The second and final part of Andy Black's account sees him make contact with Tom Gordon Savage's descendants, informs them of his plans to get his name changed at the Juventus Stadium museum, and culminates with a trip to Turin for a Bianconeri game and a ceremony to honour the man himself on the anniversary of his passing.

That evening I found Anna's daughter, plus Alasdair and his three children. I sent a message to all of them one by one and it was one of Alasdair's daughters that replied confirming that they were indeed the descendants of Tom Savage. She sent me a message requesting my email so that Alasdair could email me.

Alasdair emailed me the following evening and copied in his sister thanking me for making contact. He informed me that his mother Athalie was alive and living near Anna and her daughter.

I spoke to Anna first on the phone and then Alasdair and explained that I wanted to change the name that was next to the photo in the museum from John to Tom. Alasdair said that their mother had requested to them a few years ago that he and his sister get in contact with Juventus and change the name.

I explained that I was taking a Notts County football shirt printed SAVAGE 1903 on the back with a request that they amend his name next to the photo. I requested that if the family sent me a letter addressed to the manager of the museum it would increase the chances of the name correction taking place.

Alasdair sent a letter to me which arrived on 31st March. So with the research done on Tom's life as a lace maker and designer, football player for Juventus and amateur cricket player for Notts Waverley, I sent an email to the manager of the Juventus museum requesting the name to be changed.

I got a reply that morning asking for my phone number and by lunchtime it was agreed that the name would be changed in time for my visit on the 23rd April. Marco, the manager, asked who was coming with me and if there would there be any family members attending. I replied that at that stage there was only a contingent of Notts County Supporters who would be seated in Curva Nord (North Stand) for the game against Genoa.

Marco said it would be good if a family member could attend the unveiling of the new photo in the museum; I said it was a bit short notice but I would ask.

I phoned Alasdair in Cape Town but he said he was committed to a meeting but to call Anna as it would be easier for her from the UK. I phoned Anna who said she was available to attend so I emailed Marco back and agreed to make some plans on Monday morning.

The weekend passed and Alasdair had rearranged his meeting so now was able to attend so I gave Marco the good news. Marco's reply was to offer two tickets to sit with Andrea Agnelli in the most prestigious part of the stadium for the game on the 23rd. I informed Alasdair and Anna what was being offered and they insisted that I have one of the tickets and Alasdair the other.

On the 20th April my wife and I drove down to Oxfordshire to meet Athalie, Anna, Alasdair and Anna's daughter at Athalie's home. I felt it important to visit Athalie to show her the football shirt and letter that will be presented to Juventus and to listen to her talk about her grandfather Tom and father Richard.

We spent just over four hours talking to her before, during and after dinner. I explained to her that all the Juventus friends that I had made was down to her grandfather's inspiration in requesting Notts County shirts in 1903.

On the 22nd April the group of Notts fans flew out to Turin where in the evening we met up with Alasdair and Anna for a pizza. My friend Luigi, a member of the Italian Magpies, was also present and was overwhelmed with emotion when I informed him he was the first Juventus fan to meet the family of Tom Savage.

The next day we all headed to the Juventus museum to meet Marco in reception at 3pm to take part in a stadium tour, followed by the unveiling of the picture which was filmed by Juventus TV and uploaded onto Juventus.com, Twitter and Facebook. Marco informed the family that the shirt with the letter will be put on display in a glass cabinet for all to see.

Alasdair and I proceeded to club Gianni e Umberto to take our seats for a pre match meal with Marco and then to our seats in the stadium for the game.

At half time we were introduced to the mother of the president of Juventus FC, Allegra Agnelli. She was genuinely pleased to see us and accepted one of the postcards we were handing out before the game explaining the significance of the date and name change.

Marco then introduced us to the director of the museum who also accepted a postcard and it was reassuring when he made sure that the museum had my details to keep up to date with any more information found on Tom. We returned to the stadium for the second half where the game finished Juventus 4-0 Genoa.

In the same way that Roger and Helen Stirland became friends while working on the Herbert Kilpin plaque, Alasdair and Anna have become friends and I look forward to learning of Athalie's reaction to achieving what we all wanted.

The importance is that a Nottingham man who created a link between the world's oldest football league club, Notts County and the most successful club in Italy, Juventus now has the correct recognition and as a consequence football friendships and a unique piece of football history for Nottingham is recorded forever.  

As we say, "Two hearts, one soul". Forza Juve and Forza Notts County!

To go back to the first part of the story, click here.

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Over the next few days, Pride of Nottingham will be publishing Andy Black's account of his journey to discover more about the identity of Tom Gordon Savage, the Nottingham-born man who famously requested for a number of Notts County shirts to be sent to a fledging Italian football club by the name of Juventus over a century ago.

Here is part one, where Andy first notices the discrepancy between the established records identifying the man as John Savage and a handwritten note penned by one Tom Savage, and how research into another Nottingham football pioneer, AC Milan founder Herbert Kilpin, led to the first lead about the man responsible for Juve's black-and-white stripes, and soon developed into establishing his family tree and tracing his descendants.

When it comes to football clubs, few are bigger or more famous worldwide than Italian outfit Juventus.

The vertical black and white stripes on their shirts are emblematic of the club itself, and those with a bit more in-depth knowledge of the history of football know that a man from Nottingham, an expatriate living in the Northern Italian city of Turin, was responsible for this design being imported, given to and duly adopted by the Bianconeri (white-and-blacks).

According to the history books, "John Savage" had requested that the shirts be sent over from Nottingham to Turin in 1903; he was approached by the Italian club, whose name is Latin for "youth", to source properly-made football shirts from Britain after the pink shirts they wore faded in colour as the season went on. He got in touch with some people from his home city, and a shipment of Notts County shirts was duly sent across Europe to Juve.

In the Juventus museum, there is a photo of a postcard which also shows the handwritten message on the reverse sent to a friend. The message reads:

Dear Varetti,

Please accept many greetings from me and my family, your devoted Tom Savage.

P.S. Have you seen the next football game that will be played in Saluzzo next Sunday for a silver cup?

This message is signed Tom Savage, not John. So why is he known as John? It also left me wondering many other questions - what happened to him and his family? What were their names? Were there any more children? Did they stay in Italy?

I started to search the internet in May 2016 for any information on "John Savage". After two nights of research, a different name kept popping up: "Herbert Kilpin", who became a distraction as Kilpin played football with Savage in Turin from 1891 and went on to co-found a football club in the nearby city of Milan which eventually became AC Milan in 1899.

I approached Nottingham City of Football to ask who I should approach about having a plaque placed on Kilpin's birthplace - 191 Mansfield Road, Nottingham.

They put me in contact with Robert Nieri, who was finalising a book on Kilpin's life, so it made perfect sense to team up with Robert to achieve this long overdue memorial to this Nottingham man.

On the 22nd October 2016 a Nottingham City transport bus was named "Herbert Kilpin" in presence of his great-great-niece Helen Stirland. The plaque is due to be mounted later this year.

I intended to start my research into the life of Savage once Kilpin's plaque was mounted but about nine weeks ago I received an email from Roger Stirland, the husband of Herbert Kilpin's great-niece, Helen,  which included many documents on Savage.

I met Roger at the bus unveiling outside Kilpin's birthplace. His research had revealed that John Savage was actually Tom Gordon Savage - born in Lenton, Nottingham on 18th February 1867, and died at the Nottingham City Hospital on 23rd April 1951.

Roger had discovered that Tom married his wife Sarah Mallet in Turin and they had two sons both born in Turin - Ettore Savage, on 16th February 1891, and Richard Savage, on 20th December 1892.

My wife, Lisa, searched the two sons' names on the internet and found them both listed on a family tree named Mallet with their parents. I messaged the owner of the tree and within a few hours I received a reply from one Bob Mallett in Canada - he copied in Mary Cassidy, another member of the Mallet family, living near Turin.

Mary proved to be another very useful contact and by her own admission loves a challenge after I explained that I was wanting to find a living relative of Tom Savage. By now another week had passed and with now Roger and Mary working on the case they quickly found many descendants from the marriage of Tom and Sarah.

Roger continued to research Tom's siblings' tree just in case there was not a direct relative to contact. Mary is connected to Tom's wife Sarah in her family tree and was able to locate a relative that knew Tom's granddaughter,  Athalie Savage.

