23rd plays 15th tomorrow, as Notts County travel to the Eco-Power Stadium to play Doncaster Rovers. The Magpies will be looking to build on their win and draw recently, which included a win and a clean sheet, whereas the Rovers will be wanting to get their first win of the season and climb the table to build some momentum for their season.
Notts go into the game with four points from a possible nine, after losing 5-1 to Sutton on the opening day, beating Grimsby 3-2 in their second match, and, most recently, drawing 0-0 at Morecambe. One thing that Notts need to be doing differently against Doncaster is creating more in possession and being more clinical, as despite having 75% possession against Morecambe, both teams registered the same number of shots and shots on target, if Notts could do more when they are on the ball then they could dominate score lines. A big positive from the game on Tuesday, however, is the fact that the Magpies managed to keep a clean sheet. After conceding seven in the first two, with a few defensive mistakes leading to goals, it is good to see an opposition fail to score and for Aidan Stone to get his first clean sheet for his new club.
Doncaster currently sit second from bottom after three games and one point, that draw coming in their most recent game, in a 2-2 game against Mansfield Town. Tom Nixon scored a wonder-strike in the 20th minute to take the Rovers into the lead, which was also their first league goal of the season after failing to score in the previous two. A back post header from Louis Reed brought the game level, but after an outside of the box effort from Tommy Rowe was parried out into the area by the keeper, striker Joe Ironside was there to pounce and restore the hosts’ lead. However, Doncaster could not hold onto their lead for the second time in the game, with George Maris striking from distance with ten minutes of regular time to go – both sides left with a point on Tuesday.
After impressing in the last two games – with an assist, a shot leading to an own goal and the most shots and xG against Morecambe – Notts fans could be looking to play-off hero Jodi Jones to impress once again this weekend. The Maltese winger found minutes hard to come by last year, after only recently coming back from big injuries, the player only started eight out of the 19 league games since his loan signing from Oxford United. This season, he has found his fitness levels and ability from his time at Coventry, and is a first name on the team sheet for Notts, as shown through his three starts in three games.
One to watch for Doncaster this weekend is striker Joe Ironside, who signed from League One side Cambridge United in the summer. The 29-year-old only managed six goals last season, but was in a poor side that finished 20th, narrowly avoiding relegation, however, the previous season when the Us finished 14th in the third tier, Ironside racked up 14 goals and got three assists. In the 2020/21 season, the last time Ironside was in League Two and the year that Cambridge won promotion from the fourth tier, the striker got 21 goal contributions (14 goals and seven assists) but wasn’t the main goal scorer in the team as Paul Mullin scored 32 times, before joining Notts’ promotion rivals – Wrexham. This season, it looks like he will be the focal point up front, so he could be a big threat not only against Notts County, but also for the entire season.
Match info: Doncaster Rovers vs Notts County | League Two | Saturday 19th August | 15:00 | Eco-Power Stadium