Match Ratings vs. Wycombe Wanderers

Last updated : 13 August 2006 By Rob Davies
It is a quite remarkable statistic that this was Notts County's first win at Meadow Lane since mid-January.

While many may dismiss this as a meaningless stat - due to the influx of almost a brand new team and new coaching staff - but, for four players in the Notts Xl yesterday, the win over Wycombe may have meant more than most.

Dan Martin, David Pipe, Mike Edwards and Kevin Pilkington were all part of the team whose dire home record in the second half of last season saw them plunge dangerously close to the League Two relegation zone.

Ironic then, that for all the new arrivals, it is two members of last season's struggling side that have been the most consistently impressive in the very early stages of the all-new era under Steve Thompson.

While David Pipe continues to display all of the qualities that have made him so popular with the home crowd, Mike Edwards has been a model of consistency in the back four.

It is the contribution of these two players that has been a key factor in the club's decent start to the season, a point not lost on Thompson.

Long may they reign.

(6 Average)

Kevin Pilkington - 6, Competent as ever in dealing with a bombardment of late crosses, though his distribution often bought groans of dis-approval from the home supporters.

Dan Gleeson - 7, One of the last of the new players to be granted his debut, but Gleeson impressed in the absence of first choice right back Gary Silk. Tough in the tackle and strong in the air, only wasteful crossing stopped this from being a near-perfect start to his Notts career. Impressive.

Alan White - 6, After struggling at the hands of the nippy Derek Asamoah in mid-week, White relished his physical battle with the evergreen Tommy Mooney.

Mike Edwards - 7, The epitome of consistency, Edwards' contribution to the cause is becoming more and more noticeable to the Notts crowd. While playing in his preferred position in the back four, it's hard to recall him having a bad game in a Notts County shirt.

Austin McCann - 6, Followed up his starring display in mid-week with another competent showing. Up against one of the best right wingers in the division, McCann was able to keep the often-dangerous Kevin Betsy quiet with relative ease.

David Pipe - 8, Star man. It gets boring singling Pipe out, but the fact remains that he is head and shoulders above the rest of the squad. Tireless on the day, were the Welshman able to deliver a consistently good cross he would surely be playing at least two league's higher.

Matt Somner - 7, Easily his best display thus far, Somner lived up to his pre-match billing by keeping the returning Stefan Oakes highly subdued. Extremely lucky to escape without a second booking after a crude challenge late in the first half, but the uncompring player's influence on this new side is already growing.

Dan Martin - 6, A surprise starter, the youngster rewarded his manager's faith with an enthusiastic display in the midfield. Has beefed-up almost alarmingly over the summer, Martin is clearly keen to play a prominent role in his second season with the Magpies.

Andy Parkinson - 5, On the periphery for much of the game, Parkinson suffered from a dearth of the ball down the left-hand side. On the two occasions where the winger did find himself with decent openings, he showed signs of ring-rust by, first, blazing over the top and, secondly, being unable to provide the decent first touch that would have created an excellent chance.

Lawrie Dudfield - 5, Substituted early-on in all three of the early league matches, Dudfield has yet to register as much as a shot on target in his competitive Notts County career. Has the undoubted ability to come good, a huge amount of work rate and decent link-up play showed he has the capabilities to become an integral part of the team, in time.

Junior Mendes - 8, Pipped by Pipe for the Man of the Match award, Mendes delivered a fine individual display that was capped by his first goal for the club. Tremendous energy in attack, the striker was a tad unlucky not to cap his first 90-minute match with a hat-trick.

Subs

Tcham N'Toya (Dudfield, 54) - 7, Once again provided an interesting cameo, assisting Mendes twice with worthwhile opportunities. A real livewire.

Ian Ross (Martin, 64) - 5, Left-out due to a tooth abscess, Ross struggled to truly impact his creativity on a physical and fast-paced encounter.

Steve Hunt (Parkinson, 88) - 6, The last of the brand new arrivals to be handed his debut, Hunt steadied the ship in the late stages with a couple of decent long passes.

Not Used: Deeney, Sheridan.