Hollis is captain of the future, says Derry
NOTTS COUNTY boss Shaun Derry believes Haydn Hollis will flourish as a captain in years to come after handing the young centre-back the armband against Oldham Athletic.
Hollis helped County to a third straight draw in a goalless draw where neither side offered much of an attacking threat.
And his manager Derry felt the 21-year-old deserved to be made skipper with Alan Smith rested for the match at Meadow Lane.
“He's growing as a player. I wanted to give him the captaincy here because he's deserved it,” said Derry.
“He's starting to find his place amongst the team. It's great for a young lad. By handing him the captain's armband it will improve him.
“I could have given it to Roy Carroll or Gary Jones but I felt he deserved it.
"As his career grows, I feel he will be a captain.
"I do not want to get too despondent from this match. It's another unbeaten game and we've kept another clean sheet which I'm proud of.
“It was not the best game on the eye and people would expect us to win at home.
“This is where we are at the moment.We are a team who are tough to beat.
“I hope there's a realism in the stadium with where we are. I'm happy with what's happening at the minute.”
In a match of very few chances, neither goalkeeper had a meaningful save to make until right at the end when County’s Roy Carroll palmed away Conor Wilkinson’s shot from the edge of the area.
Earlier in the second-half, Wilkinson had hit a shot wide from 20 yards.
And the home side threatened briefly as Zeli Ismail shot over the bar on the hour following a quick break.
But that was as good as it got for either side as the game petered out, leaving Oldham with a fifth clean sheet from their last six matches and a third straight draw.
“There were a lot of pleasing things. It's just putting the ball in the back of the net,” said their assistant manager Tommy Wright.
“Their goalkeeper Roy Carroll is a very experienced goalie. He showed why he’s played for Manchester United.
"We are on the right track. I'm pleased the back four looked really solid. They had no shots on target.
“We are frustrated that we did not get three points.We were in control but that little but of extra quality in the box makes the difference.
“A lot of strikers need a goal. Individually they played quite well but they are lacking a killer instinct. If we can get that little bit of killer instinct, if one striker starts scoring, it will give them a bit of belief.”