Notts County have to avoid season-first v Chesterfield: View | OneFootball

After last weekend's home defeat to Port Vale, Notts County go into their local derby with Chesterfield aiming to avoid back-to-back defeats.

Key Takeaways

Notts County’s 1-0 defeat to Port Vale on Saturday was another frustrating afternoon at Meadow Lane.

Although just the Magpies’ second defeat of the 2024/25 season so far, it was the second consecutive loss for Stuart Maynard’s side on home turf, with both games having played out in a very similar fashion.

Notts’ inability to find an equaliser was made all the more annoying by the fact that they had bounced back from their previous defeat against Gillingham with four points from six away from home, including a particularly impressive 2-0 win at Carlisle United, only to lose the home fixture at the end of the week.

With Saturday lunchtime’s local derby away at Chesterfield the next test for Maynard’s men, it’s hugely important they respond well to a defeat once again.

Notts must avoid back-to-back league defeats for the first time this season

After falling to a narrow defeat last weekend, Saturday’s trip to Derbyshire becomes an even bigger game for Notts.

Their strong start has seen them avoid losing back-to-back games so far this season, but in 2023/24 it was an issue they struggled with for long periods.

Poor responses to defeats saw the Magpies lose consecutive league games on five occasions last term, including a five-match losing streak, and these poor runs of form are particularly damaging to League Two teams above all others.

In a league as tight as the fourth division traditionally is (fifth and 15th were separated by just 10 points last season), it’s imperative teams nip poor runs of form in the bud as quickly as possible, or they can quickly find themselves sliding down the table even quicker than usual.

By comparison, last season's champions Stockport County lost back-to-back games just twice all season, while fellow automatically promoted sides Wrexham and Mansfield both tasted consecutive defeats on just one occasion each. This ensured they never had prolonged periods of the season where their form dipped, and other sides made significant ground on them.

With just two games in League Two postponed for international call-ups this weekend, Notts could potentially drop as low as 10th if they head home empty-handed on Saturday, which would turn what is currently a very strong start into a fairly average one.

The Spireites will pose a big test to Notts

Chesterfield’s form has faltered a little since their 5-0 dismantling of Crewe on 17th August, but with Paul Cook’s side currently unbeaten in four coming into this weekend, they will definitely provide a stern test for Notts.

They’ve been in the goals of late, with an impressive 3-0 away win at Doncaster followed up by consecutive 2-2 draws with Bromley and Walsall.

Top scorer James Berry already has five goals to his name in his first season in the Football League since 2019/20, when he made one Championship appearance for Hull City. The former Macclesfield man also leads the entire league for goals per 90 with 0.85. His direct style has caused problems for defences, and he’s completed more successful dribbles than anyone else in the Chesterfield side with 13.

The 23-year-old has been one of the biggest threats for the Spireites so far this season and his performances are perhaps deserving of more than the six starts he’s earned so far.

Blackburn loanee Dilan Markanday has also made an impressive start with three goals already to his name. The winger has already created 10 chances, which sits him second in the Spireites' side.

Meanwhile, Armando Dobra, who is perhaps not having quite as good a start as many expected, will look to continue his fantastic run of form against Notts.

The Albanian attacker has scored in both of his previous two games against Notts, including a goal to put his side ahead in extra time of that crazy National League play-off final two seasons ago.

For Notts, finding a way to get more runners in behind Alassana Jatta will likely be the key as they were far too predictable in the defeat to Darren Moore’s Port Vale.

Freeing up Dan Crowley to play further up the pitch could provide a quick fix. The classy midfielder has been tasked with controlling games from deep over the Magpies’ last few outings, but his vision and movement has been sorely missed in the final third at times.

With Chesterfield’s crowds surging during their promotion season last year, Notts have been handed a reduced allocation for this one, which adds another element to a local clash that has been extremely hard-fought in recent years.