Opposition view: Notts County boss felt 'exceptional' Magpies 'created more' than Cobblers in EFL Trophy defeat

Like Northampton, County made wholesale changes and selected a number of young players for the Southern Group F tie at Meadow Lane. There wasn’t too much in the contest but Town’s dominant start proved key as Ben Fox opened the scoring before Liam McCarron thumped in a second.

"It was a good finish from them to go 1-0 up after they took it off us in midfield but we kept being brave and kept wanting to get on the ball,” said Maynard. “To keep being brave after going 1-0 down like that against League One opposition is a huge credit to them.

"That was the biggest plus because that’s how we play and that’s our DNA. We have a passing philosophy and I think we probably created more openings them. They were very clinical with their finishes and that’s the level of League One players but we got into brilliant areas and we created really good chances.

"I’m proud of the young lads because they were exceptional against League One opposition. You saw how strong their line-up was but the amount of youngsters we had on the pitch and the way they performed was incredible. It shows the future for this club is bright.”