Notts County vs Bury Predictions

Bottom of League Two Notts County have lost their last two league games and play host to promotion chasing Bury on Saturday. The visitors have lost their last two on the road, but have picked up three wins from their last five matches and sit sixth in the table just two points off third placed Mansfield Town. Even a victory for the hosts wont lift them out of the relegation zone, but it could take them off the bottom.

Notts County fell behind at home to Macclesfield Town to a thirty-sixth minute strike from Wilson, and that goal proved enough for the visitors to lead at the half time interval. Notts Coutny improved in the second half and drew level shortly after the hour mark through Hemmings, but Wilson scored his second goal of the game with nine minutes left on the clock to earn Macclesfield Town all three points. Deep into stoppage time Smith was shown a straight red card for the visitors, and shortly after Davies also saw red and both teams ended the game with ten-men on the pitch. Macclesfield Town moved ahead of County with that win and things are really beginning to look bleak for one of the founder members of the football league.

A close game was predicted when Mansfield Town and Bury locked horns on Boxing Day, and that’s just what the two clubs produced. The pair went in level at the half time break goalless as neither side were able to break down the other and score that all important first goal. Mansfield just edged the statistics and took the lead in the sixty-first minute through Hamilton, but didn’t confirm all three points until the seventy-ninth minute when top scorer Walker converted a penalty. Bury were awarded a penalty of their own deep into stoppage time which O’Shea scored to make it 2-1, but there wasn’t enough time left in the game for Bury to produce an equaliser.

When these two clubs locked horns in October for their reverse league fixture, hosts Bury ran out convincing 4-0 winners. Maynard opened the scoring in the eleventh minute and teammate Telford doubled the home sides lead seven minutes later to make it 2-0 at the break. O’Shea netted a sixty-fifth minute penalty and Adams completed the scoring with two minutes left on the clock as Bury earned a deserved three points. The hosts ended the game with 56% of the overall possession and seventeen shots during the ninety minutes, and will be hoping to a similar outcome on Saturday.

With three wins and three defeats from their last six matches Bury have been hit and miss of late, but head into this weekends game as the clear form favourites. Notts County have lost four of their last six matches, drawn one, and lost once, and slipped to last place in the table after their Boxing Day defeat. Hemmings top scores for the hosts with seven goals in League Two so far this season, while Maynard is just one away from double figures in the league for Bury and will be aiming to hit than landmark on Saturday.

We’re confident that Bury will win on Saturday, and have backed the scoreline to finish 1-0. Bury have won two of their last four matches against Notts County. The hosts have lost four of their last six matches in all competitions, while Bury have won three of their last five games. The visitors sit eighteen places and twenty points ahead of Notts County in the League Two table, and, after their last encounter in October, should be confident of picking up another three points against the Nottingham club.