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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
Sport
Oliver King

Five things learned following Notts County's 1-1 draw with Bromley

After seven consecutive National League wins, Notts County's winning streak had to end somewhere, with Bromley proving a frustrating opponent in their 1-1 draw at Meadow Lane.

After controlling the opening half an hour, the Magpies eventually took the lead through Adam Chicksen's sixth goal of the season, but Luke Williams' side failed to capitalise on their one-goal lead.

Despite hitting the woodwork three times on the night, Michael Cheek's header on the hour-mark resulted in the points being shared on Tuesday night, with either side worthy of taking all three points in a game filled with some glorious opportunities.

READ MORE: Luke Williams understands Bromley tactics following Meadow Lane draw

The draw still sees the Magpies remain at the summit of the National League table after 17 games, but their three-point lead at the top has been cut to just a single point, with Wrexham closing the gap after beating Maidenhead 1-0 at the Racecourse Ground.

Following the game, here are five things we learned from the draw on Tuesday evening.

Sam Austin exclusion

Many Notts fans have questioned why midfielder Sam Austin was left on the bench for the draw against Bromley.

The midfielder has not featured in the Magpies' last two outings against Torquay and Bromley, with many predicting Austin to start if Ruben Rodrigues had been deemed not fit to start for the match at Meadow Lane.

Instead with 15 minutes to go, Cedwyn Scott was replaced by Quevin Castro, with his physical presence deemed more suited against the Ravens' defence which almost resulted in the 21-year-old netting the winner late on.

The game was seemingly crying out for Austin's energy in midfield and following the Notts managers comments on Rodrigues following his substitution against Torquay, it may have suggested that Austin would have played at least some part in the contest.

A number of different options could have happened, either dropping down to four at the back and give Aden Baldwin a rest after only just returning in defence and adding an extra body in midfield.

But with the Magpies so comfortable playing with that three with the wingbacks, it also provides that element of vulnerability on the counter-attack, something in which Bromley were trying to exploit all evening.

Sam Slocombe saves

With the Magpies 1-0 up and seemingly in control of the game, Sam Slocombe ensured he remained focused to keep out Bromley, making three impressive saves during the first half.

After mistiming his run to greet Michael Cheek that almost resulted in the opening goal, the Notts 'keeper had Aden Baldwin to thank as he blocked the Bromley number nine's goal-bound effort.

But Slocombe kept his side in the game, ensuring he remained focused with Bromley keen on using that ball over the top to try and catch out the high line, something which worked on a number of occasions on Tuesday evening

Slocombe did well to save with his feet to deny Harry Forster, before jumping back into position to make another save, this time from Billy Bingham's deflected long-range effort.

It seemed to be a tale of the two goalkeepers on the night, with Bromley 'keeper Tom Smith also putting on an impressive showing, denying Macaulay Langstaff one-on-one, tipping Cedwyn Scott's effort on to the post, as well as producing a remarkable save to deny Quevin Castro's close-range header.

Bromley tactics

With Andy Woodman's side without a win in three in the National League, it was clear that when they eventually got their equaliser that they would try to slow the game down at any given opportunity.

Defeats to Chesterfield, Barnet, and Maidenhead saw the Ravens drop out of the play-off places after an impressive start to the season, but their performance at Meadow Lane proved why they will be near the top of the table at the end of the season.

Bromley were keen to utilise the ball over the top, a tactic that caught Notts out on a number of occasions, with Aden Baldwin blocking Michael Cheek's effort and Kyle Cameron producing a vital interception to deny Harry Forster a shot on goal.

Whilst Luke Williams understood the tactics deployed late on by the Ravens, many inside Meadow Lane were not so understanding, with boos echoing around the stadium following the full-time whistle directed towards referee Lewis Smith.

Chants around the stadium surfaced long before the end of the game, with the Magpies thinking they had a penalty claim as Cameron was taken down inside the area during the first half, with another appeal waved away in the second half for a spot-kick before Geraldo Bajrami was tripped on the edge of the area.

It is easy to point the finger towards the official for his influence on the game, but Bromley had a game plan to frustrate Notts and ultimately, it worked.

Timely break

Whilst we know that the Notts manager certainly won't be giving his players a week off, a seven-day period to regroup is timely after a hectic month.

The intensity of Luke Williams' philosophy has been evident, with many of the Notts players explaining the hard work that goes on in a lead up to a matchday is something quite different than what they have been used to under previous managers.

With eight games over the last month, it is understandable that some players may be feeling the effects of the intense training schedule, as was evident with Ruben Rodrigues coming off against Torquay.

And speaking after the game, Williams explained he would use this time off to allow his players to recover and using the result as a positive to nurse some of the small injuries within his squad.

"We have a chance now to recover, and to rest a little bit," said Williams.

"We will try and take the positives of how we can get a few of the smaller injuries recovered better and get some energy back.

"We also have some time back on the training pitch that we didn't have to try and work with. We will use this as a positive."

One point gained

In all fairness, this is one point gained rather than three points lost.

After the first half an hour, Bromley were the much better team and could have arguably won the game on a number of occasions, but so could Notts.

Williams' side hit the woodwork three times through Cedwyn Scott, Ruben Rodrigues, and Macaulay Langstaff, but overall, it was far from the performances we have seen from them in recent weeks.

Despite Wrexham's 1-0 win over Maidenhead on Tuesday night, the Magpies still remain top of the National League, with the gap at the summit of the table cut down to just one point, with another tough away trip to come next week against the in-form Southend, who beat Barnet 3-0 at the Hive Stadium.

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