Notts County could find wing-back solution from within | OneFootball

Josh Martin has been excellent for Notts in recent games, he could be the answer to the Magpies' wing-back issues.

Summary

Notts County got their January transfer business underway earlier in the week, with Hull City forward Will Jarvis making the move to Meadow Lane for an undisclosed fee.

The 22-year-old can play out wide, in the number 10 role or as an out-and-out striker, but it’s not yet clear where Stuart Maynard will fit him into the Notts side.

It’s unlikely that Jarvis will slot into one of the wing-back roles as that would likely leave the Magpies far too attack-minded and susceptible without the ball.

With Kellan Gordon badly struggling for form in the first half of the season, wing-back has become something of a problem position for Notts, despite it appearing to have been bolstered with considerable depth over the summer.

Gordon’s struggles, combined with Jodi Jones’ injury, have left Notts short of options and Sam Austin, George Abbott and even youngster Madou Cisse have all spent time playing on the flanks.

The League Two club need another option at wing-back in January but they could already have the answer to their issues at the club in the form of Josh Martin.

Josh Martin has been excellent for Notts of late

Martin has come from nowhere to have a big impact for Notts in recent games. He joined at the end of September, signing a short-term deal until an unnamed date in January.

He endured a difficult start to his Meadow Lane career and looked a shadow of the player who first broke into senior football at Norwich City.

Martin struggled badly for form and found minutes extremely hard to come by. When he did get on the pitch, he often looked devoid of confidence.

Since coming into the side for just his second league start for the club in the 5-3 win at Cheltenham on 29th December, Martin has looked a completely different player.

He started that game as a result of Nick Tsaroulla missing out due to illness and he’s seized his opportunity with both hands.

He notched a goal and an assist in the win at Cheltenham, before following that up with the assist for Alassana Jatta’s goal in the recent defeat to Walsall at Meadow Lane. He went without a goal contribution in last Saturday’s 2-0 win over Swindon Town but turned in another threatening display.

It’s unclear exactly when his contract is due to expire at Meadow Lane, but Martin has come from out in the cold to force himself firmly into Maynard’s reckoning.

Just a few weeks ago, it seemed virtually impossible that he would remain at Notts beyond January, and now it seems harsh not to hand him a contract until the end of the season.

Martin could be Notts’ solution at wing-back

Unfortunately for Notts, recent news that both Lucas Ness and Scott Robertson are likely to be sidelined for the remainder of the season has likely made their January significantly busier.

The Magpies will now need to go into the market for a right-sided centre-half as well as potentially a centre midfielder, on top of the striker and wing-back that they likely already needed.

The summer signing of Kellan Gordon simply hasn’t worked out, and the former Mansfield Town and Lincoln City man has shown nothing to suggest that an upturn in his form is imminent.

With that in mind, Martin could be the perfect answer to Notts’ concerns at wing-back.

With Jodi Jones beginning to come back into the fold, it would make little sense for Notts to look at bringing someone in on a permanent deal at this stage of the season, just for them to likely sit as an understudy to Jones and Tsaroulla when the pair are both fully fit.

Now, instead of dipping into the loan market and taking a gamble on a youngster with limited senior experience, they could turn to Martin as a cost-effective solution.

Given the fact he was a free agent until the end of September, it’s unlikely that Martin is on a significant wage at Notts. Extending his current deal until the end of the season would surely work for both parties.

From Notts’ perspective, they get to keep a player who is already integrated into the squad and knows what Maynard wants from him but is also showing signs that he could become a valuable squad player.

And from Martin’s point of view, he gets a continued chance to impress, and either work towards earning himself a more long-term deal in the summer, or put himself in the shop window for other interested clubs in the future.