Injury impact impeding high-flying Notts - Maynard

Stuart Maynard took over as Notts County boss in January

Head coach Stuart Maynard says Notts County have been robbed of the flexibility to challenge different opponents because of a number of injuries.

Jodi Jones, last season's League Two player of the season who provided a record number of assists, was among five key players to miss Saturday's 2-0 defeat by Crewe.

Like Jones, both Curtis Edwards and Conor Grant have been out since September, while fellow midfielder Scott Robertson and forward Dan Crowley have each not featured since October.

"It's been a big frustration for us as a football club in the sense of if you imagine where we could be if we had a fully-fit squad," Maynard told BBC Radio Nottingham.

"And that is more down to different options for different games.

"Like today, there would have been different options for a different team selection because of the way we wanted to come here, the way we wanted to approach the game, the way we wanted to attack them and the way we believe we could come here and win.

"That kind of changes, with the kind of players we have available, what we really wanted to do today."

Crewe's win moved them up to second, above Notts County, in the League Two table, with the Magpies dropping from third to sixth.

Maynard said "frustration" was the overriding feeling in defeat and added that Notts "were not good enough as a group" - and made a point of including himself in that.

Among those who were absent for the loss was leading scorer Alassana Jatta, who was away on international duty with The Gambia.

"We said from the start of the season that the starting XI won't bring you real success, the squad will," Maynard said.

"The squad has done incredibly [well], with the injuries that we have had, to get us to this point with the points we have.

"It will always hurt you when you don't have your full squad - it hurts everyone and it's hurt us."