Athalie is the only child of Richard Savage, Tom's youngest son. Ettore married but had no children so the only hope was that Richard's line continued to the present day. The research shown that Athalie married and had two children, Anna and Alasdair.

Mary's cousin wrote an email to Anna who said that they knew each other as young children from school. The research confirmed that both Anna and Alasdair married and, between them, another four direct descendants were born - Anna with her daughter in Oxfordshire and Alasdair in Cape Town, South Africa.

I had agreed that it would be best to wait for a reply to the email sent to Anna to see if contact could be made with the family.

In December 2016 I had chosen to watch Juventus play at home in Turin on 23rd April 2017 with some other Notts County fans. Once a year I arrange for a group of Notts fans to travel to Turin to see Juve play and in return the Italian Magpies come to Nottingham to see Notts play. This has happened since the friendly match to open the new Juventus Stadium between the two clubs in September 2011.

It wasn't until the 24th March that I realised that the date of the game was the 66th anniversary of Tom Gordon Savage passing away. With this in mind I decided to search for Anna, Alasdair and their children on social media.

To see how the story ends, read part two of the feature by clicking here.

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And so ends another season in the Football League, and luckily for us Notts County fans, we had the luxury of being able to sit back and enjoy the last few fixtures of the campaign without crippling anxiety - some supporters even had the luxury of complaining about losing the final game, against Newport County, describing it as "finishing with a whimper".

I will take a season which fizzles out on a losing note with a lower-mid-table finish any day compared to what the prognosis was just a few months ago.

We've all witnessed what happened with Leyton Orient over the last few months, a proud club virtually dying before us and ending up relegated out of the EFL.

That could have been us. That WAS us, at least until Alan Hardy completed his takeover of Notts in January, and from then on, a club that appeared terminally ill has been healed, revived and galvanised to the point that safety was secured with several games to spare.

This was the same team that had lost 10 league games in a row, the kind of woeful run you get in Sunday Leagues where one team clearly just does it for a laugh, bringing together a load of hungover, overweight duffers every Sunday morning only to get spanked each week by a team whose players actually know what "cardio" means (and no, it's not Spanish).

We were losers, plain and simple.

Now, I'm not necessarily having a dig at the players, because the way their form picked up so dramatically after the takeover suggests that their minds might have not right for whatever reason beforehand, but if I can't use the word "losers" for a team that loses 10 games in a row, then when can I?

The season didn't get off to the best start - a 2-0 defeat at Yeovil Town, followed by a 2-0 loss at Scunthorpe United in the EFL Cup.

There was a mild upturn when Notts won at Hartlepool United and Crawley Town before beating Pools again in the EFL Trophy, before things took a downturn again with a draw with Grimsby Town and defeat to Accrington Stanley.

Then we got victories over Cheltenham Town, Leyton Orient and Exeter City, which saw us move into the League Two playoff places heading into October.

Defeats to Rochdale in the EFL Trophy and a 3-1 loss at bitter rivals Mansfield Town soon dampened spirits once again, but the month also included a hard-fought 2-1 win at Portsmouth, arguably the best performance and result of the first half of the season, and come the end of the month, which saw a goalless draw against Luton Town, we were sixth in the table.

And then things went wrong. Very wrong.

A 4-0 loss at Blackpool. a 3-0 hammering at Meadow Lane against Newport County. And so on, and so on for 10 painful games in the league, while the FA Cup didn't provide much solace either, having to have a replay with non-league Boreham Wood and eventually going out to Peterborough United, who then enjoyed a third-round tie at Chelsea.

By the time 2017 rolled round and we got spanked by Cambridge United and MORECAMBE (losing to a team that has a sandwich filling for a badge is particularly painful), we weren't so much flirting with the bottom two as buying it drinks in a desperate bid to take it home for the night.

Off the pitch, meanwhile, there were real fears that the takeover was in jeopardy due to "undisclosed issues", and so for a few days in early January, it looks like it - and the club - was going to collapse.

Luckily, Hardy did manage to complete the takeover, announcing his "new era" on January 11.

Out went John Sheridan, his expletive-ridden rant against Wycombe a few weeks earlier leading to dismissal for gross misconduct, in came Kevin Nolan (via a brief caretaker spell by Alan Smith) and, soon enough, the recovery began.

The first game with Hardy and Nolan at the helm was against the Stags, and all that our fans were hoping for at the time was not to get destroyed by them lot.

As it turned out, a very creditable goalless draw stopped the horror sequence of defeats and stopped Mansfield fans claiming local bragging rights again, but it would be a slow, steady process getting the confidence-depleted team back to scratch.

The following week, Grimsby claimed a 2-0 win and, even though Notts beat Crawley 2-1 seven days later, the next result - a 2-0 loss at Stanley - kept the Magpies in the doo-doo.

But by then, Nolan's leadership and Hardy's stability were reaping benefits - a 2-1 win over Cheltenham followed, and then a ridiculous, miraculous game where Notts were two goals down against Exeter with 89 minutes played, only to salvage a 2-2 draw in stoppage time.

It was still touch and go in the weeks that followed, with defeats to Stevenage and Doncaster keeping the Magpies near the bottom two, but then four consecutive wins - against Barnet, Wycombe, Colchester and Carlisle, put Notts 13 points clear of the bottom two with just five games to go. The miracle was almost complete.

By the time the Easter Bank Holiday ended, Notts were officially safe, and from then on, it was just a case of keeping the players focused for the last few games - easier said than done, but there was still time for a 1-0 win over Blackpool before the season-closer, where all the pressure was on Newport.

What a Jekyll and Hyde season it's been. It looked like Notts were on a one-way ticket to the non-league, but Hardy and Nolan have saved the club from what looked to be certain oblivion.

And now comes the summer, and with those two at the helm of the club and the team respectively, there is scope for real optimism in the pre-season and going into the new campaign.

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Haydn Hollis is a name that divides opinion amongst Notts fans.

The centre-back is a 6ft3, athletically built product of our youth system, who oozes professionalism and is an all-round nice guy.

Ever since breaking into the first team Hollis has shown signs of becoming a great strong solid lower-league centre back but the inconsistency and the bad spells he goes through have split the fan base's opinion of him.

He played a great part in the great escape of 2013/14 and for the first half of the 2014/15 - Hollis and a combination of Haydn Mullins / Louis Laing was excellent.

Hollis was producing the best form of his Notts career but the return of Mullins, plus Laing leaving, led to a poor ending of the season and resulted in relegation.

Then we had the "we'll score one more goal than them" approach of Ricardo Moniz which destroyed the defence and in turn made Hollis a scapegoat for the poor results which followed until the end of the season.

Under John Sheridan, Hollis lost just about every bit of confidence he had and his performances on the pitch suffered because of it.

Ever since Kevin Nolan arrived Hollis has been reborn, rebuilt, he’s sticking to what he knows - head it, boot it away, win the tackles, simple passes and been an attacking threat from set pieces.

The harshest Hollis critics can’t say that he hasn’t deserved his place in the starting line up. Nolan has worked wonders with the squad, players like Hollis just needed a bit of confidence, praise and guidance.

You can’t fault Hollis’ commitment and attitude, even slotting in at left-back for one game. The partnership between Hollis and Duffy it may not be the strongest but together they know their roles and with each game that passes by the signs of a solid foundation for next season are starting to appear.

I’m not saying Hollis is going to be the best defender in League Two, he’s still prone to the odd mistake here and there such as against Crewe on Friday but if he wasn’t he would be further up the footballing pyramid - but he is starting to show signs of maturity for a 24 year old defender who has played 140 games, 128 of them for Notts chipping in with 7 goals for us.

I hope Nolan and Hardy do offer Hollis, Richard Duffy and Thierry Audel new deals. Yes, they have their flaws and yes, we will need another proven centre-back to offer competition and take over should any of the three mentioned let their standards slip.

Should Hollis continue improving and learning from the mistakes he makes along the way, there’s no reason why he won’t earn a new deal and extend his five-year spell in and around the first team.

Love him or loathe him, he is one of our own, let’s start treating him like that. Now is the time for Haydn to reach the potential he has have, prove the doubters wrong and show us he can be consistent and deserves to be in this team for next season.

Haydn Hollis, he’s one of our own...

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With the season heading into the business end, March had plenty of chicanes for Juventus to navigate, but I'm glad to say we have done so successfully.

