In this weeks PoN's preview to the League One games played on the 3^rd of March, there's a crucial game being played which our fans will be hoping to see positive news from – This important tie is between Colchester and of course Notts County, this game could see either side make steady progress in their bid for survival.

Colchester against Notts County is a important game this week as Colchester try to move back out of the drop zone while Notts County are fighting to stay out of the drop zone.

* Important Game – ** Key Game

Tuesday 3^rd March

Sheffield United v Peterborough – Kick Off 7:30pm – Score Prediction (2-1)

Barnsley v Coventry – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (1-0)

Bradford v Crawley – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (2-0)

**Colchester v Notts County – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (0-1)

Fleetwood v Scunthorpe – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (1-1)

Leyton Orient v Bristol City – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (0-3)

*MK Dons v Chesterfield – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (2-1)

Port Vale v Oldham – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (0-0)

*Preston v Doncaster – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (1-0)

Rochdale v Crewe – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (1-0)

Swindon v Gillingham – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (3-1)

Yeovil v Walsall – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (1-2)

My Stand-out Games

Colchester v Notts County

MK Dons v Chesterfield

Preston v Doncaster

Colchester will be hoping to win as they fell into the drop zone on Saturday, a win against a struggling Notts County side, as results elsewhere favouring Colchester could move them back out of the drop zone.

Notts County will be hoping to win today as loss could put them in the bottom four and if results elsewhere go against them. Notts County will be hoping to pick up their first points in four matches.

MK Dons will be hoping to make up for Saturdays result against a struggling Coventry side with a win today against a Chesterfield side struggling to find their form from the first half of the season.

Chesterfield will be hoping to add another 3 points after their win on Saturday against Fleetwood, their first win in four games.

They will be hoping they can find there early season form to beat possibly the best side in the league in my eyes, only challenged by Bristol city.

Preston will be hoping to continue their excellent form which has seen them unbeaten in February and become possible automatic promotion contenders.

Doncaster will be hoping carry on from Saturday after beating Colchester, though in the previous two matches before they showed signs of their early season bad form losing against Bristol City and an average Port Vale side.

Thoughts on Colchester vs Notts County

This weeks match sees Notts County against Colchester with both teams struggling to find consistent form. I’ve predicted Notts County to just edge it.

The current results between the two teams show Notts County as overwhelming favourites winning six of their last seven meetings.

The last time Colchester beat Notts County at Meadow Lane was back in 2003 winning 2-3.

The overall head to head record shows Notts County being slight favourites winning 19, Colchester 14 and 7 draws.

Notts County have picked up 15 out of 15 points from the last five meetings in the league.

A tough match to predict but I’ve predicted 1-0 to Notts County.

Saturday 28^th of February, The Magpies will host 12^th place Port Vale. Notts County will be able to feature two new wingers in the form of Jamal Campbell-Ryce and Paddy McCourt, as they look to get back on track in the 2014/2015 season – The visitors may have to rethink their plans.

Port Vale have won only two of their last six games, having lost three and only drawn once, all is now to plan for within this League One fixture.

The Match Officials for the game against Port Vale will be Darren Drysdale, with his two assistants Matthew Buonassisi and Nick Hobbis. The fourth official will be Ian Rathbone.

Match Officials

Referee; Darren Drysdale

From – Lincolnshire

His matches involving Notts County and Port Vale in the last four seasons;

League One – Saturday 19^th November 2011 – Huddersfield Town 2 Notts County 1 – 3 Yellow Cards and 1 Red Card

League Two – Saturday 18^th February 2012 – Port Vale 2 Gillingham 1 – 2 Yellow Cards

League Two – Saturday 5^th May 2012 – Port Vale 3 Oxford United – 5 Yellow Cards

League One – Tuesday 2^nd October 2012 – Notts County 1 Stevenage 2 – 2 Yellow Cards and 1 Red Card

F.A Cup – Saturday 1^st December 2012 – Rotherham United 1 Notts County 1 – 2 Yellow Cards

JPT – Tuesday 4^th December 2012 – Port Vale 0 Bradford City 2 – 4 Yellow Cards

League One – Saturday 12^th April 2014 – Notts County 4 Port Vale 2 – 1 Yellow Cards

Run down of his last four games this season;

League Two – Saturday 10^th January 2015 – Dagenham & Redbridge 0 Oxford United 0 – 5 Yellow Cards

Championship – Tuesday 27^th January 2015 – Rotherham United 4 Bolton Wanderers 2 – 2 Yellow Cards

League One – Saturday 21^st February 2015 – Sheffield United 2 Coventry City 2 – 6 Yellow Cards and 1 Red Card.

League One – Tuesday 24^th February 2015 – Preston North End 1 Walsall 0 – No Cards

In his last four games 13 yellow cards have been shown and only a single red card.

So far this season in a total of 20 games he has shown 67 yellow cards and 6 red cards.

That's roughly 3.3 yellow cards per game.

