'Big, big miss' - Notts County set to be without key duo ahead of Sheffield Wednesday clash
Notts County are poised to be without two key figures ahead of their League One tussle with Sheffield Wednesday.
Notts County are poised to be without two of their leading goalscorers, Ollie Cooper and Luka Smyth, ahead of their League One clash with Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday evening.
Notts County, who were promoted from League Two last season, will welcome the Owls to Meadow Lane with the ambition of getting back to winning ways after a run of six league games without a victory.
Meanwhile, Wednesday will make the trip to the banks of the Trent with the aim of capitalising on the Magpies’ current struggles and building on Saturday’s 5-0 victory over AFC Wimbledon at Hillsborough.
Ahead of the Owls’ visit, Notts head coach Martin Paterson has confirmed that he is set to be without midfielder Ollie Cooper and striker Luka Smyth once again after they missed Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Wycombe Wanderers.
Cooper, who is on loan at Meadow Lane from Swansea City, is joint-top of Notts’ goalscoring charts across all competitions this season with four goals to his name. Meanwhile, Smyth, who was also signed during the summer, has scored three goals.
Speaking ahead of the visit of the Owls, Paterson told BBC Radio Nottingham: “Coops is a big, big miss. We lost Luca overnight (ahead of Wycombe). In the morning I woke up and my big No.9 was out, so that's getting checked today.
“So then we're only left with two centre-forwards fit and available for the next forthcoming week. So I'm looking at everything, what I can do compared to what I want to do is the conversation that needs to be asked on that, but regardless, I'm looking for improvement in things that I think define what my team are.
“I think we, in the last few weeks have been poor; results have reflected that.”
.jpeg?trim=0,0,0,0&crop=&width=640&quality=65)
Pressed on how long Cooper could be unavailable for, Paterson continued: “Coops probably wasn't as worse as first feared. So there's a positive there, but it is a good period of time, leaking into weeks rather than days.”
Following a run of six league games without a win, including four successive defeats, Paterson will hope that the visit of Wednesday provides his players with the motivation they need to get back on track.
“Two or three years ago, this football club was in the National League,” Paterson added. “Spent a couple of seasons in League Two.
“We should be up for every single game in League One. It's unbelievable to be in League One, and rightly so for this football club.”