League Two matchday 1: Coventry City 3-0 Notts County

Notts County's season began on the worst possible note, falling to a heavy 3-0 defeat at Coventry City in the opening game of the campaign. The Magpies had their moments but weaknesses at the back saw the Sky Blues take full advantage, with young prodigy Jodi Jones bagging himself a hat-trick.

EFL Cup first round: Scunthorpe United 3-3 Notts County (6-5 on penalties)

A much-changed Notts County side put in a much improved performance against League One side Scunthorpe United at Glanford Park. Jorge Grant gave the visitors the lead, but Paddy Madden and Duane Holmes edged the Iron ahead - only for Shaun Brisley to make it 2-2 at the death. Onto extra time and Madden struck once again, but Ryan Yates forced the tie to penalties, where the hosts finally prevailed.

League Two matchday 2: Notts County 2-0 Chesterfield

An early-season local derby to set the pulse racing, Chesterfield did not exactly come to Notts County with the intention of playing them off the park - it turned out to be more a case of kicking and barging, with Gozie Ugwu very lucky not to be sent off, though Scott Wiseman had a worse fate, getting his marching orders close to half time. Kevin Nolan's side emerged triumphant through the prodigal loanee Jorge Grant's second and third goals of the season in all competitions.

EFL Trophy Northern Group G: Notts County 2-1 Everton Under-21s

A much-maligned competition in a game where Notts County were lined up against one of the teams whose admission to the tournament has been the cause of such discord, the Magpies nonetheless gave the fans who went to the game a good performance and a win. Jonathan Forte opened his account for the season before Haydn Hollis claimed a poacher's goal, and Anton Donkor's impressive strike off the post proved to be just a consolation.

League Two matchday 3: Wycombe Wanderers 2-4 Notts County

Another difficult proposition in the league, Notts gave a bipolar performance in which they raced into a two-goal lead, relinquished it, and struck two late goals for a flattering scoreline. Richard Duffy opened the scoring before a defensive calamity led to an own goal for the visitors, only for Nick Freeman and Joe Jacobson to draw Wycombe level. However, Jonathan Forte claimed the plaudits with a third Notts Magpies goal, before setting up Lewis Alessandra for the killer fourth.

League Two matchday 4: Notts County 2-2 Accrington Stanley

For the second successive game, Notts took a two-goal lead, only to capitulate and relinquish it, but there was to be no last-ditch blaze of glory as there was at Wycombe Wanderers on Friday night against Accrington Stanley, who cancelled out Jon Stead's successful spot kick and Jorge Grant's strike via Mark Hughes's goal midway through the second half and loanee Mallik Wilks's injury-time strike. Aaron Chapman, the Stanley goalkeeper, kept his team in it with a succession of fine saves.

Share your thoughts about this season recap article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

We’re now 5 games into the season in all competitions and it is looking promising for Notts County.

Having made a few additions in the summer with the window still yet to close, here is my opinion on the signings we have made so far and what they can bring to the squad this season.

So far with the transfer window closing on August 31, Notts have made 13 signings. In depth 2 being goalkeepers, 4 defenders, 5 midfielders and 2 forwards.

Within the 13 signings 2 of these are loan players from the other side of the Trent. Jorge Grant was a fan favourite last season having signed for the Magpies in the January transfer window and was a key player to our survival last season. I think at the top of Alan Hardy’s and Kevin Nolan’s to-do list was to ensure this guy was playing for the Pies for the upcoming 2017-18 season.

So, let’s start with the goalkeepers. We have brought in 2 goalkeepers going by the names of Ross Fitzsimons and Branislav Pindroch.

Fitzsimons was on trial for us during pre-season and we acquired him from Chelmsford. He made his Notts debut against Scunthorpe in the Carabao Cup First Round. He looks to be a commanding individual with good communication amongst his defenders. He looks to be our number 2 this year with Pindroch looking like backup.

With the defenders, most notably Shaun Brisley has joined the Pies on a free transfer from Carlisle United. Brisley so far has made 4 appearances scoring one goal. He has shown real determination and looks a real solid addition alongside Richard Duffy.

Other defender signings include Nicky Hunt from relegated Leyton Orient who was part of Nolan’s squad at his short stint at The O’s.

Dan Jones was also recruited as a full back from Chesterfield, he slipped up big style against Coventry but has turned it around the past couple of games so I think we can write that off as a bad game for him.

Finally, the Pies have recruited Pierce Bird who was unattached. Pierce looks to be a possible loan player in the future but I can see him having a long career here at Notts County.

Moving onto the midfielders. With the 2016-17 season coming to a close in connection with most of the players contracts it was important to strengthen this area and boy has Nolan done that.

We have recruited 5 midfielders - Jorge Grant and Ryan Yates the loanees from Nottingham Forest.

Also, we have Elliot Hodge and Terry Hawkridge from Lincoln City. Terry looks to be a real gem so far with lots of pace and cutting in numerous times, this will really hurt weak teams in the league.

The final midfielder recruited is Liam Walker. Liam has plenty of international experience with Gibraltar against teams such as Germany. Good solid central midfielder with good passing ability.

Finally, the forwards, while offering new contracts to Stead and Ameobi with Forte still being under contract it looked like the area where least additions were needed.

We have made 2 additions. One being up there for signing of the summer Lewis Alessandra from relegated Hartlepool United. So far, he has made 4 appearances for the Magpies scoring one goal and im almost 100% certain that this could reach double figures this season. As well as Alessandra, we have assigned Callum Saunders to the squad from Crewe Alexandra but looks to be a backup striker.

So who is the summer signing so far?

After seeing them in action in the league I am torn between Hawkridge and Grant but for me I think it has to be Grant. Sorry to follow the crowd but Grant is just class for our league. His ability to get in behind but also show flair and skill on the ball is fantastic to see at League 2. He is a game changer and has the ability to secure all 3 points on his own. However, he must learn from players like Stead and Ameobi and learn quickly that he does need the players around him to be the star of the show.

Most questionable signing so far?

Personally, I think Callum Saunders. I have never heard of him before and I do not know what he can bring to the team. Also at the moment I can’t see him replacing any of our first team strikers or even getting on the bench so it just baffles me while he is on the wage bill sitting in the reserves but im not a scout or coach so Nolan must see something.

Let me know what you think about the star and most questionable signing of the summer so far. Can Notts improve any more areas or should we call it quits on our recruitment this summer?

Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

Fancy showcasing your brand or business on Pride of Nottingham? Click here to find out more about sponsorship and advertising opportunities with us.

I, like many Notts County fans, went to Coventry feeling very optimistic. The majority of supporters whom I spoke to said we they would take a point – something I strongly agreed with.

I felt our hopes mainly relied upon our players being eager to start well, or perhaps the Sky Blues underestimating us.

For the first 15 minutes I would say we played quite upbeat, however every time Coventry attacked they broke with so much space available to them.

Notts seemed jagged and very unconnected going forward - every time space presented itself to us, one of the Notts players would just wastefully lump the ball forward or rush the play.

Seriously, I don’t understand why at times we were trying to force the play at all?

Anyone would have realised our way into the game was playing Coventry at their own game, keeping it nice and simple but making space to move forward.

We played quite wide, yet certain players remained narrow or closely tied to the opposition, which in effect made it harder to bring them into the game – so a pattern emerged whereby the centre of the park wasn’t widely used and we just attempted to get balls from out wide into the box.

This is another gripe for me - there was nobody spread out for rebounds!

Terry Hawkridge played some good football, and our best chance came from him trying to get forward. However, there were balls played into the box where Shola Ameobi was very isolated, strike partner Jon Stead seemed missing for the majority of the game.

I mean, I’m not overly worried. I think the opening-day nerves got the better of our players and the Ricoh Area is a grand stage which may have got them caught in those headlights Kevin Nolan mentioned in his post-match interview.

Yet it was clear after Coventry started pressing more, perhaps around 12th minute that Notts desperately lack someone direct (*cough* *cough* Jorge Grant) and someone with pace upfront.

And the usual suspects can’t really be blamed for the three goals conceded. I thought Adam Collin actually put in a very decent performance in goal.

Dan Jones disappointed me from a defensive point of view, and I thought Richard Duffy didn’t do a very good job of organising his defence.

Liam Walker didn’t seem the player who could change the outcome, with Elliot Hewitt also seeming like a bystander on the pitch.

The issue largely lies with the tactics, line-up and organising in-game. I also felt we didn’t match the Sky Blues with determination, passion or energy – in fact they looked the fitter squad.

I don’t want to get started with the referee, he killed any chance we had to gain momentum by bringing the ball back at every oppatunity and how the hell he brought into some of Coventry’s poor ice skating tactics I will never know!

Most of the squad just didn’t turn up, they didn’t support each other and we never really seemed to have a clue how best to go forward.

Grant injected a lot of what we was missing, yet he was the only player on the pitch that looked any different. Ameobi for me is faultless, he tried and got stuck in – he simply didn’t have the service or support to be that powerful striker we know he can be.

The most disappointing aspect for me is the poor marking, all the goals seemed very soft.

The first I found annoying, Jodi Jones given all the time in the world to pick his shot.

