NOTTS COUNTY 3-0 PORTSMOUTH
Arquin '5 '57
Judge '47
Notts County - Bialkowski, Kelly, Liddle, Leacock, Regan (Wholey), Labadie, Bishop (Campbell-Ryce), J Hughes, Judge, Zoko, Arquin
Portsmouth - Andersen, Dumbuya, Michalik, Gyépes, Harley, Russel, Williamson, McLeod (Harris), Howard, Compton (Walker), Rodgers (Obita)
Notts' players met Nottingham and Britain's paralympic 200m hero Richard Whitehead before this game, on an afternoon that the Football League's equivalent of the Papua New Guinean blind table tennis team visited Meadow Lane in the form of stricken, hopeless Portsmouth. Having tumbled from the Premier League, amassing eye-watering amounts of debt as they went, like a tumbleweed ferociously rolling through a cowboy film. That a side who, pretty much by their admission, are just about as skint as it is possible for a football team can get, have managed to tie down the likes of Lee Williamson, who turned down a new deal at Sheffield United this summer for financial reasons, and talented, classy former Reading and Barnsley midfielder Brian Howard, has been one of League One's biggest mystery over the close season. That a side pretty much full of experience and quality at this level and even above are struggling to put in a performance and get a result out of any team with more than nine men may be the new one, but some of that can surely be put down to the hapless Michael Appleton. You have to respect Appleton, purely for still being there in the first place, but his pre-match press conference was one of the most bizarre things i've ever heard from a football manager - apparently Notts play a 'direct 4-3-3' formation and 'rely on long diagonals'. I'm no expert, but i'm going to suggest that one of the key skills for being a professional football manager should be the ability to look at another team and, at the very least, have a reasonable stab at the actual formation that they play.
In just about complete contrast, things are just about as content at Meadow Lane as they ever get, with Notts having made a very solid start to their League One campaign and even managing to pick up their first ever point in Milton Keynes during the week. Having edged past Shrewsbury in their last home match, the Magpies were looking to put in their first really convincing home performance of the season. Jamal Campbell-Ryce was, presumably down to fitness, dropped back to the bench after his impressive showing at Stadium:MK, with the back-to-fitness Jeff Hughes returning to the starting line-up. With André Boucaud's appeal against his red card at Oldham scandalously being rejected, the energetic Joss Labadie also kept his place in the middle of the park. For the visitors, there were two ex-Notts men on show, in the form of left back Jon Harley who was released by Keith Curle in the summer, and permanently-offside but fondly remembered forward Luke Rodgers. Pretty much from the off, Notts swarmed forward and put pressure on their struggling visitors. Winning a couple of early corners, Pompey never looked comfortable, with Jeff Hughes turning a Judge delivery over the bar before Yoann Arquin opened the scoring from another Judge outswinger. Almost played right in on the goalkeeper, Mikkel Andersen failed to deal with the ball and Arquin cleverly flicked it into the net to notch his second goal for the club.
Portsmouth had their first attack just after Notts opened the scoring, with ex-Falkirk winger Jack Compton's far post cross fired goalwards by Williams but well blocked by Gary Liddle, before the home pressure was ratcheted up again. Judge laid off a free kick to Labadie with the visitors expecting the ball in, but the former Tranmere man's goalbound effort was blocked away by Gyépes. The visitors hadn't been able to get close to Judge in the opening stages and Notts' best player nearly bagged another assist, lifting a delightful pass over the defence for Hughes, who failed to control when through one on one and who perhaps should've tried to finish the ball first time. Sporadically dangerous on the bench, Pompey again threatened when Notts gave the ball away cheaply, but Julian Kelly and Liddle blocked well from McLeod and then Rodgers. Judge continued to control the game, crossing for Arquin to head narrowly wide via a deflection off Howard and then whipping in a delightful ball that somehow split Zoko and Hughes at the far post with just a touch needed to double the Notts lead. Judge had a long range effort blocked before Portsmouth's most dangerous player, Brian Howard, dragged a shot wide to end the opening half.
Perhaps frustrated that they had struggled to build on their early lead despite creating a host of chances, Notts wasted no time in doubling the lead after a half time break when Jamal Campbell-Ryce had been introduced for injured captain for Neal Bishop. It was all Judge's own genius this time, receiving a pass from Arquin thirty yards from goal and unleashing a dipping, swerving, utterly unstoppable shot that left Andersen clutching at the Nottingham air. With Portsmouth only looking like scoring through a Notts error, such as when Liddle's short back pass was brilliantly dealt with by Bialkowski with Rodgers lurking, this goal should've been enough to kill of the game - before Arquin put things beyond any doubt. Judge closed down the hapless Portsmouth defence and nicked the ball before squaring to Arquin, who slotted the ball calmly into the bottom corner to double his tally for the game. Labadie smashed wide and Notts wasted numerous promising breaks by picking the wrong pass, whilst youth team product Jake Wholey got half an hour in which he showed some neat touches after replacing Carl Regan. In truth, the game had been too easy for Notts and fizzled out into a non-event, with the hosts happy to keep hold of their three-goal lead and Appleton's side unable to find their way back into the game. Notts will have bigger tests this season, at Bramall Lane next week for one, but the promising signs for Curle's side continue coming game on game.