We are in the quarter-finals of the Champions League after beating Porto 1-0 at the Juventus Stadium, which completed a 3-0 aggregate win, and we will be hosting Barcelona tonight!

In Serie A, we are still top of the table with 77 points from 31 games, with Roma six points behind. We only played three league games, claiming two wins (against AC Milan and Sampdoria) and a draw (against Udinese).

April has so far brought us a win and a draw in Serie A, claiming a point at Napoli and getting a 2-0 win over Chievo.

We also played Napoli in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, losing 3-2 to them in the second leg - Gonzalo Higuain scored our goals - but still reaching the final thanks to an aggregate win of 5-4.

There weren't many games in April due to the international break, which brought us bad news as winger Marko Pjaca injured his knee in Croatia's friendly loss to Estonia. He suffered a torn cruciate ligament and external meniscus, which will see him out of action for about six months.

But on the positive side, 19-year-old Boca Juniors midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has completed his medical at Juve ahead of a € 9m summer move. The Under-20 Uruguay International is one of the most promising midfielders in the world so his signing is great for the club.

In between the two Napoli games, Higuaìn spoke about his reasons for leaving the Partenopei and joining Juventus. He said: "I am happy with this choice because I reached a certain serenity, on and off the football. It was what I tried and I did. On a personal level, I feel I made the right step. "

Our MVP for March is Juan Cuadrado. It was a positive month, but April will be even more important in the season of our Juve!

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

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I must admit, it's a strange feeling to be sitting here and having virtually no issues with my beloved Notts County at present. Everything is going pretty much hunky dory and I have no complaints about how things are going at the club. It's very pleasant and refreshing to be in a state of no anxiety and worries after years of putting up with hell.

From mid-2013 until early 2017, supporting Notts was difficult. In the beginning anyway. It then became little short of torture, with the occasional reprieve here and there (usually cup games, or the summer when there was no football on).

Winston Churchill once uttered a memorable quote which went: "If you're going through hell, keep going". And frankly, that was what supporting Notts felt like for quite a while. And it's difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you're in the eye of the storm.

Hence why, after four years of hell, it's almost beyond belief that things have turned around in the space of three months. The players have gone from liabilities to star performers, the wins are coming, and a freefall into oblivion is now all but history.

We've been lucky. Very lucky. For the old regime to go out relatively seamlessly - for fans, anyway - and Alan Hardy to come in and effectively strike gold with the vast majority of decisions he's made, it's absolutely fantastic, but to think it almost didn't happen and that we could be in the same boat as Leyton Orient right now, it is unnerving.

But hey ho. At this stage I'm honestly not concerned about playoffs next season, promotion or anything like that. Would be incredible if things went that way, but at the moment I'm making the most of this serenity. The good atmosphere in the stands, the decent football, the good results, and the knowledge that this summer is likely to bring surprises of a good kind rather than anxiety and dread.

And next season, just so long as the team tries, the football is of decent quality, the results are more often than not positive, and I can get up on a matchday actually looking forward to the game instead of wishing I was having my teeth pulled without anaesthesia instead, then this old boy is happy.

So thank you, Alan, and thank you, Kevin, for being our club's salvation - and for stopping Notts fans from having football-related mental breakdowns.

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The spirit shown by the Notts County squad against Colchester United was very impressive – from the kick off our team looked interested and keen to get a result. Whilst there was still some concern with the defence for me, for the most part we looked the better outfit.

I do however have one gripe with Adam Campbell, who simply allowed the game to pass him by.

In recent weeks I had been calling for him to be given a chance, and prior to Saturday I felt that he may be suffering from a lack of confidence, but even now I find it very hard to defend his performance against the U’s. It simply wasn’t acceptable for me under this passionate Kevin Nolan side.

Saturday was Campbell’s first start in the Notts XI since Accrington Stanley back at the turn of the new year – for over 3 months he has largely been an unused sub sitting on the bench and I would acknowledge that normally he offers 100% in terms of effort but I didn’t feel we saw half of that on Saturday.

It’s disappointing to watch a player casually walk around and generally refusing to move into space or to be that player that can help create a chance.

After 8 minutes, Notts took the lead and this gave a massive boost of confidence to the approach the Magpies took.

Yet during the celebration, I noticed that out of the various players who ran as flock to congratulate Haydn Hollis for his opener – Campbell strolled very slowly but remained out of the cheerful harmony between those really up for it.

It was hard to picture what his exact role was, if he was playing as our left-sided midfielder - his pace could have been interesting to see in a direct approach.

Don’t get me wrong, I actually think he has potential and I would recall his earlier performances when we as a club were doing well. That’s the Campbell I would have liked to see feature, the player who tries to get involved and always wants the ball played to his feet.

However, after Saturday it’s hard to defend him or to acknowledge any potential that would warrant a new contract.

He’s not the only player I felt played below an acceptable level, with a replacement fit on the bench – it’s not hard to figure out who I mean.

Yet from a team performance perspective this offender was contributing to the cause and generally did look like he was trying – which I would naturally give him credit for but in Adam’s defence, I simply can’t say that.

After the player who I’ll leave from naming put in a poor challenge, Adam stood glued as a spectator – as he did for the majority of the game.

Robert Milsom noticed the space that was made available from the lack of concentration, which I personally feel the watching Campbell should have noticed – perhaps he did?

I wouldn’t take anything away from Chris Porter's finish. It was class, yet considering the improvements made across the field in terms of performance and individual responsibility, this wasn’t on. Before you think I’m blaming him for the goal, this isn’t my point – it’s the lack of effort on his behalf that annoyed me.

There’s a lot of passion being shown throughout the squad and yes it’s a large improvement, even Jorge Grant's comments to the U’s keeper made me smile after Shola Ameobi had scored his first goal of the game.

I just feel it was a lost opportunity for Campbell to stamp his mark on returning to the starting 11. I’d like to have seen him running at players or just trying to get involved more, a player like him could attract space – whereas this isn’t the case when he’s static.

He spoke after the game about it being ‘good to be back playing’ but it didn’t look like it at all to me.

I know I’m not the only Notts fan who feels this, there were plenty of comments expressed at half time and even during the game. If I sound like this harsh, you should have heard the calls for him to exit the field from where I sat.

If he retains a place against Carlisle United, I would expect to see a large improvement – as it's hard to see how he would warrant a contract extension.

As an opinion that was expressed to me, he’s had two years now and he repeatedly fails to capture a steady flow of performances – which perhaps his work rate may have saved but if this is the level we have to accept we are best releasing him.

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When heading to an away game on a Saturday morning prior to an afternoon kickoff, it’s difficult to not notice the number of different social groups which are associated with Notts County. I would like everyone reading this article to imagine the ‘typical football fan’ in the following scenario:

8am: Meeting point is Lloyds, Hockley for ‘brekkie and a pint’.

9am: Next it’s a stop in the shop in the train station for numerous purchases of Beer and Cider.

9.30am: Board the train with 9 of ‘the lads’ before consuming a number of cans and taking part in a few sing songs.

Midday: Off the train and into the nearest boozer for a few cheeky pints and a further sing song.

2.30pm: Head to the ground for one last pre-match pint before taking our seat with the rest of the NCFC faithful.

Now, build a picture of the ‘typical supporter’ described above. Describe his clothing, attitude towards Notts, social class, and most importantly, his personality.

Let me guess:

Polo shirt? Smart jeans? Smart trainers? No NCFC clothing?

Prefers away days? Looking for ‘aggro’? Prefers to get drunk?

Working class? Labourer? Unemployed?

Loud mouthed? Arrogant? Rude?

Now, I can only guess the percentage of our readers who would have matched the scenario with the description above, but I can envisage it being quite high. Would you categorise the typical away day Notts fan above being associated with the stereotype of a smartly dressed, tanked-up brickie looking for a punch-up?

I ask the question because perception, not just in football, is a massive part of life and is often misinterpreted. I’d like you all to stereotype my life below and take a punt at what my average away day looks like:

29 years old

Male

Partner of 11 years with mortgage in £130,000 house

Three-year-old son

Fully employed as major supermarket manager with generous salary

Clean criminal record

Never been assaulted nor assaulted another person

I ask the question because of ‘perception’ and how it can be often misunderstood. The away day itinerary listed above is in fact my away day itinerary. I travel away with up to 9 or 10 others. Not once have we been involved in physical confrontation with police or rival fans. Not once have we engaged in looking for these two actions and not once have we travelled home following the game with nothing more than a sense of male bonding and a feeling of enjoyment and relief at getting away from the missus work for the day.