The second is the most frustrating because it sealed the game at a point where there was hope of getting a draw.

How we can allow a player to turn from a front facing position, to turning his back to our defender – all at the time with no challenge being made and allowing an opposition side to score so easily is really disappointing.

We only had two players in a defensive position; we got caught cheaply on the break by being careless.

And please do comment on who it was for us who ran back to get into a defensive position, only to be caught into some sort of bubble – I think it was Rob Milsom. I don’t fault his effort to get back but the defending was dire!

As I’ve written, I’m not overly concerned and the issues are largely something Kevin Nolan can fix.

I think it’s important we stay grounded and supportive, as Chesterfield won’t be an easy team to beat, but we need to defend much better.

We need to take our time, allowing ourselves to get a proper feel for the game because hoofing the ball is extremely wasteful – as is rushing the passing.

Honestly, we gave our support yesterday and all those who attended were let down massively.

But we must be stronger in our game and try to get the points against the next two teams, I have limited interest in the League Cup – so I hope we use the game to see how we can get more pace up front (Jonathan Forte or Callum Saunders perhaps).

Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

We at Pride of Nottingham want you to enjoy all our content for free. If you fancy helping us provide even better content, however, please consider contributing to PON by clicking here!

We've made a lot of signings this week. Six, to be precise. And now Notts have stepped up their recruitment drive, the question on everyone's lips is, how are we going to line up against Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday?

There may be some difference in opinions in the formation that we use throughout the season, but I'm going to stick with 4-4-2 as we used that nearly all of the time last season when Nolan took over.

Starting in goal. Adam Collin seems like the obvious choice and whilst most of our fans don't like him much, it's hard to see Fitzsimons or Pindroch replacing him just yet.

Matt Tootle has the right-back spot sewn up sweetly. If he avoids the injury problems he had last season he could play every league game. I don't expect Jordon Richards or Nicky Hunt to start much at all this season.

The left-back spot is easy. Dan Jones will easily displace Carl Dickinson. The ex-Stoke man was very error-prone last season, especially when he consistently allowed opposition players into the box unchallenged. It was obvious we needed a new left-back and he needed to have pace, something Jones has and Dickinson doesn't.

Centre-back has plagued us for a few seasons now. The last two especially where we conceded 83 in 15-16 and 76 in 16-17. For me Shaun Brisley has to start. He played in the Peterborough team that reached the League One playoffs a few years ago and we're crying out for stability at centre-half.

Richard Duffy has been a lot better since Kevin Nolan came in. For me he beats Hollis to that first team spot alongside Brisley. Duffy, for me, was better under Nolan in the second the half of last season than Hollis was and is just a better player in my opinion. I would like to see Pierce Bird play a few games this season. He seems like a good prospect and someone who I think definitely has potential.

Onto the wingers and for me it has to be Jorge Grant and Lewis Alessandra. Grant showed last season he is a quality player, especially for this level and has an abundance of creativity. He could very easily hit 10-15 goals for the 2017-18 season. Alessandra has much needed pace which Notts have been begging for, for a few seasons now. I think Nolan can get the best out of the former Hartlepool man.

This pushes Terry Hawkridge to the bench but I still see him playing a key role in creating chances for the Magpies. There is also the option of playing these three together behind a lone striker. I don't see Elliot Hodge featuring regularly unless key players pick up injuries. Sam Osborne has great potential but isn't ready yet and a loan spell out to gain first team football is what he needs.

Moving into the centre of the park, there are several options to choose from. Rob Milsom, Elliott Hewitt, Liam Walker, Curtis Thompson and Ryan Yates. It's obvious we will miss Michael O'Connor. As captain he led by example and played a massive part in Notts climbing the table. He formed a great partnership with Milsom and in my opinion, Milsom should keep his place in the starting eleven. He is good at pressing teams and is a neat and tidy passer and very calm in possession of the ball.

In my opinion, Liam Walker should start alongside him. Walker is more of an attackive minded midfielder and his long shots and set pieces will be a danger to opposition teams. Elliott Hewitt is getting better by the day. He looks at home in the centre of midfield and moving him there from his right back slot could prove a solid decision. Ryan Yates is more of a box to box midfielder and when played, could be very useful in linking defence to attack. I don't see Curtis Thompson playing many games this season and his persistent injury problems haven't helped him at all. Alex Howes is a another player who I see getting loaned out to gain more first team experience. I don't expect a permanent central midfield pairing. I think Milsom, Hewitt, Walker and Yates will all have their turn in the starting XI.

Finally, we move into the final third. Jon Stead and Shola Ameobi signed new contracts in the summer and unless we sign a striker before opening day then it will be them two starting up front. As a strike partnership, they have shown they can be effective but not spectacular.

Ameobi is a very good player for holding the ball up and this can help bring other players into the game such as Grant and Alessandra as well as Stead. Despite being 6'3, Stead likes the ball more to his feet and Nolan is the first manager, since the ex-Huddersfield man joined Notts, to realise he isn't a target man. He has done very well to score 25 goals in the last two seasons but he is 34 and Ameobi is 35 and it's clear we need someone younger up front who can take us further up the table than my current prediction of 10th. For me we still need a striker if we're going to break into the play-off places.

Jonathan Forte can be an asset but breaking into the first team next season will be difficult for him especially if we sign another striker. I prefer him as a striker to a winger but was utilised more as the latter last season but still managed 10 goals. Whilst he only scored 2 in 23 at Crewe, Callum Saunders looks like one for the future. I've heard that his movement is very good but he needs to work on his finishing.

My starting XI for Coventry: Collin, Tootle, Duffy, Brisley, Jones, Grant, Milsom, Walker, Alessandra, Stead, Ameobi

Squad

GK - Adam Collin, Ross Fitzsimons, Branislav Pindroch, Joe Searson-Smithard
RB - Matt Tootle, Jordon Richards, Nicky Hunt
LB - Dan Jones, Carl Dickinson
CB - Shaun Brisley, Richard Duffy, Haydn Hollis, Pierce Bird
W - Jorge Grant (RM), Lewis Alessandra (LM,RM), Terry Hawkridge (RM,LM), Elliot Hodge (RM),
Sam Osborne (RM)
CM - Rob Milsom, Elliott Hewitt, Liam Walker, Curtis Thompson, Ryan Yates, Michael O'Connor (INJ), Alex Howes
ST - Jon Stead, Shola Ameobi, Jonathan Forte, Callum Saunders

Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

We at Pride of Nottingham want you to enjoy all our content for free. If you fancy helping us provide even better content, however, please consider contributing to PON by clicking here!

During the end of June and during all July, Juve focused on strengthening the squad in the transfer market.

Some of our boys have been sold: Romagna, Cerri, Pasquato, Leali, Cassata. After the bad defeat in the Champions League final, Juve's goal was to get to that stage again as soon as possible.

Beppe Marotta, the Juventus CEO, has signed Douglas Costa on loan for €6m from Bayern Munich, goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny as Gianluigi Buffon's deputy for €12m, Mattia De Sciglio as a replacement for Dani Alves, who went to PSG, for another €12m and Federico Bernardeschi for £40m from Fiorentina. Costa chose shirt number 11, Szczesny number 23, Debril number 2 and Bernardeschi number 33.

There was also a resounding sale - Leonardo Bonucci to AC Milan for €40m. After seven years of Juve, the defender has decided for a change, due to his bad relations with the Juve environment.

Juve now wants to further strengthen the team: they are thinking to recruit a defender instead of Bonucci, such as Caldara (already a Juve player, but on loan at Atalanta), Manolas, Garay, to a right-back (Cancelo, Spinazzola) because Chelsea is in press on Alex Sandro and above all a midfielder. N'Zonzi, Verratti, Locatelli: there are so many candidates in the middle of the field.

While the coaches and directors thought of the market, players thought about playing: the Juve summer tour took place this year in America. We lost the first match against Barcelona 2-1 and won the next two matches, against PSG and Roma. Saturday there is a friendly against Tottenham and then Juve against Lazio in the Italian Supercup on August 13th.

On July 26, the Serie A calendar was disrupted: our first game will be at our Allianz Stadium (which is no longer called Juventus Stadium due to a sponsorship) on August 19 against Cagliari. We are looking forward to enjoy the upcoming Juve season, and still waiting for some more good signings.

Thank you to Leo from Daje Juve for this article. Follow them on Instagram by clicking here.

Share your thoughts about this Juventus feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

We at Pride of Nottingham want you to enjoy all our content for free. If you fancy helping us provide even better content, however, please consider contributing to PON by clicking here!

The start of the new EFL season is but a few days away - 72 teams playing 46 fixtures each in the Championship, League One and League Two, plus a load of cup games to boot. It'll be a slog, a marathon, and all sorts of emotions will be flying round the country as some teams hit the jackpot and others hit the mud.

In this piece, Pride of Nottingham gives its predictions on who is expected to impress in League Two, from the automatic promotion candidates to the playoff hopefuls, as well as those who are expected to have a tough time staying in the Football League. And of course, looking at where Notts County will be expected to rank among the 24 teams come may.

