At the turn of the year, Notts County were flying under then-manager Luke Williams, with the Magpies sitting in fifth position in League Two on 42 points. They also had scored the most goals across all four divisions with 55.
Championship side Swansea City came calling for his services, however, and having previously been assistant manager at the Welsh side, he left to further his career.
Jim O’Brien then took charge of the exciting 5-5 draw with Grimsby Town, his only game in interim charge. By the end of January, Stuart Maynard had joined from National League club Wealdstone, despite signing a new two-year deal with the club in July 2023.
Let’s begin with Williams, who joined in June 2022, with the East Midlands club in the National League. They weren’t there long though, 107 points later and they are back in the Football League, via the play-offs, finishing second only to Wrexham.
117 goals and a 25-match unbeaten run helped them to achieve that and in the play-off final, Chesterfield took County all the way with the Magpies eventually triumphant on penalties.
Onto Maynard now and in just his second season in charge, he led the Stones to a club high of 13th position, which resulted in the earlier mentioned two-year contract extension. Upon leaving, he had guided the side to 15th position in the fifth-tier on 33 points from 25 games.
This is where it gets debatable. Since joining the Meadow Lane outfit, Maynard’s side has been in free fall. They’ve won just one game and drawn one, with the only victory coming against Newport County when they won 3-1 at Rodney Parade.
It has to be stated that they have all been close games, and at no point have County been on the end of a hammering. Despite this, Maynard’s side have taken just four points from a possible 24. The most surprising of those defeats came recently as they hosted bottom-of-the-table Sutton United, eventually losing a topsy-turvy encounter 4-3. This was the Londoners only win in their last 15 attempts in League Two.
The Magpies do have the joint top scorer in the division this season amongst their ranks. Macauley Langstaff has 23 goals currently, sharing the top spot with Salford City striker Matt Smith. County also have the top assister in the league in Jodi Jones with 21.
With players such as Dan Crowley, Jones and Langstaff, they have enough amongst their arsenal to do teams damage. 69 goals scored proves this, second highest only to Mansfield Town’s 72. Just 13 of those have come since Williams left, however, and any team that concedes 68 goals is going to struggle, with only Salford and Sutton have conceded more with 69.
Three different goalkeepers have been used just this season. Sam Slocombe, Aidan Stone and Luca Ashby-Hammond have all been utilised between the sticks thus far. Slocombe has just one clean sheet in 10 appearances, Stone has just four shut-outs in 23 games and Ashby-Hammond has none in his 11 outings. That’s just five times they’ve conceded zero in the league for the season, despite playing 35 games.
One way Maynard could help to keep himself in a job is to choose a solid back four, the three centre-backs and the keeper. Goalkeepers and defenders still need the manager to have confidence and consistency in their ability.
A bit of patience is required as well. Granted the East Midlands club are out of form, but all good sides need to build something and Stuart Maynard is not Luke Williams. He will want his own players and style of play.
Three tough away games over the next eight days begin on Tuesday evening when they travel to 11th placed Crawley Town, who themselves are only three points off the play-offs, before visiting Accrington Stanley and Bradford City.
This is a time that could prove pivotal to both County and Maynard, as the team sit just eight points outside the play-offs. Six points or more would be a good return from these matches and the fact League Two is so tight is a blessing in disguise for the Meadow Lane outfit.
