It was the first game back in the football league for four years which saw Notts County travel to Sutton United- a tough side to overcome which saw them finish in a respectable 14th place in last season’s campaign. For the Magpies, this fixture was a chance to make a statement to the rest of League 2 of their ability. After a terrible first half and their goalkeeper sent off, Notts were easily beaten by a well-organised Sutton team 5-1 in what was the worst possible start to their return to the Football League.
Notts lined up with a familiar starting eleven to what they had built last season, with the exception of goalkeeper Aidan Stone and sharp-shooter David McGoldrick who returned to play his first competitive game in the black and white stripes since his spell on loan in 2005; a year on from when he left the club on a permanent deal to Southampton in 2004. It was an attacking lineup with Jodi Jones playing at left wing-back and Nemane running on the right hand side and a midfield three of John Bostock, Matty Palmer and Jim O’Brien. Up front was the lethal strike partnership of Macaulay Langstaff and David McGoldrick who shared 64 goals between them last season.
Notts started with their usual tactic, keeping possession before Sutton launched a counter attack forcing an early corner in the 3rd minute. The resulting corner was headed in at the back post by an unmarked Joe Kizzi. Things went from bad to worse for Notts in the 15th minute, as new signing Aidan Stone was shown a red card for bringing down Kashket on the edge of the box following a Cameron missed back pass. The 23rd minute saw Sutton get what they had deserved with Amari Patrick capitalising on a cut back sending a right footed curling shot into the back of the net. The magpies needed to respond quickly otherwise it was due to be a long game.
After this, Notts managed to calm down and keep the ball, easing themselves into the game. McGoldrick sent a shot just wide of the goal with a long range effort. However, Sutton continued to use their aerial presence heading an effort against the crossbar- continuing to show their dominance. Langstaff had a volley attempt, landing on the roof of the net. The final stages of the half were played with notts keeping the ball and trying to gain some momentum in hope of a comeback. The referee blew the whistle for half time with Sutton going in comfortably with a 2-0 lead. This below par performance meant that Notts had to figure out how to break down the valiant Sutton defence in hope of getting back into the game.
The second half started with Notts making a tactical switch, with Jodi Jones and Aaron Nemane switching flanks in an attempt to unsteady the stable Sutton defence. However, another cross met Amari Patrick at the back post with another free header, proving to be too powerful for substitute goalkeeper Sam Slocombe. Sutton then had a shot from the edge of the box which hit the frame of the goal following a cleared header from captain Kyle Cameron. Things went from bad to worse as Sutton added a fourth with the home side seeming to win every ball leading to a one on one attempt finished by Beautyman.
Notts managed to get on the scoresheet with a ball in behind to striker Langstaff, who cut it back for David McGoldrick, slotting the ball home to make it 4-1 in the 69th minute. This gave Notts a hint of belief as they started committing forward more. This belief was short lived as another cross found the tall Harry Smith, heading home at the back post from point blank range. Sutton did not take their foot off the pedal as they continued to play the ball quickly, successfully winning the important battles on a consistent basis. The referee sounded his whistle for the final time which brought to an end a dismal performance from the magpies.
Overall, it was an extremely underwhelming performance with Notts outclassed in all areas of the pitch. Sutton were physically better and dominated the game in the air, which is where the majority of their goals came from. For Notts, they now have to regroup and refocus for their next game on Tuesday at home to Lincoln City followed by the first home game of the season against Grimsby.
There were few positive moments in the game although Aaron Nemane looked dangerous when he was running down the right flank, drawing fouls with his speed. Other than that, it was the worst possible start to a season with their biggest defeat since the away defeat to Torquay United in April 2022.
Starting 11:26 Stone (sent off 15') - 2 Brindley, 5 Rawlinson (61’), 4 Cameron - 10 Jones (73’), 18 Palmer, Bostock (yellow card), 11 Nemane (61’), 6 O’Brien (18’) - 17 McGoldrick, 9 Langstaff (yellow card) (73’)
Substitutes: 1 Slocombe (18’)' 7 Crowley (73’), 8 Austin, 15 Baldwin (yellow card) (61’), 19 Scott (73’), 21 Adebayo-Rowling, 23 Chicksen (61’)