Notts County have slipped to second in League Two after a 1-1 draw with Forest Green Rovers on Saturday.

The Magpies struggled against their opponents, who prop up the Football League, and needed a last-ditch goal from Rob Milsom to salvage a point after Omar Bugiel had edged Mark Cooper's side into the lead in the first half.

Here is Chris's analysis of yesterday's game at Meadow Lane.

Was the result fair?

Some opposition fans like to call me biased on social media, however this may come as a shock to them but Notts County honestly robbed Forest Green Rovers yesterday. FGR deserved the win, and although their time wasting really did bite them back – they should have left with all three points.

How did Notts play?

Awful, I can’t sugar coat it and I simply refuse to try.

Defending wasn’t acceptable at all, we allowed Forest Green to simply pass straight through us and largely without any sort of challenges to win the ball. It was very disappointing, and very difficult to understand how a team that has worked so hard in recent months have simply fallen apart in the recent games.

I spoke about how Forest Green Rovers had a good midfield in my scouting report and we simply failed to match them – in terms of effort, desire and professionalism.

How did Forest Green Rovers play?

I felt depressed writing the scouting report, yet despite my opinion on their defence FGR played very well. They looked much tighter at the back, and easily in control from there on – their midfield worked hard to control and win the ball. This for me was very impressive, they appeared to be well organised and performed like a team quite far from the foot of the League Two table.

Defensively, they did crumble with pressure and this was something else I pointed out but their time wasting stung them in the end.

Did our tactics work out?

Not at all, we simply refused to play the ball on the ground yet again.

This for me was largely annoying, as there were times when we strung a few passes together and looked half decent – even within the first half. Yet someone would always tend to rush it within the final third and I believe its time certain players warmed the bench a little.

I’m sorry, it looked like we had no tactical awareness.

How did the referee perform?

Aside from the inability to control the game, spot a blatant hand-ball, lack of overview to what could have been a serious head injury and of course a lot of time wasting from the FGR players (mostly their keeper, and when taking throw ins) – I guess you could say ‘well that is why he’s a former Premier League referee'. He was absolutely dire and quite lethargic in every sense.

Who do we play next?

Barnet – They’re a capable side on their day, and a team which shouldn’t be where they currently are. These will work hard just like Forest Green Rovers did – so Notts must focus on playing the ball on the floor.

How should we play them?

Keep the ball on the floor, pass it nicely but keep it simple.

Notts have a tendency of overplaying it at times and the forcing of open play can be a real issue – there’s absolutely little need to pressure ourselves, so just take our time and build properly.

In the recent games against Mansfield and FGR, Notts haven’t really been building from the back and as a result the defence has looked shaky from little pressure. Against Barnet this needs correcting, so take time to pass it out wide – get a feel of the ball and move with confidence.

We will need to use the flanks as a way to inject pace against The Bees – however Notts must enjoy the holding possession and its times like this I wished Kevin Nolan would focus a little more on the passing phrases we create.

Chances should come, and if we play hard enough the rewards will be clear for all.

Just need to avoid another bad game, as this could set in and really the players need to believe in themselves – they’re capable of winning as we have seen great results already.

Forest Green fan comments (from FGRForum)

Coyler: The fact we are gutted about drawing against the league leaders shows that we may of turned a corner. Sounded like we were good for the win. KMB back involved , point at the league leaders and we got a few winnable games coming up. Positivity is needed.

The Jovial Forester: Sickener late on but sounded like a hell of a performance.

FGR-Ledge: Well done lads, that was cruel indeed, would have snapped your hand off for a point before hand though. Looks like we are up against bent referees as well!! 7 minutes added time!!!!!!!!

Lady Magpie: What a shame about the injury time equaliser, mind you I would have had a draw before the start of the match. At least we are out of the bottom 2 in the league.

Foggy: We brought on a substitute during time added on, which means the minimum of five minutes will be extended by the referee, tough but that is the rule.

Garyjj: Absolutely gutted on the way back where is our luck? We were more than matching top of the table notts county and one moment of madness and it's only one point, deserved so much more.

Tommyd: Fantastic result just gutted by the late goal. Would never have expected this. Was important not to lose today and keep the belief after the win midweek. Away points are going to be precious so well done to the lads.

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Notts County have somehow claimed a point from the jaws of defeat on Saturday as their League Two game with Forest Green Rovers ended all square at Meadow Lane.

The division's bottom side took the lead on the half-hour mark through Omar Bugiel and held on until the sixth minute of injury time, when Rob Milsom nodded home for a final score of 1-1.

The result means that Magpies have slipped to second in League Two, with Exeter City reclaiming top spot.

Here is what the Notts boss, some of the players and several fans had to say following the game.

Kevin Nolan

"I'm relieved. Fair play to the lads, they persevered and got their rewards in the end with a well-worked goal.

"I don't think we turned up today, which is disappointing. A lot of lads didn't have one of their better days but the togetherness they showed got us over the line and earned a point, which they can take a massive lift from.

"A lot of people would have been coming here today expecting us to win 3-0 or 4-0 but this is a very tough league and anyone can beat anyone.

"We weren't great – we know that – but we kept ourselves in the game and put the chance away when it came to turn a defeat into a point.

"I'm frustrated because I know we are a lot better than what we've shown today but when you score in the 94th minute, it shows the lads have an inner steel about them and I am delighted with that."