This seasons most memorable away trip has been Blackpool. Not for the football, not for the result, but for the relationships I can continue to build with people that I can call my friends and share a common interest with. We got drunk. We got merry. We danced, all night until early morning, and then fell drunkenly onto a twin bed in a budget Premier Inn at 3am.

Is this wrong? Are we thugs? Yobs? Or are we a group of friends who enjoy others company combined with alcohol and a sing song on the sea front?

I often read messageboards and Facebook posts on the official NCFC page and read comments slating the ‘youths at the front at Orient’ and the yobbos who let off smoke bombs at Mansfield. I think we all need a reality check here. In 2016, Notts County had 3 football related arrests away from home  – this equated to less than 1% of the total football related incidents in League 2 last season.

Alan Hardy and Kevin Nolan have made NCFC enjoyable again and more and more fans will begin to become involved with Notts County. Now as fans we have a decision to make, do we continue to look down at our noses at a different looking, different talking supporter or do we relish their desire to enjoy football as a whole experience and embrace their commitment to the cause?

Now let's be clear – I’m not for one minute stating that all football fans are angels, because they’re not, and there is still a growing hooligan element in the game which give groups of travelling football fans a bad perception to the public eye - but be wary of making rash assumptions when you see the boys enter the pub at 10am for a beer and a brekkie. We enjoy our football, we enjoy our away day, and with no hidden agenda.

I for one ENCOURAGE more groups of travelling fans to get together early in the morning and sink a few pints before the match. Why not? Because it's socially unacceptable? Because having a sing song and a Jagerbomb in the boozer will upset a few golden oldies who have sensitive hearing aids? Give me strength. Until Notts County fans start becoming violent or physically offensive to others, I am in full support of our away fans antics – and long may it continue.

See you all at Wycombe – get the beers in.

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Thursday, just another day at Pride of Nottingham HQ, keeping tabs on the latest Notts County news from my super-plush office (dingy bedroom) and espresso machine (ASDA brand kettle and Nescafe), when I stumble upon this gem of an article.

"Could Nottingham Forest and Notts County merge?"

I spit my coffee out upon seeing these seven words. Great, that's another screen to be budgeted for. That's next week's sesh at the Beechdale out the window.

Just what is this article on about? This better be good.

Turns out it's not actual news, but an opinion piece on a football blog with probably the most unwieldy - and open to interpretation - name out there.

"It's Round and It's White". Which features the logo of a black and white football.

Righto, let's have a gander at what this "Warren Smith" has to say about my beloved Notts merging with the neighbours on the other side of the Trent.

Again, it better be good, because this is football sacrilege we're talking about.

"Clubs are often built on their strong individual identity, it’s their colours, crest and supporters which make the club what it is."

So far so good. A case of stating the obvious, mind, but he is not wrong.

"But, what about if you combine two clubs?"

Aaaaand no. Just no. This completely negates the "strong individual identity" he mentioned literally moments ago.

"An almost unthinkable prospect for most supporters – but in times of peril, could these two Nottinghamshire teams come together and go forward?"

It's not "almost unthinkable". It's "completely unthinkable". And neither club is "in peril". Sure, Forest are having some issues off the pitch, but they're - and oh god does it pain me to say this - a fairly big club with a decent history...

(cough, splutter, heave)

...so they are not in peril. And even if end up going the way of a Portsmouth or Leeds United, they are big enough to bounce back. They'll hardly go extinct - there will be buyers out there in the big wide world who will like the look of them.

And as for Notts, we may have been "in peril" several months ago, but with Alan Hardy having just taken over the club, things have stabilised a great deal. So, nothing to see here.

"Whilst club mergers are rarely heard of these days in the higher tiers of English football, we must not forget the successes that mergers have had. Newcastle United, Stoke City and Watford were all born out of multiple clubs putting aside their differences and coming together for the good of the local area."

You're talking decades ago, potentially the as far back 19th century, when football was a fledgling sport.

And though mergers may happen in the lower leagues (Hayes and Yeading is one I can think of), football is a lot more unstable there. Doing this anywhere in the professional game will be met with the same opposition as when Wimbledon became MK Dons.

Then there's a load of tosh in the article, which isn't worth commenting on, but here is the climax, which needs addressing:

"It’s often said in football cliché law, that nobody is bigger than the club. Well here’s a new one. No club is bigger than the city. The cities were here long before football; and the clubs have to pay the cities taxes, wages; just like any other business. Nottingham needs a good football club, now – before the rest of the country (and potentially world) forget the debt of gratitude owed to Nottingham. It’s that why the two clubs should put differences aside and come together, for the good of the city."

A football club brings a hell of a lot of revenue and attention to a city. When you think of Blackburn, what's the first thing that comes to mind? It ain't the textile sector, I'll tell you that.

And when Leicester City won the title last year, how much exposure did that give the city? Global, I'm telling you. The whole world was talking about this modest city in the East Midlands.

Nottingham does not "need" a "good football club". No city is entitled to a "good football club" because of its history or stature, and certainly does not warrant ripping up two clubs and gluing them together cut-and-shut style because of this petty sense of entitlement.

Neither Bristol nor Birmingham have top-flight clubs at the moment - should they just "merge together for the good of the city?" And then what? Do they get a bye to the Premier League?

I'll tell you what would happen - fans of both clubs would stay the hell away. And without fans, the clubs would go nowhere.

Franchising might work in the United States, where a club can be uprooted and moved elsewhere, or two clubs merged together, for the sake of "business".

But this isn't America. This is England. A football club is ingrained in a fan's very being. It's part of them. Uprooting that is like taking out a vital organ. Most fans would rather their club reborn in the 10th tier of the league pyramid as a phoenix club (witness AFC Wimbledon) than lose it for good.

So in conclusion, no. Forest and Notts will never merge. If this article was part of some college assignment, then I hope it's not read by a tutor who likes football.

And if you wrote it to bait fans, well then, shame on you.

Oh, and one more thing.

"Nottinghamshire City FC"? Really?

I could eat a bowl of alphabet pasta, leave it a couple of hours, and come up with a better name looking at the contents of my toilet bowl.

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After qualifying from the Champions League group stage and sitting top of Serie A after 19 matches, it was a great February for our Juve: only victories.

Beginning with the crunch clash against Inter, that we won 1-0 thanks to a great goal from Juan Cuadrado, we went on to earn three points in every league match in February, following the victory over the Nerazzurri with wins against Crotone, Cagliari, Palermo and Empoli.

Even the first leg of the knockout stages of the Champions League went very well, winning 2-0 at Porto thanks to goals from Marko Pjaca and Dani Alves.

Against Napoli in our home leg of the semifinals of the Italian Cup, it ended 3-1 for us Bianconeri, so we are still fighting on all three fronts.

Our manager, Massimiliano Allegri, was recently mentioned by the English media because Arsenal aren't in a good situation and need a new boss for the next season: rumors say that Allegri is the preferred candidate to replace Arsene Wenger.

Beppe Marotta, our CEO, told reporters after the Udinese draw on Sunday: “Is Allegri 100 per cent certain to stay? I think so, right now there are no impediments to that. We’re always very close with Allegri, there’s a great relationship with him. We’re happy with him, and he with us, so the problem doesn’t even arise.”

Staying on Arsenal, Juventus is reportedly interested in Alexis Sanchez, who was left on the bench for the last Gunners' game. We are willing to spend 26m pounds for him, but if he came, one of our strikers would leave.

In our last Serie A match (the first of March) we drew 1-1 against Udinese so we lost two points, but we are still top of the league with eight points more than second-placed Roma. Our player of the month for February is Paulo Dybala.

We still have away games against the Giallorossi and Napoli, so the league is open and we must not concede anything if we want to win. We have to continue like this!

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

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“It’s crucial that we stay grounded, and remember that football can change ever so quickly, and live in hope, that when the road becomes bumpy, which it will, we remain strong, united and continue to pull in the same direction”, was a phrase I used in my most recent article.

Saturday proved to be a stern reminder that football can indeed change ever so quickly. Following a superb performance and result at Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday evening, Notts fans (me included) could be forgiven for predicting another battling victory on Saturday. Oh how we were wrong.

