Manager Terry Butcher has expressed hopes that Regan Poole will remain at Newport County beyond this transfer window.

After impressing in County's 2-1 League Cup defeat at Wolves, Poole said he did not know if a move would happen during the window given he’s said to be on Fulham’s radar.

Butcher said there had been no fresh inquiries and added: ''I am very optimistic he will stay here.''

Poole, 17, still has a year left on his scholar's contract, but has already been offered a new senior deal by the club.

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Portsmouth midfielder Ben Close has signed a one-year contract extension at Fratton Park.

The 19-year-old's current deal at the League Two club had been due to expire at the end of this season.

Having come through the ranks, Close has made 10 senior appearances following his debut in the last campaign.

His most recent appearance came in Pompey's 2-1 win at home against Championship side Derby County in the League Cup first round on Wednesday.

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Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale has claimed that centre-back Jordan Moore-Taylor could be available by the end of the month after returning to training.

The 21-year-old had surgery in June after breaking the same bone in his foot for the third time in a year.

"He should be back in the reckoning in two or three weeks," Tisdale said.

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Oxford United have signed midfielder John Lundstram on a free transfer following his departure from Everton.

The 21-year-old, who has played for England up to Under-20 level, has agreed a two-year contract, having ended last season on loan at Scunthorpe.

Lundstram came through the Everton youth system but never made a first-team appearance for the Toffees.

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Mansfield boss Adam Murray has claimed that he wants the club to progress every year after last term's relegation near-miss.

The Stags have made 14 signings so far this summer and drew their first game of the season at home to Carlisle United.

Murray, 33, said: "Last year we were nearly relegated. We need to make sure that this year we progress and become a team.

"Our aim is to progress every year as we move forward through the season. It's not just about the team, it's about taking the club forward. We know we can be successful in this league."

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Striker Jabo Ibehre can be a useful goalscoring option for Carlisle United, manager Keith Curle has claimed.

The 32-year-old had scored just 83 goals in 461 league games with eight clubs before his summer move to Brunton Park, but has three in two for Carlisle so far.

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Hartlepool assistant manager Sam Collins has admitted he does not know if he’s preparing his side for Saturday's trip to York City, with boss Ronnie Moore in Spain with his ill daughter.

Collins took charge of Pools' 1-0 League Cup win at Fleetwood Town on Tuesday in Moore's absence as Billy Paynter's winner maintained their 100% start to the season.

"It's been not a nice few days but that win is for Ronnie and his family," Collins told BBC Tees.

"I'm sure he'll be really pleased, we'll see how Charlotte is for Saturday and hopefully she'll be feeling a lot better."

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Oxford United midfielder Kemar Roofe has claimed that his 40-yard lob against Brentford in the League Cup is the best goal of his career.

Roofe was among the scorers as Michael Appleton's side stunned Championship Brentford at Griffin Park in a 4-0 win.

"Originally, I was going to hit first time. But, I knew the keeper was off his line and I had time to take a touch," Roofe said.

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Morecambe captain Peter Murphy will be out for 12 weeks after damaging knee ligaments in Saturday's opening League Two game at Hartlepool.

The 25-year-old midfielder joined the Shrimps from Wycombe this summer, but in the eighth minute of his competitive debut at Victoria Park he suffered a tear of his medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

After scoring both goals away at Huddersfield in the League Cup.

Liam Noble has acknowledged the help that Alan Smith has given him. He has been doing one on one training with the ex England midfielder.

He said "For the first goal, it was a great ball back from Kyle De Silva. I had to finish it off but it was all about the timing of the run."

"In the past few years I might not have made that run. I might have been lazy or stayed back in the middle."

"When you have one up front you've got to get someone on the edge of the box. I think you've got to credit Alan Smith to be fair. He works with me a lot in training about timing my runs to the edge of the box. He's been at the top level so I'm working with the best. He's improved my game a lot."

"The second goal I saw the keeper on the edge of the box. I've been working a lot on shooting in training. Alan says to me 'if you don't shoot you don't score'. I saw the keeper out of the corner of my eye and thought why not give it a go."

"I don't know if it's the best I've ever scored but it has to be up there. It's one of the best I've ever scored, yeah."

"I didn't realise their fans were clapping so I appreciate that. The goals are a bonus but the most important thing was getting through."

Premier league teams not involved in Europe come into the next round of the League cup and Liam would like to play his home town club Newcastle United and cited Bradford City's exploits last season as an example why Notts could also do well.

Looking forward to Friday nights game against Mansfield, he reflected on Tuesday nights game saying "We knew we needed to play better. Stevenage was good but it wasn't good enough. It lifts confidence. We wanted the season to start well with a big game coming up Friday. I hope we get a big turnout."

Nervous Wreck; since the last time we met, we were all excited with the new players coming in. All in all, we've made close to 17 signings and we're looking to add a few more, especially in defence, Perhaps a RB and Solid Centre Back.

Do we take Pre-season with a pinch of salt, or do we look at it as to where we can improve? We have been given a test over the last couple of weeks.

First up was Alfreton Town, we went behind to a good goal from them.

Now last year we would have capitulated and lost the game. But not this time around, as it seems Ricardo Moniz had instilled some character to our line-up. Especially in the forward line, where we have been told, it's now time to get bums off seats and get people excited.

Now we move onto League opposition, Port Vale, Grimsby Town & Scunthorpe United. All Lost, so now we discus on PON where we went wrong, and according to the Majority of members on PON. We desperately need both a Strong Leader in the CB role, and also RB and the side seems quite disjointed in defence. This could also be due to our new goalkeeper in Scott Loach. I hope he learns well under Roy Carroll.

So if we can sort out the Defence, we should be alreet (alright) and you can see, we're definitely not lacking in creativity, according to the Comments on here and other Social Media sites, we just need to ball to manoeuvre another way and you get the feeling that we'll be cheering (hopefully more than sighing).

