Thursday, 3 April 2008

Take the pressure off


Russell Hoult has warned Notts County’s strikers to take the pressure off the Magpies defence- or face more trouble in the fight against relegation in League Two.

The 35-year-old on loan from Stoke City has overseen the Magpies concede just two goals in the last seven games, including five clean sheets.

But he has been alarmed at the willingness of the team’s strikers to put their heads in where it hurts-and grab the vital goals and increase the margin of points from the bottom two and rivals Mansfield Town.

The team have mustered only a single goal in the last seven games from defender Michael Johnson. They now face Bury at Gigg Lane on Saturday, a side with one of the best defensive records in the division in 2008.

And Hoult indicated the strikers, in his opinion, are getting enough service to help them in their goal quest.

He said: “There’s only so much defending you can do without letting a goal in. The strikers have got to start scoring goals and quick.”

“The ball’s bouncing around in the box. I think they’re getting the supply, the crosses are going in, it’s not like they’re not creating any chances, it’s just that they’re not putting the ball away-given ten chances you should score a goal.”

”Clean sheets aren’t going to keep us in this league, we’ve got to start scoring goals one way or another, people have got to want to go in there and score goals otherwise there’s only one place this place will be going and it’s not very nice thinking about it.”

“The back four have been under pressure all season because we’re not scoring enough goals, you can’t concede two goals in seven games and only score one and expect to get out of the situation we’re in because it’s not going to work.”

“I was at West Brom and we had 29 clean sheets one year but we won 17 games 1-0. After the games, me, the back four and the midfield lads- we’d just lay into the centre forwards-the people who are supposed to be scoring the goals to get you out the trouble.”

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