Expectations were high as Ian Burchnall stuck with the starting eleven that demolished Barnet 6-1 on 8th Feb.
Eastleigh on the other hand came into this game firmly at the bottom of the form table with 4 defeats and 2 draws in their last 6 games and without a win in their last 8 outings.
It was the visitors who set the tone for the game early on by setting up with a very disciplined 4-4-2 mid/low block, happy to sit back and absorb whatever Notts could throw at them.
Cal Roberts' goal couldn't have come at a better time as Eastleigh had started to grow in confidence and their back line had shifted some 30 yards further up the pitch as they sensed they might earn themselves an opportunity with a higher block.
Unfortunately for the visitors Notts' second goal wasn't long in coming with Kyle Wootton showing exactly what can be achieved by closing down the opposition keeper. It will be a moment ex Notts loanee Joe McDonnell will want to forget but Wootton made the most of his opportunity to net his 14th goal in the league and 17th goal in all competitions for the season so far.
That was the last of the scoring in a game that Notts comfortably controlled and maybe should have converted a couple more of their chances.
Key match stats.
The match stats pretty much confirm the mess Eastleigh find themselves in right now. PPDA against for Notts of 15.47 is a prime indication of how the visitors ended up sitting deep and playing off scraps.
There were a few decent chances created by Notts so a bit disappointing to see only 4 of the 13 attempts on goal hit the target.
Points needed. Remember, these targets were set at the start of the season and based on average points needed over the last half a dozen season. It's beginning to look though that this season could be a bit of on outlier in this respect.
Click on the legend tags at the top to filter options.
Despite the 3 points Notts somehow still find themselves in . . . 8th place.
National League results tracker updated.
Goal segment chart:
Six game segments updated and a good start to this block of games with 6 points from 6.
Player stats updated:
As usual this is the new table that is also available to view on the player stats page of the website here. There will also be separate tables for the two cup competitions.
Goals and assists chart. Two goals and no assists from the Eastleigh win but Roberts now starting to fire on all cylinders and has caught up with Rodrigues, who despite his goal against Barnet has been a little bit off the boil in recent games.
Goal scatter charts.
You can hover on the dots (tap if on a touch screen) to view details for each goal.
Onto expected goals and the three attempts on goal by Eastleigh came in at a somewhat head scratching 0.01 xG.
All three (3) of Eastleigh's attempts on goal recorded an xG of <0.01.
0.02 Recorded for Roberts' cross/shot and both Cameron and Wootton missing good chances in the second half.
Match xG stats:
Player xG Stats:
National League goal scorers includes cup games, penalties and own goals.
Ian Burchnall's record updated:
Halifax at home on Tuesday night as Notts head into a relentless run of games up until the end of March which will see games against many of the teams eying promotion including Chesterfield (twice), Halifax, Solihull, Stockport, Wrexham and Boreham Wood.
It will be interesting to see how things pan out over the next 5 or 6 weeks which will no doubt be pivotal in influencing Notts' promotion fortunes.
As always thanks for reading. More stats to follow after the Halifax game.
COYP!
Richard