Travelling down the M1 at 10.30am with a nice cold bottle of Peroni is how my away days normally begin and Saturday was no different. There was however one major difference in the pre-match conversation I held with my companions whilst on the road – there was a sense of optimism, a sense of excitement and a sense of real belief that we would carry on our turn around in form. Something which has been lacking during the previous 6 months.

Notts never looked like replicating the performance of Tuesday night, especially after falling behind after 3 minutes. Don’t let the stats fool you, we were poor, we were second best and we were way off the pace.

The opener was real school boy defending, something that can be forgiven in the 90th minute, but not in the first three! A short corner went completely un-noticed by the slowly reacting Notts defence, and the inevitable happened. An-unchallenged cross into the box was swiftly followed by a un-challenged header into the top right hand corner of Collins’ bulging net. Wonderful start by the Pies.

I missed the header as I was still taking in the fabulous scenery and trying to figure out the starting line-up. Never mind. Onwards and upwards I thought.

Notts never really got going – at all. Most disappointingly was the lack of fight for the second ball. I don’t buy the ‘we had a long trip midweek’ line that I overheard by a few Pies fans on exiting the ground. The players weren’t tired, they’re professional footballers whose sole job role is to play football. I have no sympathy for ‘tired’ footballers. I will note however, that Kevin Nolan didn’t use this as a reason for our defeat on Saturday and took it on the chin and accepted we were poor – which was the most refreshing.

It was never going to be a walk in the park. ‘We don’t get down when we lose – and we don’t get upbeat when we win’ is the philosophy Nolan is trying to grow into his players' mindset. It has been working, hence our form and our position in the form table. However, it must be clear that the effort and performance shown on Saturday falls well below the expectation of Nolan and indeed, the fans.

Notts player ratings at Stevenage (6 as average):

Adam Collin – 5 – Frustrating but can’t be blamed for any of the goals. Very unprotected for all 3. If he has been instructed to slow the play down, then this may explain his constant hesitation to release the ball to the full backs. Don’t think he actually made a save.

Clackstone – 3 – I felt sorry for the lad. He got torn to pieces down his side and should have been replaced by Hewitt after 30 mins with Duffy coming into the middle. Fully expect a shuffle on Saturday.

Hollis – 4 – The best of the back 4 but he shouldn’t be the focal point of our defence. A decent covering centre half but not a leader. Caught way out of position for all 3 goals.

Hewitt – 4 – Godden had him at 6’s and 7’s for all 90 minutes. A better defender against big centre forwards but horribly exposed against the excellent movement of the Stevenage front two.

Bola – 4 – His worst game for us so far. Terrible distribution and looked exhausted at the 60-minute mark. An excellent wing back when we are in our attacking element but will never be a full back. Would be perfect in a 3-5-2 as a LWB.

Milsom – 5 – Missed his partner in crime and was left exposed by the lack of positional sense by Thommo and Grant.

Thompson – 5 – Lots of energy – lots of running – no impact. We missed O Connor terribly today and wouldn’t be surprised to see Tootle or Smith in the middle on Saturday to give us more balance.

Grant – 4 – Is not a ball winning midfielder which is the role he was asked to play today. Can not play in a two-man midfield and needs to be given less responsibility. Perfect for the Alan Judge role.

Yeates – 5 – Probably our best player – but be under no illusion, he was poor. Really tried to make things happen but the complete lack of movement alongside and in front of him made it difficult.

Stead – 4 – Worst performance I’ve seen from Stead. We were under pressure from the first minute and Forte would have been a better option to try and hit the channels. Missed a good chance at 0-1.

Ameobi – 4 – Missed our best two chances and clearly isn’t a goalscorer. Needed pace alongside him today to take the pressure of his hold up play.

A bad day at the office all round. Normal service will be resumed on Saturday... won't it? #12thman #COYP

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Is the Hardy Era the Real Deal?

In the summer of 2009 I received a text message from my dad informing me that BBC Radio Nottingham had just reported that a Middle Eastern consortium were close to completing the purchase of my beloved Notts County Football Club.

What followed was numerous statements of intent which included the record breaking signing of Kasper Schmeichel, the unveiling of Sven Goran Eriksson as Director of Football and promises of Premier League football within five years.

We dared to dream. And that we did – in abundance. We waved £20 notes in the faces of visiting supporters, we sang Sven's name from the Kop and we followed in massive numbers all over the country. What a difference to the 2008/09 season which saw us graced with a strike partnership of Sean Canham and Spencer Weir-Daley. It was a pipe dream which of course, turned into a worldwide talking point – for all the wrong reasons.

In between now and the collapse of Munto Finance was the ‘Trew Era’. What started so positively ended so badly. As Notts Fans, I think the vast majority believed that Ray Trew always had the best of intentions for our club – he put his hand in his pocket, he provided managers with big budgets and always promised the world to his supporters.

Is this what we needed? Did we need big promises of Premiership strikers? Championship football? This, that and the other? Its difficult to envisage what the reaction of our growing fan base at the time would have been if Trew would have earmarked his intentions as stabilising and steady business growth instead of making unrealistic promises which ultimately, he failed to deliver.

His stubbornness to hire proven managers proved to be his ultimate stumbling block – especially towards the end of his tenure – with appointments of novices Chris Kiwomya, Shaun Derry and Ricardo Moniz eventually saw us relegated back to where 2009 all began.

By the time of Moniz's sacking, Notts fans had very little patience left and Trew's ‘Football Manager Dream’ was very close to being in tatters. Then without doubt – the final nail in the coffin had well and truly been smashed in – in the form of Jamie Fullarton – the less said about that the better.

Mark Cooper and John Sheridan were arguably the best options available at this point but the underlying issue was clear – the problems were higher up the food chain.

Then welcome Mr Alan Hardy. What a transformation you have made to our football club. Within weeks, Hardy recognised what would make our football club start ticking again. The Fans!

He understands what as football fans, we all want – honesty, transparency, desire, passion, communication and most importantly of all; a clearly set out, aligned and carefully structured direction to take this football club forwards again.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realise what Alan Hardy’s intentions are. Do things the right way, put energy into the community, grassroots, give the fans what they really want and start forming a relationship between the product and its customers.

The reaction from not just Notts fans, but the community as a whole has been remarkable. Our average attendance under Alan has doubled already under his tenure and the team have responded magnificently, albeit to coincide with brilliant match day offers. Most importantly however, we feel proud to be fans of Notts County again.

Alan Hardy has engaged in a way to build trust with the fans. He has been transparent. He hasn’t promised big money signings, he hasn’t promised Championship football. What he has done, he has engaged in a way that has been passionate but honest and realistic. He has identified the need to get the fans back through the gates which is what ultimately, matters most.

Currently, everything is positive; second form team in the division, unbeaten home record, heart and desire being shown from the top down to the players, free pies, reduced match day tickets and a new vibrant and positive match day experience. That’s been achieved by simple communication, listening and gaining a mutual respect with the supporters.

However, It’s crucial that we stay grounded, and remember that football can change ever so quickly, and live in hope, that when the road becomes bumpy, which it will, we remain strong, united and continue to pull in the same direction.

Hardy has created a real buzz - we are excited to not just go to Meadow Lane, but to travel away in numbers, to have a feeling of not crumbling when the first goal goes against us, to see heart and fight from the touchline and the players again, is a joy to behold. That touchline fight of course comes from one man. Welcome to Notts County Kevin Nolan.

Nolan and Hardy clearly have an aligned approach on how to take this football club forward. The unity that has been created in such a short amount of time has been breath-taking. Forget the CV’s. Forget management experience. Forget past promotions. When you have a man in your corner that demands respect, loyalty, trust, effort and a real desire to fight for this football club – the rest is easy.

We are a League Two outfit. We don’t need a Jose Mourinho on the touchline, we need someone that understands what makes our team tick and what the fans really want. Alan Hardy identified the type of character to take this club forward immediately and has got his first appointment absolutely spot on.

The past five years have been tough, loyalties have been tested, patience has ran thin, but the future looks bright. The future looks exciting again, and finally, once again, its time to start being proud to be a Notts County fan.

See you all at Stevenage – COYP.

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Yesterday’s goalless draw against Yeovil Town may not have been the best performance we have seen during the ‘new era’ at Meadow Lane; however, it was a united team with all the players working as one unit.

