PREVIEW | Notts County (H)
THE DETAILS
Wealdstone v Notts County
Vanarama National League
Grosvenor Vale
Tuesday 25th January, 7:45pm kick-off
TICKETS
Tickets for Tuesday night's National League fixture are £15 Adults, £10 Concessions, £8* 18-23 years old and £5 U18s. The 18-23 next generation offer is online only, we recommend that all supporters purchase their tickets online HERE and save the anticipated lengthy queues at the paid turnstile on the evening, as we're expecting a larger than usual crowd. Tuesday night's game will be segregated with Notts County fans housed in the Tecknuovo Stand and Couch Corner Terrace at the Gun Turret End of the stadium.
A reminder also that season ticket holders of both Premier League and EFL clubs are eligible for the concession ticket price of £10, just present your season ticket on the day as proof.
*online purchase only
THE CONTEXT
Wealdstone host arguably the biggest side they have faced in a league game on Tuesday night when the world's oldest professional football club and one time FA Cup winners Notts County roll into The Vale. The two sides did of course meet last season but this will be the first meeting at The Vale between the two sides in front of fans. Both sides enter the match in contrasting form, with Notts unbeaten since November, whilst the Stones have only won one in their last seven matches.
TEAM NEWS
Connor McAvoy returned to the Stones squad via the bench in Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Woking, with top scorer Josh Umerah also returning from suspension at the same game. There were no fresh injury concerns following the match and Rhys Browne and Andrew Eleftheriou remain the only two injured players. David Sesay has returned from the Africa Cup of Nations with Sierra Leone, but due to isolation won't be available for selection until Saturday.
WHAT WAS SAID?
Stuart Maynard: "We need the fans support more than ever, they're a top, top team and we gave them a real game when we up there and were probably on the wrong end of the result when we went up there, but it is a results-based business and we've got to make sure that we bounce back and put a positive performance in for the fans. I'm sure the fans will come out in their numbers and support us as they have done all season.
"We're going to have difficult periods in this league and results and difficult performances and the first half performance against Woking was one of those, but credit to the fans they stuck by us throughout and supported us. When you look at the league table now a lot of the teams at the top have hit form and you're very rarely seeing shock results at the moment, I think Maidenhead beating Chesterfield last week being the only exception. The top teams are starting to find their gears now and they're winning consistently.
"When you look at some of the squads they've got, these teams have got League Two at a push League One squads so you expect them to do well. You need a lot of luck on the evening against these sides, you need to take your chances because they restrict your chances. You need to defend for your lives, you need luck in your own box with blocks and the goalie making saves and that's what you need in these big games. It's like a cup match!"
FORM GUIDE
Stones:
Woking (A) 2-0 L
Dover Athletic (H) 2-1 W (Stevens, Charles)
Boreham Wood (A) 1-0 L
Needham Market (A) 2-1 L (Buse)
FC Halifax Town (H) 0-1 L
Notts County:
Eastleigh (H) 2-1 W (Sam 2) King's Lynn Town (A) 2-4 W (Roberts 3, Vincent) Wrexham (H) 3-1 W (Wootton 2, Richardson) Altrincham (H) 2-1 W (Rodrigues, Wootton) Southend United (H) 4-1 W (Roberts, Wootton 2, Cameron)
WHO TO WATCH FOR?
Cal Roberts: The Magpies winger comes into this fixture fresh off the back of a hat-trick against King's Lynn Town this month. The former Newcastle United player joined the Magpies following their relegation to the National League and off the back of a prolific spell at Blyth Spartans in the National League North where he scored 11 goals in 20 matches. He had a torrid time with injuries in his first two seasons at the club but has kicked on this season and has become a first team regular and a key player.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Played - 4
Won - 0
Drawn - 0
Lost - 4
LAST FOUR MEETINGS
Sep 2021 - Notts County 3-2 Stones (Umerah 2)
Mar 2021 - Stones 0-1 Notts County
Nov 2020 - Notts County 3-0 Stones
Apr 1931 - Stones 3-8 Notts County (Hoskins, Maskell, Bowyer)
SPONSORS
We thank this week's match sponsors Rolfe East and Ruislip Windows & Doors, we hope you all enjoy the hospitality and thank you again for your continued support of the club. And we would also like to thank our ball sponsors for the evening Tony Platt, Steve Carter, Sienna Tilbury and Rhys Williams-Evans for their ongoing support of the club.
Preview by Chris Woods