Rob Milsom

"It was an important goal and we needed it because we didn't have the best of performances. I'm glad we've got something out of the game.

"We rightly got a kick up the backside at half-time because it wasn't good enough in the first half.

"We've set ourselves standards now and we can't drop off. We had a poor result last weekend and needed to make amends today.

"We weren't brilliant in the second half either but we kept going and hopefully that point can mean something come the end of the season."

The players on social media

The Notts fans (from the FGR match discussion)

Allardycestash: We just got everything all wrong, Kevin Nolan has tough decisions to make about a select few players who so far do not warrant a starting position at all.

Upthepies: It was a frustrating game against Forest Green. I was impressed by how good they looked on the ball, very calm and collected within their passing. If anything I am annoyed that Notts looked like the side struggling for form and after the Mansfield game I expected better. I am sure Kevin Nolan will correct the performances but even the basics we failed with yesterday. 1-1 against them is not worth celebrating at all.

Liampie: I thought we looked worse than we did during any point of last season. What was with the passing and defending? every time we looked able to get back level, someone would lose the ball or give it a way poorly. the defending was awful because nobody really did it.

DangerousSausage: FGR played some nice football and looked a good footballing side, but that doesn't get you far if your defence switches off at crucial moments. A glance at the table suggests this wasn't the first time either. It's a shame we didn't ask more questions of their defence before the 96th minute.

Chris: I have to give FGR credit, they played well and looked a capable side. Their midfield made it very difficult and did well at pressing us back. I was very disappointed with the lack of marking and responsibility in terms of defending. They was there for the taking to be honest (as we seen in the second half) but we just performed badly. Very dire performance, and I felt the referee was very poor.

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Notts County managed to seize a draw from the jaws of defeat on Saturday as their League Two game with Forest Green Rovers ended all square at Meadow Lane.

The division's bottom side took the lead on the half-hour mark through Omar Bugiel and held on to their advantage until the 96th minute of injury time, when Rob Milsom nodded home for a final score of 1-1.

The Magpies barely deserved to come away with anything following a very lacklustre performance against Mark Cooper's side and have slipped to second in League Two, with Exeter City reclaiming top spot.

Pride of Nottingham was at Meadow Lane for the game and interviewed a number of fans ahead of kickoff, asking them several questions including what they thought of Kevin Nolan winning Manager of the Month and their opinions on former Notts duo Mark Cooper and Liam Noble.

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Rob Milsom's stoppage-time header has helped Notts County preserve their unbeaten home record as they were held to a 1-1 draw by lowly Forest Green Rovers at Meadow Lane on Saturday.

The Magpies midfielder connected with Matt Tootle's cross and nodded beyond Rovers goalkeeper Sam Russell in the 96th minute to dramatically cancel out Omar Bugiel's first-half opener for the visitors.

Notts were incredibly average throughout the game and were very lucky to escape with a point, though the result saw them slip to second in League Two as Exeter City reclaimed top spot.

Pride of Nottingham was at the match and took photos of the fans before, during and after the game.

Have you made it into this week's Faces of PON? Check out our gallery and find out!

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Rob Milsom's stoppage-time header has helped Notts County preserve their unbeaten home record as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Forest Green Rovers at Meadow Lane on Saturday.

The Magpies midfielder met Matt Tootle's cross to nod past FGR goalkeeper Sam Russell in the 96th minute, a goal which cancelled out Omar Bugiel's first-half opener for the visitors.

Notts were lacklustre throughout the game and were very lucky to escape with a point, though the result saw them slip to second in League Two as Exeter City reclaimed top spot.

The club have posted the match highlights on their official YouTube channel so, should you wish to see them again, here they are for you.

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Notts County managed to claim a draw from the jaws of defeat on Saturday as their League Two game with Forest Green Rovers ended all square at Meadow Lane.

The division's bottom side took the lead on the half-hour mark through Omar Bugiel and held on to their advantage until deep - and I mean really deep - into injury time, when Rob Milsom equalised for a final score of 1-1.

The Magpies barely deserved to come away with anything following a very lacklustre performance against Mark Cooper's side but their point keeps them in the top two, though Exeter City are now back in first place.

ARLukomski, a Notts vlogger and Pride of Nottingham contributor, discussed the fixture ahead of kickoff, gave his thoughts as the game went on, and talked about the performance and result after the final whistle.

Follow ARLukomski on his YouTube channel by clicking here.

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Notts County entered October at the top of League Two, although they were left reeling from a 3-1 derby defeat at Mansfield Town, with the scoreline only marginally better thanks to Carl Dickinson's late consolation.

However, being brought back down to earth could be beneficial in the long term as it showed the Magpies players that great form and momentum can come crashing to a halt, so back to the drawing board.

Up next for Notts is a home game against the league's basement side, Forest Green Rovers, promoted from the National League last season.

Here is the scouting report for Saturday's League Two fixture at Meadow Lane courtesy of PON tsar Chris.

History

Notts County and Forest Green have literally only met the once, in the third round of the FA Cup on 19 January 2010.

Stephen Hunt opened the scoring for the Magpies in the 50th minute and, although Isaiah Rankin drew level on 63 minutes, Lee Hughes grabbed the winner one minute later.

Tomorrow thus marks the first ever league meeting between the two.