Some fans are unimpressed with the "boring" stalemate, but in a way this shows how far we've come in such a short amount of time - after all, a point and a clean sheet in the derby felt like a godsend bearing in mind what preceded it.

Personally I would highlight the atmosphere. Despite the disconnected performance up front, Notts fans actively got behind the players and the atmosphere was very impressive.

This is only confirmed further by the fact that attendances – a very respectable 7,141 (200 of whom was visiting fans).

The attendances have naturally lifted the clubs spirit since the takeover and I have mentioned in the past how Notts seems to have their mojo back.

Yet despite all this, the progress being made is clear for all to see, the atmosphere around Meadow Lane should only flourish and prosper further – especially during the 2017/2018 season.

I sat in two different locations having changed seats at half time, and the comments that were expressed during both periods were largely positive – with only some forming debatable opinions. Usually, you are prone to hearing a variety of comments which I can only describe as ‘nonsense’, but yesterday I heard none.

Players who usually receive negative comments, such as Haydn Hollis, actually put in a very impressive performance.

Receiving comments from many fans that I spoke to after the game, both around Meadow Lane and within the Navi afterwards.

Something else which I would note is largely down to the change in atmosphere around the club, at this stage it seems very supportive and I would urge people to encourage this – naturally there will be times when disappointment will lead to a change in feelings but it’s important to still actively keep the positive vibe during games.

Kevin Nolan has also seen spoken about how the players were disappointed with the goalless draw, stating “the lads were all disappointed in the dressing room and I was delighted with that because it shows how far we have come in such a short space of time”.

Yes, I would say that three points from Yeovil were there for the taking – a team that usually plays quite well against us, but the side that took the field yesterday for them was largely unimpressive.

And despite this I left the ground feeling happy and proud, as I do feel more much comfortable regarding the safety of our club – I feel we have exorcised our demons and hopefully those shadows and lurking vibes remain only thing of the past.

I would agree with the popular opinion that Notts weren't the best either, however we defended well – whilst Adam Collin wasn’t largely tested, he did look comfortable for 90 minutes, something which I personally would like to see more of.

Our defence looked perfectly fine, very much up to the task of keeping any Yeovil player at bay.

Whilst I would like to see more improvements made in midfield, we did pass the ball around nicely – creating good movements and opportunities for greater chances to come.

It was simply for me a case of Jon Stead and Shola Ameobi having an off game – if they had connected better I would have said there would be no question of the Notts peformance.

That said, I don’t think they played ‘badly’ – just disconnected as team partners. Ameobi linked up well with midfield and held the ball up well. With Stead doing more defensive cover than I feel he should have, along with a lot more running in wider areas – you just want to see him near the opposition penalty box.

However, both strikers gave a lot of energy up front and on another day they may have gotten a goal.

The key thing that I have taken away from the game is confidence; I know that we can avoid leaking goals under Kevin Nolan. I can see the massive strides that the players are giving, we are finally getting that ‘pride’ in wearing their shirt.

I wouldn’t remotely feel disappointed myself, yesterday was just one of those games where we didn’t create a clear goalscoring opportunity.

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Amazing how much can change in just a number of weeks, eh? In fact, make that a number of days.

The first week of 2017 saw Notts County's freefall into oblivion continue to pick up speed with eight goals conceded in their League Two fixtures at Cambridge United and Morecambe, consecutive league defeats number nine and ten, while Alan Hardy's takeover was reportedly in danger of collapsing.

Then the takeover was completed as the old was out and the new was in, thank the gods and the stars and everything else that could be thanked. But was it too little too late?

Then Kevin Nolan was appointed as manager. Some hailed the news, others thought he may have been too inexperienced. More tension.

Then came the derby and it ended a goalless draw, which signalled an end to the rotten losing run and allowed Notts to save face against a local rival who has had our pants down on way too many occasions in the last few years.

As January ticked on, the transfer embargo was still not lifted, while the defeat at Grimsby Town proved more bad news. Was the draw just a blip? We still hadn't won in bloody ages.

Then Notts beat Crawley Town around the same time as the embargo was officially lifted, which boosted the atmosphere no end. But would we have enough time to bring in players, and would they be good enough for the job? And would Jon Stead leave the club, as it was rumoured?

As it turned out, the players brought in appeared promising enough, while Stead stayed put at Meadow Lane. All good so far.

Up next, another downturn. Accrington Stanley sealed a 2-0 win at the start of February, and suddenly it was out of County's hands - the two teams below us had games in hand.

But soon, the highs again (though by no means easy rides). A great first half against Cheltenham Town and a perseverence which allowed the Magpies to hang onto their lead, 2-1 the final score.

Then, seemingly another crushing defeat as Exeter City led 2-0 with 88 minutes played, but out of nowhere, Notts struck twice in injury time to salvage a point.

And this weekend, another two-goal lead, another occasion of being pegged back, but another late goal and resolve to see out the win, and Notts left Leyton Orient with all three points and in the process kneecapped a relegation rival.

As it stands, Notts sit four points clear of the bottom two, with Orient in 23rd and Newport County at the foot of the table.

Even skeptics like myself, who have seen enough false dawns to immediately tell myself not to get excited if things begin going right, have been pretty much won over by the Hardy-Nolan revolution.

We're talking a team that had spent the majority of the season prior to February disgracing itself on the pitch under some of the most toxic conditions ever to encircle a football club, finally getting their act together, playing under a new lease of life.

Sure, it's not over until the fat lady sings (as Exeter found to their surprise when they posted on social media that they had sealed up the win #eggonface), and there is still work to be done to secure this damned safety once and for all.

But under Nolan, Notts are a team transformed. Previous liabilities like Richard Duffy are now putting in performances worthy of man of the match, new signings like Marc Bola and Jorge Grant are impressing, Jon Stead is now scoring by the bucketload again, and best of all, being at Meadow Lane is no longer seen as an ordeal, torture even - the atmosphere is nice again.

Prior to Hardy and Nolan's arrival, Notts were hopeless. Many fans had accepted their fate as a non-league side in 2017-18. But now, there is hope again. Hope of safety, hope of once again having pride in their team.

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Of all the players Notts County have within their squad, it’s often the youngsters who are referred to as being the key in order to survive the drop from League Two.

In January, the club reinforced itself with the arrivals of Jorge Grant, Marc Bola, Josh Clackstone and Tahvon Campbell. However, it was the arrival of experienced veteran striker Shola Ameobi that captivated the fans' excitement the most.

I value the experience that players of Ameobi’s quality bring. Mark Stallard mentioned on BBC Radio Nottingham that Ameobi has the quality to help, noting that the frontman may not be in the prime of his career but if he can regain match sharpness there is no doubt just how significant his arrival would be.

Having the likes of Ameobi, Kevin Nolan and Alan Smith on our books as players, individuals who have competed at the highest level and had the careers they've had, does look naturally impressive. They process the right type of knowledge, which is beneficial to a club that is lacking leaders on the pitch, especially one that is in a relegation battle.

One thing which struck me recently as I watched Notts play, we tend to be almost one-dimensional and it’s only the senior players who try to overcome this issue.

The only exception has been the return of Curtis Thompson, who is a true grafter, yet position-wise, during our own attacks, players are often unsupported and this limits the chances that can be created.

Ameobi has gotten stuck in, with another veteran player Mark Yeates currently failing to make any sort of impression for the most part of the minutes in which he has featured.

A few good dead balls doesn’t make up for much, yet even he could be a pinnacle player and if Michael O’Connor, Richard Duffy and Robert Milson continue to step up, perhaps it will only be a matter of time for Yeates?

I am unsure how much of a part the inexperienced players can play in our survival, Jordan Richards does seem to be a great young player but nowhere near first team standards.

However, I am dead certain that the veterans at the club can contribute when it truly matters. The depth looks to be the right balance for survival and I am convinced we have more than enough in order to achieve that.

It may be unpopular to suggest seeing Alan Smith, however he can make the odd cameo appearance and provide some real grit in the bulk of midfield.

Nolan at this stage must continue to identify the players that can affect and change games, critics may argue that Smith doesn’t have any future as a player.

They may argue that Yeates and Jon Stead are both past it, however Notts do look much better with them around. Survival will go down to who is the most prepared, so having a squad which is highly unpredictable, full of experience, and eagerly awaiting youngsters who can make an impact when required.

I would hope that the defence, along with Richard Duffy, continues to impress, with Thierry Audel looking all the more like a new signing for the club.

