BOSS FIRES WARNING TO NOTTS!
IAN BURCHNALL accused Notts County’s players of ‘complacency’ despite seeing his Magpies send Weymouth to the verge of relegation.
The head coach admitted he wasn’t happy in the dressing room at half-time after Notts failed to build on goals from Kyle Wootton and Aaron Nemane inside the opening 12 minutes.
And he had the same feeling of frustration after the final whistle as Weymouth still weren’t put to the sword despite a superb third from Ruben Rodrigues.
The frustration of both bosses hinged on a crazy 10-minute spell just before the break when the visitors missed a host of gilt-edged chances. Brad Ash and Thomson were both denied by the woodwork within 60 seconds and
Ash rolled another highly acceptable opportunity inches wide before Tom Bearwish nearly bundled in a goal from a corner.
“We were magnificent for the first half hour then had a poor ten minutes when we took our foot off the pedal,” said Burchnall. “We had a complacent spell when we need to be more intense.
“Then in the second half we could have got four, five or six. We should have controlled the game better.”
The same incidents also upset Weymouth boss David Oldfield who wasn’t taking too much consolation from a performance which improved greatly after a shocking start.
“We can’t afford to feel sorry for ourselves – we need to take our chances,” he said. “The performance was ok but we need to do more.
“The goals we conceded were also frustrating.”
When 21-goal Wootton nearly flicked Matt Palmer’s corner in at the near post and Nemane finished off a sweeping Notts move, a cricket score seemed on the cards.
Notts were in complete control but their fragile defending so nearly offered the visitors a way back into the game.
That light at the end of the tunnel appeared to have gone when Rodrigues nonchalantly curled a free-kick past the defiant Ross Fitzsimons from fractionally outside the box.
Within a few minutes, Bearwish finished calmly for Weymouth after substitute Tom Blair played the ball into the box.
The game then meandered towards a predictable conclusion with Weymouth having too much of the play for Burchnall’s liking.
Except for a late blast from substitute Ed Francis which brought another good save from Fitzsimons, Notts went distinctly off the boil.
The three points consolidated County’s play-off position with more games against lower opposition – including two battles with unpredictable Dover Athletic – to come.
Ruben Rodrigues (Notts C) 6,032
★★★★★