Promotion candidates

Luton Town

Luton Town lost in last season’s playoff semi-finals, but should challenge again under the management of Nathan Jones. Alongside Mansfield, the Hatters have one of the highest budgets in the division, and although they lost Cameron McGeehan and Jack Marriott in the summer, they have made a number of impressive signings, including Alan McCormack from Brentford and 22-goal striker James Collins from Crawley Town.

Mansfield Town

The Stags finished last season just four points behind the playoffs, but over the summer, owner John Radford has financially backed manager Steve Evans to the hilt, leading to more than a dozen additions, many of these high-quality, alongside an already talented squad. And with Evans already boasting seven promotions on his CV and determined to make it eight, it is no surprise many are tipping the Stags to go up (but as a Notts fan, I hope they don't!).

Coventry City

Relegation was a bitter pill to swallow for Sky Blues fans last season, but manager Mark Robins gave the club a much-needed boost with an upturn in performance and results. In addition, a number of quality signings have arrived at the Ricoh Arena, including Michael Doyle from Portsmouth, Liam Kelly from Leyton Orient, Mark McNulty from Sheffield United and Peter Vincenti from Rochdale.

Playoff hopefuls

Crewe Alexandra

The Railwaymen have been on a downward trajectory for a number of years now, culminating in a woeful 17th-placed finish in League Two last season, but this time round, Steve Davis is gone and David Artell will be able to stamp his mark on the team. With the impressive Chris Porter up front and a host of other quality players, Crewe could well mount a playoff tilt.

Cambridge United

Former Notts County manager Shaun Derry is building an impressive side at the Abbey Stadium.  The U's had one of the league’s standout performers in goalscoring midfielder Luke Berry last season and have strengthened by recruiting Jabo Ibehre from Carlisle United. They finished four points shy of seventh last season and have strengthened at the back with the goalkeeper David Forde, a big influence at Portsmouth last season.

Swindon Town

Following relegation to League Two, the Robins will be hoping to find more stability this season with the departure of director of football Tim Sherwood that many fans were eager to see. With a proven manager in David Flitcroft at the helm and a good squad which includes Chris Robertson and James Dunne, Swindon will probably fall short of automatic promotion but should be in the hunt for a playoff berth.

Stevenage

Stevenage made huge strides in Darren Sarll’s first full season at the helm and looked like genuine contenders for automatic promotion as they claimed ten wins from 13 matches, but limped over the line with two wins from their final six games. Sarll will want to make amends this time round and, with the additions of Blair Turgott, Danny Newton and Joe Martin, the team is a stronger proposition this time round.

Notts County

Perhaps a little biased given this is a Notts fan site, but I honestly believe the Magpies will be pushing for a playoff position. Although the latest batch of signings may be somewhat underwhelming, let's not forget what preceded it - all the key players from last season renewing their contracts, some shrewd acquisitions which have strengthened most of the outfield areas, and of course the return of Jorge Grant. I'm a little skeptical about the goalkeepers, but I'm hoping Ross Fitzsimons and Branislav Pindroch will surprise me. With stability behind the scenes and a quality manager in Kevin Nolan, it bodes well.

Potential Strugglers

Newport County

Last season, Newport were a dead club walking, only to pull off one of the greatest escapes in modern football. However, the reality is that they have one of the smallest budgets in the division and lost several key players over the summer, including Mark Randall, Ryan Bird and Mitch Rose, to leave them with a playing squad of just 19. They've pretty much been the Sunderland of League Two, and I think they will finally give in this year.

Crawley Town

The Red Devils have a real fight on their hands beating the drop again. New manager Harry Kewell is inexperienced - his first managerial job in senior football, in fact - while highly-rated striker James Collins has moved to Luton, with no adequate replacement having yet been recruited, and their back line let in 71 goals last season, so it's difficult to see them do anything but struggle this year.

Yeovil Town

The Glovers have dropped down two divisions and finishing in the bottom six of the basement for the past two seasons. Last season they won just three out of their last 27 games, and although manager Darren Way has not been shy in the transfer market, few of them are particularly impressive and it is hard to see where goals will come from, while at the back, Alex Lacey's departure will be difficult to replace.

Morecambe

Off the field problems and the loss of Ryan Edwards at the back and Paul Mullin up front will likely make it a hard fight for survival this season for the Shrimps. Their budget remains one of the lowest in the division which means recruitment will not bring in any exceptional players, so once again, it is difficult to see the Globe Arena side offer anything more than a battle to stay in the Football League.

Share your thoughts about this League Two season preview on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

We at Pride of Nottingham want you to enjoy all our content for free. If you fancy helping us provide even better content, however, please consider contributing to PON by clicking here!

So it's been six months since Alan Hardy took over Notts County, and even the most cynical Notts fan out there (I'm up there so I know what I'm talking about) cannot deny that the club is now in a pretty healthy state of affairs.

The four-year period between early 2013 and early 2017, when the club deteriorated to the point it was looking like a possibility that we would be following the Magpies in the conference, or in the ninth tier as a phoenix club, is now pretty much a memory which can thankfully be reminisced - if the will is there, not that anyone would really want to - as "the bad old days".

I mean, we've gone from moaning about consecutive defeats, possible relegation and whether we would have a club to support next season, to moaning that Alan Hardy's social media manner is a little bit unpolished. Talk about luxury!

Seriously though, along the last six months there have been things that I may have somewhat been less than impressed about, but in hindsight it turns out he was right.

So as a recap, let's have a look at the key things Alan Hardy has done and overseen as Notts owner.

- Bought the club and settled the various debts, saving the club from administration and possible liquidation
- Brought in Kevin Nolan, a relatively unproven manager who has been a sensation at Meadow Lane and has the potential of becoming one of the club's great gaffers
- Invested in new training facilities and a new pitch
- Developed a good working partnership with Nottingham Forest, which is handy to have (I'll still insult their fans though and I expect them to do the same to me)
- Established the club as a great place for young academy players to come on loan
- Pulled off some good transfer moves, not least the loan return of Jorge Grant, plus the retaining of the likes of Jon Stead and Shola Ameobi, who could very much still do a job in the Championship / League One, truth be told!
- Made Meadow Lane a fun, enjoyable place to come and visit again

Now, the one notable thing I haven't yet mentioned is the one that I personally had issues with at the beginning, and that was the folding of Notts County Ladies.

Yes, it was a massive shame to see the Lady Pies - the only Notts team to get to Wembley this century - cease to be, and I was even more gutted for the players to all of a sudden be out of work.

But the sad thing about business is that it isn't always rosy, and difficult decisions have to be made from time to time. And the truth is, Notts Ladies were simply unsustainable in their current form and there just wasn't enough interest in them besides a hardcore niche of followers.

It fell to Hardy to have to make such a decision in the interests of the club as a whole, and he's gone on record multiple times to express how heavy-hearted the decision was, and also that several aspects of the decision were made in the best interests of the players - folding before the start of the season to ensure none of them would be cup tied and not allowed to sign for any clubs, for example.

However, Hardy's interest in the women's game remains, and his subsequent setting up of a Notts girls' team for young age groups with a view to developing from the ground up is a definite sign of intent to do it the right way.

So, all in all, I would say Hardy's first six months at the club have been nothing short of a resounding success.

Most of his critics - and you can't blame there being critics, bearing in mind how poorly the club has been run at multiple times in its recent history, hence the skepticism - have been silenced, either via him toning it down on Twitter or through a number of signings which have led to people saying "ok, fair play", or whatever else.

So with the new season just days away, I am as optimistic as I have ever been as a Notts fan, and let's hope that, over the next nine months, the pressure and nerves are at the right end of the table, and off the pitch, it's so calm that we can afford to moan about the queues at the bar or the beer not being cold enough!

Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

We at Pride of Nottingham want you to enjoy all our content for free. If you fancy helping us provide even better content, however, please consider contributing to PON by clicking here!

So we've had a quite interesting transfer saga at Notts County this summer.

No, not that one. The one of Jorge Grant.

After an impressive loan spell at Meadow Lane that year, would he join Notts permanently? Would he pen a new contract at Nottingham Forest? Or would he join another club (permanently or on loan) altogether?

As it turned out, it was the second best option on the plate - a new contract at the City Ground, but a one-year loan at the Lane.

As we look forward to a full season with the dynamic midfielder, Pride of Nottingham has gone over some other players who have impressed on loan at Notts.

Louis Laing (2014)

Tightened the back four up during his first loan spell, he looked solid in the air and unbeatable on the ground. His awareness was on point, and his presence in defence greatly helped the club. His initial one-month emergency loan was extended after he helped Notts keep four clean sheets in seven matches, such was his initial impact.

Where is he now? At Hartlepool United, which he joined this summer from Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Jack Grealish (2013-14)

Jack was one of those players that drifted in and out of games, yet he was always a joy to watch on the ball. He loved to take on players and offered Notts a lot of pace and a direct approach which was unlike what we had. He commonly tried using skills and for this reason some clubs tended to target him heavily, even fouling him repeatedly, but he still managed to come away smiling.

Where is he now? Still with Aston Villa and universally loved by their fans, though his appearances in the first team have been somewhat sporadic of late.

