A 1-1 draw away at a club at the lower end of the table and nothing to play for doesn't exactly fill you with confidence that a play off challenge is still in the offering.
Ian Burchnall rang the changes in an attempt to be more offensive giving starts to Richard Brindley, Enzio Boldewijn and Ruben Rodrigues in another 3-5-2 set up.
Unfortunately the changes didn't provide the Notts County Head Coach with the desired results with both Boldewijn and Rodrigues struggling to get a foothold in the game.
The first goal was always going to be crucial and it was the Robins who struck first with a well taken effort from ex Mansfield Town academy player Alastair Smith.
Ruben Rodrigues managed to drag the Magpies back into the game on the stroke of half time with a well taken free kick but it was probably a little more than Notts deserved.
The attack minded 3-5-2 looked like it became more of a 4-5-1 as both Rodrigues and Boldewijn appeared to drop deeper and more central in an attempt to see some of the ball and Ian Burchnall wasn't afraid to make changes at half time to try and rectify this.
Unfortunately things barely improved and having squandered a couple of second half chances Notts had keeper Luke Steele to thank for two good saves late on to spare the Magpies blushes.
Match stats below and despite the possession, corners and dangerous attacks Notts were unable to create much of any substance in the final third.
Progress updated. Clinging on the 10th place but have averaged 6th place throughout the season.
Results tracker updated including progress. Two wins in the last 10 not a great look.
Points needed updated and for the first time in a considerable while Notts PPG see's them predicted for a finish just outside the top 7.
You can filter the chart by clicking on the legends at the top.
League segment chart updated. Grey bar shows total points available for that segment. Green bar shows total points gained and yellow bar the PPG for that segment.
Just 2 points from 5 games in this segment . . . meh.
Points by time segment. How many points would have been accumulated if games had finished at 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 minutes.
Onto player stats now and remember you can use the search function to see individual players or click on a column heading to sort highest to lowest etc.
Minutes played updated:
Goal contribution table updated. Again, you can find this on the website and sort columns etc.
Goals scatter chart updated.
Goals by time segment updated.
Ian Burchnall's record updated after 10 games in charge.
Due to the heavy bank holiday fixture list I don't yet have the xG data for the Altrincham game but will include this in the Sutton report.
*Edit 18.40 03.05.21: xG data just received.
xG reports for the Altrincham game and it's quite clear the draw was a fair result although Altrincham had a good chance to win it late on.
xG key match stats:
Player xG:
Preview | Sutton Utd (h) | Vanarama National League | 17:00
Tuesday 4th May 2021 | Meadow Lane
Notts go into this encounter with title contenders Sutton United on a run of 6 games without a win. Sutton on the other hand visit Meadow Lane having registered two home wins albeit against Aldershot and Barnet.
Current form radar below and it doesn't look great from a Notts perspective, especially last 6 form which sees the Magpies languishing in 21st place.
Goals for/against by time segment for Sutton and they seem to be a threat in the last 15 mins of the first half and a consistent goal threat as the second half progresses.
Lead status comparison.
Despite Notts being on their worst run of form for a couple of seasons the bookies still have the game pretty close.
As it stands you're looking at circa 7/4 for a Notts win and 7/5 for a Sutton win. A draw is currently circa 2/1.
Based on these odds Notts have a 36% chance of winning and Sutton a 42% chance of bagging the 3 points.
Recent performances have left much to be desired for Notts and you could be forgiven for not feeling too positive about this fixture.
However, football is a funny old game and it would be typical of Notts to somehow find a way to win this one and it is imperative they don't lose if they are to stand any chance of clambering back into the play off picture during the remaining games.
Don't forget this is a 5pm kick off and live on BT Sport.
COYP!
Richard