It has been nearly 5 weeks since the win at Sutton and with 2 defeats in a row sandwiched in between Notts will be desperate to get back to action and should be at near full strength for this game. There is also the added bonus of Cal Roberts declaring himself fit after signing a morale boosting new contract that see's him at the club until the end of the 2022/23 season.
Likewise The Shaymen will be keen to get back to winning ways, having made the play off's last season they have not had the kind of start to the current campaign they would have hoped for being without a win since the first game against Dagenham.
Despite sitting in 20th position Halifax currently sit at the top of the defence league alongside Sutton Utd having conceded just 4 goals in 6 games.
Halifax record so far:
P 6 | W 1 | D 3 | L 2 | GF 4 | GA 4 | GD 0 | PTS 6 | PPG 1.00
Notts record so far:
P 6 | W 3 | D 0 | L 3 | GF 10 | GA 8 | GD +2 | PTS 9 | PPG 1.50
Notts got the better of Halifax in both league fixtures last season which saw the two clubs face each other for the first time since March 1973 a game played before the reformation of Halifax Town following administration in 2008.
Goals by time segment for Halifax:
Goal time segments for Notts:
xG and aG for both clubs listed below. Halifax have averaged a goal every 13.5 attempts and average just 9 attempts per game meaning we will be using a relatively low xG rating for the game of 0.07.
xG FC Halifax Town = 0.07
aG FC Halifax Town = 0.67
Notts have averaged a goal every 6.40 attempts averaging 10.67 goal attempts per game which means they are much more clinical in front of goal than Halifax therefore xG rating will be higher.
xG Notts Co = 0.17
aG Notts Co = 1.67
Defensively Halifax are currently much more resolute than Notts with opponents needing nearly 14 goal attempts per game to score, whereas Notts opponents only need 5 attempts per game to score.
Halifax's defensive strength is further displayed in the lead status table below which shows they only spend 2.30 minutes trailing per game on average and over 70 minutes per game on level terms.
A win for Notts could offer an outside chance of jumping back into the top 7 but defeat would almost definitely see the Magpies entrenched in the bottom half of the table.
A win for Halifax would see a considerable improvement in league position potentially leapfrogging Notts in the process.
Bookies again have Notts slight favourites for the away win with 14/10 about the best you can get right now. You can get 2/1 on a home win and 5/2 for the draw.
These odds would suggest Notts have a 43% chance of winning and Halifax a 35% chance of victory.
In conclusion this is another game where Notts should really be looking to get back on the team bus with 3 points in the bag. Halifax have been poor in front of goal which should help a Notts defence that has been struggling to find the kind of form that saw them with one of the best defensive records in the league last season, however with Halifax's resolute defence this season the Magpies will need to be clinical and not wasteful with their chances when they get them.
COYP!
Richard
Note:
Betting odds are only used as another means to assess current form and sporting industry expectations of possible result. Notts County Stats do not endorse any form of gambling or betting industry associated businesses.