Tough Task For Notts At Bromley

Notts County are once again back on the road this weekend, as the Magpies travel to Bromley for a clash that could be crucial come the end of the season.

Notts were in action this past Tuesday evening, where they were held to just a point at Grosvenor Vale by Wealdstone. On a night where Ian Burchnall’s side did everything right but score, two huge points were dropped on the same evening that some of the promotion chasers made ground on the top spot. The club announced forty-eight hours beyond the final whistle that they had completed the loan signing of Vitezslav Jaros, a young shot stopper from Liverpool. The 20-year-old joins the Magpies following a previous successful loan spell with St. Patrick’s Athletic, where he was named the Irish club’s Player of the Year and helped the club win the FAI Cup. Notts County were forced into this acquisition following the news that Anthony Patterson was unable to return, but it seems an adequate replacement has been found with ease. It has also been announced this week that the Magpies’ have had their home fixture with Barnet rearranged to the Tuesday following next weekend’s clash with Grimsby Town. This makes this weekend’s fixture against Bromley even more important as a win in this fixture and then two more on the bounce could see Notts County reach the top spot in a week and half. To conclude on the Magpies, the squad remains suspension and injury free, with Dion Kelly-Evans and Jim O’Brien now available for selection if required.

As for Bromley, they were victorious over Woking this past Tuesday, a night which saw Andy Woodman’s side conclude as 1-0 winners. A first half strike from Jude Arthurs turned out to be enough to secure Bromley the victory, despite the Cardinals’ best efforts at an equaliser. These two sides have met already this season, on an evening back in October which saw the game finish as a 1-1 draw. The Magpies took the lead on the night following a superb strike from Kyle Cameron, but this solo moment of excellence was chalked off ten minutes before the full-time whistle by the very reliable Michael Cheek. On the topic of Michael Cheek, Bromley’s main man is currently sat on sixteen goals for the campaign, and it comes as no secret that the Notts backline will have to keep him quiet to stand any chance of leaving Hayes Lane with three points. The Ravens currently sit fourth in the Vanarama National League, just a point adrift of the top spot meaning victory this weekend could see them leapfrog Stockport County. Andy Woodman’s outfit are currently unbeaten in four, with their last defeat being suffered to by the hands of Maidenhead United.

So, what can you expect from this fixture?

I suspect that this will be the toughest task of Notts County’s season so far. The Magpies will have to be on top of their game to leave as winners this Saturday. Bromley will undoubtedly press high to counter the high amounts of possession the Magpies will have. Tuesday night saw Ian Burchnall’s side woe their missed opportunities and things need to go differently this weekend in a game of the importance of this one. This will not be an easy game to call for anybody willing to hazard a guess but with Notts pushing to extend their impressive run of form further, I expect the fixture to go in their favour.

My personal prediction: Bromley 1-2 Notts County.

Current form:

Bromley: LWWWW
Notts County: WWWWD

Probable Line-ups:

Bromley: Bingham, Webster, Sowunmi, Bush, Whitely, Forster, Arthurs, Alexander, Coulson, Cheek.
Notts County: Slocombe, Chicken, Cameron, Lacey, Brindley, Richardson, Vincent, Palmer, Roberts, Rodrigues, Wootton.

Venue & time: