Notts County will be desperate to recapture Exeter City magic, not repeat Bristol Rovers failure: View | OneFootball

Jevani Brown was electric at Exeter City, so why hasn't it worked anywhere else and an Notts County get him firing this season?

Jevani Brown’s continued struggles are an absolute mystery.

Well, they are to Exeter City fans at least. The Jamaica youth international has bounced around a few clubs in his career, only seemingly being truly happy and effective at St James Park since leaving Cambridge United, where he started.

He’s currently on loan at League Two side Notts County from Bristol Rovers and is not exactly tearing it up at Meadow Lane, though it is still early days.

Brown turned 30 on Wednesday and should be in his absolute prime, setting up loads of goals, scoring bangers, and twisting defenders' blood in, at the very least, a good League One side.

Instead, he’s been bombed out by the Gas and has, so far, amassed six underwhelming substitute appearances in the league for the Magpies since joining at the end of the transfer window with no goals or assists in a total of 84 minutes on the pitch.

Brown was instrumental in Exeter City’s promotion from League Two in 2021/22 where he was the dream combination of a leader and a flair player with seven goals and 12 assists in 43 appearances.

He was even better the following season for the Grecians back in the third tier, scoring 14 in 32 games, and setting up another nine in all competitions, before off-the-pitch events saw the wheels come off.

Brown’s last game for City would be a typically talismanic display, scoring both goals in the 2-0 away win at MK Dons on the 28th of January 2023.

At the time, the Grecians were worrying they’d never see him in the red and white again as Portsmouth were heavily linked with a move in the winter window.

The reality would be way more disappointing.

Jevani Brown suspended by Exeter

Just hours after a deadline-day move to Pompey fell apart, and with him posting “Wolf Of Wall Street” in a now-deleted tweet, a reference to the famous ‘I’m not leaving’ line from the film of the same name, Brown's City career was over.

That night, the Grecians were delirious that their star man was staying. Less than 24 hours later, an incident away from the club that led to legal proceedings saw Brown frozen out at St James Park. His contract expired in the summer with him failing to make another appearance for the club.

Bristol Rovers snapped him up on a free transfer but he’s never hit the same heights since.

Even the arrival of Matt Taylor, who managed him so well at Exeter, to the Memorial Stadium wasn't able to get Brown back on top form.

To date, he's scored just two goals in 42 appearances in all competitions for the Gas.

Notts County need to unlock Jevani Brown magic

Based on his record at Exeter he should be absolutely tearing it up at Notts - and maybe he will in time.

Perhaps he’s lost his love for the game or maybe it’s to do with the systems he's been used in.

It can’t be because of the manager as even Taylor couldn’t get a tune out of him after replacing Joey Barton at Rovers. It might be because he’s a player who needs the love and full support from the fans.

Even after everything that happened post-February 2nd, there’s still a huge number of City fans who want him back at Exeter now but that feels unlikely to ever happen.

Notts fans have to find a way of throwing their arms around the mercurial forward, but it’s a two-way thing.

Brown’s performances in Nottingham have given them no reason to get excited and he’s got to get himself going as well.

He was handed a lot of responsibility at Exeter, leading the attack and taking penalties, and it was a role he seemed to relish.

County headed into the weekend in third place in League Two. If they can find a way to unlock that Jevani Brown magic quickly they'll have a great chance of going up this season.