Notts County, Stuart Maynard must solve key issue on show at Port Vale or wave goodbye to promotion | OneFootball

The Magpies' defeat at Vale Park continued their issues against League Two's top sides.

Summary

Notts County’s defeat to Darren Moore's Port Vale last Thursday night provided another reminder of a worrying trend that could ultimately cost the Magpies promotion.

Stuart Maynard’s side turned in a promising first-half display, only to struggle after the break at Vale Park, and ultimately fall to defeat thanks to Ronan Curtis’ 85th-minute winner.

Although several results across the weekend let Maynard’s men off the hook to some extent, the defeat continued their awful run of form against their promotion rivals.

The Magpies have taken just 11 points from a possible 33 against League Two’s current top ten, a return that could cost them promotion if it isn’t addressed, given the games they still have ahead of them between now and May.

Notts County have been poor against the division’s stronger teams

Having difficulties when coming up against League Two’s strongest outfits isn’t really anything new for Notts.

While last season ultimately proved to be a disappointment, they spent a large chunk of the season competing at the top end of the table. However, even then, they struggled with the sides around them in the league.

By the end of the campaign, the Magpies had taken a total of just 19 points from a possible 60 against the fourth tier’s eventual top 10 sides. That run included defeats home and away to all five of Stockport, Wrexham, Mansfield, Crawley and Wimbledon.

It’s fair to say that Maynard has overseen a substantial improvement in Notts’ general play this season and, as we near the final stretch of the campaign, they are firmly in the mix for promotion.

Despite them being a much tougher nut to crack this term, Maynard’s men have still endured the same woes against the division’s strongest outfits as they did in 2024/25.

Thursday’s defeat in Burslem leaves their current record against the other nine sides in the top 10 standing at 11 points from a possible 33, near enough an identical points percentage to last season.

It’s an issue that has plagued Notts consistently, and they have come up short in the key moments of these kinds of games on a regular basis. They have tended to have the upper hand for large spells of many of these games but failed to take advantage far too often, resulting in them often getting punished by teams who possess genuine quality.

It could prove to be the difference between League One and League Two football next term. By comparison, of the teams currently in the top seven, nobody has a lower points percentage against the division’s top ten than Notts.

Notts County must address this issue or it could stop them getting promoted

With the games that Notts still have ahead of them between now and May, it is simply vital that they improve upon this record in the latter stages of the season.

The Magpies still have several games against the teams around them at the top of the table, which could ultimately determine the course of their season.

Clashes with Wimbledon, Crewe, Salford, Bradford and Doncaster are all yet to come, as well as games against play-off chasers Grimsby, Chesterfield and Colchester.

The sheer unpredictability of League Two could ultimately prove to be Notts’ saving grace. The race for automatic promotion is currently looking as tight as ever and the promotion picture alters seemingly every week.

However, it’s fair to say that if Maynard’s side are to finish in the top three, it’s imperative they take their fair share of points from those crucial ‘six-pointers’ or they will likely be left wondering what might have been come the end of the season.

Another element that is worth considering is the fact that, if they are to end up finishing in the play-offs, they would likely need to win three consecutive games against the top teams in the division.

Therefore, it’s entirely possible that if this issue isn’t addressed, it could cost Notts not only automatic promotion, but potentially also the possibility of sealing promotion through the play-offs once again.