#Wheelbarrowpoints;

This is a Hashtag that is moving in an upward movement over here. So let me explain the Concept of #Wheelbarrowpoints. Back on May 9th V Tampa Bay Rowdies, at Landsdowne Place. One of our members, Stephane (Villa Fan) http://www.bytownboys.ca/ said he needed something to cart the Massive Bass Drum up the 1.5 Mile march, From the Pre match Pub to the Stadium. So another member, Andrew said he had a Wheelbarrow that we could store at the Pub.

When i got wind of this apparent agreement, I Went ballistic ha ha. I started posting the Wheelbarrow Song on their Twitter & FB feeds. Then when I went to the Bar on the 9th and I just let rip with the Wheelbarrow Song and as you have probably seen in the video, Hopefully you can see it; https://www.facebook.com/SBMAVFC/videos/10152891289676547/.

Now we are on an 11 game unbeaten run, and are 6 points clear at the top of the League. So as you can tell, singing the wheelbarrow song for the First time in almost 20 years, with other fans is very special, and now we do it every game. But obviously we change County" to Fury"

By the time I speak to you next time, we’ll flying up the league and the in the 2nd round of League Cup, with at least 20 goals to our name, then I fell out of bed.

Come on you Pies!

Come on you Fury!!

Notts County play hosts to Mansfield Town at Meadow Lane on Friday night.

Stags boss, Adam Murray says his team has enough to win at Notts.

He said "It will be a great test for us going into that environment against a good team but make no bones about it, we are a very good team ourselves and we are not going there to make the numbers up.. I am not going there to sit back and watch Notts County. We are going into a thunderous environment and I want us to play at tempo. They are going to know they are in a game."

He also referred to the number of players Notts had signed with some being from outside of England and commented on their quality having played at a higher level.

He added "But we've got no fear. We are going there for a local derby and we want to show them what we are about. We've got enough in our changing room to go there and beat them on Friday, so that's what we will set out to do."

After nearly being relegated last season Mansfield aim to be in the top half this season.

Murray said "We have some tough games coming up in which I think we will do well."

Notts have won both their games so far, both away, while Mansfield drew their League 2 opener 1-1 at home to Carlisle and lost 4-1 away at Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup.

Friday 14^th August, Meadow Lane play hosts to local rivals Mansfield Town. The Stags have started the season off by clinching a draw at Field Mill to travelling Carlisle United. The final score finished 1-1, Benning having opened the account for Mansfield.

The Owls recently beat them 4-1 away from home in League Cup, yet the performances have left many questions for their own supporters.

With Friday now quickly approaching, we here at Pride of Nottingham will share who the match officials are.

The Match Officials for the game against Mansfield Town will be Tim Robinson, with his two assistants Jason Whiteley and Paul Hodskinson. The fourth official will be David Benton.

Due to the fact we are at the start of the season, it seems pointless to mention stats and so, I will include some details about the officials.

Match Officials

Referee; Tim Robinson
From – West Sussex

Tim's record seems to suggest that he can be quite trigger happy with his cards, mostly which are yellow. However, he was promoted to the rank of level 1 as a match official back in the summer of 2012. He has a wealth of experience within the lower leagues, which tends to suggest he isn't that bad at controlling games but all will tell as to how he handles a local derby between two fierce rivals.

Assistant Referee; Jason Whiteley
From – West Yorkshire

Jason is a assistant referee which all Notts County fans should be familiar with by now, last season he featured a few times within our 'Match Official' features and it leaves questions to ask about his ability from the sidelines.

Assistant Referee; Paul Hodkinson
From – Lancashire

Unfortunately there isn't much information on Paul, yet as stated above he comes from Lancashire and has officiated games mostly within the Conference and Non League divisions.

Fourth Official; David Benton
From – South Yorkshire

Do you have an opinion on the game? - Match Thread

Welcome back to the Pride of Nottingham’s League Preview, within this article you will find information on all the scheduled games planned for this weekend (including our own game on Friday night).

The key game for this round if we take Notts out of the equation, would no doubt be between the promotion candidates Plymouth and Portsmouth. With both teams eyeing up promotion, after putting last year’s campaign behind themselves.

We look forward to bringing you, your regular PON football fix.

* Important Game – ** Key Game

Friday 14^th August 2015

**Notts County v Mansfield – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (3-1)

Saturday 15^th August 2015

*Barnet v Wycombe – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-2)
Carlise v Cambridge – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-1)
Crawley v AFC Wimbledon – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-1)
Dagenham & Redbridge v Leyton Orient – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-1)
*Luton v Oxford – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-0)
Morecambe v Accrington – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-1)
Newport v Stevenage – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-1)
Northampton v Exeter – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (3-2)
**Plymouth v Portsmouth – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-1)
Yeovil v Bristol Rovers – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (3-1)
York v Hartlepool – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-3)

My Stand-Out Games

Barnet v Wycombe
Notts County v Mansfield
Plymouth v Portsmouth

The ambitions of the Bee’s is clear for all to see, they firmly believe that they have a squad capable of achieving something within League two and this is echoed by their fans. Whereas Wycombe will be wanting to maintain their recent success, after finishing 4^th place in last season’s campaign. On the day, either side could win – it’s that difficult to call but this should make it an interesting game.

A win for Barnet will see them move away from the relegation zone, into a comfortable upper mid table position. A Wycombe win, would see them potentially go top depending on the score line, but a draw would see both teams most likely to drop places.

After the recent cup success and opening away day, Notts will be eager to seal the points. Whereas the woe’s for Mansfield continue. This is another game too hard to call, however Stagg fans must not begrudge County’s positive start and really it’s for them to raise their own game. A win for Notts would see them retain a respectful top position, a draw would most likely result in a position in or around 6^th place, whilst this could push Mansfield nearer to the relegation zone. A win for Mansfield would see them edge closer to a play-off place.

Plymouth and Portsmouth are two favourites for promotion, I think being at home is an advantage for Plymouth but Pompey have all to play for. A win for either side could see the winner potentially move to 1^st place, a draw would keep them in or around the play-offs and a loss for either side would see them move to an upper mid table position.

