Notts County may have to wait for Doncaster Rovers and Walsall to address recent issue: View | OneFootball

Notts County's defeat to Port Vale on Saturday continued the Magpies' poor run of form against League Two's stronger teams.

Key Takeaways

Notts County’s 1-0 loss to Port Vale on Saturday saw the Magpies continue an unwanted record against the strongest sides in League Two.

Lorent Tolaj’s 23rd-minute goal was enough to condemn Stuart Maynard’s side to back-to-back defeats at Meadow Lane, as they again drew a blank against one of the division’s most fancied teams.

Saturday’s defeat was just their second loss this season, with the first coming against Gillingham on 21st September.

Both Vale and the Gills are currently sat inside the play-off positions in League Two, alongside Notts, and the two defeats have shown signs of a worrying trend from last season carrying over into this campaign for the Magpies.

Notts’ record against League Two’s strongest sides is very poor

The Magpies have undoubtedly had a strong start to the 2024/25 season and there have been plenty of positive signs from the opening ten games to suggest that some of the key issues which held them back last season have been rectified somewhat over the summer.

Their tally of 18 points from ten games is enough to sit them fifth in the League Two table at present. However, Maynard’s men have already faced five of the division’s current bottom six teams. Of their five wins in the league so far, only one - the home win against Grimsby - has come against a side currently sat in the top half.

They have now faced three of the seven sides currently occupying a play-off place, but have only picked up one point, with a home draw with Fleetwood in August the only reward to show for their efforts so far.

This run of form is threatening to continue an issue that plagued them throughout last season.

Notts picked up just 19 points from a possible 60 against the sides who finished in the top seven last term, a return that simply won’t be good enough for a club with ambitions of the play-offs or higher.

They failed to pick up a single point against the three automatically promoted sides, while Crewe and Wimbledon also did the double over the Magpies.

By comparison Mansfield, who were the third team to be automatically promoted last year, picked up 25 from a possible 54, while second-placed Wrexham took 30 points from 54.

The particularly concerning thing about Saturday’s defeat was the way that it closely resembled the game against Gillingham. Once again, Notts fell behind in the first half against a good team and then struggled to break down a resolute, well-drilled defence throughout the second half.

The worry is that this pair of defeats could provide a blueprint for every team to set up with at Meadow Lane and if Notts do not show that they can find a way to beat a defensively organised, counter-attacking visiting team, they will face more and more teams who choose to set up like this at Meadow Lane.

Doncaster and Walsall will provide the next big tests to this record

Notts’ record in the big games is something that simply must change if they are to challenge at the top end of League Two this year.

The away trips to take on Doncaster and Walsall at the start of November and December respectively will provide the next benchmark as to whether this is a problem that will continue to plague Notts as the season goes on.

The pair are two of the early pace setters in League Two, so will provide another couple of serious tests to the Magpies’ play-off credentials.

If this poor run continues against the league’s better sides, Notts will likely lose too many of this season’s ‘six-pointers’ to mount a genuine challenge for promotion.

It could also create an issue for any potential Playoff berth they are able to secure, as no matter who you eventually line up against in the play-offs, you’ll be facing a very capable team.

While that is obviously a long way down the line, it’s imperative Notts show they are capable of beating teams at the top end of the table sooner rather than later, or it could once again hamper their season.