Kevin Nolan: 'Notts County must be fully focused against Oxford City'

Kevin Nolan has revealed he is trying to keep pre-match preparations as normal as possible for Notts County amid the increased media interest ahead of their televised FA Cup second-round meeting with Oxford City.

The game has been moved to a 12:30pm kickoff and will be broadcast on BT Sport as the high-flying Magpies take on the National League South side, who beat Colchester United in the first round of the competition.

Nolan is well aware that the disparity in league positions between the two teams has led to people "expecting us to win" but is also aware that complacency will lead to "one big bite on the bum".

“It’s another game, it’s the next one that’s on the fixture list," Nolan told the Nottingham Post. "We’re on BT, so that’s a bit of difference – shall we say the glamour that brings, a lot more media stuff to do and lots more things to be involved in.

“We’re trying to keep it as normal as possible for the lads and keep everything the same so they know how important this is moving forward, making sure that we apply ourselves in the right manner to get through to the next round.

“If we don’t, and these have already beaten a good side in Colchester, who we all saw last week and are more than capable, and are going to be good in this division taking us right to the wire. For them to have that scalp already – they’ll coming here with no fear, to enjoy the experience.

“A lot of it is going to be a lot different to what it normally is on a match day. What my lads can’t do is be distracted by that, or get taken away from the actual thing which is the football game and that’s what everyone is here for – for the football game.

“We’ve got to make sure that we remain focused on solely that. Enjoy all the rest of it, but at the front of your mind is what goes on, on Saturday afternoon at 12:30pm. It’s about making sure what we do and if we do that, I’m very confident we can be in the next round.

“Everyone’s expecting us to win, I know that’s not the reality. If we apply ourselves, if we play to the best of our abilities and the way we have then it gives us a fantastic opportunity of getting through to the next round. If we don’t, we’ll be in for one big bite on the bum. Every one of them will be on the top of their game, they’ll be raring to go.”

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