Run-down of their last six features

Saturday 9th September – Forest Green Rovers 1 Exeter City 3

Tuesday 12th September – Forest Green Rovers 0 Lincoln City 1

Saturday 16th September – Port Vale 1 Forest Green Rovers 1

Friday 22nd September – Forest Green Rovers 0 Swindon Town 2

Tuesday 26th September – Cambridge United 3 Forest Green Rovers 0

Saturday 30th September – Forest Green Rovers 0 Accrington Stanley 1

The Players – Fact Sheet

Highest Goal Scorers; Christian Doidge 4, Reece Brown 2, Omar Bugiel 2 and Liam Noble 1.

Persistent Foulers; Charlie Cooper 4 yellow cards, Dale Bennett 3 yellow cards, Mark Roberts 2 yellow cards and Liam Noble 2 yellow cards.

The Key Players

Stand-out player for Forest Green Rovers is easily Liam Noble, however it’s expected that the former Magpies midfielder won’t return to action for the Green Devils against Notts. He is easily their best player, capable of driving his team forward and in terms of his set pieces.

Luke James is an half decent winger and striker who enjoyed a spell with Hartlepool United, he can pull the strings and find space – however he can be pretty lacklustre as a striker.

Lastly Christian Doidge is a very capable player, who has a fair bit of pace and likes to get behind the opposition defence – he is a forward thinking player and offers them a lot of movement up top.

Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses

Forest Green Rovers appears to be quite happy to allow teams to attack, going forward themselves they look a fairly useful side and can build useful chances. The majority of their attacks are formed via the use of the centre of the park, whilst hitting sides with a fair amount of pace.

They like to be patient within their build-up play, but can overthink when they have forced their way into dangerous areas.

The Green Devils have a very strong midfield in my opinion which can control games quite well on their day, however upfront they do appear to be somewhat disjointed.

Perhaps this could go down to confidence, or the fact they’re a struggling side adapting to life within the Football League.

However, defensively they are very poor – with little to no marking at all. They invite play upon themselves and sit back rather dangerously, whilst from a defensive point of view their organisation is extremely negative.

Notts just need to hold the ball within the midfield, draw Forest Green Rovers out of position and carefully inject pace into direct runs – it would be to our benefit to make use of the flanks until we have gone beyond their midfield.

Chances will be presented to the Magpies, yet FGR may force more shots from distance as they have a tendency of parking the bus.

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Hello and welcome to episode 27 of the Pride of Nottingham PONcast, hosted by the East Midlands' very own Ant and Dec (but with more facial hair - much more) Chris and JJ.

In this week's episode, we analyse Notts County's humbling 3-1 defeat at Mansfield Town in the Nottinghamshire derby - both on and off the pitch - before going on to review what has been an otherwise impressive September for the Magpies

We also look ahead to October's first League Two fixture, a home clash with bottom side Forest Green Rovers which, despite seeming straightforward on paper, will prove a tough mental test in terms of keeping complacency at bay for Kevin Nolan.

Other topics covered include the speculation linking Liam Noble to a potential departure from FGR, attacking legend Les Bradd's 50-year anniversary of his Notts debut, and plenty more.

All this and more only in episode 27 of the Pride of Nottingham PONcast!

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September 2017 is now over, but as foundations go, Notts County have laid some great ones over the month, with a huge six wins from their seven games.

So who have been the standout Magpies players in September and how do they line up?

Pride of Nottingham, alongside a selection of Notts County fans, have come together and, following much deliberations, drawn up a September starting XI.

So to all those picked, well done and keep up the good work going into October and for the rest of the season!

Goalkeeper: Adam Collin

Left-back: Dan Jones

Centre-back: Shaun Brisley

Right-back: Matt Tootle

Left wing: Lewis Alessandra

Left midfield: Rob Milsom

Centre midfield: Jorge Grant

Right midfield: Ryan Yates

Right wing: Terry Hawkridge

Striker: Jonathan Forte

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Notts County’s 10-game unbeaten run has come to an end as two goals from Mansfield Town forward Danny Rose condemned the Pies to a 3-1 derby defeat at the One Call Stadium.

Rose pounced on a miscued headed backpass from Magpies captain Richard Duffy to guide the ball over Adam Collin, before adding a second from close range.

Duffy’s own goal then capped off a miserable afternoon for the visitors, although Carl Dickinson did salvage a late consolation via a free kick.

Here is what the Notts boss, some of the players and several fans had to say following the game.

Kevin Nolan

“I don’t think it was the tempo of the game that we struggled with, they just hit it high and long and we didn’t deal with it as well as we have done in previous games.

“They harassed and they got in and around us and made a nuisance of themselves.

“They had quality when they needed it too. Danny Rose was really good and Alex MacDonald also stood out.

“When they did get the ball forward they did make something happen.

“But I have no qualms with the result. Sometimes you just have to walk away and say fair play and they were better than us on the day. And that was what happened.”

Players on social media

The fans (from the Mansfield match discussion)

Elite_pie: The start to the season we have had has been brilliant, and way better than I thought possible so Nolan and the squad deserve a lot of praise for their achievements so far. But I'm still full of anger and disappointment at the pitiful display we gave yesterday. Of all the places for the run to end, you just knew it would be there. When the inbreds started chanting "You're an embarrassment" I was 15 minutes ahead of them. I was thinking we were an embarrassment as soon as the third went in. It's becoming an annual humiliation, we seem to save our most inept display of the season for when we go there. It's the one game I want to win above all others, but yet again we handed them the points gift wrapped on a silver platter. This was a chance to put a hefty 12 point gap between the clubs and put serious pressure on Fatty Evans. Instead we've given their stuttering season a big boost. Even though I feared the worst, given the circumstances going into the game we blew it big time.