Assistant Referee; Matthew Buonassisi

From – Northamptonshire

Last 3 officiated games;

Tuesday 10^th February 2015 – Dagenham & Redbridge 0 Portsmouth 0

Saturday 14^th February 2015 – Southend United 1 Accrington Stanley 2

Saturday 21^st February 2015 – Northampton Town 3 York City 0

Assistant Referee; Nick Hobbis

From – West Midlands

Last 3 officiated games;

Saturday 24^th January 2015 – Northampton Town 3 Newport County 0

Saturday 7^th February 2015 – Swindon Town 2 Barnsley 0

Tuesday 10^th February 2015 – Chesterfield 0 Preston North End 2

Fourth Official; Ian Rathbone

From – Northamptonshire

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

Also, please do leave us a comment below if you have time.

Barnsley have appointed Oldham manager Lee Johnson as their new head coach on a three-and-a-half-year contract.

The clubs have agreed an undisclosed compensation deal for the 33-year-old and his assistant Tommy Wright.

The Tykes have been without a manager since sacking Danny Wilson on 12 February.

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MK Dons have signed Chelsea midfielder Lewis Baker on loan until the end of the season, including play-off period.

The 19-year-old helped the Blues win the Under-21 Premier League last season and scored 26 goals.

Baker, who's an England Under-21 international, played four times during a loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday last month, starting two of those games.

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Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson has left the club after Saturday's 3-0 defeat by MK Dons left them 15th in League One - the Posh have won just one of their last five matches in the league.

Coaches Gary Breen, Gavin Strachan and Jimmy Walker, video analyst Stewart England and sport scientist Marc Lindsey have also left the club, with academy manager Dave Robertson put in caretaker charge.

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Bradford City have signed Oliver Burke on a month-long loan deal from Nottingham Forest.

The 17-year-old winger was given his first Forest debut in a 4-4 Championship draw with Blackpool on 14 February.

He has been given permission to play in Bradford's FA Cup quarter-final against Reading on 7 March.

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Football League clubs have voted not to reintroduce artificial pitches.

A vote on the issue in November 2014 ended in a tie but clubs were balloted again last week and decided against the use of plastic playing surfaces.

A Football League spokesman said the "majority" of clubs "prefer to play their matches on grass pitches".

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Peterborough United will not approach Rotherham United boss Steve Evans over their vacant managerial post, says chairman Darragh MacAnthony.

The 52-year-old, who took the Millers up to the Championship last season, had been linked with the job after Darren Ferguson's dismissal on Saturday.

But Evans is contracted at Rotherham until 2017 and MacAnthony says he will not pay compensation for a new boss.

Port Vale head to Meadow Lane on the 28^th of February. Notts County will have to be steady within their approach against the Valiants, as the visiting side are in decent form and have the ability to punish any side within League One with their clever brand of football.

The visitors currently sit 12^th and are currently only 3 points away from the play-offs. They have won two of their last six games, drawing 1 and losing three. There is no doubt that they will be seeing this as a must win game.

Run down of their last six games.

Saturday 24^th January – Port Vale 0 Crewe Alexandra 1

Saturday 31^st January – Barnsley 2 Port Vale 1

Saturday 7^th February – Port Vale 2 Bradford 2

Tuesday 10^th February – Bristol City 3 Port Vale 1

Saturday 14^th February – Walsall 0 Port Vale 1

Saturday 21^st February – Port Vale 3 Doncaster Rovers 0

The Players – Fact Sheet

Highest Goal Scorers; Tom Pope 10, Ben Williamson 10, Mark Marshall 5 and Michael Brown 5.

Persistent Foulers; Chris Lines 1 Red Card and 2 Yellow Cards, Michael O'Connor 8 Yellow Cards, Carl Dickinson 8 Yellow Cards and Richard Duffy 6 Yellow Cards.

The Key Players.

Tom Pope, Ben Williamson, Michael Brown, Michael O'Connor and Richard Duffy.

Tom Pope is the traditional centre forward who likes to stay close to the defenders, he has the ability to draw away from play and put himself inside space, making himself available to tuck a shot into the back of the net.

His strike partner Ben Williamson offers Port Vale steady pace and a great eye for goal.

Where the two Michael's Brown and O'Connor are generally always behind the Vale's advancing play, both also have an eye for goal but also can pick out the right pass, as they push forward and into space. They're two players who require being marked as they are the creative force within the majority of their play going forward.

Richard Duffy is the player who's been there and done that, he gives Port Vale experience and leadership from the back.

He also shares the ability to score from set pieces or from distance.

Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses.

Port Vale look to defend within their own half, where they like to stay close to the advancing player. They will generally pull numbers behind them in both their attacks and defending. When it comes to attacking their opposition, they play safe and build slowly by passing closely until they see space opening up which allows for them to try something different.

They're well organized and like to break their opposition down by using the flanks, set pieces and by running into the centre of the park.

Their main strengths are the support which their squad offer to each other, they always have someone in support of advancing players and they use their set pieces very well. Another clear to see strength is confidence, nobody seems short of this.

Confidence seems to be a big part of the football that they play, nobody seems afraid to take on players or to try a shot. In their recent game against Doncaster Rovers this is clear to see.

With regards to weaknesses Port Vale's main concerns lie within aerial threats, they seem very open and vulnerable from both deep dropping crosses, long distance shots or free kicks. Concentration by more than one defender seems to switch off when they're under extensive pressure.

If teams put them under pressure throughout the game and not just brief spells (they cope with this), then they do make mistakes.

This will allow our better players such as Liam Noble, Garry Thompson and even perhaps Bálint Bajner to come into the game.

