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Kevin Nolan has urged his players to ensure Notts County's game against Chesterfield on Saturday does not turn out to be a "basketball match". The Magpies have played two games so far this season, against Coventry City in League Two and Scunthorpe United in the League Cup, and both of those saw his charges concede three goals. With the Spireites coming to Meadow Lane at the weekend, Nolan is clear about what he wants from his players. Though acknowledging Chesterfield have not had

Kevin Nolan has spoken of how he wanted to keep the bulk of Notts County's back line from last season together to go into the 2018-19 campaign. The Magpies had the fourth best defensive record in League Two last term, which was crucial in the team's run to the playoffs. Right-back Matt Tootle, left-back Dan Jones and centre-back Richard Duffy have all since extended their spells at Notts, while Ben Hall has rejoined on loan from Brighton. “I wanted to keep the defence together bec

Kevin Nolan has reiterated that he will only reassess Notts County's goals from the season once safety in League Two is assured. The Magpies made it eight games unbeaten in all competitions with a 1-0 win away at Crawley Town on Saturday, ensuring that the Magpies remain second in League Two. Despite talk among fans shifting towards promotion, Nolan insists that it's too early in the season to look ahead all the way to next May when the league reaches its decisive fixtures. When a

Kevin Nolan has offered a scathing assessment of Notts County following their opening-day defeat at Coventry City. The Magpies succumbed to a Jodi Jones hat-trick as the newly-relegated Sky Blues cruised to a 3-0 win at the Ricoh Arena. For all of County's woes, Nolan admitted that Coventry were simply the better team on the day, doing "the right things at the right times". “It went wrong from start to finish,” the gaffer told the Nottingham Post. “We were a bit like rabbits

Kevin Nolan has claimed that Jon Stead is a confident player already and scoring his first Notts County goal of the season will not necessarily have given him a jolt of confidence more than what he previously had. The veteran striker has come under criticism from a section of Notts County fans, who would like to see one of the club's other strikers - Jonathan Forte the name most mentioned - given a go in the starting XI. He got off the mark in the 2-2 draw against Accrington Stanley wi

Notts County boss Kevin Nolan has suggested that Jon Stead could go on to play until the age of 40 and beyond. The veteran striker impressed for the Magpies in the 1-1 draw against Stevenage at the weekend, massively influencing the team when going forward. "I think there's a lot of things said about Jon Stead because he is 34 but he doesn't train like he's 34," Nolan is quoted by the Daily Mail as saying. "He trains every day. He trains with the 19 and 20 year olds and he's never

Notts County boss Kevin Nolan has claimed that Jon Stead does not get the credit he deserves. The veteran striker impressed in the 4-1 win over Lincoln City at the weekend, scoring one and assisting Matt Tootle. Stead went on to make his 100th Magpies appearance in the 3-0 victory at Exeter City on Tuesday, and Nolan paid tribute to the forward, who turned down a move to the United States to extend his Meadow Lane contract in the summer. Asked whether Stead is given enough credit,

Kevin Nolan has hinted towards Jon Stead and Shola Ameobi remaining the first-choice strike partnership at Notts County, claiming that Jonathan Forte was not unlucky to have been named on the bench for the 2-2 draw with Accrington Stanley. Forte had scored in his previous two appearances before Friday’s League Two fixture at Meadow Lane, but was nonetheless not picked in the starting XI as the Magpies shared the spoils with Stanley. “I don’t think he (Forte) was unlucky. I explained th

Notts County boss Kevin Nolan has hailed Jonathan Forte after the striker grabbed his third goal in two games against Colchester United on Saturday. The 31-year-old has endured extended spells outside of the squad but his equaliser spurred the Magpies to victory as they ran out 3-1 winners at the Weston Homes Community Stadium. It was the first time Notts have sealed back to back wins in League Two since last September and Nolan praised Forte for the impact he had on the game. "Yo

Notts County boss Kevin Nolan has revealed that he has had to tell Jorge Grant to stop being so critical of himself. The 23-year-old grabbed a brace against Newport County at the weekend, which saw him edge into the double figures mark for goals. During the 3-0 win over the Exiles, however, Grant's over-eagerness to impress - and its subsequent impact on his play - led to Nolan having to have a word with him. “I told him not to try to eat himself up,” Nolan told the Nottingham Pos

Kevin Nolan has reiterated that Notts County want Jorge Grant to remain at Meadow Lane until the end of the season but insists that he doesn't "have to convince anyone to stay". The Nottingham Forest midfielder's deal with the Magpies runs until the end of the campaign but the Reds have an option to recall him in January. Grant has developed immensely as a footballer at Notts since his first loan spell last season and currently tops the League Two scoring charts with 13 goals, and Nola