It does appear that Nolan does have the right types of headaches when it comes to his selection, with a surprising comeback against Exeter City. It does show that the players are responding to the training and are well aware of the importance these games have on the future of the club.

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The atmosphere at recent Notts County home games really has been impressive, especially given the situation we have found ourselves this season.

The optimism around Meadow Lane has made both the 2-1 wins over Crawley Town and then Cheltenham Town all the more enjoyable.

Performances may require further work, with spells in both games being quite stale at times – the important factor is the fact we are able to win games.

It's especially good to see two home wins back to back, and it just goes to show how things legitimately seem to be turning around when you consider that it wasn't that far back that we had lost 10 league games in a row.

For me Accrington Stanley is always a difficult game for Notts, I wasn’t overly disheartened by the result but the performance was bad by all accounts.

With Kevin Nolan quietly working in his management style and with the January signings at his disposal, it would seem the club has adapted, working as a priority fully focused on making our home form and Meadow Lane a place where we can be entertained.

It’s still early days, yet the passion has been restored in the stands and even speaking with fans, you can see an eagerness for the new era to be successful.

In our most recent match against Cheltenham Town, it started quite slow and scrappy.

Neither side looked all that convincing going forward, however Notts did look the better of the two even early on. With the players working hard on the pitch, chances fell and it created more reasons for our fans to sing their hearts out.

The goal made a massive difference, under our new boss Notts does seem like a team wanting to have fun on the pitch.

If you took a few moments to look around the stands, you would see just how much of a relief it was that we had scored – not because we desperately require wins in order to secure safety within League Two but because it felt like there is a massive difference around the club.

I wrote a tweet after the Accrington game after seeing fans disheartened, and I suggested that perhaps Meadow Lane would be where we found the form to find safety.

Certainly, I feel far more optimistic about home games now, than I do about away games.

Yet all the remaining games are of huge importance and we don’t need Adam Collin or Mark Yeates to inform us fans of this.

In fact, I would hope all the players focus on their performances and when the media come across to enquire about upcoming games – it would be welcome if they let this do their talking.

This past part might sound a little blunt, however I am now at the stage whereby I would just want to see safety and continue to enjoy the feel good factor. I don’t fault anyone trying to be optimistic, it’s simply down to the fact I’ve heard it all before.

Our next four games will confirm just how important things will be, if Notts can continue to pick up wins and perhaps a draw or two – things will look vastly different.

The league table now allows for breathing, hopefully after Exeter, Leyton Orient and even Yeovil Town this will be more so the case.

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This season came off the back of a truly calamitous campaign in 1996-97 that saw Notts County embark on a record 20-match winless run and suffer relegation to the basement division for the first time since the 1960s. The manager was Sam Allardyce, who had inherited Colin Murphy's rudderless team part-way through that awful run.

Allardyce made only modest changes to the previous season's squad in the summer. Dennis Pearce and Mark Robson arrived from Wolves and Charlton respectively, with the outgoings including Paul Rogers and Tony Agana.

The season began with back-to-back wins over Rochdale and Hull before a controversial defeat at home to Lincoln in which Devon White took an early bath. This was followed by draws against Cardiff and Hartlepool as the Magpies started to look in danger of losing their early momentum. However, their position at the top end of the table was cemented by four straight wins including a 1-0 win over Mansfield featuring a possibly offside Gary Martindale goal.

By this time Notts had a settled and confident team, something that eluded them in the previous campaign. Darren Ward held down the number one jersey, the talismanic and slightly caveman-like Gary Strodder was partnered at centre-half by Matt Redmile and Ian Richardson at different points of the season. Ian Baraclough, who in the previous season had played at left-back and had famously been voted the worst player in the club's history, was moved into midfield and did sufficiently well to attract the attention of QPR, who he joined in March. The Notts midfield also had its share of young talent in Steve Finnan and Shaun Derry, while Gary Jones partnered Sean Farrell up front. The team was captained by reliable right-back Ian Hendon, still probably the best taker of a penalty I have seen. While lacking the subtlety of the class of 2010, Allardyce's team offered just the right blend of guile and muscle to succeed in the fourth division.

Notts rose to the top of the table with a 5-2 home win over a farcically bad (and relegation-bound) Doncaster Rovers team in December. Not on the score sheet that day was Doncaster native Gary Jones, who by that point had only netted five times. However, Jones would go on to score 23 goals in our final 23 games!

The win over Doncaster was the second of what proved to be a club-record run of ten consecutive wins stretching from the beginning of December to the end of February. This record was clinched in a memorable 5-3 victory at Lincoln in which we raced into a 3-0 half-time lead. Early in the second half keeper Darren Ward missed the ball when attempting a clearance, leaving the Lincoln player with a tap-in, and 15 minutes later the hosts were level. However, Notts were determined. Seconds after the restart Jones charged down a clearance by the Imps' keeper and eventually a ninth straight win was secured in front of well over 2000 travelling fans. The tenth win was secured at Field Mill, with hundreds of Notts fans locked out.

By the time the run ended, Notts were clear at the top of the division by a big margin and promotion was just a matter of time. Promotion and the title were clinched in a tight 1-0 win over Leyton Orient on 28 March, with six matches to spare. This made us the first team ever to win a championship before the end of March. The curtain came down on the season with a 5-2 home win against Rotherham in front of over 12,000 spectators, as well as the obligatory pitch invasion and an “interesting” rendition of "We Are The Champions" by Allardyce.

The record-breaking team was broken up soon afterwards. We went into the following season with a raft of new signings to replace the likes of Phil Robinson, Shaun Derry and Ian Baraclough. And although both remained at the club, the Jones-Farrell partnership was also not to last. Sean Farrell suffered a long-term injury early in the following season, and Gary Jones never recaptured his form and eventually left the club for Hartlepool. By the end of 98-99, only five of the first 11 had featured in the championship-winning campaign. However, the 97-98 season remains a masterclass in turning a failing team around.

Disappearing from view (sorry WSC)

Devon White

Following a stint at Lincoln City in the mid-80s, the physical, Nottingham-born striker drifted back into non-league until Gerry Francis took him to Bristol Rovers, where he scored 53 goals in 202 appearances. Francis then took him with him to QPR in 1993, where he scored nine goals in 26 Premier League appearances before joining Notts for the first time in 1994. White had rejoined Notts from Watford in early 1997 but left again in September after losing his first-team place. After a subsequent spell at Shrewsbury, he returned to non-league football and is now an electrician.

Went on to greater things

Steve Finnan

Steve Finnan originally arrived as a young loanee from Birmingham City in the 1995-96 season and became a fixture in the team that reached the play-off final in what is now League One. He joined permanently the following season and was a key supplier of goals from the right wing in 97-98. Kevin Keegan then signed him for Fulham for £600,000 in November 1998. In the 2000s Finnan mainly played in the right-back position and became part of the Premier League furniture for Fulham and subsequently Liverpool, where he became a Champions League winner.

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Michael O’Connor for me was the standout signing at the start of the season. As a player, he looked to have all the right qualities that Notts would require.

However, for the most part of this 2016/17 season, he has been nothing short of average.

I believe the recruitment at the club at the time had identified a player very much capable of being a fan favourite.

Whilst the decision to name O’Connor as the captain did seem to be a good call, I would say that in hindsight it has lumbered the Northern Irish midfielder with additional pressure.

He’s not an experienced head within the Notts camp, where too many players have largely gone missing.

It may have been wiser to name Jon Stead the captain, yet to say this season we aimed to sign “leaders” on the pitch, Notts really don’t have many other suitable candidates.

The captain [or Skipper as I prefer] must have the ability to drive other players forward, they’re the inspiration in the starting 11, the player that others look up to and demonstrates a never dying attitude.

There’s been no better leader during my time of supporting Notts than Neal Bishop, even when Notts looked out of games, Bish would lead the squad to the best of his ability.

As a footballer, he introduced the hard-working ethic that won over many fans.

His ability as a player may have been limited, yet he had many other defining qualities that made him the perfect candidate, none more so than the sheer desire to give 100 percent.

He picked others up, offered the type of personal pride that goes along way and that respect of the Notts shirt is a rare asset.

O’Connor could very well redefine himself under Kevin Nolan - his performance against Crawley Town was one of his better appearances.

I would like to see him communicating with his teammates more, ensuring that we attacked games and actually moved forward when possible.

