It was the archetypal 'game of two halves' at Meadow Lane last weekend with the hosts just doing enough to edge the win. 2-0 up and seemingly cruising Luke Williams would have gone in the happier of the two managers at half time. However, whatever David Horseman said to his players during the interval obviously worked as they took the game to Notts.
Notts had been pretty dominant in the first half converting two of six chances created with an xG of 1.12. FGR on the other hand were restricted to very low value opportunities recording just 0.16 xG from five chances.
Things came alive in the second half though with the visitors scoring three goals from 9 chances with an xG of 1.61, although the penalty contributes to 0.76 of that xG total. Notts had just five attempts on goal in the second half, scoring from two of them and recording a further 1.34 xG again showcasing the high value chances created.
On the whole that second half ended up making the game look much closer than it really should have been but fair play to FGR for trying to make a game of it, out performing Notts in wing play and territory.
Based on the xG Notts still come out on top with an xPTS of 1.90 compared to 0.87 for FGR. Notts also edging the win percentage 55.56% to 21.04%.
After the Salford game I had a closer look at Aidan Stone and in particular his distribution. Personally I think Stone has been an astute acquisition by the recruitment team at Notts but I must concede his distribution probably let him down a little in this game.
One player requested to take a closer look at from the FGR game was Macaulay Langstaff. It's easy just to focus on his finishing but there is so much more to his game.
Firstly, his pressing is relentless, something he somehow manages to maintain right up to the final limit. Secondly he is also very good at fulfilling his defensive duties. This is something that would have been unheard of a few years back but all modern day strikers now have a defensive element of their game to fulfill. Langstaff is excellent at dropping back into the bottom mid third in the defensive transitions to support the midfielders, looking to benefit from any turnover ball. It was this part of his game that played such an important role in David McGoldrick's goal.
By dropping into the lower mid section of the pitch he was on hand for Matty Palmer after the midfielder had made a defensive recovery. Langstaff's quick thinking and quick feet meant he was able to control the pas from Palmer, turn and play the ball out wide perfectly to Jodi Jones. Jones and McGoldrick will take the plaudits for the goal, and quite rightly so but Langstaff's involvement in that move really needs to be appreciated.
Looking at the match data above it's clear to see just how hard Langstaff works for his team, in every department. Typically the goal he scored was the only shot he had on target, but more importantly he still manages to get into those dangerous areas in the box with his four attempts on goal recording 1.17 xG.
His heatmap clearly shows the area covered during the FGR game. The hot spot in the centre circle probably indicates having to kick-off four times but even so it's still an indication of the positions he has to ensure he covers in the defensive transitions and when out of possession.
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