If ever, as Notts fans we need reminding of the challenges faced in trying to get out of this league, this home win against a team that has spent the majority of its recent existence in the Isthmian Leagues serves to enforce the point.
To any Wealdstone fans reading this please don't take these comments as derogatory but more in keeping with trying to manage the expectations of a fanbase still trying to come to terms with the fact teams at this level aren't just rolling over because "we are Notts County!"
In my somewhat rushed and truncated preview I suggested that this seasons Wealdstone were not the same Wealdstone we recorded 27 goal attempts against last season. So forgive me if I wasn't surprised to see Notts struggle to come to terms with a very capable and well drilled opponent.
If there is one positive I can take from the game from a Notts perspective it is that this was the sort of game Notts would have lost in recent campaigns, so to play poorly for two thirds of the game and still come away with all three points has to be a bonus.
I give considerable credit to Wealdstone and the way they applied themselves as with both Weymouth and Aldershot before them' and I want to go down on record in saying that any talk of steamrollering opponents in this league just because Notts are a 'big club' at this level is maybe a little disrespectful.
That said a start of 6 games unbeaten is not to be sniffed at and it's clear that Notts are not quite the finished article and the capacity within the squad for further improvement suggests there will be much more to look forward to as the campaign progresses. I suppose time will be the judge in this respect.
Key match stats.
Wealdstone's high pressing 3-5-2 seemed to work well and they also showed how they like to keep hold of possession wherever possible.
It's rare that any team has more possession or completes as many passes as Notts in a game but again The Stones were equal to the task. This again is further emphasised when analysing the number of passes allowed per defensive action (PPDA) with Wealdstone enjoying more passes in attack than Notts suggesting they were quicker at limiting passing opportunities but may have also played a part in Notts taking a slightly more direct approach at times.
The xG is also interesting but more on that in a bit.
Points needed updated. Click on the legend tags at the top to filter options.
Progress updated:
Results tracker updated.
Goal segment chart updated.
If there was one thing I would like to see Notts work on it's starting games quicker. Notts are yet to record a goal inside the first 30 minutes of a game and in three games have conceded first.
Six game segments updated. 12 Points for this first six games compared to 9 points accrued in the first six games last season.
Player stats next and this is the new table that is also available to view on the player stats page of the website here.
Goals and assists chart updated.
Goal scatter chart updated. Cal Roberts strike against Aldershot the first goal scored from outside the box.
Expected goals now and what I love about xG visuals is they provide you with a very clear idea of how a game has panned out.
This is evident below in that we all know Wealdstone were on top for a good 30 minutes or so of the first half up to the point where they scored the opening goal.
After this it was all Notts for the next 35-40 minutes scoring all three goals in that period of time. Wealdstone's second goal was essentially unexpected as they hadn't threatened the Notts goal since their opening goal. After this the game petered out somewhat although there was one big chance for Notts to make life a bit easier with about 20 minutes to go with Palmer spurning the opportunity to grab his first goal for the club.
Its also interesting that Notts had more chances but with much lower xG whereas Wealdstone had several very big chances that they didn't take. This would indicate that Notts were more clinical in front of goal.
Based on the above xPTS for Notts was 0.66 and win% estimated at 21.23% suggesting that overall Wealdstone had the better of the game but again Notts made the most of their opportunities.
It's worth noting that Cal Roberts 'offside' goal is not included in the xG calculations and had that stood it is likely the values would be much closer.
Player xG below. I've added a colour coded scale from 0.01 to 1.00 to help identify any big chances.
National League top scorers updated.
Having asked the question across social media channels there were a fair few wanted to see stats for Sam Slocombe.
To get an accurate percentile comparison the values are compared to 22 other National League Goalkeepers that have played more than 360 minutes this season.
The 'passes' and 'shots' visuals are taken from the Wealdstone game.
Ian Burchnall's record updated after 25 matches.
Next up another home game on Saturday 18th September, this time Maidenhead United the visitors. Preview to follow shortly.
As always thanks for reading.
Until next time.
COYP!
Richard