Liampie: One game does not change or undo the good work being done. I just want to forget it and hope that it was nothing more than a one off.

Chris: I wasn't impressed. I'm not saying this to be biased in any way, I've held back sharing my views so I could write my thoughts as clearly as I see them.

I think the occasion firmly went out of the window before the kick off. The police didn't seem bothered, almost like it was an inconvenience for them to be attending the game (not all, but the majority I saw). I feel this, and certain stewards and barring on the impact before hand, there was one steward who was trying to have fights with fans before the getting into the ground.

Mansfield looked brighter, they didn't seem nervous but I do think Field Mill was intimidating.

Our players didn't look like a side that had been in decent form, in fact they didn't look like they knew each other. Richard Duffy was awful! but he wasn't the only awful thing yesterday. Mansfield was woeful on goal in the first half and resorted to diving at every opportunity, the referee for me really ruined the game. There was one free kick whereby a Stags player burst down the flanks and just dropped himself, there was no Notts player near to him but the referee still awarded him a free kick. It was baffling in truth!

I do feel Mansfield played better, though if they call that a good performance god help them. It wasn't, they won because we simply was good at all and there was no 'team' visible from the Notts perspective.

The score would probably be fairer at 2-1 but we made our own mistakes to grant the win to the Stags.

Stewards were awful, they looked for trouble and there was a lot of biased behaviour. I can't accept we was poor, that we lost due to this and I can credit Mansfield for stopping us from playing - yet the club seems a disgrace when they hire people firmly looking to start trouble.

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Notts County saw their six-game winning streak come to an abrupt halt with a 3-1 defeat at local rivals Mansfield Town.

The in-form Danny Rose grabbed a second-half brace before a Richard Duffy own goal killed off the game for the Magpies.

Carl Dickinson, meanwhile, grabbed a consolation for County two minutes into added time with a superb 25-yard free-kick.

Despite the loss, Notts remain top of the table and will have a week to prepare for a home encounter with struggling Forest Green Rovers.

Pride of Nottingham was at Field Mill to watch Notts take on Mansfield and took photographs of fans.

See if you've made it in this weekend's Faces of PON!

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Notts County saw their six-game winning streak come to an abrupt halt with a 3-1 defeat at local rivals Mansfield Town.

The in-form Danny Rose grabbed a second-half brace before a Richard Duffy own goal killed off the game for the Magpies.

Carl Dickinson, meanwhile, grabbed a consolation for County two minutes into added time with a superb 25-yard free-kick.

Notts remain top of the table despite their defeat, however, acting almost as a kind of reprieve as Kevin Nolan sets about regrouping his charges.

The club have posted the match highlights, so should you wish to see them again, here they are.

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Notts County’s 10-game unbeaten run came to end in a 3-1 defeat at Mansfield Town on Saturday.

Danny Rose made the most of a miscued headed backpass from Magpies captain Richard Duffy to guide the ball into an empty net, before adding a second from close range.

Duffy’s own goal, with Rose once again playing a part in the build-up, then put the Stags three up in a miserable afternoon for the Notts fans.

While Carl Dickinson found the net in stoppage time with an impressive free kick, it proved a mere consolation.

ARLukomski, a Notts vlogger and Pride of Nottingham contributor, discussed the fixture ahead of kickoff, gave his thoughts as the game went on, and talked about the performance and result after the final whistle.

Follow ARLukomski on his YouTube channel by clicking here.

Share your thoughts about this vlog 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.

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Notts County saw their six-game winning streak come to an abrupt halt with a 3-1 defeat at local rivals Mansfield Town.

The in-form Danny Rose grabbed a second-half brace before a Richard Duffy own goal killed off the game for the Magpies.

Carl Dickinson, meanwhile, grabbed a consolation for County two minutes into added time with a superb 25-yard free-kick.

Here is Chris's analysis of the game at the One Call Stadium.

Was the result fair?

I can’t disagree, though I think the score line is flattering because I don’t think either side played really well at all – but Mansfield were clearly the better side of the two competing at Field Mill yesterday.

How did Notts play?

Notts played like a side that wasn’t aware of how to play, they looked unfamiliar with each other and they failed to get grip of the game. It’s difficult, as I did think we played alright in spells in the first half. Second was just awful, and I’d have made changes before it had even kicked off. The fault for me was at the back, there was little to no organisation and we failed to deal promptly with the Stags.

How did Mansfield Town play?

They played well, with some good football being expressed by their players but I honestly wasn’t very impressed overall – I don’t think this was due to Notts being extremely poor, its more related to their negative tactics and repeated efforts to fool what was a very poor referee.

Did our tactics work out?

No, not at all. It was Coventry City all over again but on a worse level this time a round.

Before the match the line-up looked as if Kevin Nolan was spot on with his selection, with many fans saying ‘he’s going for it isn’t he’ and it would have appeared to be the case. However, Carl Dickinson was a weak link at the back and Richard Duffy I felt was extremely poor.

I would have risked playing Shola Ameobi from the start, and I hate to say it perhaps against Mansfield we shouldn’t have tried to force the passing football so much.

