball well. Reeves 6 - Took a while to get involved, and didn't make the best of his shooting opportunities, but stuck at it well. Boldewijn 7 - A few quiet spells, but had the beating of his full back and caused them problems. Miller 6.5 - Not quite his recent level of performance, but looks dangerous every time he runs at opposing defences. Rodrigues 6.5 - A few wrong decisions and didn't influence the game as much as he can, but great delivery for the winner. Wootton 7.5 - Led the line to good effect and was in the right place to bag a couple of goals. Knowles 5 - Looked off the pace and didn't contribute much. DKE 5.5 - No time to impress. Memorable game, brilliant atmosphere, well done to all concerned.

I just find it really, really good to finally be able to do these ratings from what I actually saw from my seat rather than what the cameraman decided to show me on a live stream. Here is my offering: Slocombe 7 - only routine saves to make, but he did everything well. Brindley 8 - excellent throughout, always composed and some great forward surges. Ellis 7 - did what he does best and won most of his challenges, one dodgy back header. Chicksen 8.5* - looks the perfect fit on the left side of a back 3. Sound defensively, but still managed to be a creative force. He barely put a foot wrong, where has he been all season? Kelly-Evans 7 - gave us what we have come to expect, 100% commitment all over the pitch. Doyle 7.5 - another who did what he's good at. Always composed on the ball and rarely wasted it. Reeves 7 - energetic and offered something in defence and attack. O'Brien 7 - looks rejuvenated lately, did his bit all over the pitch. Miller 8 - our main attacking threat for much of the game, I love his pace and forward desire. Rodrigues 7 - sometimes overplayed it a bit and maybe should have made a bit more of his opportunities, but the sort of player defenders are scared of. Wootton 7.5 - more of the Wootton of old, led the line well and proved a real handful for their defenders. Boldewijn 7.5 - instant impact, great finish for his goal, and must have loved the reception he got from the crowd. Enzio seems a bit of a confidence player, and today will have done him nothing but good. Sam 6 - again what we have come to expect, a bit mixed. Griffiths 6.5 - not much time to make an impact, but showed a flash of skill that suggests he might still have a part to play. What an occasion! As a Notts fan I have learned to fear the worst when expectations are high, but not today. It delivered from all angles, and it was a privilege to be part of that crowd. We often pretend to play 3-5-2, but today we really did play 3-5-2. Brindley and Chicksen defended well, but also offered an attacking threat, and the 'Dad's Army' midfield trio all did what they are best at. The wing backs were more offensive than defensive, and it meant we created loads of chances. I wondered early on what Burchnall had to offer, but if this is the answer I can't wait to see more.

Fantastic afternoon, well worth the wait. I was a bit concerned that with the fans being so spread out it wouldn't feel like a proper game, but that concern evaporated in the first minute. This was what I had missed so badly, it was every bit the real thing. We need to go all out for 5th place, because I can't wait to go back to Meadow Lane again. We played some really good stuff, and 6-0 would have been a more accurate scoreline. Well done to everyone in the ground, the atmosphere was brilliant.

I'm going. Not overly keen on my randomly allocated seat (my season ticket is row R, this one is row DD) right near the top of the Pavis stand, but can't wait to get back to Meadow Lane. I'd willingly sit on the roof of the stand rather than watch a live stream. Hopefully this will be the first of two visits this season, because if we finish in 5th place it means a home playoff quarter final.

I thought even before the game that this was a sensible appointment. Doyle is obviously a big character in the dressing room, and it could be an ideal bridge between the management and players, especially after the events of yesterday. A good decision in my opinion.

I have a feeling we might just sneak an undeserved point. After Torquay's win today, it's a game Sutton can't really afford to lose. Hopefully the pressure will get to them and after being outplayed, we manage a late equaliser.

Yep, I think it was obviously something said at Altrincham rather than anything that's happened since. I wouldn't want to speculate on here, but I think I can guess the nature of the comment and the reason for departure.

I noticed that as well. It would normally end with "We thank Mo for all his hard work and wish him well for the future". Instead, I think saying "We will be making no further comment" only pours fuel onto the social media fire.

Agree, the season is far from over but it does seem that way. Unless something strange happens, it looks like Sutton, Torquay, Hartlepool and Stockport will occupy the top 4 places. It also looks like the other 3 playoff places are between 6 clubs - us, Halifax, Wrexham, Chesterfield, Eastleigh and Bromley. This is the maximum points total each of those 6 clubs can achieve: Wrexham 75 Notts 75 Halifax 74 Chesterfield 74 Bromley 73 Eastleigh 71 On current form tables, we have no chance of getting near 75 points, but current form is really 'past 6 games form'. It tells you what has happened, but it doesn't predict the future. We've been at or near the top of the current form table this season, but then gone on a poor run. I honestly can't see us suddenly going on a winning run, but there's still a very tempting prize on offer if we do.

