On Tuesday night, Notts County recovered from a disappointing draw at Morecambe last time out with a 2-0 victory against struggling Carlisle United at Brunton Park.
An overview of the game
Notts County started the better of the two sides, had periods of possession and kept the ball well. County then made their early dominance count with a long punt forward from goalkeeper Alex Bass which was latched on to by striker Alassana Jatta who finished very well in the 10th minute. Carlisle struggled to get a foothold in the game in the first half and the away side were very comfortable they doubled their lead through Scott Robertson in the 34th minute and you couldn’t argue they didn’t deserve the two-goal lead.
Second half Mike Williamson’s side created some really good chances but failed to make them count. Some great crosses in to the box from Cameron Harper deserved the finish but the Cumbrians couldn’t find their scoring boots.
What did we learn from a Carlisle United perspective?
The Cumbrians will be looking for more consistency going forward after playing well for 45 minutes against Grimbsy on Saturday and 45 minutes against Notts County. The manager will be looking for them to do that for longer periods if they want to turn these results in to positive ones.
Carlisle has been finding a lot of success with crosses into the danger area. Williamson and his coaching staff will want to capitalize on this with the strikers they have available.
Leaking goals at the back is a huge problem. Carlisle have conceded the most goals in League Two this season and some of them have been avoidable. The long ball for the first goal is schoolboy defending at best and the Cumbrians need to fix this if they want tk turn their form around.
What did we learn from a Notts County perspective?
Notts County usually get the plaudits for their attacking talent but against Carlisle, it was their goalkeeper and defence that came out with the praise. The back three of Jacob Bedeau, Matthew Platt and Lewis Macari defended resolutely throughout and when their line was broken goalkeeper Alex Bass made some great saves to keep the home side out.
Midfielder Dan Crowley was a standout as he often is for the away side, especially in the first half. He was finding himself in a lot of space and using it well by making defence splitting passes and creating chances for the attackers.
Where does this result leave the two sides?
The defeat for Carlisle leaves them third bottom with just Accrington and Morecambe below them in the table. The victory moves Notts County up to second in the table as they continue to build on their strong start to the season.
Who are up next for both sides?
Up next for Carlisle United is a difficult trip to Colchester on Saturday as they will want to turn the last two defeats into something more positive. Next for Notts County, they welcome Port Vale to Meadow Lane on Saturday in what promises to be an exciting game.