But from the back, we were very ineffective – the midfield did try but seemed sluggish and unprepared. Our striker force stood no chance at all for these reasons.

How did the referee perform?

I didn’t rate him, I felt he gave an unfair home advantage and missed several blatant dives. He also tended to award every little issue that Mansfield players complained about, which sort of ruined the flow of the game.

He wasn’t very quick to award anything to Notts at all, and there were times where he clearly missed incidents – but I doubt a better referee would have changed much.

Who do we play next?

Forest Green Rovers! Pardon the pun but we literally have to slaughter these. I fully expect Notts to be able to bounce back, but we have to go into the game being more prepared and more able to compete if things don’t go our way.

How should we play them?

We have to be cautious at the back, I would hate for us to play poorly against these and totally underestimate them.

It’s clear on paper that Forest Green can leak goals, they have a decent midfield but they haven’t strengthened wisely for life within League Two. Notts must play higher up, we need to force them back in my opinion.

This would allow more ground to be found within the middle of their pitch, and would allow us to play a better passing game.

We missed pace against Mansfield, so for me Dan Jones needs to return if he is fit after suffering a hamstring injury against Lincoln City. I’d like to see Lewis Alessandra and Terry Hawkridge occupy the flanks and Robert Milsom and Ryan Yates in the centre.

Mansfield fan comments (from Stagsnet)

Yaxhamstag: Cracking atmosphere, match day experience is so much better than it has been in the past, so congratulations to all concerned at the club. Danny Rose was awesome, I thought the defence was solid, my one disappointment was our midfield (MacDonald excepted) as I thought given our purchases they would show a bit more quality on the ball....hopefully that will come. As for Hemmings, I thought he worked really hard and is just unlucky at the moment. He could/should have been credited with the second goal and would have had a tap-in if the third hadn't been an OG. Pleased he got a good reception when he came off and we should continue to back him. Once he gets one, he'll be fine. I also thought the one minute's applause was brilliant and moving. Top stuff all round.

Chip63: Absolutely a great result today. Well done all you have made my day. Don't take the pish too much on the way out. Top of the league your having a laugh.

Woodclanger1: Great result without even having to move up a gear by bringing Mellis on. They looked well drilled but very ordinary and limited to hoof it. We were no great shakes especially the first half in midfield but Butcher certainly stepped it up in the second half. Mirfin and Pearce solid again and the hard running of Rose and Sterling up front made them look very cumbersome at the back. Great day to be a Stags fan.

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Notts County are on the brink of a perfect September, navigating through their six games so far with a 100% record, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one en route to the top of the table.

But now comes the sternest test of all - arguably our fiercest local derby, against Mansfield Town, away from home.

Here is Chris's scouting report for the Nottinghamshire derby.

History

Notts County and Mansfield Town have met 49 times over the years.

The first fixture between the two was in October 1937, a 2-0 win for the Magpies in Division Three (South).

Notts only just have the upper hand with 18 wins, 17 defeats, and 14 draws.

Between 1989 and 2001, the two sides met six times – and Notts won each time.

County's record over the last 10 meetings, however, is poor, standing at two wins, four defeats, and four draws.

This record is embellished by the fact Notts have beaten Mansfield twice in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy in the last two years.

In reality, the Magpies haven't got a league win over the Stags since August 2005.

Run-down of their last six features

Saturday 2nd September – Carlisle United 1 Mansfield Town 1

Saturday 9th September – Mansfield Town 4 Grimsby Town 1

Tuesday 12th September – Mansfield Town 0 Wycombe Wanderers 0

Saturday 16th September – Lincoln City 0 Mansfield Town 1

Saturday 23rd September – Mansfield Town 2 Cambridge United 2

Tuesday 26th September – Cheltenham Town 3 Mansfield Town 0

The Players – Fact Sheet

Highest Goal Scorers; Danny Rose 4, Lee Angol 4, Alfie Potter 1 and David Mirfin 1.

Persistent Foulers; Jacob Mellis 4 yellow cards, Calum Butcher 3 yellow cards, Joel Byrom 2 yellow cards and Danny Rose 2 yellow cards.

The Key Players

The once promising Chelsea academy product and England Under-19’s midfielder Jacob Mellis is a quick minded player, who can play box-to-box and turn the opposition inside out with clever play – he is a great asset for Mansfield and his no-nonsense approach to physical tackles will be something to be aware of.

Paul Anderson is also a very experienced winger, who likes to run directly at times and can unlock sides with a defend cross or well placed through ball.

Mansfield’s star player for me appears to be the 23-year-old striker Danny Rose, who is comfortable in possession and waiting for the perfect opportunity to get a strike on goal. His positioning is generally quite tricky to track and as a result allows him to find space in keys areas.

Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses

In games when allowed to play, Mansfield Town start off very direct and take to attacking with sheer pace. They mix their breaks from all across the park, but in my opinion they look more dangerous when they take to using the flank as a way to cut back in.

They appear to be a very capable side, and quite well organised in terms of their positioning.

Going forward they do have limitations, and their midfield seems to play to far up the field – with their defence weirdly quite deep.

This tends to create a lot of space in the centre of the park, but forces teams to drop back themselves. However, better sides seem very able to hit Mansfield on the break and as a result they then start to appear just like an average League Two team.

