Will Bewsey
- Oct 25, 2022
- 3 min read

Preview - Notts County come to The Vale

THE DETAILS

Wealdstone FC vs Notts County

Vanarama National League

Grosvenor Vale

19:45 kick off, Tuesday 25th October

TICKETS

Tickets can be bought on our ticketing website right up until kick off! Prices are £17 for adults, £12 concessions, £10 for 18–23-year-olds and £7 for under-18s.

Please remember that on-field parking will now be closed for the winter. You can find a full parking update HERE.

THE CONTEXT

Wealdstone welcome top-of-the-table Notts County to Grosvenor Vale as they look to end a run of three straight defeats in all competitions. Notts appointed former Swindon Town manager Luke Williams following the departure of Ian Burchnall to League One side Forest Green Rovers and he has them flying high in first place, with 33 points from 14 games, and just a solitary defeat at Dorking so far. Despite a shock 3-2 defeat at home to Coalville Town in the FA Cup, they bounced back in style, dispatching Maidstone United 3-0 at Meadow Lane on Friday night. Among the Magpies’ signings this season, one man stands out amongst the rest, with Macaulay Langstaff moving to the East Midlands after his release clause was activated at Gateshead. Cedwyn Scott joined him from Tyneside, whilst the additions of Sam Austin and Geraldo Bajrami, labelled a midfield ‘destroyer’ by his manager, from Kidderminster Harriers have gone down a treat in Nottingham.

TEAM NEWS

The Stones will still be without Max Kretzschmar, Lewis Kinsella and Malachi Napa, all of which are carrying injuries, but there could be a first start for recent signings Sam Matthews and Simeon Akinola, the former of which made his debut off the bench in Saturday’s defeat at Dorking Wanderers. Nathan Ferguson could also return after he was absent from the squad on Saturday.

ONE TO WATCH

Macaulay Langstaff is nicknamed the ‘non-league Haaland’ for a reason, he’s currently only behind the Norwegian machine for goals in the top five divisions. 16 goals in 14 league games has seen him become the first ever player in National League history to claim back-to-back Player of the Month awards. The Stones defence are going to have to be imperious to keep him out.

WHAT WAS SAID?

Stuart Maynard went to watch Notts in their 3-0 victory over Maidstone on Friday night. "They're a club that are a different scale at us at the minute. They're looking to get promotion and should be within the higher end of English football, but they're not. They're at our level for a reason and we have a belief that we can get something from the game,” said Maynard.

Notts boss Luke Williams praised his midfield duo ahead of their trip to Grosvenor Vale. “Both players [Bajrami and Matty Palmer] gave us a platform," said Williams. "They gave a platform for the attacking players to go and have plenty of moments, and that is what they want, they want balls to be across the box a lot.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Notts County are famously known as the ‘world’s oldest professional club’, and their iconic black and white stripes inspired Italian giants Juventus’ shirts.

FORM GUIDE

Stones:

Dorking Wanderers (A) 3-1 L (Allarakhia)

Boreham Wood (A) 5-3 L (Olomola 2, Akinola)

Boreham Wood (H) 1-2 L (Akinola)

Solihull Moors (A) 2-1 L (Olomola)

Aldershot Town (A) 1-2 W (Browne 2)

Notts County:

Maidstone United (H) 3-0 W (Langstaff 2, Scott)

Coalville Town (H) 2-3 L (Austin 2)

Woking (A) 2-3 W (Scott 2, Rodrigues)

Wrexham (H) 1-0 W (Langstaff)