Exclusive: Don Goodman hands Notts County League Two promotion warning | OneFootball

Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman has exclusively offered his opinion on Notts County's promotion hopes

Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman has warned that Notts County might slip out of the automatic promotion race in League Two if their slump in form continues.

Fifth-placed Notts are four points off the automatic promotion spots in the fourth tier, whilst also enjoying a game in hand over the top three teams in League Two.

But with just five points from their last six games, there are fears that the Magpies are dropping off in form at the most crucial point of the season.

Notts County at risk of fading away from League Two automatic promotion picture

Into their second season as a League Two team, Notts County have fared well since their return to life in the EFL after a four-year absence.

After National League promotion-winning manager Luke Williams left midway through the season to take over at Championship side Swansea City, Stuart Maynard took the Magpies to a respectable midtable finish last campaign.

Despite losing talismanic striker Macaulay Langstaff to Millwall in the summer, Maynard has taken Notts County into a promotion battle in his first full season in charge at Meadow Lane.

At one point Notts County even led the division, but whilst they remain in touching distance of the three automatic promotion spots, there are fears they may fade away in the closing stages of the campaign.

Goodman also drew parallels between Notts County’s recent results and the fortunes of Salford City, who were as high as third in the League Two table before a run of just one win in 10 games saw them drop to mid-table.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Goodman shared: “Notts County just seem to have lost their form at just the wrong time.

“You look at their form over the last six games and they've taken just five points.

“It's the joint lowest in the top 18 clubs (in League Two) along with Salford City, would you believe it, who have also lost form at just the wrong time of the season.

“So they're going to have to dig in and start winning games of football quickly if they're going to have a say in the automatic promotion race.

“It's a tall order, given the momentum that certainly a few of the teams around them have got.”

Don Goodman: Notts County must not take League Two play-off finish for granted

Despite remaining in at least a play-off spot for most of the campaign, Goodman fears that Notts County might slip out of the top seven if their poor form continues in their final 11 games of the League Two season.

At the time of writing, eighth-placed Grimsby Town are breathing down the necks of County, with just two points between the two sides.

The two sides meet this evening, with home side Grimsby able to leapfrog their guests in the league table with victory over Notts County.

As such, Goodman believes Notts should prioritise claiming a spot in the end-of-season play-offs for a shot at promotion to League One, a division they have not featured in since 2015.

He continued: “If they are going to get promoted, it may mean a play-off campaign and we all know that that can be a lottery at times.

“So first things first for me is they have to secure a play-off spot, because if this form continues, that's not a given.”