Callum McGregor (2013-14)

Much like Grealish, McGregor was a very direct player who loved to run with the ball. He was much better at being in a free role position rather than a specific position. When he had to fall in line and be more of a team member he arguably didn't shine as much, hence why he started to feature less when we struggled, but reverting back to allowing him to be direct gave us more edge. He was a joy to watch and looked very promising for a player so young.

Where is he now? Still at Celtic, having become a fully fledged member of the first team, and has already got five trophies to his name - three Scottish Premierships, one Scottish League Cup and one Scottish Cup.

Lloyd Sam (2012)

Lloyd had pace to burn and the physical presence which meant we would lose possession all that easily. He chipped in with several important goals and his performances were a joy to watch. I wouldn't class him as overly skilful, yet his ability on the ball was a step above what we had at the time.

Where is he now? In the United States, playing in the MLS with DC United, having joined in 2016 from New York Red Bulls.

Matt Ritchie (2009-10)

Matt was also a drifter, yet always gave 100 percent. He had the ability to take set pieces and generally create something special from them. He was more an holding playmarker, as his distribution was top notch and his abilty to score from long distance was always obvious even when he first came on loan.

Where is he now? Newcastle United, having helped the other Magpies get promoted to the Championship after signing for them in 2016. Prior to that he had done the same with Bournemouth. He is also a 14-times capped Scotland international with three goals to his name.

Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

We at Pride of Nottingham want you to enjoy all our content for free. If you fancy helping us provide even better content, however, please consider contributing to PON by clicking here!

Tonight sees Notts County face city rivals - and cross-river neighbours - Nottingham Forest for a pre-season friendly.

Non-competitive encounters between the two are a relatively regular occurrence, but league or cup clashes have been few and far between in recent years.

So what happened the last five times the two sides met in competitive action? Pride of Nottingham takes a look.

11 January 1992: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Notts County (Division One)

The last top-flight league encounter between the two sides, Notts were eager to make amends for the reverse fixture in August, in which the Reds put four past the Magpies at Meadow Lane.

Kingsley Black opened the scoring for Forest at the City Ground with a 20-yard rocket after just three minutes and Notts were under the cosh for the entirety of the first half, but the Reds' wastefulness was punished when Richard Dryden equalised in the 52nd minute.

Forest had 15 corners, 11 shots on target and 12 off target, but the game would end all square, with Steve Cherry due credit for an imperious goalkeeping display for the Magpies.

15 September 1993: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Notts County (Anglo-Italian Cup)

The Magpies enjoyed a sterling run to the final of the Anglo-Italian Cup, where they took on a Georghe Hagi-inspired Brescia at Wembley, but to qualify for the international stage, they had to get at least a draw in their game against their neighbours.

Gary Lund, who came on as a substitute in the 30th minute for Andy Legg at the City Ground, opened the scoring after just seven minutes on the pitch, and although Stan Collymore equalised for the Reds, the Magpies held out for the necessary draw.

After the game, then-manager Mick Walker said: "I'm told you don't make money from this competition and could end up with broken legs and being spat at - but we'll enjoy finding out!"

30 October 1993: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Notts County (First Division [second tier])

With both sides struggling towards the bottom of the second tier (Forest were 20th before the game; Notts were 18th), it was the Reds who got a much-needed three points when Stan Collymore, who had taken a knock to the head and did not want to come back on, netted the winner in the 74th minute after having been bandaged up.

12 February 1994: Notts County 2-1 Nottingham Forest (First Division [second tier])

The last league encounter between these two, all of 23 years ago now, finished as a Notts win, and it was done so in exhilarating fashion.

Gary McSwegan opened the scoring in the 55th minute after tricking his way past Steve Chettle, cutting inside Colin Cooper and slotting into the bottom corner.

With just six minutes to go, Forest pulled a goal back through David Phillips, but just over a minute later, a twice-taken free kick from Mark Draper fell kindly to Charlie Palmer, who nodded home to claim the win (and a Notts knighthood).

9 August 2011: Nottingham Forest 3-3 Notts County (4-3 on penalties) (League Cup)

After 17 years of no competitive football between the Nottingham neighbours, the League Cup kindly brought the two together in the first round, during a time when there was a chance the game could have not gone ahead due to the widespread looting and rioting taking place across the nation.

Those who went to the City Ground were treated to a thrilling game in which Mike Edwards put the Magpies ahead in the 16th minute but Lewis McGugan equalised on the half-hour mark and Robbie Findley slotted home just before the hour to give Forest the lead.

Craig Westcarr's equaliser in the 76th minute forced extra time, and Lee Hughes seemed to have sealed it for Notts with a 98th-minute strike, only for centre-back Wes Morgan to smash home with virtually the last kick of the game to force penalties.

Jonathan Greening hit the post with Forest's first penalty but Hamza Bencherif missed County's third spot-kick. George Boateng then missed his, leaving Hughes one kick away from derby immortality - unfortunately, he too fluffed his spot kick. Ultimately, Luke Chambers kept his head to put Forest ahead before Bishop's miss put an end to a thrilling contest.

Share your thoughts about this feature on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

We at Pride of Nottingham want you to enjoy all our content for free. If you fancy helping us provide even better content, however, please consider contributing to PON by clicking here!

It's clear that Notts need signings. Even before we played our first two friendlies, against Rolls-Royce and Basford, it was very clear. In terms of transfer activity, our three signings so far puts us 20th in League Two in terms of how many players we've brought in.

At the current moment in time we can only just about fill a matchday squad. Improvements and a bit of squad depth is definitely needed. Every position, apart from left-back, needs either a new signing who is going to come into the starting XI or a new signing which will add depth.

Firstly let's start in goal. Adam Collin showed last season he can be prone to making more than one mistake in a game and many fans have wanted him replaced. Although he has his faults, it's hard to see Kevin Nolan dropping him from the first team. Joe Searson-Smithard is Notts through and through but at the moment I don't think he's ready for the first team, though it would be nice to see him become our No.1 in the near future.

A few goalkeepers have been on trial for the two friendlies as expected in pre season with Connor Brennan, Joe Cracknell and Ross Fitzsimons joining the team. Any of these three would be nice just as back-up.

Right-back was a bit of the problem until the other day when me and my brother realised Jordan Richards could be back-up to Matt Tootle. In my opinion, we should have kept Luther Wildin as back-up, so we didn't have to spend in that area. As we know Tootle picked up a few injuries last season but under the management of Kevin Nolan he has been solid. But if injuries start piling up, we need someone to fill the spot.

Well well well. The wonderful world of centre-backs. Everyone has split opinions on Richard Duffy and Haydn Hollis. If you watched my vlogs last season, you'll know I was very critical of Duffy during the awful run between November and early January. But under Nolan, he was transformed and had a solid partnership with Hollis and on occasions, Thierry Audel to see us comfortably to safety. Hollis has divided opinion ever since the Great Escape in 2014. Well, here he is, still with us after signing another new contract. This year he has to prove his future lies here. We have the manager, the owner, the facitlies and now is his time to prove the haters wrong and prove that he belongs in the Notts first team.

But sadly we're not all rosy in this part of the pitch. In my opinion a Duffy-Hollis partnership will not take us up. And at the minute they are our only two centrebacks at the club. Mike Edwards is back-up. He's our fitness coach. Edwards cannot be playing again next season if we want to win promotion. He's a nice guy but he shouldn't have to be called upon on the pitch. So one or two required in this area. Pierce Bird from Dunkirk (who I think we should sign) has been on trial and youth team player Peter Dearle has played in friendlies. At the start of the window, Notts approached Lincoln City captain Luke Waterfall but he rejected our terms and offered to sign a contract extension at Sincil Bank. A move for a defender recently collapsed so we are back to square one.

I would like to sign ex-Wycombe defender Aaron Pierre but after recently having a trial at Bristol City but not being offered a contract it's probable that he might end up in League One. Kevin Toner on loan from Aston Villa wouldn't be a bad transfer as he spent time on loan at a Bradford City side that reached the play-off final last season. James Wilson didn't start regurlarly for Sheffield United last season so he could be worth a look as well. This would make sense as the Blades recently bought Richard Stearman in from Wolves. Another centre-back I'd like is Dominic Ball from Rotherham whether on loan or permanent. He is also a player I said we should have got on loan in January. Tom Anderson on loan from Burnley would be another decent signing as he has had previous experience of lower league after two loan spells at Chesterfield and one at Carlisle.

Moving onto the wing and yes, whilst we have signed Lewis Alessandra and Terry Hawkridge, we are still a little short. And if injuries happen we need players to replace them. I would like to see Sam Osborne get more games this season but whether he's ready or not remains to be seen. Milan Lalkovic on loan from Portsmouth would not be a bad shout as he hasn't played regularly for last season's League Two champions. He scored 7 goals from the wing in a Walsall team that reached the play offs in League One in 2016. That was enough for Pompey to pay compensation for his services last summer. A winger from the Premier League or Championship on loan wouldn't go amiss, and as shown previously they can be a big threat at League Two level. Luke Gambin or Lawson D'Ath from Luton would be good signings for this level as well. Both signed in January and so far D'Ath has struggled to break into the Hatters first team.