Defensively, they look very chaotic when hit and possession is held by the opposition team. Leading to panic and confusion within their defence.

Overall Notts should just look to make use of the wing themselves, as aerial threats appear to be one strong weakness. It’s a game that Shola Ameobi would literally love, as he would be able to calm the place down and allow for more pacier players to be the direct threats.

Free kicks will most likely be won in favour of Notts, as the Stags like to use this to break down the play.

But really, quick movement and clever positioning would work to great effect against Mansfield. If Notts can build positively, control the game in key areas such as the midfield and force them to be more defensive – team should be on the Magpies’ side when it comes to creating decent chances.

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Notts County have cemented their hold on top spot in League Two thanks to a clinical 3-0 win over Exeter City on Tuesday night.

In a clash that pitted the top two teams in the division against each other, it was the Magpies who came out on top to extend their lead to three points thanks to Lewis Alessandra's early goal and substitute Jorge Grant's second-half brace.

Here is what the Notts boss, some of the players and several fans had to say following the game.

Kevin Nolan

“I think it was the most complete performance because we were away from home, we got the clean sheet, and scored three goals.

“We came here on a Tuesday night, made five changes and if it doesn’t work people start to question you.

“It’s certainly up there and I love winning every game. It means so much to me to have another fantastic result like this.

Jorge Grant

"Confidence is high but we have to keep level heads. We've had a great start but it's still early on in the season.

"We can't get too high when we win but, at the same time, we can't get too low when we lose."

Players on social media

The fans (from PON's match discussion of the Exeter game)

Upthepies: Surprise start to the game to go 1-0 up minutes into the first half. I thought the team defended bravely after a shaky period, the players re-group at half time. I don't know what Kevin Nolan said but whatever it was they came back out more determined. Richard Duffy was class tonight! Yet Ryan Yates stole the show for me. He worked very hard and his engine never stopped.

Liampie: Wow, 3-0 win over a very decent team. it sounded like we played very well in the second half especially. So pleased right now!

Chris: At the moment everything's going our way! 3-0! Two goals by Jorge Grant and of course the opener by Lewis Alessandra. Mark Stallard and Charlie Slater labelling the game 'the performance of the season by Notts', well the first half sounded like a write off towards the end but Notts have remained focused and sealed a good display.

Who r ya?? You Pies!!:  Omg what a win and performance , strong in defence good going forward getting those goals , Gorge Grants on fire league 2 defences are terrified lol COYP

Countyman: I just want to say it, WE ARE STILL TOP OF LEAGUE TWO. 3-0 win over Exeter? Fantastic!

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Notts County have cemented their hold on top spot in League Two with a clinical performance to beat second-placed Exeter City 3-0 at St James Park on Tuesday night.

Lewis Alessandra set the Magpies on their way with an opportunistic lob after just two minutes before substitute Jorge Grant added a further two goals in the second half.

The result, a sixth successive league victory for Kevin Nolan's men, sees them three points clear at the top of the table.

Here is an in-depth analysis of the game from Chris.

Was the result fair?

I take a lot of joy from saying this, Notts County wholeheartedly deserved to win at Exeter yesterday! The home side simply failed to take their chances in the first half, and a superb second half performance sealed the victory for the Magpies – there’s no luck involved at all, the better team went home happy.

How did Notts play?

Notts played very well, the first half had patches but at the back Richard Duffy ensured that Adam Collin was well protected. From the off, Notts looked bright and eager to prove to League Two that they’re a serious outfit meaning to do the business this campaign. A very strong, spirited second half saw the Magpies play some good stuff.

How did Exeter play?

I wouldn’t suggest they played badly, however their hyping up of the game really didn’t help them. It gave The Grecians the pressure, especially being on home turf and despite some good chances in the first half – they just simply weren’t able to tuck of their opportunities a way.

Did our tactics work out?

The five changes meant that Notts had several pairs of fresh legs playing, a decision which in all fairness could have backfired – however with this Notts squad we all know that players are more likely to respond positively. From the off, Lewis Alessandra proved this point and it shows just how universal the team tactics are right now. Kevin Nolan did his homework by injecting height into the squad, so tactically we were spot on.

How did the referee perform?

The referee did alright, and for once I find myself thinking that we actually had a sensible referee. Due to this the game played out quite smoothly, and although some decisions may have been missed – I think it worked in favour of both teams rather than any decisions to favour a single team.

Who do we play next?

Next up is six fingers, seven toes and no thumbs – aka Mansfield Town. This game has more momentum behind it than the Exeter City game, thus making it far more important and no doubt a tricky local derby.

How should we play them?

Notts have been building nicely from the back in recent games, it’s important that we play with the right balance against Mansfield – as I feel they will try to press us more and ultimately attempt to close us down.

It’s important that we keep the play simple, passing short and avoiding anything fancy.

When Notts assumes control by passing around the centre of the park, spreading the ball out wide – it creates so much space that opposition sides don’t know whether to drop deeper or push up tighter.

This is a vital aspect, as will allowing Jon Stead to gather players to make him tightly – in all fairness it would be useful to have Shola Ameobi back as his holding up of the ball and clever flicks would had a lot to our game plan.

However, we just have to be sensible within our play and use the creativity that players like Rob Milsom and Jorge Grant have to offer.