In this weeks PoN's preview to the League One games played on the 28th of February, several key games have been identified – None more important than the Peterborough against Bradford game, which several teams within League One will be looking out for.

Peterborough against Bradford is an important game this week as Bradford try to stay in the play off spots and Peterborough will be hoping to improve on recent form and move away from the drop zone.

* Important Game – ** Key Game

Saturday 28^th February

Bristol City v Rochdale – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-1)

*Chesterfield v Fleetwood – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-0)

Coventry v MK Dons – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-2)

Crawley v Sheffield United – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-3)

Crewe v Swindon - Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-2)

Doncaster v Colchester – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (3-0)

Gillingham v Barnsley – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-1)

Notts County v Port Vale – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-0)

Oldham v Preston – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-2)

**Peterborough v Bradford – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-1)

*Scunthorpe v Yeovil – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-0)

Walsall v Leyton Orient – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-0)

My Stand-out Games

Peterborough v Bradford

Chesterfield v Fleetwood

Scunthorpe v Yeovil

Peterborough will be hoping to improve on their recent form which has seen them drop to within eight points of the drop zone after only picking one win up in their last five matches.

Bradford on the other hand will be hoping to continue there recent good form which has seen them move into the play off places having not lost in their last five league games.

Chesterfield will be hoping to pick up three points against Fleetwood as they try to move back up the table, they want to get their first points in four games which has seen them drop from the play offs.

Fleetwood will hope to continue their winning form after a hard fought three points last weekend against Notts County which moved them back upto eighth place, just one point off the play offs.

Scunthorpe will be hoping to go back to winning ways this weekend after a 2-0 defeat at the hands of promotion chasing Preston, which ended Scunthorpe’s two game winning streak.

Yeovil will be hoping to pick up their first three points this weekend after only picking up one point in their last three matches, which has seen them move back to bottom of the table.

Thoughts on Notts County vs Port Vale

This weeks match see’s Notts county against Port Vale with both teams struggling for form, I’ve predicted Notts county to just edge it.

The current results between the two teams show Notts County as slight favourites, winning five of the last seven meetings.

The last time Port Vale beat Notts County at Meadow Lane was back in 2004 winning 1-2.

The overall head to head record shows Notts County being slight favourites winning 41, Port Vale 35 and 19 draws.

Notts County have picked up 9 out of 15 points from the last five meetings In the league.

A tough match to predict but I’ve predicted 1-0 to Notts County.

Yet another disappointing result for Notts fans. Bristol City, perhaps surprisingly, lost away at lowly Colchester with Swindon also being upset at home by Crewe. MK Dons helped their promotion hopes and dented Peterborough's by winning 3-0.

Pride of Nottingham reflects at the business end of the League One table, as the Magpie fans will no doubt be looking ahead to Port Vale.

League One Results

Barnsley 2–0 Crewe Alexandra

Bradford 1–1 Walsall

Colchester 3–2 Bristol City

Fleetwood 2–1 Notts County

Leyton Orient 3–0 Oldham

MK Dons 3–0 Peterborough

Port Vale 3–0 Doncaster Rovers

Preston North End 2–0 Scunthorpe

Rochdale 1–0 Chesterfield

Sheffield United 2–2 Coventry

Swindon 1–2 Crawley

Yeovil 2–2 Gillingham

There were 8 home wins, 1 away win and 3 draws.

Upcoming fixtures

Tuesday 24^th February 2015

Doncaster Rovers v Bristol City

Preston North End v Walsall

Rochdale v Sheffield United

Scunthorpe v Barnsley

Swindon v Bradford

League One update

There is no positional change with the top 5 places. Bristol City remain top, despite losing, with 64 points from 31 games. Then come MK Dons with 62 points from 32 games followed by Swindon with 57 points from 31 games. Preston remain 4th with 56 points from 30 games and Sheffield United are 5^th on 49 points from 30 games.

Bradford move into the final play off spot on 45 points from 30 games replacing Doncaster who drop to 7^th also with 45 points but from 31 games.

Fleetwood move up to 8^th with 44 points from 32 games with Oldham falling to 9^th with 43 points from 31 games. Chesterfield drop to 10^th while Gillingham rise to 11^th and Port Vale also climb to 12^th, all on 42 points from 32 games.

Rochdale move up to 13^th with 41 points from 29 games, above 14^th placed Walsall also with 41 points but from 31 games and 15^th placed Peterborough who have 41 points too from 32 games.

Scunthorpe drop to 16^th with 40 points from 30 games.

Notts drop to 17^th with 38 points from 31 games, the same as 18^th placed Barnsley, while 19^th placed Crewe also have 38 points but from 32 games.

Colchester climb from the relegation zone to 20^th with 34 points from 32 games.

Coventry, although drawing away at Sheffield United, slip into the relegation places at 21^st with 33 points from 31 games, level with 22^nd placed Crawley who beat Swindon 2–1 having played 32 games.

Leyton Orient remain 23^rd despite beating Oldham 3–0 with 32 points from 31 games.

Yeovil stay bottom with 29 games from 32 games.

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12 points now separate 6^th placed Bradford and 21^st placed Coventry.