Thoughts on Notts County vs. Mansfield

Both teams have built an interesting squad for the 2015/16 League Two campaign, with Mansfield signing players of a mixed class and of course Notts signing players mostly consisting of a decent level of European football.

With this being the nearest local derby for Notts, I think it’s a must win game for us. After the opening day away at Stevenage, Notts must really fancy their chances in scoring a few goals.

The overall head to head record shows Notts as favourites after winning 17, Mansfield have won 14 and 13 games have been drawn.

Three of the last five encounters have ended up with draws, with Notts winning the most recent within the JPT back in September 2014 and Mansfield winning the other in October 2007.

The bookies favourites must surely be Notts, yet as always you cannot write a side off. A local derby always ensures that teams want to acquire the rights for claiming the grudge match win, plus Mansfield can be quite a physical side, which will require Notts to be on top of their game. Whilst the Stags manager Adam Murray still learning his trade, the veteran and experienced Ricardo Moniz will have the game duly studied ahead of time to find the weaknesses within the Stags team.

Notts County's Northern Ireland international goalkeeper, Roy Carroll, has been handed the captain's armband by manager Ricardo Moniz.

Roy said "It was a couple of hours before the game when the gaffer named the team and said I would be captain. I am very proud and it was a great moment for me."

"It is the first time I have ever captained a football team and it's a great honour, but we are all captains really and we have to work hard, especially after what happened when we got relegated last season."

"We have to give more on the pitch. We have to battle and that's what we did in the second half. The boys came out with a clean sheet too, from the strikers to the defence it was a great performance."

Notts opened the scoring, courtesy of Curtis Thompson on 35 minutes with a great counter attack. Moving the ball quickly from defence to attack starting with a brilliant pass from Liam Noble to John Stead, who raced on before crossing to the back post for Thompson to put in the back of the net.

Describing the goal Roy said "It was a great goal. That's the way the manager wants us to break away and it was something like 5 seconds and it was a goal. We did that and we proved how quick we can go from defence."

Mauwana Amevor added a second goal in the 88^th minute, giving Notts a great opening day away result.

You can read the full PON match report - Here.

As I began my journey to watch the opening fixture, I couldn’t help but feel excited. On the back of publishing a video, one in which I am very proud of. I found myself brimming with optimism towards the potential achievements Notts could make within the season ahead.

Upon starting my trip to Stevenage, I wondered what the formation would be and of course which defenders would be selected to play.

More importantly, I wondered what the current mood and thoughts were of the Notts County camp.

I set about my day fairly quietly, as I found my seat on the coach – I looked around, looking through the coach’s window and inside the coach itself. It didn’t feel much like an opening fixture for me, it felt very laid back and quite easy going.

The first thing I noticed was the eagerness of the fans to set about their own day, I felt quite proud when I noticed friends passing by with their family and friends, all sporting brand new shirts, for a brand new season.

See, I am often optimistic about games, after two difficult seasons and within the third year of running the Pride of Nottingham website, I felt completely at peace with the prospects ahead.

I genuinely felt at the time of relegation, that Notts would get things sorted and we would have a promising 2015/16 season.

As my coach approached a resting station for all the travelling Black & White army, I setup my camera. I wanted to do the community proud, not just those who visit and take part on the website, but my friends and fans in general.

I felt quite nervous heading off into the service station, the first picture I took, I somewhat rushed but it actually turned out okay in my opinion.

I walked around a little, then I decided to speak to a couple of fans I didn’t know. They told me about their thoughts, so I asked them what they felt the score would be – in fact everyone I spoke to, I did the exact same thing. I wanted to gauge opinions, as I do enjoy hearing other fans thoughts.

After speaking to about 7 other people, I bumped into a friend called Mattie and we discussed Notts to some extent.

It was at this stage, I realised nobody had mentioned anything remotely negative and it was all quite promising, as I feel we do deserve a good year after the past two campaigns. I spoke with Andy Black regarding the Italian Magpies. If any of my Italian friends are read this, We are very much looking forward to your return, I think this year you will be treated to some exciting football.

Once at the ground, I was talking and taking photos – Again, I must note how fans felt – The only concern I heard came from the possibility we may concede within the first 10 minutes and what the possible defensive line-up would be.

It wasn’t long after, I started to notice familiar faces. It was quite overwhelming, as many fans acknowledged the contributions I had made last season and some even praised my recent video. I am delighted that it’s been so well received, as it took a tremendous amount of planning and editing. I could be cheesy at this stage by quoting a Brian Adams song but I won’t.

At this stage, I briefly want to mention the atmosphere, it was spot on and amazing. I felt the fans truly gave Notts credit and encouraged what we witnessed, however much of which comes from the players and manager Ricardo Moniz, but I believe it helped.

So, into the actual game – I was very impressed even within the opening minutes. Notts looked very keen to attack, yet when Stevenage did come at us, we defended quite comfortably. I believe this allowed our squad to settle and find more time on the ball. When Stevenage looked threatening, it came from one player, Dipo Akinyemi, he looked to be very fast and keen to get onto their chances.

The way we moved the ball around, it was a joy to watch. It wasn’t always ‘perfect’ but I was impressed by the level of quality within our passes.

Each phase looked very creative, with no lack of ideas and some of the faster movement would have no doubt been appreciated within the Championship – I felt it was that good at times. The only thing I can nit pick with at this stage, was the fact I felt Jon Stead was pretty isolated but boy did he cover his ground well.

It did make me feel we need a striker partner for him, potentially a striker who has pace and an eye for goal himself.

The pass which lead to our opening goal, came from Jon Stead, it was a very well placed pass and excellently executed. The finish by Curtis Thompson, nothing short of sublime and he must feel delighted with having scored his first senior goal for the club.

Stevenage didn’t lack their own chances, at half time I told everyone who spoke to me ‘we need another goal, it will settle it’ and I felt my prediction at 2-1 to us may be the correct score.

As the second half got underway, Stevenage had a couple of chances whereby they could have gone level but not from any lack of defending. Thiery Audel did very well on his debut, in fact every player contributed very nicely.