Exeter fan views (from Exeweb)

grecian-near-hell: Personally I didn't rate Notts County that highly, I thought they were slow and ponderous with too many wayward passes for a table topping team, and will be found out (like ourselves) shortly. That said we were worse. I didn't think we had any shape about us, the defence could so easily have been ripped apart with a far worse scoreline than 3-0 had NC had speedy wingers/forwards.Regrettably I think TAH has had his day he's got the turning circle of a juggernaut and last night neither of the Troy's appeared to have any understanding of what the other was doing. Like NC too many wayward passes from defence and midfield to runners who weren't there.

Jayden Stockley really needs to contact David Wheeler to find out how he seemed to float so long after he jumped for the ball, too often last night Stockley had jumped too soon and was on the way down before the ball got to him either from kick offs or crossing and on a couple of occassions this could have bought us a goal - he really does need to parctice his heading and jumping, but that's the (alleged) £400k difference I suppose.

The midfield also had a nightmare, as mentioned too many passes going astray Lee Holmes not weaving his magic.

The match although billed as top of the table did not live up to expectations which was a shame bearing in mind the good sized crowd for a midweek match.Oh well live and learn and we move on matches like last night emphasised why we are a fourth division side with players to match.

DanceMagnet: A simple question, Mr Tisdale. When you're up against two slow defenders in Nicky Hunt and Richard Duffy, why do you start with no pace up front? Instead you play Stockley and Reid together when it was blatantly obvious at Coventry that partnership wasn't working and would likely suit there central defenders more than somebody capable of running at them.

It was also pretty obvious from the start that the midfield needed strengthening. Why that did not happen at half time (at the latest) I'll never know. Boating should have been on then. Instead, we have to wait until we go two down until we make a substitution - too bleeding late, mate.

Mr Jan Yeo: We were punished for some sloppy play, but I didn't feel we were far away from that being a completely different result. Seen us play a lot worse and still get something from the game.

County were good and played us off the park for long periods. We seemed to struggle initially to break them down but definitely had a few decent spells that would've seen the game completely change if the ball had fallen right. We can't win them all and aren't the best in the league, so I'm not too surprised. We'll bounce back soon enough.

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Notts County have tightened their grip at the top of the League Two table as they powered their way to a 3-0 victory over Exeter City in the battle of the top two on Tuesday night.

The Magpies began the match at St James' Park on the back of five successive wins, and left with a sixth against the second-placed Grecians, who they had deposed last weekend.

Substitute Jorge Grant's double, coupled with Lewis Alessandra's second-minute opener, condemned Exeter to a second defeat in four days and put Kevin Nolan's side three points clear.

The official Notts YouTube channel now has the highlights up from the game, so if you fancy reliving the amazing win - and you know you do - then simply check out the video below.

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Hello and welcome to episode 26 of the Pride of Nottingham PONcast, presented by Chris and JJ.

In this week's episode we recap, review and analyse Notts County's impressive 4-1 win over Lincoln City, the result of which put the Magpies top of League Two.

We then move on to previewing today's crunch clash with second-placed Exeter City and determining how Notts should line up and play against the Grecians.

Other topics covered include just how crucial Kevin Nolan's new contract is to the stability of the club, whether the seemingly imminent early closure of the transfer window is a good thing, and plenty more.

All this and more in the Pride of Nottingham PONcast, episode 26!

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So Notts County have taken their place at the top of the pile in League Two following their marvellous 4-1 win over Lincoln City at the weekend.

They now face their biggest mission, taking on second-placed Exeter City away at St James' Park on Tuesday night.

Here is Chris's scouting report for our midweek game this week.

History

Notts County and Exeter City have met a total of 44 times over their history.

The first meeting came at St James’ Park in Division Three (South) on 1 November 1930, and it which finished as a 3-3 draw.

The Magpies have an excellent record against the Grecians; out of those 43 games, Notts claimed a result in 36, with 17 wins and 19 draws.

Our recent form (last five) is not too bad, with two wins, two draws and one defeat.

Run-down of their last six fixtures

Saturday 26th August – Cheltenham Town 3 Exeter City 4

Saturday 2nd September – Exeter City 1 Newport County 0

Saturday 9th September – Forest Green Rovers 1 Exeter City 3

Tuesday 12th September – Barnet 1 Exeter City 2

Saturday 16th September – Exeter City 3 Crewe Alexandra 0

Saturday 23rd September – Coventry City 2 Exeter City 0

The Players – Fact Sheet

Highest Goal Scorers; Reuben Reid 7, Lee Holmes 2, Jake Palmer 2 and Jayden Stockley 2.

Persistent Foulers; Lloyd James 4 yellow cards, Jordan Tillson 3 yellow cards, Hiram Boateng 2 yellow cards and Reuben Reid 1 yellow card.

The Key Players

The standout player for Exeter City is Reuben Reid who is a versatile player able to drift onto the wing, whilst remaining a lethal finisher upfront – his experience within League Two is one of their main focus points.

In midfield the duo of Lloyd James and Jake Taylor offer them a lot of creativity, with the pair easily being the driving force behind the team.

Jordan Tillson also likes to get forward from defence and is a very robust player at the back – who is tactically aware at most times.

Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses

Exeter City use a mix of passing on the ground and using the air to confuse their opposition, they appear very comfortable attacking in both fashions – yet they look more dangerous when they attack through the centre of the park.

Going forward they are very confident, and can force play by passing in awkward positions which makes it harder to defend from an oppositions point of view.