Notts County are at 17^th and are now 7 points away from the play offs but more worryingly only 5 points above a relegation place, and will fall to 18^th if Scunthorpe fail to beat Barnsley on Tuesday

Once again PoN looks to the weekend fixtures in another League One preview. This weeks main game comes in the form of the MK Dons v Peterborough United game, the Don's are fighting for an automatic promotion place, whilst Peterborough United are showing contention for a play-off place provided they can keep up their current form which has seen them move for the middle of League One.

MK Dons against Peterborough is an important game this week as MK Dons try to overtake Swindon for 2^nd spot again while Peterborough will be hoping to gain points on 6^th place Oldham.

* Important Game – **Key Game

Saturday 21^st February

Barnsley v Crewe – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-0)

*Bradford v Walsall – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-1)

Colchester v Bristol City – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-2)

Fleetwood v Notts County – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-1)

Leyton Orient v Oldham – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-1)

**MK Dons v Peterborough – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-1)

Port Vale v Doncaster – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-1)

Preston v Scunthorpe – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-1)

Rochdale v Chesterfield – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-2)

Sheffield United v Coventry – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (3-0)

Swindon v Crawley – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-0)

*Yeovil v Gillingham – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-0)

My Stand-out Games

MK Dons v Peterborough

Bradford v Walsall

Yeovil v Gillingham

MK Dons will be hoping to win against Peterborough and that Swindon drop points against Crawley so they can re enter the automatic promotion places.

Peterborough on the other hand will be hoping for a win and teams like Oldham, Chesterfield and Doncaster drop points so they can enter the play-off spots.

Bradford will be hoping to win against Walsall and enter the play-off places. They need Chesterfield, Doncaster and Oldham to drop points, but with two games in hand over certain teams this is their chance to win and take advantage.

Walsall will be hoping to win against Bradford and hoping surrounding teams drop points as they try and improve on last weeks result, which saw them drop down the league.

Yeovil will be hoping to win against Gillingham as they try to close the gap on the teams hovering above the drop zone. Gillingham on the other hand will be hoping to continue their recent good form which saw them beat MK Dons last weekend and continue to gain on the play-offs.

Thoughts on Fleetwood vs Notts County

This week match sees Fleetwood against Notts County, a match that could go either way but I think will end in a draw.

The current results between the two teams show that it could go both ways having one win a piece.

The last time they played Fleetwood won 1-0 at Meadow Lane.

The overall head to head record shows that both teams have won a game each.

Notts County last beat Fleetwood in the league cup back in 2013, winning 3-2 at Meadow Lane.

Notts County have picked up 0 out of 3 points from the only meeting In the league.

A tough match to predict but I’ve predicted 1-1.

There was no game for Notts this weekend but some very interesting results. The big League One game ended with league leaders Bristol City losing at home to play-off hopefuls Sheffield United. There was also a surprise home defeat by Chesterfield to lowly Leyton Orient, also 2^nd placed Swindon losing at home to strugglers Scunthorpe United.

3^rd placed MK Dons losing away at Gillingham. Oldham also slipped up at home to Colchester United. The biggest win was at Crawley, who beat rapidly falling Barnsley 5-1. Not so long ago Barnsley were above Notts in the top half but find themselves now in 19^th place.

League One Results

Bristol City 1–3 Sheffield United

Chesterfield 2–3 Leyton Orient

Crawley 5–1 Barnsley

Crewe Alexandra 2–0 Fleetwood

Doncaster Rovers 3–0 Yeovil

Gillingham 4 – 2 MK Dons

Notts County v Preston North End – Postponed

Oldham 0–1 Colchester

Peterborough 2–1 Rochdale

Scunthorpe 3–1 Swindon

Walsall 0–1 Port Vale

6 Home wins, 4 away wins and 0 draws.

Upcoming fixtures

Tuesday 17^th February 2015

Bristol City v Peterborough

Colchester v MK Dons

Doncaster Rovers v Crewe Alexandra

Notts County v Sheffield United

Scunthorpe v Chesterfield

Wednesday 18^th February 2015

Leyton Orient v Bradford

League One update

The top 4 places remain unchanged despite the first three placed all losing and Preston not playing. Bristol City are top with 61 points from 29 games, Swindon 2nd with 57 points from 30 games, MK Dons 3rd on 56 points also from 30 games and Preston 4th with 53 points from 29 games.

Sheffield United move up to 5^th with 45 points from 28 games taking the place of Oldham who drop to 6^th with 43 points from 30 games.

Leading the chasing pack and staying in 7^th place come Chesterfield with 42 points from 30 games above Doncaster who move up to 8^th place, also on 42 points but from 29 games.

Bradford drop to 9^th with 41 points from 28 games, level on points with Peterborough who move up to 10^th having played 30 games. Also on 41 points but falling to 11^th are Fleetwood along with Gillingham who climb to 12^th both having played 31 games.

Walsall slip to 13^th with 40 points from 30 games. Next come Port Vale rising to 14^th with 39 points from 31 games, Rochdale have fallen to 15^th with 38 points from 28 games.

Notts having not played a game, fall to 16^th also on 38 points but from 29 games above Crewe who climb to 17^th on the same points but from 30 games.

Rising to 18^th come Scunthorpe with 37 points from 28 games, followed by Barnsley falling to 19^th with 35 points from 30 games and Coventry remaining at 20^th place with 32 points also from 30 games.

