Notts County’s rise from National League promotion contenders to League Two promotion contenders in such a quick time frame is impressive, and a lot of that success is a result of the tactical identity that Luke Williams built at the club before his move to Championship club Swansea City.
We’ve covered how the Magpies looked when playing under Williams’ tactics, so we know all about the details within their possession-based approach.
Finding Williams’ successor required thorough research to secure the right coach for the job, but the club also had to act quickly, as it was midway through the domestic season.
The man deemed the perfect Williams replacement by Notts County is Stuart Maynard, who joined the club after three years at Wealdstone FC in non-league football.
Maynard has transformed Wealdstone into a highly respected possession-based side in the National League after guiding the club to its best league finish in decades.
This scout report will provide a tactical analysis of Stuart Maynard tactics at Wealdstone, examining why he aligns with Notts County’s philosophy.
Stuart Maynard Manager Overview
43-year-old Stuart Maynard began his coaching journey in 2012, when he became assistant manager to former teammate Dean Brennan at Hemel Hempstead Town.
The management duo tasted quick success by winning a league title and guiding the club to the FA Cup first round proper.
Maynard and Brennan struck a very strong partnership as coaches, and this reflected in the successes they had in the years to come, having stints at a few other non-league clubs along the way.
In May 2019, the duo joined Wealdstone, which was in the National League South at the time.
They’d been floating around mid-table for the previous few seasons, but Maynard and Brennan delivered the league title in 2019/20 (the season that was shortened due to COVID).
This would be the first time Wealdstone had been in the National League since the 80s.
In February of the 2020/21 campaign, Brennan left the club to take charge at Barnet – Maynard broke the cycle, effectively ending the duo’s long-standing coaching partnership after he was appointed as interim manager of Wealdstone, before being appointed the club’s permanent manager shortly after.
Despite a rocky start to life as Wealdstone manager, marked by painful defeats, Maynard guided the club to safety, finishing 19th.
2021/22 was his first full season in charge of the Stones, and he bettered the previous record by finishing 16th – the club’s highest league position in 35 years.
Last season, which also turned out to be his final full season at the club, he guided them to an impressive 13th-place finish.
He left with the club in 14th place this season, but his possession-based tactics caught the eye of non-league and EFL followers and, when needed, caught the eye of the Notts County hierarchy.
As we will come to find out in this analysis, Maynard’s tactics—the philosophy behind them —align nicely with what Luke Williams had built prior.
Three critical factors are worth keeping in mind.
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