Heading into the second half of the season and there’s an almighty tussle in the top half League Two with Stuart Maynard’s Notts County, although sitting seventh, in the last play-off spot, sandwiched between eleven clubs separated by just six points.
Mind you, that’s nothing compared to how the table looked at 930pm on the night of Monday 30 December, and beneath the early leaders Walsall – sides in second to seventh were all sat on 37 points, and separated by goal-difference, even from second to thirteenth there was just a seven=-point gap.
It’s a funny old game this football, isn’t it?
At the turn of the year however, there was a little change in the offing, although Walsall find themselves twelve points ahead of AFC Wimbledon and Doncaster Rovers (level on 40pts, the Dons with a game in hand).
But, from that pairing in joint-second, down to Gillingham in fourteenth, yes fourteenth, there’s just ten points and it all very much to play for whilst County, who were in third on 30 December, have slipped to seventh after a narrow, New Years’ Day defeat, at home to the leaders.
It was a loss that came on the back of a December that finished with three straight victories for Maynard’s side, seeing off Bradford City (3-0, Alassana Jatta 2, David McGoldrick), MK Dons (2-0, George Abbott, Daniel Crowley), and the eight-goal thriller against Cheltenham Town (5-3, Jatta 2, Josh Martin, Abbott, Sam Austin).
Hosting Walsall though, on 1 January, County even took an interval lead when Gambian international, Alassana Jatta, took his tally to a dozen goals with a clinical finish midway through the first half, assisted by Josh Martin.
The leaders however, who defeated County 3-2 at the Bescot Stadium in early December, have now won ten and drawn four of their last fourteen league outings, dating back to the 6-2 reverse at home to Fleetwood Town, on 1 October.
Against County it would be Jamille Matt who’d equalise twenty minutes after the restart, heading home a volleyed cross from Evan Weir, before Weir turned provider again inside the final ten to set up League Two’s top scorer, Nathan Lowe, for his fourteenth of the season.
Notts County (vs. Walsall) – Alex Bass, Rod McDonald, Matthew Platt, Jacob Bedeau, Sam Austin (Jodi Jones, 74), George Abbott, Matt Palmer, Josh Martin (Conor Grant, 74), Daniel Crowley, Alassana Jatta, David McGoldrick
Jatta’s goal against the leaders, his twelfth of the season, sees the Gambian international joint-second in the League Two scoring charts alongside Bromley’s Michael Cheek, Wimbledon’s Matty Stevens, and Bradford’s Andy Cook.
The latter of those, Bishop Auckland-born Andy Cook, played for Mansfield Town between 2019 and 2021, whilst also in the top ten is County’s hometown favourite, David McGoldrick, on eight goals.
Nottingham-born, McGoldrick began his career at County some two decades ago now, has also had a brief spell on the other side of the Trent, with neighbours Nottingham Forest, between 2009 and 2013, before returning home, to County, in June 2023.
This Saturday, results going one way or another, could see County either rise into the automatic promotion spots, or drop out of the top ten – a draw in all honesty, is no good at all, for any of the sides in around the play-off places.
Maynard’s side, they host sixth bottom Swindon Town next (4 January) before consecutive away trips to Grimsby Town (11 January), and Accrington Stanley (18 January), whilst elsewhere in League Two on Saturday, the following also takes place…
Ninth place Bradford host eighth place Grimsby, third place Doncaster welcome sixth place Port Vale, twelfth place MK Dons entertain fourth place Salford, whilst on Sunday fifth place Crewe welcome eleventh place Bromley, Wimbledon travel to Fleetwood, and Chesterfield take on visitors Gillingham.
Right now, of the sides above them in the table, County face Port Vale away on 13 February, and a trip to Wimbledon not arriving until early March, by which time, and considering how tight the division actually is, positionings could have, and will have, changed many times.
Having finished in fourteenth place last season, nine points off the play-offs, and having seen Mansfield Town promoted also, the aim for County this time around, has to be, at worst, taking a spot in the play-off places – Walsall are too far off to contemplate a title challenge (15 points), automatic promotion, maybe.
Mind, Wimbledon, Doncaster, Salford, Crewe, Port Vale, Grimsby, Bradford, Chesterfield, Bromley, and the MK Dons, will all have something to say about that.
*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).
*Main image @Official_NCFC Notts in winning action against Bradford in December.