The relegation places are occupied by Colchester staying at 21^st with 31 points from 30 games. Crawley rising to 22^nd with 30 points from 31 games, Leyton lift themselves to 23^rd with 29 points from 29 games but Yeovil drop to 24^th and bottom with 28 points from 32 games.

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The gap between 6^th placed Oldham and 21st placed Colchester is only 12 points.

Notts, although falling to 16^th, are still only 5 points away from a play off place but are also only 7 points above Colchester and safety.

Notts welcome Sheffield United, 3-1 victors away at table topping Bristol City, to Meadow Lane this coming Tuesday evening.

League One News - League One Preview - League Link-Ups

Notts have signed Lincoln City defender Sean Newton on loan until the end of the season.

The 26-year-old passed a medical on Friday and signed a deal that also sees Notts defender Jordan Cranston move to the Imps until the end of the campaign.

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Barnsley have sacked manager Danny Wilson and assistant boss Chris Hutchings.

The Tykes are 17th in the table, seven points clear of the relegation zone and seven off the play-off places.

In a statement, the club called the current league position "unacceptable".

55-year-old Wilson led Barnsley to the Premiership in 1997.

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Barnsley have extended the loan of Manchester United midfielder Ben Pearson until 8th March.

The 20-year-old joined the Tykes in January and has sufficiently impressed in his five appearances to remain for longer.

He said: "I'm delighted to have signed another month. There are a lot of games coming up in February and I'm delighted to be involved.

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Peterborough United have tweeted a message of support to former player Britt Assombalonga after he was ruled out for a year with a knee injury.

The 22-year-old was stretchered off during Nottingham Forest's 3-0 win over Wigan Athletic on Wednesday.

He has now undergone surgery and Posh have wished him the best of luck in his recovery.

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Leyton Orient will be the subject of a new Italian reality TV show, where the winner will win a contract with the club.

Orient's owner, Francesco Becchetti, said the programme would help the club find new players and boost its profile,

The show will air on the Agon channel, owned by Becchetti.

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Former Leeds United midfielder David Norris is having a medical with Peterborough United, according to reports.

The 33-year-old was released by the Elland Road outfit at the end of January after having played just twice in 18 months.

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Wolverhampton Wanderers have revealed they made a loss of £1.7m during their season in League One.

Commercial income fell £1m as a consequence of lower contracted sponsorship agreements for in the third tier.

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MK Dons boss Karl Robinson has said the more successful his side become, the more they suffer from poor refereeing.

The 34-year-old believes his side have been on the wrong end of unfavourable refereeing decisions in four of their last five games.

"It always seems the closer we get to the top, decisions start to go against us," he told BBC Three Counties Radio.

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Port Vale have signed teenage Crystal Palace defender Ryan Inniss on a one-month youth loan.

"We're really happy to have made the addition of Ryan to our squad," said Vale boss Rob Page. "We're pleased to secure his services for the next month.

The former England youth international has already played in League One, having had loan spells with Gillingham and Yeovil.

In this weeks PoN's preview to the League One games played on the 14th of February, several key games have been identified – None more important than the Bristol City v Sheffield United game, which several teams within League One will be looking out for. Bristol City against Sheffield United is an important game this week as it effects both the title race and the play off places.

Neither side will want to lose as it will effect their chances of promotion. However with Sheffield United playing in the F.A Cup, Notts County do not play until Tuesday night whereby both sides are set to have showdown at Meadow Lane.

* Important Game – ** Key Game

Saturday 14th February

**Bristol City v Sheffield United – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-0)

Chesterfield v Leyton Orient – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-1)

Crawley v Barnsley – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-1)

Crewe v Fleetwood – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-2)

Doncaster v Yeovil – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-0)

Gillingham v MK Dons – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-3)

Oldham v Colchester – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-0)

*Peterborough v Rochdale – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-1)

Scunthorpe v Swindon – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-1)

*Walsall v Port Vale – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-0)

My Stand-out Games

Bristol City v Sheffield United

Peterborough v Rochdale

Walsall v Port Vale

Bristol City will be hoping to win and that Swindon lose against Scunthorpe, also that MK Dons drop points against Gillingham so Bristol could possibly move seven points clear at the top of the league one table.

Sheffield United will be hoping to win against Bristol City, then Chesterfield, Bradford and Peterborough to lose or drop points to open a gap on the chasing teams for the play off spots.

Peterborough will be hoping to win against Rochdale to possibly move two places from the play off places while also leap frogging there opponents.

Rochdale will be hoping to win against Peterborough so they could also move within two places of the play off places, whichever team wins will have an advantage over the other for the play offs.

Walsall will be hoping to win against Port Vale and move into the play off places, while Port Vale will be hoping to close the gap on the play off places rather then getting dragged into a relegation battle anymore.

Thoughts on Bristol City against Sheffield United

This week as Notts County don’t play due to fa cup matches, i'm focusing on the Bristol city versus Sheffield United match.

This is a game that could go either way really, a draw seems on the cards on current form though I believe Bristol City will edge it.

The current results between the two teams show that Sheffield United are favourites.

Bristol City beat them earlier in the season at Bramall Lane 1-2 in the league.