It was good to see Liam Noble leading by example, he really has taken the new signings as his chance to forge his space and Stanley Aborah is an absolute joy to watch, yet I must add he needs to keep his hands and arms to himself, whilst of course being careful of his challenges but what an excellent player.

I didn’t actually realise our second came within the 88^th minute. I only realised this after reading the PON match report, though it’s a shame that Mawouna Amevor received his red card, yet I wouldn’t be disheartened by it.

All in all, I can see what Moniz is doing and I believe the latter part of the pre-season allowed him to reach his final decision on tactics. The final score 2-0, Notts clinching an away win and we all went home happy – for me it feels like we have turned a corner.

A great start to the 2015/16 season for Notts with a 2–0 away victory at Stevenage, with goals from Curtis Thompson and Mawouna Amevor, though the result was slightly marred by the latter's sending off. The result is exactly what Notts must have been hoping for, with a difficult opening game all is positive.

With Notts County now looking ahead to their next league game, we here at the Pride of Nottingham take the time to look at this weekends fixtures and results.

League Two Results

AFC Wimbledon 0–2 Plymouth
Accrington 1–1 Luton
Bristol Rovers 0–1 Northampton
Cambridge 3–0 Newport
Exeter 3–2 Yeovil
Hartlepool 2–0 Morecambe
Leyton Orient 2–0 Barnet
Mansfield 1–1 Carlisle
Oxford 1–1 Crawley
Portsmouth 3–0 Dagenham and Redbridge
Stevenage 0–2 Notts County
Wycombe Wanderers 3–0 York

There were 6 home wins, 3 away wins and 3 draws.

Upcoming fixtures

Tuesday 11^th August 2015
Capital One Cup – First Round
Huddersfield Town v Notts County - KO 19:45

Friday 14^th August 2015
League Two
Notts County v Mansfield Town - KO 19:45

League Two Update

Portsmouth lived up to their promotion expectations by beating Dagenham and Redbridge 3–0 at home.
Cambridge United and Wycombe Wanderers also secured 3–0 home victories beating Newport and York respectively.

Leyton Orient, another team expected to fair well in League 2, also got off to a winning start beating Barnsley 2–0 at home.

Oxford and Luton, two more favourites for promotion, had to settle for 1–1 draws respectively at home to Crawley and away at Accrington.

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Notts, after one game lie 6^th place in League two on 3 points and separated by goal difference along with Cambridge, Portsmouth, Wycombe, Hartlepool, Leyton Orient, Plymouth, Exeter and Northampton.

A Capital One fixture away at Huddersfield is next up for Notts on Tuesday and then on Friday, the small matter of a local Derby at Meadow Lane against Mansfield who drew 1–1 at home against Crawley last saturday.

Only 45 more league games to go now, can Notts do it?

Tomorrow, Saturday 1st August 2015, English football history will be made.

The FA Women’s Cup final is being played at the iconic Wembley Stadium for the first time in its history.

It’s set to be the biggest in the competition's history, with more than 26,000 tickets already sold.

Neither Notts County nor Chelsea, the two teams contesting it, have ever won the showpiece of the women’s game in its 44-year history.

And of course, given England’s wonderful showing at the World Cup, interest in the women’s game on these shores has never been greater.

So great was the Lionesses’ impact in Canada that the final will now be shown on BBC One instead of BBC Two as previously planned.

For anyone who’s forgot exactly what England’s campaign contained, let’s go through a checklist:

- Opening day defeat in the group stage? Check.

- The team rallying round and claiming two victories in the subsequent matches to qualify? Check.

- Defeating a strong nation in the round of 16 and getting people to think 'we may be on to something'? Check.

- Knocking out the hosts in the quarters and getting further than ever before? Check.

- A heartbreaking defeat at the death which has created a valiant yet unlucky and heartbroken hero which everyone rallies round to show support? Check.

- Beating Germany, one of the best sides in the world, by means of a penalty scored by a player who has overcome adversity the likes of which most people would have never experienced, and with a stunning redemptive performance by the previous round's hard done by player to secure World Cup medals and get further than any England side barring the 1966 winners? Check.

England's class of 2015 effectively played out the perfect World Cup campaign, which contained hope, skill, passion, heartbreak and redemption.

The last time I can think of an England football team that delivered anything close to the above was in 1996, or at a push, 2002. And if you want to remember the last time England actually got their hands on some medals, you have to go back 49 years, to… you guessed it, 1966.

Needless to say, tomorrow’s game is going to be a very, VERY big deal.

And Ray Trew’s decision to invest heavily in the women’s team at Notts County appears to have paid dividends.

Myself, I cannot believe that I’m going to Wembley to watch my team represented on the biggest domestic stage of all, at the home of football. It’s absolutely incredible.

It promises to be a wonderful day, and this is even before taking into consideration the fact that Notts could be bringing the first major piece of silverware to our city since 1990, when the noisy neighbours brought home the League Cup.

No matter what happens, it’s going to be an amazing occasion, but if Laura Bassett, whose indomitable narrative during the World Cup was just as powerful as that which befell Paul Gascoigne on the Stadio Delle Alpi pitch 25 years, ends up lifting the trophy for the Lady Pies, it’ll be sensational beyond words.

Lady Pies, I’d like to wish you all the best. We at Pride of Nottingham will be in the stands supporting you every step of the way, come rain or shine. You’ve made the city proud and, as one of the teams which play in the Women’s Super League and have contributed so many players to the Lionesses class of 2015, you’ve made the entire country proud.

COME ON YOU PIES!!!

The mood around the Notts camp at this moment in time must have taken a blow after losing three nil to Conference Premier side Grimsby Town, as it must be hard to accept a defeat even within the late stages of pre-season.

After losing to Port Vale, Notts manager Ricardo Moniz spoke about simple things having effected Notts’ chance of winning the game.

However, what struck me the most was these comments made by the man himself, “The loss against Port Vale was a big warning because we will play a lot of games like this next season”. I feel, the Port Vale game was not one we should have expected to win. Yet, the loss against Grimsby Town sends a far bigger warning, as optimism at his current stage seems to be dwindling.

