Notts County: PL import must seize opportunity as injury crisis goes on | OneFootball

Jack Hinchy must prove his worth to Stuart Maynard amid Notts' injury crisis.

Notts County need Jack Hinchy to prove his worth amid a busy schedule and continuous injury problems for the Magpies.

Stuart Maynard’s side face tricky tests in the form of Newport County and high-flying Walsall inside the next two weeks, as well as an FA Cup tie away at Peterborough United of League One.

Notts’ midfield has been badly hit by injuries of late with Conor Grant, Scott Robertson, Curtis Edwards and Dan Crowley all currently sidelined.

They need Hinchy to step up and prove he’s a capable player at League Two level, in order to loosen the burden somewhat on Matty Palmer and George Abbott in the middle of the park.

Notts need Hinchy to step up

Although there is nothing wrong with the midfield duo of Palmer and Abbott, Notts are desperately stretched across the middle of their side right now.

The pair have formed the midfield in each of their last three league games amid the ongoing battle with injuries.

Robertson has been missing since coming off at half-time in the 1-0 win over Wimbledon on October 19th, while Conor Grant has been sidelined since the draw at Morecambe at the end of September.

Edwards remains out injured, likely “until Christmas” after sustaining an injury against Accrington on September 7th.

Crowley has also struggled for fitness of late, and when he has been fit, Notts’ midfield maestro has often had to take up a deeper role in order to cover for other absentees – something which has dealt a blow to the creativity of Maynard’s side.

With these absences considered, Notts badly need someone to step up and help share the load, and with no other central midfielders available, it has to be Hinchy.

After a promising start in the early stages of the season, he has hardly played in recent weeks.

The 21-year-old started all five of the Magpies’ opening games in League Two but has since played a total of just 47 minutes across the last 11 league games.

The former Stockport and Brighton man has struggled badly for form of late. The last game he started away at Barrow on October 22nd, he was subbed off in the 32nd minute.

However, there is clearly ability there. Hinchy had some strong performances in the opening weeks of the season, and only Edwards has a higher points per match figure in the Notts squad.

Maynard has had hardly any room to manoeuvre with his squad stretched in recent weeks, and even the bench has looked weak of late, Hinchy could be the man to provide valuable cover and extra legs to help pull Notts through this challenging period.

Hinchy is a player who Notts will have high hopes for

After picking him up over the summer, Hinchy is undoubtedly a man who Notts will have high hopes for long-term.

He made his professional debut as a 17-year-old in Stockport’s FA Cup tie against West Ham back in 2021, before being snapped up by Brighton.

He spent three years on the South Coast, where he captained the Seagulls' Under 23s side to the quarter-finals of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy last season.

He then spent the second half of last season on loan at Shrewsbury Town in League One, for whom he made 12 appearances.

Hinchy signed a two-year contract at Meadow Lane after being released by Brighton in the summer and showed early promise that he could potentially be the man to anchor the Notts midfield over the next few years.

And while that hasn’t come to fruition so far, you don’t spend time at a club like Brighton these days if you aren’t a very capable footballer.

He’s unlikely to dislodge Palmer as the deepest man within the Notts midfield right now, but with several men missing until at least the festive period, he needs to step up and push himself into Maynard’s reckoning.