The overall head to head record shows Sheffield United as favourites winning 24 Bristol 13 and 10 draws.

Sheffield United last beat Bristol city in the league on the 22/02/14 3-0.

Sheffield United have picked up 9 out of 15 from the last 5 meetings.

A tough match to predict but I’ve predicted a 1-0 victory to Bristol City.

Match Report - League One Round-Up - Week Days Preview

At last, a very welcome win for Notts albeit against bottom placed Leyton Orient. League One is now beginning to take shape with the top 4 clubs having a clear lead at the top. Bristol City have a game in hand which has opened up a gap in 1^st place, closely followed by Swindon 4 points behind and MK Dons another point lower, still 3^rd despite losing on Monday at Bradford.

Preston keep 4^th spot and are a further 3 points behind. There is then a gap of 10 points to Oldham in 5^th place with Sheffield United occupying the last play off place, though only on goal difference above Chesterfield.

A good run of results would see any team from the chasing pack making a push for the play-offs. Similarly at the the other end of the table, Colchester are now 4 points adrift of safety above Yeovil, Crawley and Leyton Orient.

League One Results

Monday 9^th February 2015

Bradford 2–1 MK Dons

Tuesday 10^th February 2015

Barnsley 1–2 Fleetwood

Bristol City 3–1 Port Vale

Chesterfield 0–2 Preston North End

Coventry 1-1 Scunthorpe

Crawley 0–5 Doncaster Rovers

Crewe Alexandra 1–0 Yeovil

Leyton Orient 0–1 Notts County

Oldham 2–1 Swindon

Peterborough 1–2 Gillingham

Sheffield United 4-1 Colchester

Walsall 3–2 Rochdale

There were 6 home wins ,5 away wins and 1 draw.

Upcoming Fixtures

Saturday 14^th February 2015

Bristol City v Sheffield United

Chesterfield v Leyton Orient

Crawley v Barnsley

Crewe Alexandra v Fleetwood

Doncaster v Yeovil

Gillingham v MK Dons

Notts County v Preston North End - Postponed. (Next match at home v Sheffield United - Tuesday 17^th February 2015)

Oldham v Colchester

Peterborough v Rochdale

Scunthorpe v Swindon

Walsall v Port Vale

League One update

The top 4 places remain unchanged with Bristol City top on 61 points, followed by Swindon on 57 points and MK Dons on 56 points both having played 29 games.

Preston are 4^th with 53 points from 29 games. Then 10 points lower, are Oldham moving up to 5th on 43 points from 29 games with Sheffield United moving up to 6^th with 42 points from 27 games. Chesterfield are also on 42 points, dropping out of the top 6 having played 29 games.

At 8^th and 9^th come Bradford and Fleetwood each with 41 points but from 28 and 29 games respectively. Walsall are 10^th with 40 points from 29 games and Doncaster follow at 11th with 39 points from 28 games.

Rochdale, Peterborough, Notts and Gillingham are next in 12^tth to 15^th place each on 38 points from 27, 29, 29 and 30 games respectively.

Port Vale have 36 points from 30 games at 16^th followed by Barnsley at 17^th and Crewe at 18^th both with 35 points from 29 games.

In 19^th place come Scunthorpe with 34 points from 27 games and Coventry are 20^th with 32 points from 30 games.

The relegation places go to Colchester and Yeovil each with 28 points from 29 and 30 games respectively. Crawley with 27 points from 30 games and rock bottom Leyton Orient with 26 points from 28 games.

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14 points now separate 6^th placed Sheffield United from 21^st placed Colchester.

Notts have moved up to 14^th but are 'a mere' 4 points from a play off place and have widened the gap from a relegation place to 10 points.

At 7:45pm tonight, Bradford City will make a claim for a play-off place again, as they take on MK Dons at the Valley Parade. Then the rest of League One return to action the day after - Tuesday 10th of February. MK Dons are presented a chance to go top of the league, at least on a temporary basis. Both teams are hot in form and I believe this lively encounter could end up as a 2-2 draw.

The Bantams will perhaps be classed as the underdogs, however The Dons manager Karl Robinson believes his side are doing far better than they should be.

As the home side Bradford are presented a golden opportunity, they will believe they have the quality to beat MK Dons – especially after coming back and defeating the Premierships leaders Chelsea.

Monday 9^th February 2015

Bradford vs MK Dons – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (2-2)

* Important Game – ** Key Game

Tuesday 10^th February 2015

*Barnsley vs Fleetwood – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (1-0)

*Bristol City vs Port Vale – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (3-1)

Chesterfield vs Preston North End – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (2-2)

**Coventry vs Scunthorpe – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (3-1)

*Crawley vs Doncaster – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (0-1)

**Crewe vs Yeovil – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (0-2)

Leyton Orient vs Notts County – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (2-1)

Oldham vs Swindon – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (1-2)

**Peterborough vs Gillingham – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (3-1)

Sheffield United vs Colchester – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (2-1)

*Walsall vs Rochdale – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (1-0)

My Stand-out Games

Barnsley vs Fleetwood

Chesterfield vs Preston North End

Peterborough vs Gillingham

If Barnsley's home tie against Fleetwood ended up as a draw, it would be useful to ourselves as it would narrow the gap down, especially if we can get a result ourselves. I see Barnsley winning Fleetwood however, it should be a close game.