There can be no argument that against Port Vale, the substitutions affected the game, however much you weigh up, having lost to Grimsby is far worse.

Pre-Season is very much a transition period, with sides getting fitness and tactics in place for the new season, but did Ricardo leave it too late to settle his squad down? I say this, as going into the final friendly against Scunthorpe United could have been much different, as it stands Notts have lost two back to back friendlies and the ambition for the season ahead seems to have damaged the famous black & white wheelbarrow once more.

I mean, I am not personally concerned – I think it takes time for players to settle and friendlies do not always give a clear indication as to what fans can expect.

Yet going into the League Two campaign having convincingly played throughout the pre-season, no doubt would have given Notts a boost going into the opening game against Stevenage. That said, Notts still have been playing quite well and were beaten by a very good Grimsby Town.

At this stage, I think we should not dwell too much on the result, however bad it may seem.

I do, feel the result was quite poor but at the end of the day, we can still be optimistic about the upcoming season.

It leaves me with questions regarding the chosen tactics, whether or not; a central defender will make all that much of a difference because I feel we may be more offensive minded with the players introduced by Ricardo Moniz.

If this is the case, I think we may have to employ some more defensive minded players and not just to bolster the defence.

I would rather see this money rumoured to have been offered Craig Mackail-Smith, made available to sign a strong-minded midfielder who can play deeply behind the advanced players. Whilst a solid Centre Back would be a blessing right now, with perhaps another right back who is not prone to being caught napping.

Notts have done well within the transfer window, as Ricardo Moniz had greatly strengthened the squad.

On paper, regardless of the defeats we look strong. It is all about how we employ players and what they offer us going forward. We have to be spend more time revising our opposition, as the homework seems to have paid off for Grimsby but I do not think we will see many games like this during the 2015/16 campaign.

So, let’s try to go into the only home friendly we have and lets show the new signings why WE ARE NOTTS COUNTY.

Notts County's home match against Plymouth Argyle, originally scheduled for 3pm Saturday 10th October, will now be televised live on Sky on Sunday 11th October, kick off - 2.30pm.

Notts fan and PON member, Julie Henshaw had this to say about the fixture change - "Why do Sky have to change K.O times?".

She then went on to say "I'd sooner have had Plymouth v Notts on tv, as its a long way to travel for supporters, cos being on the bench, I'll be at the home fixture anyway. But i guess it will be good for Plymouth fans who wont want to make the long journey to Nottingham on a Sunday".

This is on the weekend of a Premier League international break due to European Championship qualifying rounds being played.

International page manager of the Irish Magpies Dripsey3 said "Notts County on the telly. A rare treat indeed for those of us who live outside the UK".

He added "A chance to see for ourselves the attacking philosophy introduced by RM. Silky skills. Moving the ball at pace along the ground. I'm rubbing my hands with glee! Chances are this game against Plymouth will be a top of the table clash". Further adding "Both clubs have recruited wisely in the close season. Plymouth may lost Lewis Alessandra but they still have Reuben Reid. Jake Jervis will be returning to Meadow Lane. Graeme Carey is a fellow Irishman so it will be interesting to see how he does. All in all, it should be an exciting game with a fair few goals. Can't wait!"

Prior to the Notts game, Devon's other club, Exeter have their home fixture against Stevenage also televised by Sky, kick-off 12.15pm.

In the first 3 months of the new season Sky will be showing 36 Football League matches as part of a new 5 year deal.

The last encounter between Notts and Plymouth Argyle took place at Meadow Lane in 2010 when Notts won 2-0. Craig Westcarr scored the opening goal and then provided a pass for John Spencer to get a second.

This League One fixture was watched by 6333 fans.

What a great pre-season it has been! I’ve been to every match and, frankly, I don’t want pre-season to end.

With the bitter reflections of last season still fresh in my mind, I have been thrilled by the passing and movement that RM is keen to instil, and that is rapidly becoming this team’s trademark.

The early matches amply demonstrated the skills of the new players while also showing that Jimmy Spencer is back to his best although he still has a tendency to drop his head when things aren’t going his way, which has a negative effect on both his own game, and that of his team-mates. To be at his best, he has to turn this force into a desire to do better.

Jon Stead caught the eye immediately at Arnold Town and he is definitely ‘a class above’. We can count ourselves lucky to have him.

Without exception, the Dutch players have great skills and love to be on the ball.

When ‘The Nobster’ comes on, he looks a different player to the hothead that got himself into so much trouble last season. He seems to have leashed those gremlins in his head and instead, his vision and accuracy of long-ball passing must surely now mark him out as a player who hasn’t yet reached his full potential.

Sport is as much in the head as it is in natural ability. If any sportsman (or woman) gets his head together, he will perform at his best. It is the difference between being demoralised when things are going wrong, and having the right mindset to understand what needs to change to put them right. As they say in Holland ….. Door wilskracht sterk! (strength through willpower). If LN has truly got his head together now, he is destined to play at a much higher level. He has natural ability and vision in abundance.

The team is very attack-minded and as thrilling as this is to watch, fans have become very aware that when we lose possession to a high-pressing team, what is our Achilles heel at present will be quickly and ruthlessly exploited. We haven’t shown the same urgency to track back and form a second line of defence quick enough, thus leaving the back four vulnerable and without support under counter-attack.

We hear that RM is still keen to recruit 3 more players. One or preferably two of them must be centre-backs. Alan Smith has started all matches in this position and he brings his uncompromising style to quick effect. But he is no longer the strongest of players and will surely pick up injuries playing the way he does. I am a little concerned that he lacks the discipline to pick out his man quickly enough and close him out. Scot Bennett is very capable of playing the ball out of defence but we will be exposed if he has to miss a game.

I am perplexed by Haydn Hollis’ performances. Two seasons ago – to me he was a stand-out player and seemed destined for stardom. But something has gone wrong. He isn’t playing his natural game and his long-distant passing is only marginally more accurate than mine! He can pick a pass out and has good vision, only in the execution is he lacking.

