Had to watch it.
Wrexham are a mid-table EFL Division One side ambitious for the play-offs. Notts County are an ambitious EFL Division Two team chasing promotion. That's how good they look to me.
In the first half Wrexham looked dangerous every time they crossed the halfway line. County's centre backs looked very good too. Hyde and Mullin are a very dangerous combo for Wrexham and with Jamie Jones firing shots from midfield they are a real handful. Their current problem is they are stuck on the REPEAT button. Hyde's okay in the air, heads well, but he isn't a giant and Wrexham crossed all night and and hurled throw-ins into the six yard box. Throughout the first half the keeper Slocombe and the centre backs Rawlinson and Cameron looked rock solid for Notts County ....... and Wrexham though powerful and clearly a very good side, lacked that creative spark. Up front for County Wootton and Kairo Mitchell threatened on several pacey breaks. And it began to strike me that Wrexham had two problems. The more Tozer threw in the better County learned to be at dealing with it, AND the man Wrexham really needed in the middle to flick on Tozer's impressive throw was Tozer himself, but he proved to be unable to be in two places at once.
Now Wrexham have spent a lot of money, but one position they don't seem to have considered is the Keeper and I think in a league where a lot of big defenders come up for dead balls you need a top keeper. Lainton ain't bad, but he isn't top notch. And when Notts County broke out and fired in a excellent cross to Wootton, who was in the clear, I could imagine the keeper thinking, "SHHHIIITTTT!" That was all he got right. His position wasn't right, Wootton's header pretty much perfect and Lainton's response was that of a desperate man. He needed more spring, slightly better position and most of all he needed to be going for the ball with his top hand, the left, not his right. His approach almost never works on a ball of that height. Had he got everything right, whether the header was stoppable is questionable, but he didn't get everything right. There are sides in this football who will test him and he'll fail IMO.
Unfortunately come the second half Slocombe threw in his one mistake of the game when faced with a much lower and shorter cross in, than earlier, and he was seriously indecisive and came only halfway. Mullin showed what a good striker he is by nipping in and getting his head to the ball. 1-1, two goals and for all the good play, both involved errors.
My conclusion is both sides look good enough for the EFL. I did get an impression that Wrexham thought they only had to stay alive with this team for that to happen, because when Notts scored Wrexham were absent. And they can't afford that. Most of the time they are dynamic and will thrash one or two sides who are off their game. County are a sound outfit who'll keep working too. To beat Wrexham attack down the left and break fast whenever they put their all into the long-throw (it's dangerous, but it also strands their best defender!), County? just keep tight, stop them scoring and take advantage when they make a mistake, which they will, both full backs, both ex-Chesterfield, are vulnerable and give the ball away in dangerous positions if challenged. Win a ball high and drag the central defenders across.
Wrexham are a mid-table EFL Division One side ambitious for the play-offs. Notts County are an ambitious EFL Division Two team chasing promotion. That's how good they look to me.
In the first half Wrexham looked dangerous every time they crossed the halfway line. County's centre backs looked very good too. Hyde and Mullin are a very dangerous combo for Wrexham and with Jamie Jones firing shots from midfield they are a real handful. Their current problem is they are stuck on the REPEAT button. Hyde's okay in the air, heads well, but he isn't a giant and Wrexham crossed all night and and hurled throw-ins into the six yard box. Throughout the first half the keeper Slocombe and the centre backs Rawlinson and Cameron looked rock solid for Notts County ....... and Wrexham though powerful and clearly a very good side, lacked that creative spark. Up front for County Wootton and Kairo Mitchell threatened on several pacey breaks. And it began to strike me that Wrexham had two problems. The more Tozer threw in the better County learned to be at dealing with it, AND the man Wrexham really needed in the middle to flick on Tozer's impressive throw was Tozer himself, but he proved to be unable to be in two places at once.
Now Wrexham have spent a lot of money, but one position they don't seem to have considered is the Keeper and I think in a league where a lot of big defenders come up for dead balls you need a top keeper. Lainton ain't bad, but he isn't top notch. And when Notts County broke out and fired in a excellent cross to Wootton, who was in the clear, I could imagine the keeper thinking, "SHHHIIITTTT!" That was all he got right. His position wasn't right, Wootton's header pretty much perfect and Lainton's response was that of a desperate man. He needed more spring, slightly better position and most of all he needed to be going for the ball with his top hand, the left, not his right. His approach almost never works on a ball of that height. Had he got everything right, whether the header was stoppable is questionable, but he didn't get everything right. There are sides in this football who will test him and he'll fail IMO.
Unfortunately come the second half Slocombe threw in his one mistake of the game when faced with a much lower and shorter cross in, than earlier, and he was seriously indecisive and came only halfway. Mullin showed what a good striker he is by nipping in and getting his head to the ball. 1-1, two goals and for all the good play, both involved errors.
My conclusion is both sides look good enough for the EFL. I did get an impression that Wrexham thought they only had to stay alive with this team for that to happen, because when Notts scored Wrexham were absent. And they can't afford that. Most of the time they are dynamic and will thrash one or two sides who are off their game. County are a sound outfit who'll keep working too. To beat Wrexham attack down the left and break fast whenever they put their all into the long-throw (it's dangerous, but it also strands their best defender!), County? just keep tight, stop them scoring and take advantage when they make a mistake, which they will, both full backs, both ex-Chesterfield, are vulnerable and give the ball away in dangerous positions if challenged. Win a ball high and drag the central defenders across.