Chesterfield could secure their play-off place further by defeating Preston North End, whereas Preston could achieve this goal themselves whilst maintaining a chance of progressing back to an automatic place.

Peterborough is another game whereby a draw would most likely help Notts, yet with Peterborough finding their feet I see them easily seeing off the Gills, despite them performing very well themselves as of lately.

Thoughts on Leyton Orient v Notts County

I fear for the result but not for the safety of the club, I firmly believe in the squad that Shaun Derry has assembled. Leyton Orient will be wanting to keep themselves within a chance of surviving the drop and it's the relegation fights I feel Notts struggle the most in.

I do believe a win is possible for the magpies, yet I do think there's much more required to progress back to a steady field and that will naturally take some time.

I am hoping for a close game, one which might not be entertaining but will require a lot of concentration and effort. A win for Notts could flip the league back into an healthy situation, allowing it to be a positive game for the club to move on from.

No matter what, I do feel we can rely on the depth of the squad and over come any challenge thrown at us.

Another disappointing day for Notts fans, losing at home to local rivals Chesterfield who now sit comfortably in the play off places at 5^th in the table. The big game of the day between MK Dons and Bristol City ended as a goalless draw. Swindon and Preston remain in 2^nd and 4^th place respectively with Oldham moving up to 6^th replacing Sheffield United who fall to 7^th.

There was a League One game which end up being called off, however all the other remaining fixtures went ahead as planned and it makes for another interesting weekend of football at this level.

League One results

Colchester 2–3 Crewe Alexandra

Doncaster 0–2 Walsall

Fleetwood 1–1 Peterborough

Gillingham 2–0 Sheffield United

MK Dons 0–0 Bristol City

Notts County 0–1 Chesterfield

Port Vale 2–2 Bradford

Preston North End 1–0 Coventry

Scunthorpe 0–1 Oldham

Swindon 2–0 Barnsley

Yeovil 2–1 Crawley

Rochdale v Leyton Orient - POSTPONED (Frozen Ground)

Upcoming fixtures

Monday 9^th February 2015

Bradford v MK Dons

Tuesday 10^th February 2015

Barnsley v Fleetwood

Bristol City v Port Vale

Chesterfield v Preston North End

Coventry v Scunthorpe

Crawley v Doncaster Rovers

Crewe Alexandra v Yeovil

Leyton Orient v Notts County

Oldham Athletic v Swindon Town

Peterborough United v Gillingham

Sheffield United v Colchester

Walsall v Rochdale

League update

Today there were 4 home wins, 4 away wins, 3 draws and 1 postponement.

Bristol City hold pole position with 58 points from 27 games.

Swindon move up to 2^nd with 57 points from 28 games replacing MK Dons who drop to 3^rd on 56 points from 28 games. There is then a 6 point gap to Preston who remain 4^th with 50 points from 28 games.

Chesterfield stay at 5^th 8 points lower with 42 points from 28 games. Oldham move up into the final play off place with 40 points having played 28 games. Sheffield United drop to 7^th with 39 points from 28 games.

Rochdale, Bradford, Peterborough and Fleetwood occupy positions 8 to 11^th each on 38 points from 26, 27, 28 and 29 games respectively. Walsall climb up to 12th with 37 points from 28 games.

Doncaster slip to 13^th with 36 points from 27 games, just above Port Vale who have the same number of points but from 29 games.

Barnsley drop to 15^th with 35 points from 28 games, the same as Notts County who drop to 16^th..

Gillingham move up to 17^th also on 35 points but from 29 games. Scunthorpe fall to 18^th with 33 points from only 26 games. Crewe move up to 19^th with 32 points from 28 games.

Coventry fall to 20^th with 31 points from 29 games. Colchester stay at 21^st with 28 points from 28 games, just above 22^nd placed Yeovil who have the same number of points but from 29 games.

Crawley fall to 23^rd with 27 points from 29 games. 24^th and bottom are Leyton Orient who have played 27 games accumulating 26 points.

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12 points separate 6^th placed Oldham from 21^st placed Colchester and 22nd placed Yeovil who are both on 28 points.

Notts have fallen to 16^th with 35 points, but are still only 5 points away from a play off place though are slightly worryingly only 7 points outside the relegation zone. Notts have a chance to climb the table with their next game, although being away they are playing against rock bottom Leyton Orient.

Saturday 7th of February, Notts County will be facing up against promotion chasing Chesterfield. The Spireites will be hoping a win will help them establish themselves firmly within the play-off places, however a draw or defeat would most likely see them replaced. Chesterfield won't turn up to Meadow Lane allowing us to push them over, it must be a hard working performance from Notts.

The Spireites have won three of their last six games, drawing two and only losing one. Recent wins come against Crawley, Port Vale and Peterborough United.

The Match Officials for the game against Chesterfield will be Keith Stroud, with his two assistants Ben Toner and Ollie Yates. The fourth official will be Michael D'aguilar.