Moving swiftly into centre midfield and the saga that Notts have only just seen the back of. Notts made four bids for Liam Noble and none were successful. The saga has consumed the Magpies' transfer window up until now and no matter how much Notts tried, Forest Green weren't going to budge. At the start, it was clear £100k was going to be enough, but only a few weeks and four bids later, FGR manager Mark Cooper told BBC Radio Gloucester that the former Notts midfielder was not for sale. Since we wanted him, I said I didn't want him back because of his previous disciplinary record, he's not worth £100k and there are better out there.

One player who is better and one that we should of got was Louis Reed, on loan from Sheffield United but recently signed for Chesterfield. Jermaine Anderson of Peterborough is another player I would aim for on loan but has injury problems in the last year or two. I would like to sign Connor Dimaio but I can't see him leaving Chesterfield. Other players we could look at in this area are Ryan Yates (Forest), Jordon Houghton (Doncaster), Giorgio Rasulo (MK Dons) and Ben Whitfield (Bournemouth).

Strikers are needed. I've constantly said on Twitter that strikers are a must. Stead and Ameobi are 34 and 35 respectively and whilst Stead scored 14 last season we need someone else and someone with pace. Notts had were linked with Matt Godden but that soon fizzled out. Football League World have said that we should get Toni Martinez on loan from West Ham. The Spaniard has already had one loan spell previously and that was at Oxford United last season. With a few West Ham fans wanting him to be given a chance, this would a fantastic signing for League Two level. Another Premier League player we should be interested in taking on loan is Callum Roberts from Newcastle. He has done really well in the youth team at Newcastle and had a short spell in the England Under 20 team.

Moving away from loanees and into permanent transfers. Oliver Hawkins is a player we really need to look at, he scored 18 goals in the National League last season for Dagenham and Redbridge. Portsmouth have already declared their interest but do not want to pay the money. Dagenham have said they want £250k for Hawkins but this price seems a bit much. Another striker who scored 18 in the National League last season is Danny Johnson from Gateshead. A delve into non-league for strikers would not be a bad decision at all.

Thank you to ARLukomski for the article. Please check out his YouTube channel by clicking here.

Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

We at Pride of Nottingham want you to enjoy all our content for free. If you fancy helping us provide even better content, however, please consider contributing to PON by clicking here!

With each passing day, we edge ever closer to the first fixture of the 2017/18 season - less than three weeks to go now, in fact.

Things are hotting up in pre-season too. Notts County have got the two "straightforward" friendlies out of the way, the ones effectively to get the players up to scratch physically and mentally, and now come the ones which are a little more "showpiece".

Starting on Wednesday with Nottingham Forest visiting Meadow Lane, which will also be the first time in the 2017/18 programme that the Black and White Army will be taking their seats at home.

Now, this time four years ago, we were hosting a Galatasaray side which featured two superstars of the world game - Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba. So it's a considerable step down, but hey, we will make do.

All jokes aside, it's always a lively occasion when Forest and Notts meet, even in pre-season. And this year, there will be loads of the Red Dogs in the ML stands, given the club's been taking up more and more of their ticket allocation and have now claimed all 6,359.

As good as it is to see people really getting behind a game, I can't help but laugh at how Forest fans have been going on about how the rivalry between them and Notts is all one-sided, that they really couldn't care less about Notts - yet their demand for tickets to the game has been sky-high, and there may well be plenty more "unaccounted for" Forest fans in the home stands.

So which is it? A nervous desire to see Forest hopefully hammer Notts, two leagues below them, to feel they have reasserted their quality following a humiliating season last time out? A way to alleviate the football fix they've been craving since the end of the season at a stadium next door to their own? Or am I being too harsh and really it's just about people coming together to celebrate Nottingham football?

Whatever the reason, it'll be good to be back at the Lane and see a rejuvenated Notts side come up against a Forest side also going through a transition period. With Kevin Nolan able to assert his programme throughout the whole pre-season, and the small games out of the way, this will be a challenge, taking on a team two divisions above (just about).

I can imagine Nolan being very much an active, shouty kind of manager, really getting into his players' faces, barking orders at them and demanding perfection, and also motivating his players Martin Allen style, so the Notts players should be really up for this one and will not want to let the home fans down. Given how angry Nolan was to see Notts lose in the final game of last season - which was a dead rubber - it bodes well for players giving their all, especially in high-profile friendlies like on Wednesday.

So it should be a cracking occasion where both teams will really test their opponent, as well as the crucial matter of bragging rights - stakes will not be high in a sense of outcome, but Notts will have made the stakes high in his players' heads. And Red Dogs - don't expect to outsing us, don't expect to outplay us, and good luck outscoring us. We might be a tougher proposition than you think!

Share your thoughts about this news story on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

We at Pride of Nottingham want you to enjoy all our content for free. If you fancy helping us provide even better content, however, please consider contributing to PON by clicking here!

There is a growing trend in English football which I feel highlights the flaws in youth progression.

Many teams, from Premier League all the way down to League Two, tend to release promising young professionals only to re-sign them a few years later.

It feels like the transition into first-team football is majorly flawed - perhaps due to too much pressure to produce good talent?

We have seen this from the insane record-breaking transfer of Paul Pogba back to Manchester United, along with the free signing at Notts County of local player Terry Hawkridge.

A few weeks ago Michael Keane was also linked with a move back to Man United for another incredible fee, although has since signed with Everton.

And despite not being a youth, we have seen this pattern emerge with released players such as the recent saga between Notts and Forest Green Rovers for the services of Liam Noble.

Back in 2009/10 when Notts restored its own development of youth players, a batch of professionals was produced who all looked fairly able to make the set up into the professional game, with the likes of Haydn Hollis, Curtis Thompson, Kyle Dixon and Liam Mitchell among others.

Yet only Haydn Hollis and Curtis Thompson remain at the club, with other young players like Brad McGowan, Nathan Fox, Jordan Richards and even Montel Gibson all being released after failing to stake their claim for first-team football.

So why are we failing to produce natural talent?

I think clubs like Notts pile pressure onto young players who are simply not ready mentally for the dizzy heights of the professional game, with a lack of support and further development most likely attributing to the failure of these prospects.

It argues the case that clubs like ours really need to help with the mental side, but not just this - having youngsters on the bench is a waste and I strongly feel that they should be sent out on loan where other teams can help establish them further with proper game time.

Usually it's quite natural to see a player re-sign for his former club, yet in most cases these are seasoned professionals, players who know what to expect and still have links with the club.

I would agree that Hawkridge and Elliot Hodge are prime examples that good players can make the right progression and become useful first team members if they’re only looked after more wisely.

Luther Wildin and Jack McMillan are youngsters I was disappointed to see released, as they seemed very capable of making the step up and after the retained list was announced I felt exactly the same about Yohan Rutty-Smith.

Whilst academies are getting smarter with their setup across the Football League, more support needs to be given in the lower leagues to enable teams to produce better players.

I realise some fans will argue that naturally the players I mentioned are simply not good enough, yet when we fail to produce players who can make more than a few appearances, it does show that there is a lot more to be done.

Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

We at Pride of Nottingham want you to enjoy all our content for free. If you fancy helping us provide even better content, however, please consider contributing to PON by clicking here!

After putting two very disappointing League Two campaigns behind us, Pride of Nottingham delves into why we feel the 2017-2018 season will finally see Notts County move forward and secure the stability which will allow the club to be a strong contender for promotion in future seasons.

1) Revamping training facilities and securing a new location

The agreement to use Basford United’s facilities is a major coup for the club, the training pitches are some of the best I have seen in the lower leagues – much better than Arnold Town’s and central to Nottingham which ensures fairly straightforward travel for the players. Meanwhile, the recent overhaul of the Family Stand by Alan Hardy highlights the club's desire to move forward and to attract players in alternative ways.

2) The re-capture of Jon Stead and Shola Ameobi

Whilst the majority of fans are all inclined to agree that we won’t see the duo partner up in many games back-to-back, we will however be able to rotate and with the potential of throwing Jonathan Forte into the mix – it provides the Magpies’ two very hard working strikers, something the club simply hasn’t had in recent years. They may be ‘experienced’ and what some refer as ‘the wrong side of 30’ – yet we know what we will get from them.

3) Signing players on a transfer fee

Acquiring players on a free, even building a complete team around them, can be quite rewarding. In the lower two divisions it’s actually much harder and I have mentioned for a number of years how much beneficial it is to sign a player for a fee. I don’t mean just one and of course they must be the right players. Yet assembling a mixed squad will allow us to establish the right tools to be successful on the pitch.

4) Academy focus and emphasis on producing good talent

Although nothing new to Notts County, the previous emphasis sort of rushed youngsters to making the step up and often seen players like Tyrell Waite, Fabian Spiess and Montel Gibson lost within the first team shuffle. With a new focus on mentoring and offering support, this will allow the club to help the youngster transition properly into first team football – whilst the changes discussed by Academy manager Jon Goodman highlights the renewed desire to produce talent which is ready to make the jump before it happens or is called upon.

