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Garry Birtles: Magpies deserve more credit but must sort out home form

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NOTTS County are still to lose an away game under Keith Curle. Since he was appointed, the Magpies manager has been unbeaten away from Meadow Lane.

They have not lost on their travels this season and, more often than not, they have a habit of returning home with all three points.

It is the kind of record that deserves more credit than it is getting. It is the kind of run that merits a host of plaudits.

But there is perhaps a reason why it has slipped under the radar. And it is not just because Notts are playing in League One, rather than the Premier League.

It is because, when they do return home, Notts look to be a different side altogether. Unbeaten away, but fragile and unimpressive at home.

Don't misunderstand, Curle has done a superb job. He deserves a huge pat on the back for what he has achieved. The Magpies have a strong squad, they play very good football and, at the end of the day, they are in the top six.

They are challenging for promotion into the Championship. Had anyone suggested that they would be in contention at this point, we would all have been happy.

But that cannot gloss over one simple fact – they have to sort themselves out at home.

Because, while their away form can provide the foundations on which they build a promotion push, equally, their inability to string together a consistent run of positive form in front of their own fans can have the power to bring the walls crumbling down around them.

Yes, the Magpies have every right to be positive. They can feel confident about the future – and we are certainly not at crisis point.

But, before we get too excited about this fabulous run away from home, let's focus our attention on getting things right at Meadow Lane.

Notts face Crawley today, on home turf. Hopefully they can find a way to register what would be just their fourth win of the season at Meadow Lane in League One; hopefully they can find some consistency on the banks of the River Trent.

If they can do that, I can assure you that they will not be operating under the radar for long. Nor, with a bit of luck, will they be playing in the third tier for much longer either.


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