Luca helps keep Town at bay as Maynard’s wait ended
LOAN goalkeeper Luca Ashbyhammond was happy with the role he played as head coach Stuart Maynard picked up his first home win as Notts County boss.
It was also the first clean sheet at Meadow Lane under Maynard, only made possible because of the efforts of Ashby-hammond, who saved a penalty and made some other good saves in the 3-0 win against Harrogate Town.
Since arriving on loan from Fulham in the January window, the 23-year-old has been in and out of the Notts team but he savoured Saturday’s win in League Two.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had those things (a win and clean sheet) at home, and we’ve stopped the trend of poor results here, so it is good to put that right,” said Ashbyhammond.
“Tom (Weal), the goalkeeper coach, does his due diligence in terms of researching penalty takers. The Harrogate player went the opposite way with his previous penalty, so I just saw his run-up and hoped he was going to go the way I did, and thankfully he did.
“The boys did the business afterwards and I was glad to play the role that I did. A clean sheet is our win as a back line and we hope the boys at the top of the pitch do what we know they can. Thankfully, we all did it this time.”
Ashby-hammond was on loan at fellow League Two outfit Crawley Town in the first half of the season before being recalled to be sent to the Magpies. And he has had a few other temporary moves in his career.
Game time is what he craves and he hopes performances like the one against Harrogate can ensure he keeps the gloves for the final couple of matches this season under Maynard.
“I’ve been on a few loans now including this one, and experience is the main reason for coming,” he added. “This is the biggest team I’ve been on loan to in terms of the size of the fanbase and the pressure is high every time we step out onto the pitch.
“I love all those sorts of things and they are things that are seen as positive aspects of a loan move, so I’m very much enjoying my time here.
“It’s always tough (being in and out of the team), as a goalkeeper you like to have a bit of rhythm but the manager picks who he feels can do the job best and you have to respect that choice.
“It takes a strong character to stick to a philosophy as a manager when results aren’t going the right way and we as players try to represent him as best we can.”