5) Local derbies

The likes of Chesterfield, Mansfield Town and Lincoln City give an extra edge to the upcoming season, we haven’t done well in recent years in these games but I strongly feel that the 2017/2018 season will see these games give us an extra aspect to push ourselves forward. League Two will see quite a few more reasonable games which will lift match days both home and away.

6) Forging stronger networking opportunities (even with our neighbours)

We have to show an openness towards working with any club fortunate enough to be in a better position than ourselves. Notts have had a very good report with dealing with other clubs prospects and ensuring a safe transition for them into first team football. Tom Ince, Alan Judge, Jack Grealish and Callum McGregor are a few of the talents we have given an opportunity to. So on the back of Jorge Grant and others, it’s vastly important that we keep an open door to all the clubs in the Premier League and Championship – in order to network better and to acquire the right players on loan (not just those the clubs open to loaning out).

7) Open communication from the board and chairman

Naturally there will be aspects from open communication, especially on a social network such as Twitter which will leave desirable questions and see responses which, let’s face it, might not be accepted. Yet Alan Hardy has stressed his openness to engaging with supporters, whilst he shares many positives tweets from his day-to-day running of Notts County. We have seen the stonewall silence treatment, lack of news and an unhealthy relationship towards local media – so let’s be grateful to see the club return to caring about its fans and promoting the club in a healthy way. It may result in bigger rewards in the long term!

8) Kevin Nolan – A young hungry manager who seeks success not just for himself

We have had the label ‘young and hungry’ describe managers such as Jamie Fullarton and even Shaun Derry. But there’s something quite obvious from the way Kevin Nolan conducts himself, he is a person I have no doubt attracts the right type of respect. As a player on the pitch he strived for better and oozed professionalism well beyond expectations, and adding his success on the field, these are all transferable qualities into management and for once I feel we have the right balance at the helm of Notts to see success.

9) Ensuring the good atmosphere in the stands continues and never letting it degenerate to 2014-16 levels

A lack of communication by any business is an obvious wrong way about going about things, whilst Alan Hardy might have made some unpopular decisions and gone against the majority of fans opinions at times – there is no doubt that the decisions weigh on his belief for the best of the club. Whilst ensuring a better match day experience, among other things that will no doubt make the stands a better place for us fans.

10) Players that want to play and work hard for the club

They say you often get what you pay for in football, as a club Notts have had some very good professionals from Alan Judge, Neal Bishop to Bartosz Bialkowski. Yet in the most recent seasons, we have seen players who haven’t quite shown the passion we expect to see as fans and one thing Kevin Nolan aims to address is ensuring players at the club want to be here. I feel this will be one of the bare minimum expectations from the club as we move forward.

Share your thoughts about this feature on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

When it comes to club football, and particularly in the lower leagues with each team's 50+ games per season, fans have a constant, near-dizzying supply of football to keep them busy for most of the year.

And then, for about six weeks, nothing. No more games and very little news in drips and drabs, like the retained list coming out, new players coming in and ones already on the books penning new deals or saying "ciao adios I'm done".

But now we're heading towards the end of June, the crucial things that will provide infrastructure for the following season begin to take shape. First we had the fixture list coming out (difficult start, so best hit the ground running), and now, the new kits are out.

Now I quite liked the 2016/17 kits. The home shirt was classic Notts, with neat stripes just the right size, and I thought the away kit was a nice, strong, bold colour (hot pink, not red!).

But I was really excited about the new kits. After all, Puma is a "proper" brand with a history of gorgeous kits, and with the Newcastle United kit revealed in May, which I found sleek and neat, I was banking on something similar.

Fast forward to 27 June, and there I was looking forward to Wednesday morning, only to find out the kits would be revealed in the evening! I couldn't wait.

And then, the kits came out.

The initial surprise of seeing the kits then gave way to a feeling of "erm, well yeah, they're alright... I guess...", much like receiving a lousy Christmas present and having to pretend it's good because, hey, it's the thought that counts - or in this case, it's the brand new Notts kit, and it's Puma!

But now I've had a bit of time to process it, I've made my mind up - on the whole, factoring in the sum of their parts, they're crap.

Sure, they might eventually grow on me - and I've changed my opinion on many things in the past over time (there was a time I disliked Oasis... I was young and stupid). And if Notts end up winning promotion in one of those kits, then they'll become vintage.

But at this moment in time, I can safely say that, out of all the tops, there is one I like, one I don't like much, and the rest I don't like at all.

Let's start with the home shirt. Now, there isn't much you can do with vertical black and white stripes, that much is true. And there have been some designs over the years that have been nothing short of atrocious.

In 2011/12 the designers began marking out the black stripes but then there must have been a fire drill or something and forgot to colour them in, and in 2013-14 they must have watched that Big Bang Theory episode where Sheldon goes to a fancy dress party dressed as the Doppler Effect and thought it would be a good idea to replicate it.

So yeah, in terms of badness, 2017/18 is nowhere on that level, but still, simplicity is key, and the shirts from the last two seasons had 11 and 7 stripes on the front (not including sleeves) of equal size, so they looked neat and pleasant.

The current model has one chunky white stripe down the middle and flanked by two chunky black stripes, the three of which take up most of the room on the front. It's like it doesn't know if it wants to be stripes, or something closer to "blocks" (think Ajax shirt).

And then there's the fact that it somewhat resembles the 2014/15 shirt due to the big stripes - the one from the season when we got relegated from League One. So doesn't exactly conjure up great memories.

But then we move on to the away shirt. And this is the second time in three seasons (third in seven, in fact) that a blue Notts top which could have looked very nice has instead been ruined with a ridiculous pattern.

In 2011/12, Notts were invited to play Juventus at their new stadium - and that godawful blue two-tone number they wore will forever adorn the memory until the end of time. And in 2015/16, the third kit just looked like a bus seat cover.

This year, the away kit makes use of azure and sapphire blue, which are nice shades in their own right, but then decides to combine them in some ghastly triangular pattern that resembles the old "bruised banana" Arsenal kit of the 1990s.

Now we move to the third kit, which is a dirty "neon" yellow. If you're going to use a colour which is supposed to be bright and fluorescent, toning it down to a pastelly hue just doesn't look right. Kind of like an old highlighter which has pen smudged on it, so when you look at it, there's a sort of gray tinge there.

So that's just the shade of yellow, but in reality, the whole thing just looks totally insipid and uninspiring - you know when you go into Sports Direct and they have those bland kits which you can bulk buy for your five-a-side team? To me, the Notts third kit is basically that.

Next, the goalkeeper kits. Normally designers have a field day when it comes to these, adorning them will all sorts of weird and wonderful colours and patterns. Not these ones.

The first one, completely black, but with a random stripe of blue, pink and yellow on the sleeves, which just looks like someone left a couple of fabric strips on the prototype by mistake and someone came along and thought "oh, this must be it" and had it produced. And then a bright pink Puma logo, another spit of vivid colour in a failed bid to brighten up a bland top.

And then, the other two kits - a supposedly fluorescent yellow which is even duller than the third kit, to the point it just looks like snot, plus black stripes in another attempt to liven it up, and a mint green one which isn't really that much different to the mucussy yellow one.

Which leaves the training kit - and you know what? This is probably the best one of the lot. Frankly, this is what the away kit should have been - a nice shade of blue which isn't ruined by some overkill pattern, with a black panel at the top which has a diagonal blue stripe running to the neck. This one looks lovely - and you know what? It's the only kit in which the players are properly smiling!

So there you have it. That was my review of this season's kits. A little harsh, perhaps, but I'm just one guy with a humble opinion. Chances are by the end of the year I'll have bought one of each and will wear them on rotation, but for now, I'm not impressed.

Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

All the Notts County players that were offered contracts have re-signed, which speaks volumes for the atmosphere that people like Alan Hardy and Kevin Nolan have created around the club.

Some people may dismiss players such as Curtis Thompson and Haydn Hollis signing the contracts offered to them, but as Adam Campbell signing for Morecambe has shown, players that were on the fringe of our squad are capable of signing for our League Two rivals.

The tying down of Jon Stead and Shola Ameobi perfectly demonstrates the attraction of Notts as a club, of the atmosphere and aspirations that the aforementioned people have demonstrated.

Stead had numerous offers, by his own admission, from throughout the world including the United States. Some may snort at the American leagues, but the offer of a ‘last payday’ as so many modern footballers find all too alluring (see the Chinese Super League) is quite real.

The fact that a combination of the competitiveness of the Football League, the feel-good factor created by Nolan and the aspirations of Hardy has convinced Stead to sign a new contract with the club is outstanding.

He is not alone. Ameobi - who without a doubt has received interest from other clubs in and around (or even above) us following some fine performances in a Notts shirt - has also re-signed. No doubt ex-colleague Nolan had an influence, but I don’t think it was the only pull factor.

I also echo some fans’ opinions that a young, pacy striker to learn from Shola and Stead would fit perfectly, but let us not underestimate the threat these two veterans pose to opposition defences. We saw it last season, we will see it again next season.

