If you’re an avid fan of Littlewoods Pools then Notts County are likely to be making you incredibly happy at the moment. If you’re one of the magpies faithful then they’re more likely to be making you pull your hair out in frustration.

Five draws and a loss in the first six games is a similar start to last season. Yet for the first time in many years there is a distinct sense of hope around the club… we just need the results to catch up with it.

On paper all the signs of resurgence are there. The fans have reclaimed the kop end from the away supporters, which means that the atmosphere has increased thanks to its magic acoustics. Under Ian ‘Charlie’ McParland the quality of the passing football currently being played by the club is an absolute delight, probably the best since Mick Walker was boss fifteen years ago. The boot room is full of old boys like McParland (manager), David Kevan (assistant manager), Tommy Johnson - aka the Ginger Prince (coach) and former goalie Mick Leonard (Director of the new Centre of Excellence).

A few of respected old pro’s have joined the club in the shape of Russell Hoult – who was once eyed by Sven as a potential England goalie, former Jamaican International and prodigal son Michael Johnson and former Leeds and Auxerre frontman Jamie Forrester (who has his own academy and everything).

We have the beginnings of a youth structure coming back into the club and for the first time in four and a half years we bought a player! For a fee and everything!! Yes, we paid around £5000 for a young striker from Team Bath by the name of Sean Canham. It might only be what John Terry or Frank Lampard earns in an hour, but it’s a sign we are moving in the right direction!

But the fact is that some of the same old problems of the last few seasons still persist. We don’t score anywhere near enough goals (you have to go back to the season before last since we scored more than two in a game) and we seem to have a total inability to hold onto a lead. In each of our last three league games against Accrington, Bournemouth and Shrewsbury we’ve taken the lead, only to let the other team back into the game and end up settling for one point rather than three.

The issue of goals is clearly a bigger problem than just the strikers. All but one of last seasons forwards have been shipped out (Laurie Dudfield, Jason Lee, Hector Sam, Danny Crowe, Ryan Jarvis etc) and in have come former Bolton forward Delroy Facey, former Forest youth player Ben Fairclough and the aforementioned Forrester and Canham.

Forrester has scored twice in six starts and Canham got his first league goal at the weekend against Accrington. Facey has played the majority of games and has done some decent work holding up the ball, but he needs to get a goal fast to justify his place in the side – think a poor mans Emile Heskey. Former Forest players Ben Fairclough and Spencer Weir-Daley have barely been given a sniff of action and can't really be blamed, but unless things change for them neither are likely to be playing league football next season.

It get’s worse! The one man that is guaranteed to score goals is midfield dynamo Richard Butcher (check out his rather amusing wikipedia entry - until it gets taken down). He has scored fifteen goals for us since he signed from Peterborough at the beginning of last season – a great tally by a midfielder. But with this blessing there is a curse. We have only won once in those games in which he has scored! He’s become the only player in our history that the meadow lane faithful are now shouting at to pass the ball when he’s on the goal line with an empty net.

The brightest point of the season so far has, without a doubt, been the emergence of Myles Weston. While the nation bangs on about Theo Walcott, county fans stand in awe of his former England under-19 team mate and wonder how long we can keep hold of a player with such potential. He’s lightening quick and capable of beating just about any full back in league two. If he could learn to cross the ball then he’d probably be premiership, or at least Championship, class. But until someone teaches him that then we can safely hold onto him for now.

Overall this is a season of consolidation for magpies fans. Only the most naïve actually expect us to mount any sort of promotion challenge after two years of almost dropping out of the league. We’re also going to have to be very crap to go down, with Luton, Bournemouth and Rotherham all starting the season on minus points after going into administration. But all we ask now is to see the back of the net bulge a little bit more and for three points to be collected, instead of our standard toll of one.

Come on lads, we know you have it in you! You Pies!!

Notts County Official website
Notts County Mad

 

Comment (8) Send to friend Print Add to Facebook Socialise