They move strategically going forward which invites play for their strikers, and look to draw their counter-parts out as a way to get on goal sight.

Defensively they look awkward when teams assert pressure, and against taller opposition teams they can tend to leak goals – however they generally avoid relapses in their concentration and organise themselves very effectively.

Notts will have to stand tall upfront, walking hard to make use of whatever chances may fall their way. Space will be given outside their area which Notts could use to their advantage, yet space within the penalty area should be limited due to the tightness that Exeter leave. Corners would be best to use a second player to drill in the pass – rather than going direct and any chance on goal sight must be taken.

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Notts County have climbed to the top of League Two after a resounding 4-1 victory against 10-man Lincoln City.

The Magpies rode out a tricky start at Meadow Lane to edge into a numerical advantage when Billy Knott was sent off for a high boot into the face of Ryan Yates.

Notts then took the lead through Jon Stead and, despite being pegged back by Harry Anderson's equaliser, went on to strike thrice more, through Matt Tootle, Jorge Grant and ex-Imp Terry Hawkridge.

Here is an in-depth analysis of the game from Chris.

Was the result fair?

Notts asserted domination after Lincoln pulled level, and despite all the whining about the red card and refereeing decisions, it was the correct decision. Ultimately Notts responded well after losing the lead. And I have explained further why the result was fair in my feature, "Billy Knott red card cannot be blamed for Lincoln City loss".

How did Notts play?

First half was disappointing, the players refused to keep the ball on the ground and this better suited Lincoln. I feel we were cancelled out, largely by negative game play but in the second half Notts managed to assert control of the game and from there it was one of the best second half performances I have seen at Meadow Lane for a long time.

How did Lincoln City play?

Firstly, I felt they played well. Attacking wise they reminded me of Notts with how we tend to force play but they worked the ball very nicely and created chances. It was obvious that they wanted the play to be primarily thought-out in the air, however several rash challenges and blatant cheating ultimately saw their performance spiral to a very low point. Why the Lincoln goalkeeper decided to go down at two periods to allow his team to have a ‘team talk’ is beyond me.  

Did our tactics work out?

First half no, second half play was adjusted and the wider positions gave Notts what they needed. The players also focused on passing rather than hoofing and it was like watching a different game. Line-up wise it was spot on but Notts just need to remember to keep the ball down in the future.

How did the referee perform?

He was alright, I think some of the decisions he made was swayed by both teams players and Lincoln fans might moan about Matt Tootle but there were times several of their players did the exact same thing. I don’t think the official controlled the game very well, especially for since it was a local derby.

Who do we play next?

Next up, Exeter City – a game which they have been hyping quite a lot. It’s one of those games which will easily define the 2017-18 season for Notts.

How should we play them?

I don’t want to see Kevin Nolan opt for a defensive line-up, as I feel this would play into the hands of Exeter who will be heavily focused on attacking.

To control the game, we should build slowly, pass the ball around into positions whereby we can guarantee more time to pick out the right pass. It’s important that we make a lot of movement as we move forward, as this will create better chances.

Again the midfield will have to do a lot of running and hard-work, as this will help the defence handle Exeter.

We just have to build careful and be prepared for them to throw everything at us, I think they start a lot like Swindon Town did – using a mix of pace and creativity to form good chances, so we must be alert at the back.

Lincoln fan reaction (from the Lincoln Vital page)

Scotimp: Danny said he wants to be around the top ten at the halfway stage. We are 12th, having played some very difficult games - we have played the top 2 away, for example, and the teams who are 3rd and 5th at home. We have also played the teams in 9th and 10th away. We are 4 points off the play-offs. We are in the Football League. We are not Tranmere. I'm pretty pleased with all of that.

Croozey: I don't think we need a squad of 25. Two more would be enough. But I think in January we could see some of the current squad moved on and replaced.

Hulloutpost: We dominated the game until the outrageous sending off against a team second in the league, high in confidence and with some very experienced/decent players. We are not far away from giving somebody a spanking and the sooner it comes the better. We have had a similar start (bit patchy and inconsistent but some good stuff also) to what we had last season and whilst this is undoubtedly a tougher league I have seen enough to know that we have better players than last year. Given a better rub of the green and a bit more sharpness on our part and we will be fine going into the January transfer window. I expect us to kick on at that point.

85 Horace Green: I was sat quite high up and admittedly saw the last three County goals from a distance, but it didn't look to me as if Farman was at fault for any of them. He does flatter to deceive sometimes but I'm not sure today was his fault at all.

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Notts County have recorded a fifth win on the spin and climbed to the top of League Two thanks to a 4-1 hammering of local rivals Lincoln City at Meadow Lane.

The Magpies were under pressure early on but Billy Knott's red card for a wild challenge on Ryan Yates gave Kevin Nolan's team a man advantage.

Jon Stead volleyed in the opening goal but the Imps hit back in the early stages of the second period as Harry Anderson's header pulled them level.

Notts were soon back in front, with Matt Tootle rifling the hosts into the lead once again and celebrating in sluggish style, before Jorge Grant's stunning free kick made it 3-1.

Terry Hawkridge then got one over his old employers by rounding off the scoring with a late goal.

Pride of Nottingham was at Meadow Lane to see County's amazing win over Lincoln - have a look through our fan photo gallery and see if you've made it in this week's Faces of PON!

COME ON YOU PIES!

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