Under former manager Luke Williams, Notts County was thriving at the beginning of the season, with the Magpies sitting in fifth place in League Two with 42 points. With 55 goals, they had also scored the most goals in all four divisions.
the championship group But Swansea City called for his services, and he left to further his career after serving as the Welsh team’s assistant manager.
The thrilling 5-5 draw with Grimsby Town was then Jim O’Brien’s only game in interim management. Despite agreeing to a new two-year contract with the team in July 2023, Stuart Maynard had joined from National League team Wealdstone by the end of January.
Let’s start with Williams, who became a member of the National League East Midlands club in June 2022. They didn’t stay long, though, as they finished second only to Wrexham and gained 107 points to return to the Football League through the play-offs.
They did so with the help of 117 goals and a 25-game unbeaten streak. Chesterfield pushed County all the way to the play-off final, where the Magpies prevailed on penalties.
Moving on to Maynard, he guided the Stones to a club-high 13th place in just his second season of management, which led to the previously mentioned two-year contract extension. He had led the team to 15th place in the fifth division with 33 points from 25 games when he left.
This is where there is disagreement. Since becoming a member of the Meadow Lane group, Maynard’s side has collapsed. They have only drawn one game and won one, the only win coming at Rodney Parade against Newport County, where they prevailed 3-1.
It must be said that all of the games have been close, and County has never lost any of them. Even so, Maynard’s team has only managed to score four of a possible twenty-four points. The most unexpected of those losses occurred recently when they hosted Sutton United, who were currently at the bottom of the table. They ultimately lost a wild match 4-3. In their last fifteen League Two attempts, the Londoners had only one victory, this one.
The division’s co-top scorer for this season is among the Magpies’ roster. With 23 goals so far, Macauley Langstaff and Salford City striker Matt Smith are tied for first place. Jodi Jones of County has the highest assist total in the league at 21.
They have enough weapons in their arsenal, including Dan Crowley, Jones, and Langstaff, to cause teams serious harm. This is demonstrated by the 69 goals scored, which is second only to Mansfield Town’s 72. Though only 13 of those have occurred since Williams’ departure, any team that gives up 68 goals is bound to struggle—only Salford and Sutton have given up more, with 69 goals each.
Just this season, three different goalkeepers have been used. Luca Ashby-Hammond, Aidan Stone, and Sam Slocombe have all been used in goal thus far. Slocombe has only managed one clean sheet in ten games, Stone has only managed four in twenty-three, and Ashby-Hammond has not managed a shutout in his eleven appearances. They have only given up zero goals in the league this season on five occasions,even though they participated in 35 games.
Maynard could maintain his position by selecting a strong back four, which includes the three centre backs and the goalkeeper. Managers still need to be consistently confident in the abilities of goalkeepers and defenders.
Additionally, some patience is needed. Although the East Midlands club is currently struggling, all successful teams must develop their players, and Stuart Maynard is not Luke Williams. He’ll demand his own players and playing philosophy.
They will play three difficult away games over the next eight days, starting on Tuesday night when they go to 11th-place Crawley Town, who are also just three points out of the play-offs, and then they go to Bradford City and Accrington Stanley.
With the team only eight points outside of the playoffs, this could be a crucial moment for both County and Maynard. A solid result from these games would be six points or more, and the tight League Two is a godsend for the Meadow Lane team.
