Notts County boss Luke Williams explained how star man Ruben Rodrigues had to be careful during his display against Aldershot at the EBB Stadium.
The Magpies midfielder was on target for the ninth time this season, curling an effort beyond the reach of Luca Ashby-Hammond to put Williams' side two goals to the good in Hampshire.
Rodrigues' strike was sandwiched in between Jim O'Brien and Aaron Nemane's strikes which sent Notts five points clear at the summit of the National League table with both Chesterfield and Wrexham in FA Cup action.
READ MORE: Notts County player ratings vs Aldershot: O'Brien and Nemane shine in comfortable win
On a number of occasions in the first half, the Portuguese midfielder was potentially guilty of wasting some good opportunities in promising positions, looking to play a pass rather than try to test the Aldershot 'keeper.
But just 11 minutes into the second half, Rodrigues took aim from outside the area to provide some breathing space for the Magpies, but Williams revealed the reasoning as to why the midfielder's overall play was so important in the win at the EBB Stadium.
"It's exactly the message and the gameplan was for Ruben to be very careful because in the moment when you feel strongest when Ruben has the ball and he turns in the middle of the pitch, you are also potentially at your most vulnerable.
"We asked Ruben to be so careful and so considerate with the final ball and I think with the ball in the second half the spaces opened up more and Ruben was able to exploit those spaces.
"He doesn't have to have that sense of anxiety to not turn the ball over when the ball is level.
"Ruben is very careful because he can go from the playmaker to playing on the counter and in the second half with a bit more of a cushion, Ruben was able to express himself more and then of course he becomes a difficult player to play against."
The Magpies secured their first win of 2023 following their New Year's Day draw with Oldham, extending their unbeaten run in the league to 17 games as another record is within their sights.
Williams was happy to get the first win of the year ahead of a difficult run of fixtures, saying: "I think a clean sheet for us is so important to protect the mentality for all of our players.
"To come away from home and keep a clean sheet and score three goals, it is a fantastic way to start the new year with some more difficult fixtures to come."
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