Kevin Nolan has given his thoughts on Notts County's upcoming League Two clash at Grimsby Town and confirmed that Jorge Grant is in contention to make the squad. The loanee was out with an ankle injury as the Magpies ran out 4-1 winners over Yeovil Town last weekend but has made a swift recovery. With so much resting on Saturday's trip to Blundell Park, Nolan is pleased to be able to call on his top scorer as Notts seek to get into the top three. "Jorge trained today and everythin

Notts County boss Kevin Nolan has revealed that he left Jorge Grant on the bench against Carlisle United because he has looked "a bit jaded" over the last few weeks. The attacking midfielder has impressed for the Magpies for the majority of this season, as well as the second half of last term, but has appeared somewhat off form in recent games. Grant was thus benched for the 2-1 win over the Cumbrians on Tuesday night although he did come on as a late substitute. “This is Jorge’s

Kevin Nolan has reiterated that Jorge Grant is a special talent as he continues to conjure up the magic for Notts County. The 23-year-old loanee registered his 14th goal of the campaign on Saturday as he helped the Magpies into the third round of the FA Cup. In the second-round meeting with Oxford City, Grant was perfectly placed in the box to smash home a rebounded shot in the 94th minute for a 3-2 win. “We speak to Jorge about it, it just comes to him in the box. It’s not him be

Kevin Nolan has bemoaned Notts County's 2-1 defeat to Exeter City and rued a number of key refereeing decisions which he felt cost his side dear. The visitors raced into the lead after just eight minutes through Jake Taylor's tap-in before Stockley struck the decisive second just before half-time. Jon Stead scored a second-half penalty after Shola Ameobi was hauled down in the box but the Magpies couldn't find an equaliser and so lost their unbeaten home record which stretched back to

Kevin Nolan has suggested that Kristian Dennis could make his first Notts County start in Friday's League Two meeting with Yeovil Town. The striker was left out of the squad for Tuesday’s EFL Cup trip to Middlesbrough to work on his fitness. Speaking a day before the Glovers clash, Nolan is confident that Dennis' extra grafting could see him involved from the off. “We kept him back because we felt he had a real chance of starting on Friday,” Nolan told the official Notts site.

Notts County manager Kevin Nolan has revealed that Kristian Dennis is in line for his first pre-season appearance this weekend. The forward, who scored 21 goals for Chesterfield last season, missed the Magpies' opening three friendlies due to injury. However, Dennis is now back to fitness and Nolan says he will be involved against Leicester City on Saturday at Meadow Lane. "He's back," Nolan told the official club website. "We were gutted when we realised he wasn't going to b

Kevin Nolan has admitted that letting Liam Walker leave Notts County was a tough decision but could not stand in his way after being given an opportunity to play elsewhere. The Gibraltar international left Meadow Lane on Monday having had his contract terminated by mutual consent, having made just 19 appearances this season and failing to make the squad altogether in recent weeks. "Liam got given an opportunity to go elsewhere," Nolan told the Nottingham Post. "He rang the club and ask

Kevin Nolan has described Notts County's League Two regular season finale against Luton Town as a "fantastic opportunity" to prepare for the playoffs. The Magpies' 2-1 loss at Grimsby Town, combined with Wycombe Wanderers' 2-1 win at Chesterfield, saw the Chairboys fill the last top-three spot in the table. Notts cannot finish any higher than fourth or lower than seventh, but before navigating the playoffs, must first see out the 46th and final fixture, and awaiting them on Saturday is

Kevin Nolan has claimed that managers should be given power to use video assisted refereeing (VAR) to challenge major decisions. At present, either the referee or the video assistant can make use of the system when there is a "clear and obvious error" involving goals, penalty awards, red cards, or mistaken identity. Nolan, meanwhile, is proposing a system similar to tennis or cricket, and thinks both managers should be allowed one unsuccessful challenge per match. "You won't have

Kevin Nolan has admitted that some people at Manchester City were surprised to see Will Patching get released. The former England youth international is now at Notts County, who had seen off numerous clubs for his signature. Luckily for the Magpies, Patching shares the same agent as Tom Crawford, who is also at Meadow Lane having joined from Chester FC. “When we spoke to a couple of people at Man City they were surprised Will had been released,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post.

Kevin Nolan is looking forward to Saturday's League Two derby between Notts County and Mansfield Town but warns that the opposition are "no mugs". Both sides are in the hunt for automatic promotion this season, with the Magpies hoping to make it four games unbeaten, deal a big blow to a direct promotion contender, and claim regional bragging rights. Although the game will be the first Nottinghamshire derby for new Stags manager David Flitcroft, Nolan is still mindful of their strong sq