Peterborough United reveal shows where Notts County must improve: View | OneFootball

Notts County have three home games of the season remaining and are hoping, this weekend, they can earn their first triumph in front of their home supporters this year.

The Magpies welcome Harrogate Town to Meadow Lane on Saturday afternoon, fresh from their 3-3 draw against MK Dons on Easter Monday which stopped Stuart Maynard's side from achieving an unwanted club record of six consecutive home defeats.

It's been a disappointing end to a season that promised so much in the early part of the campaign, with Notts seemingly equipping well to life back in the Football League.

But a run of poor form leading up to the turn of the year, including the departure of Luke Williams to Swansea City, has derailed hopes of back-to-back promotions, with attention already turning to next season to ensure a capitulation of this magnitude does not occur again.

Opta reveal is concerning for Notts County

While the Magpies may have been exciting to watch for a neutral football fan, the statistics of their season so far makes for concerning reading for those involved in the recruitment at the club.

During the course of the campaign, the likes of Macaulay Langstaff, Jodi Jones, David McGoldrick and Dan Crowley have been causing havoc among League Two defences this term, scoring 58 goals between them so far this season, boosted by the arrival of Alassana Jatta, who has netted five goals in his first eight appearances.

But at the other end of the pitch, it has been a different story. Following their defeat to Swindon Town on Good Friday, the Magpies became the first team since Peterborough United in the 2010/11 season to both score and concede 75 goals in the top four tiers this century.

It's an alarming statistic, particularly when focusing on the defensive side of their game this season, with a number of avoidable errors costing them vital points in crucial parts of games that have contributed to their recent slump down the table.

Notts County must get recruitment right in the summer

With the season reaching its conclusion in the next month for the Magpies, plans to bolster their squad will already be put in place by Christoffer and Alexander Reedtz.

Having largely got their recruitment spot on during their tenure at Meadow Lane, the business done in the January window was the first time the Danish brothers had questions raised about the transfers they had welcomed to Meadow Lane.

Despite a need to bolster and improve their defence, just one defender was signed by the club, with Jaden Warner joining on loan from Norwich City for the remainder of the season.

While having managed to secure a permanent deal for Stoke City's Lewis Macari back in December, there was a want and a need for a defender with either experience, or a no-nonsense type player who would grab the defence by the scruff of the neck and whip it into shape.

Of the available defenders in the backline this term, seven were involved in their National League triumph, with some struggling to adapt to the upgrade in quality.

It's clear to see that Maynard will need to improve his defence when the summer window opens, with some decisions to be made on players out of contract in June, with the view of potentially a fresh start heading into the 2024/25 season.