Rodrigues Wins It Late For Notts

Notts County 3-2 Sutton United (National League) 04.05.21

What a surreal 24 hours it’s been. One minute you’re queuing up in IKEA on a Bank Holiday Monday only to be told there’s no onions for your hot dog as you scroll through the social media walls on your phone to read Maurice Ross, Notts County’s Assistant Manager has left the club with immediate effect, a day later, Notts minus Ross, are 3-2 up with only ten men against one of the best teams in the division. Who needs onions… Suddenly the lack of toppings are no longer an issue.

And all because football works in funny ways.

Yesterday it was misery, upon hearing Ross was out the door after an inappropriate comment towards a player on Saturday following the draw at Altrincham, fans bemoaned that Burchnall should perhaps be next, Tony Pulis mentioned by Twitter, it could not be? In the end the reason for County’s assistant exiting had substance, the right thing to do, Michael Doyle will step up to help Burchnall until the end of the season, suddenly it doesn’t sound too bad.

Notts started strong against promotion pushing Sutton who’ve been top of the lot themselves this season before a wobble of late. Ruben Rodrigues who started his first game under Burchnall at the weekend, and scored, started again, and scored, within eight minutes played to put Notts one up.

I’ve been saying and I had hoped, that Rodrigues, light weight, not your typical English non-league footballer, would be one that ‘shined’ under the new ‘free-flowing’ Head Coach as he was in and out of Neal Ardley’s more robust midfield plans previously, but Ruben offers guile, he offers something different from your blood and guts lower division footballer, his craft is up there with the best in the division, the strength will come the more he’s allowed to grow in this team. Those growth spurts don’t occur whilst sitting on the bench.

Regardless of Ruben, Sutton are still strong and levelled on twenty through Olaofe before almost taking the lead when Slocombe saved from Bugiel.

Elisha Sam replaced Jimmy Knowles at the break as Notts pushed to retake the lead and like in the first half, they started strong with Kyle Wootton, back in the goals on 48, much needed for him, much needed for his club.

But as in the first half that lead was short lived, this time Bugiel striking past Slocombe, then things got from bad, to worse. Kelly-Evans sent off for a second booking, but that galvanised the Notts squad more, the Magpies would go on to play even better with ten men.

A friend of mine said he wasn’t sure about ‘the big man up top’ but Elisha Sam he of Puskas Award contention, had the ball in the back of the net, Notts thought they had won it, only to be ruled out for offside, but Notts pushed harder, Rodrigues who played well, pulling strings like an orchestrator before a penalty was awarded late on. The man himself, coolly slotting home for a second of the match, could this be a turning point for Notts?

The theory is simple to me, play Rodrigues, get points.

Some of these Notts County players may have had a kick up the backside on Saturday afternoon, some choice words might have been said, some perhaps gone too far, but this squad is certainly galvanised, this team still believes it can beat anyone in the division, and with six games remaining, it still has a chance.

Notts County: Slocombe, Kelly-Evans, Rawlinson, Ellis, Chicksen, Miller (Brindley 72), Doyle, Reeves, Rodrigues (Turner 90), Knowles (Sam 46), Wootton.

Sutton United: Bouzanis, Beautyman, Barden, Ajiboye, Wyatt, Wilson, Olaofe (Browne 79), John, Goodlife, Eastmond, Bugiel (Sho-Silva 89).

Venue: Meadow Lane