We all want to see new signings, we all have an F5 button that is showing the signs of a bit of wear and tear. We have already signed two wingers, who may not receive the ‘trial by Wikipedia’ nod of approval, but we have to trust Nolan’s judgement, January 2017 didn’t prove so bad.

There has been many a season where Notts have offered contracts to existing squad players who have chosen to move, for one reason or another. We should be confident that the players who we have offered contracts have all signed, they all want to be here, and the reasons why they want to be here should be reassuring for all Notts fans.

Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

Transfer sagas are usually the domain of clubs in the upper echelons of the football pyramid. Virtually all the players currently in the middle of the annual soap opera currently play for one top team and are rumoured to desire a move to another top team.

Will David de Gea move to Real Madrid? Will Diego Costa return to Atletico Madrid? And so on and so on. It's basically the sort of cliche love triangle storyline you get in your typical soap opera / reality TV show, but adapted to the beautiful game.

But a similar "love triangle" is now taking place in the slightly less glamorous surroundings of League Two, and the three parties involved are Liam Noble, current squeeze Forest Green Rovers, and the ex, Notts County.

So the soap opera storyline is as follows: Noble was a bit of a bad boy back in the day, let Notts down on multiple occasions due to his disciplinary record, and so he was turfed out, clothes metaphorically chucked out the window and all that.

Noble then winds up at Forest Green, where former Magpies manager Mark Cooper - who had previously said the midfielder would not be allowed anywhere near Meadow Lane following one red card incident - was now at the helm.

And lo and behold, Noble gets his act together, weighs in with a modest seven goals and a gargantuan 21 assists, winds up becoming captain, and helps get FGR promoted. Oh, and his prior Achilles heel was no longer a problem - just eight yellow cards all season.

Now, you'd think a player whose career has been revived thanks to this club, and in turn has helped said club get into the Football League, would be buzzing from a personal and also a team perspective, and would be raring to go in League Two next season, maybe even show the ex what it's missing when it comes to the relevant matchdays.

But here comes the twist: Notts have tried to get Noble back, and Noble is reportedly eager to return to Meadow Lane - and FGR are having none of it, with Cooper publicly admitting the club had turned the initial bids for him down.

And of course, all this is being played out in front of the public. The Notts fanbase is still split over the prospect of Noble returning.

The Remain (at FGR) camp says ex-players should never return to pastures old, or haven't forgiven his previous indiscretions on the pitch, maybe even worrying whether he might return to the red card habits of old, while the Leave camp thinks his spell at FGR has changed him and he would be a much improved player this time round.

So what's PON's opinion on this? Well, Noble's had a barnstorming season, his goal tally is decent enough and his assist tally is amazing, and it looks like he's managed to get his act together on the disciplinary level.

But the point that sticks is the reported transfer fee - £100,000. Which in League Two / non-league, is frankly too high.

For that amount of money, you would expect a player to be unanimously accepted by the fanbase as a player that, in terms of how proven and reliable he will be, is as close to "guaranteed" as you can get.

And let's face it, even though he's had a great season, fans cannot be blamed for having doubts over his temperament and whether he would be the same player under Kevin Nolan as he was under Cooper, as well as the fact that League Two is markedly more difficult than the National League, and faced with tougher opposition, frustration may set in again - and we all know how that turned out.

So it's a gamble, a big big gamble, and at £100k, a risky one too. Surely for that amount of money we can get one or even two quality players who come with no prior baggage at Meadow Lane?

Just our opinion here, but whether this saga rumbles on well into August (or a future transfer window) or it comes to a tangible conclusion either in the form of a contract extension at FGR or the player standing in front of the cameras at the Lane holding a shirt with his name on the back and talking about how he's got unfinished business and wants to prove himself with this second chance bla bla bla... it's one that will continue to keep the Notts faithful talking.

Share your thoughts on this feature article by signing up for free to the Pride of Nottingham forum and joining in the conversation.

With Jon Stead and Shola Ameobi both signing the contract extensions offered to them by Notts County, it dismisses my concerns over who can lead the Magpies front line during the 2017-18 season.

The majority of fans I know were quietly confident about both of them signing, but I had my doubts and I thought it would be just one of the two staying put.

Yet it is fantastic news that Kevin Nolan has successfully managed to retain them both, they showed us last season what a hard-working duo could do up front.

Even when they didn’t play together, they allowed a poor Magpie squad to bounce back and shine after the 10-game losing run in League Two.

Both players have a wealth of experience, each has something vastly different in their locker and I feel that they can be the key to passing the torch on and for this historic club to find their own natural goalscorer.

We all know it’s very unlikely that they will have the engines to play game after game from August to May - we have to accept that we will need someone else to step in for one or even both from time to time.

This isn’t a negative for me, I firmly feel it presents a perfect opportunity for Notts to recruit a young upcoming striker who can thrive as an understudy to the pair.

Stead has recently expressed his concern with the Notts squad, sending out a message that most fans will only know too well.

He said in relation to requiring a couple of 15-20+ goalscorers, "we are going to need a couple of them. I know the manager is working to get players in and I still think we are a little bit light. I think we need three or four more players in then we can have a right go."

There’s no denying we need more strength in depth in certain departments, yet a concern for me is injury up top and a lack of a pacey, speedy threat.

Aaron Collins would be the perfect example of someone young who fit the mould, he arrived with few expectations from my own opinion but quickly highlighted to me why he fitted the bill.

I feel Nolan should identify a young striker of that calibre who can fill the void and take the strain off Stead and Ameobi.

I’m not expecting fireworks from the off, yet it would be a great blessing to know we have depth throughout the squad and I feel the pair offer a lot of attraction to other potential signings – if we were able to get some creativity on the flanks and centre of midfield, for example.

Providing we strengthen the defence properly and allow the attacking players to do their thing, then I don’t see why a young striker couldn’t thrive at Meadow Lane.

I realise that we require a squad of about 22-25 players, but having the quality and depth in the squad will be paramount to Notts having a successful go this upcoming campaign.

Honestly, Notts should be far more hardworking – the question right now is all down to where the creativity will come from?

Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

So it's set in stone - Jorge Grant had signed a new three-year deal at Nottingham Forest.

Naturally I was pretty gutted - for weeks I had been hoping that maybe, just maybe, the Reds would have thought "nah, we don't really need him - let's just let him go". And then Grant would have opted to remain in Nottingham and signed for Notts County, and we could have celebrated a pretty spectacular coup from Alan Hardy and Kevin Nolan.

But let's be realistic for a moment. Why would Forest decide to just let a 22-year-old academy product, that is already on their books, and has shown vast improvement in just a few months on loan in a team in a challenging division, which at the time of joining was fighting for its Football League future, and contributed to their eventual survival, and over the next few seasons could go on to become Premier League quality - why would they let him walk away for nothing?

As own goals go, that wouldn't even be Chris Brass or Jamie Pollock level - it would be full-on Theresa May (although I'm sure Forest would at least get the timing of the Mexican wave right).

In terms of Grant's own future, he's come through the ranks at the City Ground, so it's pretty natural for him to want to cement a first-team place at the team which has nurtured him throughout the years, plus with them still being in the Championship and, crucially, under new ownership, there is that renewed hope (for them lot anyway) that Forest might go on an upward trajectory.

So yeah, it's a massive shame that the outcome hasn't quite gone the way I - and all other Notts fans - would have wanted. But we've got to look at the positives. In terms of Grant's services, he *could* yet be dispatched on loan again next season at Meadow Lane, so there is always that hope, no matter how slender.

And even if he doesn't, I will take solace in something that Hardy said a while back which, though somewhat controversial, makes perfect logical business sense - the strengthening of relations between Forest and Notts.

Yes, I would rather put deep heat on my unmentionables than be seen in a Forest top, and yes, I will carry on singing about it always being a faeces-related expletive on the red side of the Trent, and when chanting about Nottingham being full of fun, the third item on the list (won't mention the first two, family site and all that) will always be County instead of that other team.

But in terms of the relationship between the two clubs at community and at boardroom level, it helps to have the two teams on good terms. And the Grant loan not only gave Notts impetus to go on to survive in the Football League, but it also allowed the player himself to flourish and, with a new season on the horizon, Forest have themselves a much-improved player that could potentially spearhead a turnaround in their recent fortunes.

And as for Grant himself, he never even had to leave the city, which saved him having to leave his family and friends behind, faff around trying to find new accomodation, get used to a new part of the country and so on and so on.

And that kind of thing does not go unnoticed, so there's every chance that other loan dealings can be sorted out to the benefit of all three parties (Notts, Forest, and player), which can only be a good thing.

So as much at it sucks having that sliver of hope regarding Grant potentially becoming a permanent Notts player taken away, I'm looking at the bigger picture and it's very much reassuring - in the short and long term, it's proven a success story for all three parties.

Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

Jorge Grant's long-term future has now been decided, and the 22-year-old has decided to stay put at Nottingham Forest. There goes the slender hope we had of potentially signing our undisputed loan star last season.

In hindsight, it was a no-brainer for Forest to offer him a contract and, with the club in the Championship and under new ownership, Grant cannot be faulted for staying put - not to mention it's the club where he came through the ranks, so he'll of course be wanting to win himself a first-team place there.

