Notts County 2-1 Barnet Player Ratings: Super Campbell-Ryce

Brisley nods in Notts County’s first – nottinghampost.com

Despite a spirited finale, Barnet fell to a 2-1 defeat at promotion-chasing Notts County, who went top thanks to goals from Shola Ameobi and Ryan Yates. Here’s our player ratings from the game.

Notts County

Adam Collin – good distribution route one first half. Made a strong save early in the second half before going off injured after the break. 7

Matt Tootle – had some iffy moments defensively and struggled to quell Barnet’s left-sided threat. However, he produced a good cross for what turned out to be the winner. 5
Richard Duffy – commanding for much of the game and dominated Akpa-Akpro, until the latter stages when he grew nervier. 7
Shaun Brisley – a similar performance to Duffy. Might have got the final touch on Ameobi’s 13th minute header the opened the scoring. 8
Carl Dickenson – dominated Ruben Bover physically and looked up for the fight, which could not always be said of his opponents. No frills in possession. 7

Lewis Alessandra – disciplined in the first half, placed on the left restricting space for Bover. Moved to the right for much of the second half and made some good runs in from the flank. 8
Robert Milsom – worked hard to press Jack Taylor but perhaps tired in the latter stages as his opponent had more space. Produced the corner for the opener. 7
Ryan Yates – some good passes in wide areas and adjusted well to the requirements of a more disciplined role than he is used to. Nodded in the second goal after a good run to the back-post. 7
Jorge Grant – some good runs in from the left in the second half. On 59 minutes he skied a sitter, which looked more significant when Barnet got a goal back. Might have done more to help Tootle defensively in the first half. 5

Jon Stead – a threat all afternoon with his physicality and hold-up play. Saw a goal ruled offside and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet. 7
Shola Ameobi – occupied centre-backs superbly and was always first to aerial balls, which was how he scored the opening goal. 8

Ross Fitzsimons (on 58) – came on for the injured Collin and made a couple of good saves, although he couldn’t preserve his side’s clean sheet. 5
Jonathan Forte (on 75) – looked lively and had one or two breakaway moments that he could have made more of. 5
Thomas Hewitt (on 82) – a defensive change that perhaps invited pressure for County. 4

Barnet

Craig Ross – not tested as much as one might expect, given the pressure Barnet faced. Flapped at one or two balls into the box in the first half and might have commanded his area better. 4

Harry Taylor – needed to drop deeper to receive the ball when it was in possession of the centre-backs to create better options for them. Didn’t offer as much drive on the ball as Tutonda and wasn’t entirely comfortable with the physical side of the game, though he was not alone in that regard. 3
Charlie Clough – the name Clough is normally successful in Nottingham. This one struggled to handle Stead’s physicality but switched play well in the latter stages. 5
Almeida Santos – had a tough time against Ameobi and had he scored his last-gasp chance from 12-yards, Barnet would have snatched an unlikely point. 4
David Tutonda – not the bravest defensively but offered an outlet down the left and was at the hearrt of Barnet’s brighter attacking moments, even in the first half. Assisted the goal. 6

Wesley Fonguck – looked lost in the first half and struggled to truly influence the game. Needs to learn to turn and look forward when he receives the ball from the centre-backs. 3
Jack Taylor – didn’t truly influence the game until the last 20 minutes, when he had a lot more space to show what he could do technically. Struggled to cope when he was closed down quickly. 4

Ruben Bover – a little half-hearted in 50/50 balls and struggled to handle the physical side of the game, especially against a battle-hardened professional like Wilkinson. One decent ball to the back-post in the first half. 3
Jamal Campbell-Ryce – the one Barnet player who always wanted the ball, even in the first half. Saw his shot deflected just over after half-time – his drive and energy kept Barnet in the game, almost single-handedly. 10
Andre Blackman – worked hard enough but lacked confidence on the ball and in his movement. Barnet played better after he came off. 4

John-Louis Akpa-Akpro – isolated for much of the contest, but came alive in the latter stages. Can hold the ball up well when Barnet do get him involved and he nearly got on the end of Bover’s first half cross. 6

Michael Nelson (on 62) – added both much-needed experience at the back and offered his fellow centre-backs an option in possession, allowing Barnet to play through the front two more easily than they had done before he came on. 8
Simeon Akinola (on 63) – looked lively throughout his appearance, pressurized the centre-backs and deserved his goal. 9
Fumnaya Shomotun (on 82) – injected pace into Barnet’s play in his short time on the pitch. 6