Frustrating is the world that comes to mind when trying to sum up Notts County's 0-0 draw with Yeovil.
For all of their possessional dominance, the Magpies were unable to contribute to the most important statistic, goals. It seemed to be one of those days for Luke Williams' side, with the Glovers content with disrupting the flow of the game with time wasting, injuries and parking the bus they travelled to Meadow Lane in for 90 minutes.
But ultimately, Mark Cooper had a game plan and albeit anti-football, was executed to absolute perfection. The occasion seemingly played right into the hands of the visitors, frustrating those inside Meadow Lane as that first win away continues to evade them, but gained another priceless point as they continue to move away from the bottom four.
READ MORE: Richard Brindley questions Yeovil desire following Meadow Lane stalemate
With a 13-day break before the Magpies' next fixture away to Scunthorpe, it provides important days on the training pitch to react to this result and focus on how to break teams who play in a similar fashion.
Here are the five things we learned on a record-breaking day down at Meadow Lane.
Time for a plan B?
Whilst not needing an alternative option all season, many are thinking that Notts should have a plan B to fall back on if sides look to play in similar fashion as the season progresses.
With the Magpies keen on playing their possession-based brand of football, at times it was made hard for them by Yeovil's willingness to stay compact and inviting Notts to try and break them down.
Both Cedwyn Scott and Macaulay Langstaff are very good technically with the ball at their feet, but Williams lacks that aerial presence in the final third should he choose to alter his approach to proceedings.
Kairo Mitchell offers that height in an almost 'target man' figure, but during his substitute appearance failed to make an impact, limited to just one or two touches at most during his 10-minute appearance.
It asks the question as to whether a different option in attack is needed for games like yesterday. As we saw against Bromley, they remained solid defensively after going a goal down, managing to nick a point from Michael Cheek's near post header.
And whilst it neglects the style of play and philosophy the Magpies boss is trying to embed into his side, having that option from the bench is always good to have in your armoury should it be needed.
With teams in the National League looking at this performance and perhaps taking note of the struggles it provided for the Magpies, this could be a reoccurring outcome should it no be assessed in January.
Macaulay Langstaff chance
With just three minutes on the clock, many inside the stadium expected the net to bulge when the ball fell to Macaulay Langstaff inside the area.
As many edged out their seats in anticipation, the Notts number nine swivelled and shot in search of his 19th goal of the campaign, only to see his effort saved by the legs of Grant Smith.
That moment in particular albeit early on, proved of huge significance on the result of the contest.
If that chance goes in, the whole game takes on a new dimension, with Yeovil forced to try and create a way back into the game, allowing the Magpies to exploit larger spaces across the pitch.
Notts continued to create chances with Langstaff skewing an effort just shy of the half-hour mark, with Kyle Cameron also having a header cleared off the line late on with Adam Chicksen also heading agonisingly over the bar from close range in the first minute of injury time.
Big moments in the game fortunately fell in favour of the visitors and on any other day, four or five goals certainly would not flatter the Magpies for their dominant display.
Mark Cooper tactics
It seemed written in the stars that former Notts boss Mark Cooper would be the one to spoil the celebrations on his return to Meadow Lane.
Since taking over at Huish Park at the end of October, Cooper has taken six points from his first five games at the helm, overseeing the Glovers' third win of the season against Gateshead as they look to move away from the relegation zone.
But it was clear yesterday that the tactic was to sit deep, play for a draw and frustrate those inside the ground ahead of another important game against Halifax next weekend.
And those tactics could be adopted by teams in similar positions in the table when they come to Meadow Lane, with it visibly disrupting Notts' possession-based football and forcing them to play sideways and backwards for the majority.
Their style of play was evident in the statistic, registering just two shots at Sam Slocombe's goal and boasting just 20% possession, compared to Notts' 27 shots and 15 corners that afternoon.
Despite it being the Magpies' record attempts on goal this season just seven of those were on target, with Cooper's side forcing shots from distance, something we are not used to seeing from Williams' side.
Ultimately, his experience and management of the game worked perfectly, albeit frustrating to watch, he will not care one bit about the performance, but will be over the moon with taking a point back to Somerset.
Two-week break
With Barnet's progression to the second round of the FA Cup, this offers a chance for time out on the training pitch before travelling to Scunthorpe in 13 days' time.
Just four sides from the National League progressed to the next round of the competition including leaders Wrexham and Boreham Wood, with many seeing Notts' exit to Coalville as a positive in terms of not building up fixtures as they focus on returning to the football league.
It comes at a timely point in the season with the busy festive fixture list starting soon, with games coming thick and fast over the next month.
And Williams emphasised the importance of this period, ensuring he will use the time on the training pitch to focus on building up the fitness of his players for when they return to action.
Record-breaking day
Whilst the result did not match the attendance, Notts County once again rewrote the history books by breaking their previous record of having the highest attended match in the National League.
The 16,511 at Meadow Lane beat Premier League Bournemouth's last figure at the Vitality Stadium against Everton by almost 5,000, with their midweek fixture against Wrexham last month also bettering all of their attendances at home this season.
It is great credit to those behind the scenes at the club for putting on a great occasion for those in attendance, with the 'Football for a Fiver' incentive proving to be a huge success since its introduction.
The crowd shows that there is simply no ceiling as to how far this football club can progress under the new manager and Alexander and Christoffer Reedtz's ownership and is a huge positive going forward.
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