His encouragement to anyone who may be struggling may offer the togetherness that the 2016/17 squad lacks.

You have to lead by example, something I do not feel O’Connor has been doing. Yet I wouldn’t question his dedication, more his performance and attitude to work on improving on the field.

Hopefully as I have mentioned we will see a different player under Nolan, there is no denying what skills and assets he can bring, the question is will he?

I think he may be one of the players who will largely improve next season, provided he stays around long enough.

If he focuses more on preparing for games rather than what he is doing on social media, gives 100 percent and tries to impress in the right way.

He can help to keep Notts in this division, and I am interest in seeing him alongside Nolan. If they, as a pair can offer a partnership that benefits the strikers and defenders, we may turn the season around without the help of signings made on deadline day.

Yet Mark Yeates, Jorge Grant and Marc Bola all seem excellent captures, so really it’s a suitable time for Notts to find its leader on the pitch.

Whilst I don’t think Michael may be anywhere near our worst player, I wouldn’t name him as someone who isn’t replaceable and as a captain I really do feel this shouldn’t be the case.

Notts have some key games to play in the coming weeks, like Cheltenham Town and later Leyton Orient.

These are all must win games and the inspired O’Connor that took the field against Crawley Town, helping to seal the second home victory of the season, would be like having a new signing within its own right.

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I wouldn’t really say that I was surprised to learn about the departure of Stanley Aborah.

That said, I did value what he offered and although some believe that he was difficult to manage, I’m not quite sure I would agree. Who knows for sure?

However, from his opening debut after trialling with Notts, Aborah shown that he had some spark about him.

In games where the Magpies desperately lacked that certain quality, Aborah was there to provide it and until Jamie Fullarton came around, it was really hard to see our midfield without his presence.

There’s no doubt that a player of his quality would be asking for game time, yet it did come as a shock when we all learned why he wasn’t playing.

Whilst the local media speculated it was due to his poor defensive attributes, something else I would largely debate wasn’t fair (who exactly did defend well?) as the entire team was largely poor and for this reason I always felt he stood out unfairly because he tried.

Yet it emerged back at the start of March 2016, that the then 28-year-old Belgian midfielder had ‘asked to leave Notts because he felt he wouldn’t play’, this was after being frozen out of the squad.

The Belgian said: “To me it's not a difficult situation. He came in. I was dropped. Therefore I asked him if he wanted me to leave. I said I don't have to leave but if I could find a club it's fine by him.”

He also accused the then manager Jamie Fullarton of lying about his reasons not to include him in the starting 11.

“The question gets asked to him after a game he doesn’t say this. First he said he makes informed decisions or something like that. Then he said I’m not available. That wasn’t true. He said I was ill, for the York game.”

I genuinely believe that the majority of Notts fans assumed this would be the end his time at the club, yet he would still go on to feature for the Magpies.

This time around he hasn’t featured in the squad as a starter since the FA Cup clash against Boreham Wood, which we won 2-0, but  he did come on in the 2-0 away defeat against Grimsby Town in the 83rd minute.

I hadn’t realised this, so it does make sense that we would allow him to depart – it also eases the disappointment because it’s hard to say he would feature under Kevin Nolan.

It’s debatable if things may have been different if we had included Aborah, I guess it's beside the point now but watching him play was generally exciting.

His departure makes me curious as to why other players haven’t been released? Yet that might be explained by if he had requested to be released.

Will Genaro Snijders be next? Can anyone actually say when it was he last appeared in the squad? This is something else I don’t actually recall.

Perhaps he will get his chance finally under Nolan unlike Aborah? Notts do require pace on the wing and he does offer that.

If we can inject forward movement into the squad, perhaps the wing would see more time to pinpoint the perfect pass? As it would seem the recent arrivals offer the lack of pace the squad has been missing.

The departure of Aborah may not be best news for some fans, considering the restraints of the fair play rules – I would imagine the decision on who to allow him to leave would be difficult.

I, and all of us at PON, want to wish him all the best with his career.

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A lot of Notts fans, myself included, were celebrating when Alan Hardy became the club's new owner, finally putting an end to the Ray Trew era, and there was a weekend of relative joy when the losing run was snuffed out at the 11th attempt with a face-saving goalless draw against local rivals Mansfield Town.

However, the harsh reality are that the Magpies are still in very deep trouble. After 27 League Two games played, we're 23rd in the table, on 23 points. The other teams occupying the bottom five places have all played a game less than us.

And despite the temporary relief of the derby draw, we cannot sugarcoat the fact that we haven't won in the league since October, and have suffered 11 defeats in 12 league games.

The players are, on paper, more than good enough to beat anyone on their day - we beat Portsmouth back in October, which was a pretty impressive win. But over the last few months, to say standards have slipped is as much of an understatement as saying Leicester City did okay to win the Premier League last season.

Confidence in the team has been shredded, and especially with how long it's been since the side won, the players have turned into a shadow of what they can really do - beat the likes of Pompey.

And if that wasn't the cherry on top, the transfer embargo means we cannot even bring any fresh legs into the team, players that haven't had to endure the last few months and maybe bring some fresh optimism into the dressing room.

The transfer window shuts in just five days, so it'll be a nervy end to January for the club's fans, coaches and directors. If the embargo doesn't get lifted in time, not only can we not sign any new players, but Kevin Nolan won't be able to register himself as a player, and we have no emergency loan window to fall back on after FIFA removed it just last summer.

Whether we can sign players or not, Nolan and the players are in for one of the most challenging spells of their footballing careers. Let's hope, for the sake of the club, that they can pull it together and drag the club to safety, because under Hardy's tenure, I believe the only way is up.

Whether that will be up from League Two or up from the National League, it remains to be seen.

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There has been a big change in how some clubs assess whether any potential player could possibly make the grade, our own chairman recently commented on this very subject on his Twitter account.

Even a club the size of Manchester United have taken this new style approach which critiques a player's mainly physical attributes and that is the grading for whether or not a player is good enough.

They all forget the one golden question that you cannot coach into anyone.

Can he play?

You can coach explosiveness into a player, hire a sprint coach and do specific muscle training, same as strength etc etc but you cannot coach ability onto a player.

As a Football Association and football in general we seem to always be trying to recreate another country's system but with a fatal flaw, being smart about it.

Ask yourself how many of the Spanish, Dutch, Brazillian or Argentinian national sides would meet the frankly ridiculous criteria this country is adopting?

What do you think the first question Barca ask? Is he 6ft plus and an athlete? No.

Can he play? Yes.

The first question the Arsenal academy ask is can he play?

Our own Jimmy Sirrel asked this as a quality not being able to run around a lot.

Next time you watch kids playing whether in the street or on a pitch, just ask yourself one question.

Can he play?

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To usher in the Alan Hardy era I thought I'd start a new piece that will be a fortnightly ramble about all things football and also some things slightly away from football with the focus being on what effect this has or could have on Notts County.

This week I will be starting with the January transfer window.

The two transfer window periods only favour the teams paying the biggest wages - they can attract the better players at the start of the season, leaving very little, low-lying fruit for the smaller clubs. This system is best suited to the Premier League and like many other things should be left there but that's a rant for another ramble.

Under the old system the smaller clubs could pick up a better player during October and November than would be allowed at the start of the season due to players falling out of favour as the season wears on and wanting to play - this is another facet to this system, the player power this has inadvertently granted them (anyway back to where I was before this ends up at Donald Trump...).

Now clubs have to wait and the void just gets bigger - look at Mansfield and Newport, between them they have brought in nearly a whole new team.

Then you have Notts County, who, because of this transfer embargo, are having to stick with what we have and are relying on good old man management to stir the players into giving a toss, something that happened against Mansfield thankfully. I wait with baited breath to see if it can happen again and again and again like we need it to.

If that fails, given the emergency loan window has been scrapped (thanks FIFA, sticking up for the little clubs once again I see), we have to rely on our own youth players who we can bring through without the hassle of having to worry about embargoes. One of which has come through in Sam Osborne, he should be starting every game now, his energy and directness causes defences problems.

Another youth team player I would like to see is Montel Gibson, give him a chance to start a game and he will score. If you are planning on going to watch our youth team at any point, if he is playing watch his movement and the positions he takes up, we are desperately missing a player of his abilities up top, it is of no chance of luck that he finds himself in the right place at he right time.

If our future is in the youth, let them play.

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