Well, I suppose the less said about that the better . . .
Notts County - 0
Chesterfield - 1
Gunning 32'
Notts Line Up (4-4-2)
Luke Pilling
Dion Kelly-Evans
Alex Lacey
Connell Rawlinson
Calvin Miller (YC) (Inih Effiong 87')
Jake Reeves
Michael Doyle (C)
Ruben Rodrigues
Enzio Boldewijn
Kyle Wootton (YC)
Elisha Sam (Jimmy Knowles 73')
Substitutes not used:
Jim O'Brien
Ben Turner
Matty Wolfe
When the team was announced before kick off I was full optimism. On paper it looked like Neal Ardley had gone for the 4-2-3-1 formation that had provided Notts with some of their most creative performances this season. However after a few short minutes it became apparent that Sam was up front with Wootton in a particularly flat 4-4-2, and despite a bright start any threat dissipated as the Chesterfield high press drew dividends for the Spireites like so many others before them.
Somehow the Notts defence held firm but for one sloppy concession, again from a set piece, which saw the Magpies go in at the interval just the one goal behind.
There were signs of improvement in the second half and despite Notts seeing much more of the ball they were still unable to record one single shot on target.
Key match stats:
Progress updated and defeat sees a drop back down to 5th and the avreage position now starting to level off around a play off place.
Results tracker updated:
Points needed and despite the loss Notts still have a healthy PPG which would see a top 3 finish.
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.
Points by time segment. How many points would have been accummulated 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.
Goal contribution table updated.
Goal participation by minute detailing player goal contribution efficiency.
Goals scatter chart:
Goals by time segment updated:
Neal Ardley's record updated:
Many of you will know I put alot of stock in xData (expected goals/expected points etc), as I believe it provides a good barometer for measuring performance against expectations and helps to identify areas where a team maybe over or under achieving.
The xData analysis in the preview for this match suggested that Notts had started recording points at a higher rate than expected based on performances. Quite simply a gradual reduction in the number of chances being created and being reliant on goals from unexpected situations just isn't sustainable.
There's no faulting the defence and considering the amount of pressure they have had to face recently it is testament to the team that Notts continue to have the best defence in the league, however, unless Neal Ardley can find a way to get the front line firing on all cylinders sooner rather than later we could be in for an uncomfortable ride.
The news that Callum Roberts is looking close to a comeback might just be the boost that Notts need.
Next up Stockport away on Tuesday night, a club not without performance issues themselves. The match preview will follow shortly which will include the xG analysis from the Chesterfield game as well as how the xData stats look for both Notts and the Hatters ahead of Tuesday's clash.
As always thanks for reading.
COYP!
Richard