A bumper crowd of nearly 7,000 were in attendance at the first home game of the new season.
That crowd, boosted by NHS staff with free tickets were unfortunately presented with a particularly frustrating afternoon of football.
Gary Johnsons Torquay, still smarting after the opening day defeat at home to Altrincham, came to Meadow Lane with a plant to stifle the Magpies insistence of playing out from the back and for 20 minutes or so it worked to great effect.
Utilising a surprisingly high press with a front four Notts just couldn't get going and it was the Gulls that looked the more threatening.
The sending off of Torquay new boy Ali Omar on 25 minutes did little to change the dynamic of the game with the visitors continuing to frustrate the home side, and it was Danny Wright (again) who took advantage of some calamitous defending to pounce on a loose ball from his keepers long kick to put the away team a goal to the good.
Not afraid to make changes when needed Ian Burchnall shook things up at half time bringing on Aaron Nemane and Jim O'Brien for Dion Kelly-Evans and Ed Francis respectfully, the latter not really having the best of a Meadow Lane debut.
The match descended into an attack v defence training match second half as Notts piled on the pressure looking for an opening.
That opening finally came on 69 minutes when Adam Chicksen somehow found an extra yard of pace to beat his man and fire in a perfect cross for Kyle Wootton who made no mistake with a lunging header having managed to get ahead of his marker.
Notts continued to bang on the Torquay door but the visitors stoic defence wasn't for breaching a second time and together with some very dubious time wasting managed to se out the draw with the Gulls the happier with the result.
Key match stats below and you can see there is a lot more to digest!
Points needed table for the first time with average points for first, third, top seven and relegation based on last 5 seasons.
Click on the legend tags at the top to filter options.
Progress after two games and a drop from 1st to 5th. Chart also shows progress for last season as a comparison.
First results tracker of the season.
Goal segment chart below and two games in Notts are yet to score in the first half, or concede in the second.
Player stats next and this is the new table that is also available to view on the player stats page of the website here.
This season I will also be including every minute played so all minutes of added time will be included.
Goals and assists chart below, it's quite sobering to think I had nothing to show in this respect after the first game last season.
Goal scatter chart updated.
Onto xG now and the proverbial game of two halves.
Based on the xPTS for Notts was 2.06 and win% estimated at 68.67%.
Player xG below.
There were three attempts that were part of the same move or were blocked that were recorded as shots but xG not afforded.
Matt Palmer is our featured player for this game.
Some really good passing stats, mind you second half we couldn't have passed the ball more if we'd tried!
National League top scorers after matchday 2.
Finally Ian Burchnall's record updated after 21 matches.
Next up Hollywood away . . . report to follow.
As always thanks for reading.
Until next time.
COYP!
Richard