Spurs loan watch: Disappointing day for midfielder

There was a reduded docket of action for Spurs loanees this weekend, particularly at club level, as a result of the international break - but there was action for George Abbott and his Notts County side down in League Two, as they faced 5th place Crewe Alexandra on the road in a big game.

Before the game, Abbott said “I’ve settled in nicely, and I’m really grateful to the club, the fans, and my team-mates for making that easy for me.” It has been a very good start to life on loan for the midfielder, who has played and started pretty much every game so far.

This game was no different, with the Spurs youngster once again starting next to captain Matt Palmer in a midfield two. Star striker Alassana Jatta was unavailable for this game, with the 25-year old making his debut for the Gambia national team last night.

 An uneventful and lowkey first half ended in the worst possible way, with their hosts grabbing a goal with five minutes of normal time remaining - a goal that came from a Notts corner, no less. The sides would go into the break with Crewe one goal to the good, and Stuart Maynard’s side with it all to do.

Tough day at the office for loanee and his side on Saturday

Things would get worse in the second half, with Crewe doubling their lead from the spot after 62 minutes, and a poor Notts performance was set to be rewarded with a poor result to go with it. That would be that, and Crewe would come away as 2-0 winners, despite having a man sent off with six minutes of normal time remaining.

As for Abbott himself, like the rest of the team - it was far from his best game, and perhaps his quietest in a Notts shirt so far in his time there. Despite that, he did record; 76 touches, 52/59 passes, two chances created, one interception, one foul drawn, and three tackles.

This result leaves Notts in place in League Two, with 27 points from their 16 games so far, still a pretty good position to be in, despite a missed opportunity today.

Next up for Abbott and Notts is a home game against Newport County in League Two next Saturday, the 23rd of November, with an earlier kick off for 12:30 GMT for that one, as they look to bounce back from this disappointment.