Matty Palmer has explained that his new role in the Notts County midfield has allowed him to dictate the play from different positions under the watchful eye of manager Luke Williams.
The 26-year-old was on target in the Magpies' emphatic 6-1 victory over Wealdstone on Tuesday evening, collecting Aaron Nemane's pass inside the area before drilling the ball beyond Samuel Howes to notch the third goal of the evening inside the opening half an hour.
In that game at Grosvenor Vale, the midfielder operated in a slightly more advanced position, looking to break forward and into the penalty area which almost resulted in being awarded a spot-kick after being bundled over inside the 18-yard box.
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Palmer has been an integral part in the Magpies' midfield this season, being ever-present during the National League campaign having starting every game since the 1-1 draw away to Gateshead at the start of the season.
And speaking ahead of the visit of Torquay at Meadow Lane on Saturday, Palmer explained his role in midfield has changed slightly in positioning, but insisted his responsibilities remain the same in ensuring he keeps the intensity of Notts' play high throughout the 90 minutes.
"I think maybe I have been given more than just one role during a game," explained Palmer.
"The gaffer likes to say I am more of a number four or a number six, but like you saw on Tuesday I was pushing forward and in almost the eight position.
"So maybe my role has slightly changed, but it's still all about getting on the ball, getting us playing and controlling games, but it's sort of maybe doing it in different areas at different times of the game.
"We played the last home when I started off as a four then me and Baj decided that we should switch from that position to a six, so it is constantly changing which is something I am really enjoying."
Last night was the first time since March that Palmer found the back of the net, with his most recent goal the only one of their encounter with Boreham Wood at Meadow Lane.
And while the midfielder was delighted to be back among the goals, he explained that getting himself on the scoresheet is not the first thing he thinks about when he steps out on the pitch.
"It is obviously always nice to score goals because you get recognition for it, but I think my role in the team is not necessarily scoring the goals but creating chances and putting people into positions where they can score," he added.
"It is obviously something I would like to keep doing, I want to score as many goals as possible, but it's not the first thing I think about when I go on the pitch, but it was very nice to score."
The visit of Torquay on Saturday renews an unusual rivalry between the two sides, with the Gulls beating Ian Burchnall's side in the National League play-off semi-finals back in the 2020/21 season.
With the added transfers of Kyle Cameron and Aaron Nemane coupled with their 5-1 thrashing of the Magpies back in April, Palmer explained there was added incentive to extend their unbeaten run this weekend.
"Yeah, I would say so," said Palmer.
"Away from home last season they beat us, and in the home game they frustrated us a lot."
"But we are a different outfit this season, and we are not going into the game thinking we need to beat these because they beat us last season.
"It's an added incentive and something we will try and put right."
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