Actually, we had the 500k last season and had to scrape by with a mere 250k this season! Next season we don't get a penny. As you say, where is the difference against clubs like Eastleigh? Three quarters of a million pounds over two seasons is big money at this level, but we seem to have wasted it.

I agree with most of your post but not this bit. We very, very rarely take risks, get forward or press the opposition back. The main tactic under Ardley and now Burchnall seems to be keeping the ball at all costs. It sounds good, because if we have the ball the opposition can't score. It fails miserably because we do it mainly in our own half, and sometimes in our own penalty area. That style of play has to come from the manager, and I'm sure the players don't enjoy it because they are one poor pass away from creating a chance for the opposition. We don't attack with speed, we don't get lots of players forward, we nearly always take the safety first option of passing the ball backwards. In his post-match interview Burchnall claimed that we controlled the game, and were let down in the final third. That's because we very rarely got into the final third! It's a good job there were no fans in the ground, because the reaction after the final whistle would have been very unpleasant.

In what way? It's the same as usual for me.

We really needed that. It wasn't the most convincing win, but it gives us something to build on. Other than the three points the big positive was seeing Knight and Roberts on the pitch. We've lacked attacking threat all season, and although it's early days these two give us reason for hope.

I don't think there are any huge problems with the squad we have. Central midfield looks the weakest department, but I don't think even that is holding us back too much. The biggest problem by far is ATTITUDE. We show effort, but it's token effort. We actually seem scared of our opponents even if they play two divisions below us. If Burchnall can get this squad to play with passion and belief instead of nerves and fear, we will look twice the side we've looked so far this season.

What an appalling display that was, their keeper had to make a routine save from our only shot on target in the 87th minute!!!! The penalty was a blatant dive, but it still doesn't excuse what followed. Aldershot were poor, but poor was more than enough to beat us.

Not an easy game to predict. They are in a poor run of form, and we're not playing as well as our recent league results might suggest. I'm hoping the players will want to prove a point after the embarrassment of Saturday, so I'll go for a nervy 1-0 home win.

Excellent summary and just what I wanted to say, the players should be hanging their heads in shame. We weren't beaten by a better team, we were beaten by a team that simply wanted it more. The only consolation is that our complete and utter embarrassment won't figure much in the media spotlight because of the low level, and the scores in the National League were generally in our favour. This is still one of my darkest days in over 50 years of being a Notts County supporter.

Well done for offering ratings Piethagoram, it would be too painful for me. I know some see this competition as an irrelevant embarrassment, but for me we were one game away from a Wembley final, with the added bonus that fans might be in attendance. We were well on top for the first 20 minutes, but once they equalised we were beyond pathetic. Some of their players seemed to be carrying more weight than those in the Hucknall pub side we play in preseason friendlies when we win 11-0, but it was still more than we could cope with. We can't blame the old manager or the new manager, the blame today lies squarely with the players who were simply outfought. The players in red wanted it a lot more than the players in black and white, simple as that.

I can only speak as one of the (mildly) vocal 'Ardley out' lot, but I am full of optimism with this appointment. It's obviously a long term project, so I wouldn't give him any target this season other than to make us look like a team that wants to win, rather than a team that wants to stop the opposition winning. Since the day he was appointed I've never seen Neal Ardley as someone capable of getting the best out of his squad, hopefully Burchnall will do just that.

Slocombe 6 - Didn't have anything challenging to do, but did the basics well. Rawlinson 6 - The odd nervy moment, but a decent performance overall. Ellis 7 - Looks an excellent signing so far. Does exactly what you want from a centre back. Lacey 6 - Did his job, I hope is injury is a minor one. Enzio 7 - Did what you would expect from a wing back at both ends of the pitch. Reeves 6.5 - Looked off the pace for much of the first half, showed his attributes after that. Doyle 6 - Nothing special, but did his job. O'Brien 7 - The usual 100% effort and always willing to try and create something. Barnett 8* - Much better suited to wing back than full back, a real attacking threat and superb strike for his deserved goal. Effiong 6.5 - Did his job well, showed he could still be an asset. Wootton 6 - very little goal threat, but kept their defenders occupied. Turner - 6.5 - slotted in well, did what he does best. Knowles N/A For once 3-5-2 didn't turn into 5-3-2. We stopped all the sideways and backwards messing about in our own half, went more direct and played much of the game in their half. Getting the ball forward quicker made us look a much better team. Let's hope it's a lesson learned.