RODRIGUES SHINES BUT THE MAGPIES ARE HELD TO DRAW
NOTTS County remain in the thick of the National League promotion chase as they made it five games unbeaten with a 2-2 draw at home to Bromley.
The Magpies fell behind to Mark Ellis’ own goal but restored parity when Kyle Wootton tapped in from close range following sterling work from Ruben Rodrigues.
Rodrigues then grabbed his sixth goal in five games from close range after Calvin Miller had been denied by Mark Cousins. Jim O’brien then hit the foot of the post from long range.
Rodrigues also crashed the bar with a free kick but victory was denied the Magpies when Tate Campbell levelled for the visitors. Notts had to settle for a point which keeps them sixth in the table.
Here are the talking points from a dramatic afternoon at Meadow Lane.
■■Miller time?
Earlier this week it emerged that Calvin Miller will be free to leave Harrogate Town in the summer after the club decided against extending his stay at Wetherby Road.
And as soon as the news reached social media, predictably, it led to plenty of Notts fans urging the club to make him a priority signing this summer.
The desire to see him become a permanent fixture at Meadow Lane has only heightened following his performances in the last four games in which he has been exceptional.
He carries the speed and sleight of foot of a winger but has not shirked the defensive responsibilities asked of him by head coach Ian Burchnall.
He is tailor-made for the wingback role he is currently operating in and has found a rhythm at exactly the right time of the season as Notts chase promotion to the Football League.
Nobody could have foreseen this coming only a few weeks ago when the former Celtic player struggled to even make the bench, let alone the starting 11.
Should he continue this vein of form until the end of the campaign, then he will make it hard for Notts to ignore calls to sign him.
If Miller does not sign a permanent deal, then his recent performances will have done him no harm in convincing other clubs he is worth taking a punt on.
Burchnall was asked about the potential of making the 23-year-old a summer arrival and did not rule it out.
“I am not making decisions on players just yet and we are taking our time with that,” he said.
“But Calvin is doing great. He is a very good player and you can see what he offers us.
“With Calvin on a free, it’s something to think about.”
■■Tough love did the trick
There has never been a dispute about the ability of Ruben Rodrigues, who has often shown glimpses of the quality he possesses.
There have been games in which he has excelled, such as the victory over Dagenham & Redbridge, but just when you thought that would light the touch paper, he would fail to sustain that level of quality over a period of time.
Recently, he was left out of the squad altogether after failing to meet the required standard in training, which led to some tough love from Burchnall.
But whatever was said behind the scenes has undoubtedly paid off, as illustrated by the stunning form he has produced since finally returning to the team.
He now has six goals in five games, is registering assists and is playing his best football of the season, which has been a Godsend given the timing.
Rodrigues admitted that, ideally, he sees himself as a number 10, but the problem is that Notts do not play with one.
But what Burchnall has done is move him up front alongside Kyle Wootton, having given him a licence to roam to wherever he feels he can hurt the opposition, which has proved to be a masterstroke.
It was always felt that Notts’ promotion hopes hinged on somebody to stepping up to the plate to share the burden of scoring goals and he is doing that with aplomb, producing touches of sheer magic along the way.
Long may it continue.
■■A brilliant sight
It was such a frenetic and entertaining game at the weekend that Damien Mccrory’s return from
injury largely went under the radar.
But the Irish defender was finally back on the bench in what has been a nightmare season, with a knee problems ruling him out for the majority of the campaign.
Speak to anybody in the Notts dressing room and they will tell you how highly Mccrory is thought of, not just because of what he contributes on the pitch, but off it too.
He is a humble and whole-hearted professional who has always been dependable, whether deployed as a centre-half or left-back.
And if there was anybody who deserved a slice of good fortune then it is certainly the former Burton Albion defender who epitomises everything that is good about the spirit at Meadow Lane.
Hopefully, we get to see him pull on the black and white once again before the season reaches its conclusion because, you can rest assured, he won’t let them down.
■■A huge fortnight
Three games left, sixth in the table and still a play-off spot is still not secure.
The National League is ridiculously tight right now and some wild results are occurring, such as Wrexham coming from behind to beat Boreham Wood ahead of the Magpies’ visit to face Dean Keates’ side tomorrow.
Eastleigh, Bromley and Halifax Town are also in with a great chance of making the top seven, which is going to make for an enthralling final two weeks of the campaign.
Notts must concentrate on their own affairs rather than worry about anybody else, but you would think that two wins out of the last three games should be enough to have another crack at a chance of returning to the Football League.
Burchnall’s side has started scoring goals again, they are playing with confidence and they are more than a match for anybody on this kind of form.
They don’t have to rely on any favours as it rests entirely in their own hands, which is exactly what you want it to be entering the final straight.
Now they have to go and finish the job.