I have a feeling that giving him the captain’s arm-band for a period last season was his undoing. Any fool can pick faults, and I’m among the best of them! The clever ones can see what needs to be done to turn things around and I really am at a loss to see what it is that HH has to do to get back to his best. Perhaps put himself under less pressure; just relax and enjoy it, maybe?

And, if we need two big strong brutes for centre-backs, who should the third person be? Well my choice would be Steve McLaughlin who looks like he is being ushered to the door marked ‘Exit’ across the river. That man is inventive and is capable of producing magical assists. Mystic Meg I am not and I can’t predict what the season ahead holds for us. Promotion is potential ours but there are some big ifs.

If we can shore up the defence.

If we gel quick enough to get traction.

If we get more protection from referees to allow our natural talent to shine. If we can avoid getting too many injuries in what will surely be a war of attrition over a long, long season.

and,

If we, the fans, get behind the team, and turn up in numbers to support the lads even (or especially) when things aren’t going our way. Samen, door wilskracht sterk.

FIFA, the global body that controls this beautiful game we know as football, are being investigated for bribery and corruption and it seems that the villains of the piece might be close to the very top echelons of the organisation.

If the allegations are proved to be correct, then you have to think the unthinkable and wonder how far down the chain of football administration, the stench of graft will seep.

Heaven forbid that we will eventually find that even the administration of our own national game is tainted.

There is a well known proverb: “Where there’s muck, there’s brass”. With so much brass swilling about in football now, the scope and opportunity for money to change hands for less than honest purposes is certainly there. Turning the saying around, we could find in FIFA’s case that “Where there’s brass, there’s muck”.

Now I’m not suggesting for one moment that evidence of match-fixing will be uncovered although I must admit that last season there were a number of decisions made by match officials that tested my own grasp of reality.

The trouble is that an incident on the pitch can look different depending on the angle that it is seen from. Something seen from behind a goal can look quite different to how it is seen from the side-line.

I remember one sending off at ML when our player was deemed to have led by the elbow while going up to head a ball. Seen from the view that the referee had, his red card decision was understandable. However when the incident was seen from the side, the referee’s blind side, it was clear that the opposing player had in fact maliciously thudded into the back of our player leading with his own elbow. And with such force, that our player had to throw his arms back to try in vain to keep his balance. A curious case of the aggrieved being deemed guilty. And you have to question what, if any, assistance the referee got from his assistant who would have surely seen things differently.

And more recently if the referee had been stood next to, instead of in front of, Laura Bassett when she received an elbow in the face from a French player in the Womens’ World Cup, she would have had no choice but to send off the aggressor. Instead, play continued unchecked, Laura finished up with a real shiner, and the aggressor got off scot-free for an act of aggression which, had it happened in any other public place, would have seen her arrested for assault.

So what I’m leading up to is to suggest that if the administrators of our game want the job of the referee to be made easier, then those running the line should be expected to exercise their full responsibilities as assistant referees. They should do exactly what it says on the tin, and assist the referee, telling him (or her) what they are seeing in the game.

I find it incredulous that in this, the age of communication, there seems to be precious little communication between not only match officials during a game but also between the referee and the spectators, either during or after a game.

I am not a rugby fan but there is one thing about that sport which I really admire and that is the level of communication between the match official and the paying public. The referee explains his rationale over the public address system and, by doing so, takes away a lot of controversy. Not only that but if he is in any doubt, he can call upon video technology to review an incident before he makes his decision to help minimise any doubt. Subsequently the quality of the decision-making in professional rugby is extremely high; much higher than it is in association football.

Detractors say that if this level of support was introduced to football, it would slow the game down. But which is the lesser of the two evils? To be forced to suffer bad decisions through a lack of communication, or to have informed decision-making as a result of better communication?

I know which I would prefer and I feel sure that referees would not be so vilified if they were encouraged to give their reasons for making controversial decisions.

All of which makes me want to question why it is that FIFA refuse to countenance any use of video technology to help referees, or why it is that they do not permit the referees to speak to the press or the public about their decision-making. What is it that prevents FIFA from wanting to give the game greater transparency?

Notts County manager Ricardo Moniz has admitted that he would like to bring at least three more signings to Meadow Lane.

The Magpies have already added 15 new players to their ranks this summer, as well as promoting two players from the Academy.

However the Dutchman, who was unable to keep the League 1 last season after taking over from Shaun Derry, still wants to add to his defensive and attacking options.

Speaking after his side's 3-0 pre-season friendly defeat at Grimsby Town on Saturday, Moniz said: "We need people who can score the goals and avoid the goals.

"It's very simple; it's at the front and at the back. In the middle everybody is okay, but the exception is defence and attack.

"A centre-back has always been my wish, but we haven't been able to find the right one as yet... but I would like at least three (more players) in. We know that. It's not a surprise."

Notts have so far recruited Scott Loach, Scot Bennett, Rhys Sharpe, Gill Swerts, Mawouna Amevor, Wes Atkinson, Stanley Aborah, Rob Milsom, Kyle De Silva, Genaro Snijders, Julian Jenner, Filip Valencic, Graham Burke, Jon Stead and Adam Campbell.

In addition, youngsters Jordan Richards and Lartey Sarpong have been promoted from the Academy into the first team.

Notts County full-back Jordan Cranston has left the club by mutual consent. The 21-year old joined the Magpies in September last year and was given a new 18-month deal in a month later under then-manager Shaun Derry.

However, new boss Ricardo Moniz has signed Rhys Sharpe to battle it out with Blair Adams for the left-back spot in League Two this season.

This has left Cranston with limited first-team opportunities, and the decision for him to leave the leave Notts appears to have been mutual.

A statement on the club's official website said: "The club would like to wish Jordan well at his new club and will be keeping a close eye on his progress in the future."

The former Welsh youth international, who has also played for Wolves, Hednesford and Nuneaton, made 12 appearances for Notts and has been on trial with Gateshead in the last few weeks.