But there's no point crying over spilt milk. Kevin Nolan will surely have been aware that the likelihood of Grant being released by Forest, and indeed of Grant opting to leave them once a new contract offer was on the table, was slender.

There is no doubt that Nolan will be scouting the loan market this off season with an eye on bringing more Premier League or Championship youngsters to Meadow Lane. Indeed, I feel the loan market is where Notts can bring in the quality needed to give the team an extra edge in League Two, an incredibly competitive and even competition where anyone can beat anyone else.

Grant's success in the black and white stripes turned out to be a success for all three parties involved - Notts stayed up thanks to Grant's play and goals, the player himself developed massively in a short space of time and ended up bagging himself a new deal at his parent club, and Forest now have an asset which will benefit their own squad.

Given how Notts will likely have gone up highly in Forest's estimations with regards to developing their players, it wouldn't be unrealistic to suggest Nolan is likely to be given first dibs for any other Reds youngsters who need first-team action.

And this isn't just between Forest and Notts. The other loanees who joined in the second half of the season also left Meadow Lane wiser and more experienced than when they came in, with Arsenal's Marc Bola singing County's praises following his stint in Nottingham.

And of course who can forget the impact made by two other young loanees a few seasons back - Callum McGregor and Jack Grealish? The former is now a treble winner at Celtic, the latter has since carved out a first-team place at Aston Villa.

Put simply, as of summer 2017 Notts have a stellar reputation when it comes to nurturing young loanees, and when you add Nolan's clout and his little book of contacts to the concoction, it means we may well see plenty more talented young loanees wearing the black and white stripes in months, maybe even years, to come.

Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

May was a month full of joy and satisfaction for Juventus.

Starting with the victory against AS Monaco in the Champions League semi-finals, Juve then beat Lazio in the Coppa Italia final, thanks to goals from Leonardo Bonucci and Dani Alves.

At the Juventus Stadium, which will be named the "Allianz Stadium" from July due to a sponsorship deal, we celebrated the sixth consecutive league, the thirty-fifth of Juventus' history. After these victories we had a dream to crown: the Treble.

And so we came to the Champions League final, played on Saturday 3 June against Real Madrid, but it ended in the worst of the ways.

After a good first half from Juve, with Cristiano Ronaldo's opener cancelled out by a wonderful Mario Mandzukic goal, the second half was one-way traffic as Real put three more past the Bianconeri for a 4-1 defeat.

We must thank our team who fought til the end and made it a legendary season.

Other good news came in the form of Mandzukic renewing his contract until 2020 and also head coach Massimiliano Allegri also committing to the club for three more years,

Alves, however, has reportedly given Juve an ultimatum in wanting a new deal until 2019, so this will need to be monitored.

With the Italian national team Claudio Marchisio has suffered another injury, which does not seem to be serious, but will be checked.

Now the transfer season begins and Juve will have to be careful to not lose their most valuable players such as Leonardo Bonucci, Paulo Dybala and Alex Sandro, who many teams want.

Meanwhile, we have already found an agreement with Sampdoria for Patrick Schick, a young, strong striker, for £25m.

As second goalkeeper for next year, Juve is said to be interested in Arsenal's Wojciech Szczesny, who was on loan at Roma, to whom we have already offered £4m a year.

Perhaps next season will be Gianluigi Buffon's last and next year he will try to win what he didn't win this year. For next season we must to have a competitive team to get back stronger than before!

Thank you to Leo from Daje Juve for this article. Follow them on Instagram by clicking here.

Share your thoughts about this Juventus feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

The recent League Two playoff games between Exeter City and Carlisle United, and Luton Town and Blackpool, have highlighted the narrow gap for error within this division.

Exciting as they may be to watch, the playoffs aren’t easy, nor are they straightforward as people may think.

Promotion at the end of the day can reap rewards for any club that is successful enough to clinch it - the evolution and step forward can ultimately turn around a club's fortunes too.

League Two teams on their day can beat anyone, just look how Hartlepool United managed to claim a victory over the champions on the final day, so success on the field involves hard work and a lot of perseverance.

Whilst some fans will argue that the standard of football is dire, it’s improved a lot over the years and is certainly difficult.

I feel any lower tier division usually is this way, as the National League is about the hardest of them all – yet League Two is no easy street.

Clubs have to earn their promotion and if Notts hadn’t lost all those games in a row, we may have been able to turn things around.

When we were in the drop zone, I never felt we would push out and be on the verge of mathematically pushing up the higher end of the division. This alone shows you how quickly things can change in League Two.

The league won’t be any easier next season, we will welcome the return of Lincoln City – who I feel will have a culture shock after how a portion of their fans have reacted in the past few days (well done for your promotion lads, but focus - you’re not champions of League Two yet). Yet they will give the majority of teams a good game on their day.

Forest Green Rovers are rather unknown but I expect them to invest and to be more successful than most of the smaller League Two teams – i.e the sides like Newport County, Morecambe and Cheltenham Town.

Other clubs falling down the pyramid will add further depth to the competition already found, with Port Vale being no push over. Swindon Town and Chesterfield are also sides that should be able to put aside the woes of relegation in order to focus on a new campaign.

I am aware from various comments that Chesterfield are in some financial difficulty, yet I fully expect them to be pushing for the top half of the table.

Coventry City may go on to replicate what we did in 1998 or lead the division like Doncaster Rovers did this campaign – I wouldn’t expect them to slip up at all.

There will be more than 10 teams who are all capable of pushing for the top positions, so League Two won’t exactly be there for the taking for any club – let alone us.

Whilst we may be able to watchfully cast an eye on the playoffs in terms of realistic expectations, all of this will depend on the type of signings we make and how Kevin Nolan can further gel his squad together.

I would love Notts to push for automatic promotion, yet I would say that stability usually takes a few seasons and at this early stage it’s looking like we will be just another decent League Two team.

A handful of exciting signings could easily change this, whilst a ‘real’ togetherness on the pitch and impact from us fans in the stands in terms of support may encourage a hard-working Notts County to exceed expectations.

I noticed a friend's comment recently on Facebook which got me thinking. Byron Webster, the Millwall defender, had been quoted as saying: “Going up this way is the best way to it” – referring to his side's League One playoff final win over Bradford City at Wembley.

There’s no denying that a trip to Wembley can't be an historic and grand occasion, yet if you aim to be one the division's best, you can’t rely on them.

Notts fans who recall our own playoff final forays just need to cast their memories back to Brighton & Hove Albion - we know that they’re joyous occasions but on the other hand we then have the 2-0 defeat to Bradford back in 1996.

Our track record in the playoffs stands at two wins (1989-90 and 1990-91) and two defeats (1987-88 and 1995-96), which pretty much sums up the 50/50 nature of the beast.

Therefore, I would personally hope that we could recruit in strength and build to gain promotion automatically.

However, if Notts were to find themselves in the playoffs, I know we would give it a good shot. We just shouldn't have to rely on them in order to return to League One.

Share your thoughts about this feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.

What a month April has been - and May is going quite well too!

On 5 April, Juventus qualified for the Coppa Italia final, despite losing 3-2 against Napoli in the second leg - a Gonzalo Higuain double on the night meant an aggregate win of 5-4.

The Argentine then scored two goals in the next game, against Chievo Verona in Serie A, for a 2-0 win.

And then came the best result of the month - a brace from Paulo Dybala and a goal from Giorgio Chiellini gave us a 3-0 win over Barcelona in the first leg of our Champions League quarter-final.

Back to league action and once again the Pipita Higuain strikes two goals for a 2-0 victory over Pescara and another step closer to the Scudetto.

Then the Champions' return - would Barca do what they did against Paris Saint-Germain? No is the answer, a goalless draw at the Camp Nou putting the Bianconeri through 3-0 on aggregate.

After the cup match, Juve beat Genoa 4-0 and drew with Atalanta to remain right on track for the title.

Editor's note: The game against Genoa also saw Tom Gordon Savage - the man who, back in 1903, was responsible for Juve adopting the black and white shirts from Notts - honoured at the Juventus Stadium. To read the account of Andy Black, the man who made it possible, here are part 1 and part 2 of the article.

In May, the impressive AS Monaco were put to the sword in both legs, Juve winning 2-0 and then 2-1 to reach the final in Cardiff, where Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid lie in wait on 3 June.

At present, Juve are four points clear of Roma at the top of Serie A with two games to go, but attention turns to the Coppa Italia final tonight at 8pm against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico - and we want to win our third in a row (and 12th overall)!

Our Juve is also proposing a new contract to Mario Mandzukic until 2020, because Super Mario is playing really well, even though he has had physical problems lately.

After the Roma game on Sunday 14 May, Daniele De Rossi said: "We (Roma) would win something, but, maybe in just a few years, we will understand that we are playing against a team (Juventus) who is writing the history of football."

This month MVP was again Paulo Dybala. This month, Juve must be careful to not lose points in the championship and play well in the Coppa Italia final! We are still in competition on all three fronts! FORZA JUVE!

Thank you to Leo from Daje Juve for this article. Follow them on Instagram by clicking here.

Share your thoughts about this Juventus feature article on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.