We at Pride of Nottingham would like to echo the club's sentiments and wish Jordan Cranston all the best for the future.

The Notts County Football Club Official Supporters’ Association are pleased to announce that they have made a substantial donation of much-needed equipment to the club’s Academy.

Ahead of the start of the new season, the committee liaised with Academy director Peter Jarvis about what was needed to take the youth team to the next level.

He highlighted the need for the Academy to adopt a video analysis system, which would enable two more jobs to be created to help film matches and give detailed feedback to both players and coaches.

Jarvis said: “This is one area that we struggled in resourcing last season – the equipment would make a huge difference to the Academy and the support we can give to the players.”

Following the consultation, the OSA duly dipped into their coffers and provided a cheque for the purchase of the appropriate equipment at a value of £765.

This kind-hearted gesture is not a one-off – just five months ago the committee gave the Academy a cheque for £1,300 and, over the years, have raised a total of £1,800.

The Association works hard throughout the year, both on-season and off-season, raising money through raffles, competitions and other fundraising initiatives.

We spoke to OSA Membership Secretary Lois Brough who told us that the fundraising is beneficial both to the club and to the Academy’s youngsters.

She said: “All fundraising is hard work but it is a way of getting to people who do not know of the work of the Academy and also supporters who do not realise the good work done by those running the Academy.

“When I think of the footballers that have made it to the first team from the Academy I feel we must help these young ones achieve their dream.

“Equipment is so expensive and we will do all we can to help them and we have very good and loyal supporters who willingly support us in this.”

Lois also highlighted the importance of getting more fans on board with the Association, which would enable them to have a voice within the club and to make new friends.

She said: “By joining the OSA Supporters have the chance to have their voice heard the chance to meet one another at events and also meet at the AGM.

“I believe all renewals and welcome letters should have a personal message to each and every member, new and old. They will always receive a welcome when either visiting the office or emailing us.”

“I hope that with all these new players coming to the club, our supporters can join with us at the OSA.”

The OSA will be at the Open Day at Meadow Lane on 2nd August. If you want to donate money to go towards the Academy or join the Association, pop down and have a chat with the members.

In addition the OSA is looking for prizes for the tombola, so if anyone has any please contact the Secretary by emailing Lois at secretary@ncfcosa.co.uk

We were within 5 Minutes of Staying in League One, 5 MINUTES. In the 85^th minute V Gillingham Something happened and not in a good way. We were so close, yet so far away.

My Girlfriend (Villa Fan) was out the house like a flash after their first Goal went in. I kicked the chair in frustration after the final whistle. HOW COULD YOU!! 5 BLOODY MINUTES. Time to focus on the Womens World Cup over here in Canada.

Being a Volunteer at the newly refurbished Landsdowne Place, I have been able to see the Germans power through the group stages. With the Ivory Coast fans probably the best ever, even at 6-0. Then I got the chance to see England, and Ms Bronze score that beauty and then the Heartbreak of our own Laura Bassett. We still love you Girls!!

July 1^st rolls around (Happy Canada Day, 148 years old). My twitter feed starts to buzz about more than usual, Notts Have already signed Gill Swerts. There is rumours flying around about 4 more players coming in with Calibre. First in, comes Jon Stead. "Okay, we've made a statement of intent with this signing". All of a sudden, we were signing players left, right, and center. Mawouna Amevor, Adam Campbell, Kyle De Silva, Genaro Snijders, Julien Jenner, Filip Valencic & Graham Burke. We haven't had this much Transfer activity or hype since the Inglorious Munto year of 2009-2010.

In most, if not all the Interviews Ricardo Moniz has spoken. He's always on about scoring goals and playing a fluid style. Like all of us have been crying out for over 4-5 years, we just want to be entertained. If we win or lose, we want to finish watching/listening to the game with a smile thinking we played well, it is what it is.

After last night’s display against Arnold Town, I'm quietly confident about the upcoming season, as long as the team in the 2^nd half is given enough time to gel and time to form part of the Notts County team, i can't see the first 11 changing very often, as we did last season. Unless of course Injuries and suspensions.

Top 7 is a must, top 3 is realistic.

Back in mid-April, Notts County chairman Ray Trew announced during a radio interview that he would be creating a transfer committee at the club.

This would consist of six members – all unknown at the time of the interview – who would discuss each player, before the manager, Ricardo Moniz made his final decision, as any manager should do if the chosen players were good enough for the club.

After this interview, fans’ opinions were somewhat negative concerning the direction chosen by the club. The general opinion is that this would ultimately lead to bargain players being approved, as the general mood at the time was low.

However, nobody knew for sure how this would work out and regardless it was the direction in which the club opted to go for.

As the close season began, activity around Meadow Lane seemed very slow and fans hung onto any sort of transfer speculation linked with the club.

When Notts made their first signing, it seemed that the mission of the current board and manager was to settle the worries and minds of loyal fans.

The process of transfers is something generally handled on the quiet side at Meadow Lane it would seem. However, it wasn’t long before speculation and optimism started to creep into the fan base, with Ray Trew publicly voicing his thoughts on potential signings.

Notts quickly started being linked with European talent, namely from the Dutch and Belgian leagues where Moniz has managed or dealt with before. Even names within the English division seemed to impress the majority.

As the optimism increased, so did the transfers and, on merit, it seems that the transfer committee is doing a good job, as is Chief Scout Guy Branston who is heading the recruitment drive.

It’s a little too early to say if it’s a complete success, but looking at the business done and achieved by the committee so far, it is certainly showing other clubs how it needs to be handled.

With the club developing squad based on quality and not quantity, it’s easy to become excited when the players linked are of various skills and age ranges. It seems the five-step plan mentioned within local media really was the footprint for the success aimed towards the 2015-16 League Two campaign.

Personally, I am satisfied with the direction in which the club appears to be going. I am also very keen to see the season underway and for fans to quickly jump on board, as success on the field for me can only be measured by the fans in attendance and naturally if Notts do get off to a bright start, the players arriving could seal a brighter future for this football club.

It is a promising start for Notts, which does not warrant any sort of negativity remotely, and I am encouraged by the response I have seen.

Let’s hope this season is a successful one for us, so we can finally push on together in the right direction.

Notts County have pulled off an audacious raid on Huddersfield Town by fending off much competition to snap up Jon Stead.

Stead’s arrival at Notts sends out a clear message to the rest of the division - that Notts are serious about promotion- with the attacker penning a two-year deal at Meadow Lane following his release by Huddersfield Town.

Manager Ricardo Moniz wants his new side to be ruthless in front of goal next season and expects 60 goals from his front line.

Moniz has turned his attention to the former England Under 21 international to spearhead the Magpies’ promotion push, and the former Terriers’ striker is keen to repay his new manager’s faith in him.

“After speaking to the manager, he sees me as a part of the project of getting the club on the right track and it is brilliant to feel wanted like that”, Stead said.

Stead had an almighty season whilst on loan at Bradford City last campaign where he helped the Bantrams to reach the FA Cup semi-finals.

Bradford sank Premier League champions Chelsea in the competition and the side were desperate to retain Stead’s services.

But in a dramatic turn of events the much-travelled Stead has instead opted for a move to Notts- admitting that it was the ambition shown by Guy Branston, the club’s head if recruitment, which convinced him to join the East Midlands outfit.

“The move came through a lot of pestering from Guy Branston. I remember him as a player and didn’t want to let him down.

“Guy told me about the project and the club moving forward, first of all getting back into League 1 and kicking on from there.

“And speaking to the manager (Ricardo Moniz) and hearing his philosophy, I’m interested to see how things pan out”, he added.

The dynamic forward will add muscle to Notts’ attacking armoury and will hope to make Moniz’s hopes a reality by helping Notts to make an immediate return to League 1 next season.

Jamie tweets @JBarlow95_

I have a confession to make. I feel sorry for Forest fans.

They so desperately want the Cloughie years to return; to be European Champions again. But the facts of the matter are that those days will never be repeated – so long as money falls from the Sky into the lake of professional football to make the big clubs richer, the small clubs poorer, and the gap filled by the ‘also-ran’ clubs, which currently seems to stretch from the middle of the Premiership into the top half of League One, bigger.

But let’s leave the fans from across the Trent to dream their impossible dream and, instead ask ourselves a more realistic question. One which can only be both asked, and answered, with rose-tinted specs removed and after swallowing a course of medication prescribed to cure UES (Unrealistic Expectation Syndrome).

Are Notts County an ‘also ran’ club or now consigned to become a small club?

The last two or three seasons have shown conclusively that to be successful in League One, and then hold head above water in the Championship, the primary requirement of any football club is to have either an oligarch as owner with an ego only slightly smaller than his bank balance, or the income generated by regular 5-figure home-match attendance figures. Preferably both. Members of the jury, as evidence, I lay before you AFC Bournemouth.

It is now 20 years since I first moved to Nottingham and became a Pie-head. In that time I have seen the Club fall from second-tier grace and then since zebedee between the third and forth tiers.

Sadly, in the same period of time, I have also seen average Meadow Lane attendance figures fall from five figures to lower-half four figures.

Sadly, his profligacy has not been supported by a growth in turnstile income and, until fans start returning to watch Notts in greater numbers, I rather fear that our once great football club may well not yet have reached the depths of its descent because even Mr Trew’s apparent willingness to fritter away his money will come to an end if attendances at home matches don’t start to grow.

Being cynical – if the expectation of seeing a return on his investment disappears, he will surely call it a day and quit while he shows no sign of winning.

While I understand that football is an entertainments business and that the fans will decided whether the entertainment on offer represents a worthy return on their money, I can’t help wondering whether, if the absent fans had attended more than just the last away match of each of the previous two seasons, the Club would still have found itself back in the basement division once again?

All the signs, pre-season, are that Ray Trew understands that the fans want to be entertained. To be able to leave Meadow Lane on a Saturday evening feeling buoyed up and thrilled; wanting more. He has chucked what could turn out to be the last throw of his dice by putting up a substantial playing budget and investing in a manager who wants to play a thrilling brand of football that gets bums off seats, let alone on them.

We hope that the close-season player dealings will turn out to be astute and that we have a successful season ahead.

But….. the final, vital, piece to complete this jig-saw of success is now in the pockets of us, the Notts County fans. If we truly want our club to be successful, then we have to pay our part in making it so. It won’t happen in an empty stadium.

Corrupting the final lines of a quite brilliant set of lyrics: “If you want to make Meadow Lane a better place, take a look at yourself and make that change”! Only when we return in numbers to Meadow

Lane will our football club start to climb up the league again. The blame game has to stop here. It’s up to us now. So let’s do this Club proud and support it in the truest sense of the word.

Notts County have this afternoon confirmed the signing of Belgium international Gill Swerts with the player penning a two- year deal at Meadow Lane.

The capture of the defensive midfielder is a major statement of intent by Notts- who aim to put an end to last season's misery and make an immediate return to League 1.

The educated midfielder has made the trip across Europe and joined Notts on a free transfer from NAC Breda.

The 32-year-old's class speaks for itself with the player arriving at Notts on the back of representing his former employers, AZ Alkmaar, in the UEFA Champions League.

The player has also represented his native Belgium 17 times at international level.

It is testament to County boss Ricardo Moniz's ambitious plans that he has managed to lure the player to Meadow Lane and the shrewdest example of the Dutchman's European contacts- with the player knowing the County gaffer from his time in Holland.

The player can also operate comfortably at right- back and has faced numerous elite attackers- with the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Patrick Kluivert having crossed swords with Swerts.

Swerts will also plough his much acquired experience and skill into working closely with Notts' academy set- up.

The news come just a day after the Magpies secured the club's record shirt sponsorship deal with Ladbrokes, and the arrival of Swerts will add to the excitement generated around Meadow Lane.

Jamie tweets @JBarlow95_