Match Officials

Referee; Keith Stroud

From – Hampshire

His matches involving Notts County and Chesterfield in the last four seasons;

JPT – Wednesday 17^th October 2012 – Notts County 1 Sheffield United 4 – 3 Yellow Cards

League One – Friday 2^nd August 2013 – Sheffield United 2 Notts County 1 – 4 Yellow Cards and 1 Red Card

League One – Saturday 15^th March 2014 – Tranmere Rovers 3 Notts County 2 – 4 Yellow Cards

F.A Cup – Saturday 6^th December 2014 – MK Dons 0 Chesterfield 1 – 2 Yellow Cards

Run down of his last four games this season;

Championship – Tuesday 30^th December 2014 – Derby County 2 Leeds United 0 – 5 Yellow Cards

League One – Monday 12^th January 2015 – Coventry City 0 Swindon Town 3 – 3 Yellow Cards

Championship – Wednesday 21^st January 2015 – Bright & Hove Albion 3 Ipswich Town 2 – 2 Yellow Cards

F.A Cup – Saturday 24^th January 2015 – Preston North End 1 Sheffield United 1 – 4 Yellow Cards

In his last four games 14 yellow cards have been shown and no red cards.

So far this season in a total of 25 games he has shown 115 yellow cards and 3 red cards.

That's roughly 4.6 yellow cards per game.

Assistant Referee; Ben Toner

From – Lancashire

Last 3 officiated games;

Saturday 17^th January 2015 – Nuneaton Town 0 Gateshead 2

Saturday 24^th January 2015 – York City 1 Burton Albion 1

Saturday 31^st January 2015 – Wrexham 0 Torquay United 0

Assistant Referee; Ollie Yates

From – Staffordshire

Last 3 officiated games;

Saturday 17^th January 2015 – Leamington Spa 1 Tamworth 2

Saturday 24^th January 2015 – Wolves 0 Charlton Athletic 0

Saturday 31^st January 2015 – Blackpool 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 0

Fourth Official; Michael D'aguilar

From – Staffordshire

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

Also, please do leave us a comment below if you have time.

Meadow Lane hosts Chesterfield on Saturday 7th of February, as Notts County prepare to take on the Spireites in a local derby. Chesterfield currently sit 5th after winning three of their last six games, drawing two and only losing one against Swindon Town. They have scored 12 goals, having conceded 7 times.

Chesterfield will be hoping the visit is just another formal encounter of their quest to remain within the play-offs, however Notts will be hoping to strike back at home with a good result.

Run down of their last six games.

Saturday 10^th January – Chesterfield 3 Port Vale 0

Tuesday 13^th January – Chesterfield 2 Scunthorpe United 0 (F.A Cup)

Saturday 17^th January – Swindon Town 3 Chesterfield 0

Saturday 24^th January – Derby County 2 Chesterfield 0 (F.A Cup)

Tuesday 27^th January – Chesterfield 3 Crawley Town 2

Saturday 31^st January – Chesterfield 2 Doncaster Rovers 2

The Players – Fact Sheet

Highest Goal Scorers; Samuel Clucas 8, Gary Roberts 5, Jay O'Shea 3 and Jimmy Ryan 3.

Persistent Foulers; Ian Evatt 1 Red Card and 8 Yellow Cards, Sam Morsy 1 Red Card and 6 Yellow Cards, Daniel Jones 1 Red Card and 4 Yellow Cards and Tommy Lee 1 Red Card and 1 Yellow Card.

The Key Players.

Armand Gnanduillet, Oliver Banks, Samuel Clucas, Jimmy Ryan and Daniel Jones.

Thankfully the Spireites will be without Eoin Doyle, however Samuel Clucas is a consistent and dominant threat to opposition teams. The tricky winger and attacking midfielder is a live wire for Chesterfield.

Armand Gnanduillet will be keen to etch his name in their starting 11, he is a versatile striker who will more likely find regular game time. He is pacey, strong and tall – However his eye for goal can be questionable, he is and will remain a threat if selected.

Oliver Banks and Jimmy Ryan are the inspiration within the Spireites midfield, they are both creative and clever with the type of play they both express.

Whilst Daniel Jones is also a versatile player who can play within defence and midfield, he also has a habit of scoring from set pieces and can release quite a powerful shot from distance.

Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses.

Chesterfield are very attacking minded, they play quite high up the field which leaves space within their defence but are quite well structured. They play strategic passes, cleverly moving the ball forward whist attempting to dictate the tempo of the game.

They're direct with their approach, with players getting behind the ball and running straight at their opposition. Runs aim to move outwards from the channels, as they tend to try to build through the centre of the park.

This allows them to create chances, whilst some players like having a go with long drives towards goal.

The Spireites don't give up, this is an element shown throughout their squad and each player gives 100% allowing them to easily find their way into games. Another strength is found within their direct approach, they can build play slowly or bombard their opposition.

Chesterfield are a well set-up side, very well structured. However, with them mainly focusing on being offensive, they do sit their defence at times quite high up the field and if their opposition can get the ball quickly into dangerous areas they do struggle. This is something better play can break down

Also, panic can set in from set pieces which often sees them scramble and pack players into their penalty box.

If they don't retain the ball well, it falls down to their hard work, concentration and better players to dig them out of the game. So, in principle if we hold the play and slowly build, making sure we get into good positions good chances will come.

Chesterfield manager Paul Cook has signed a one-year contract extension, tying him to the club until 2017.

The 47-year-old took over at the Proact Stadium in October 2012 and led them to promotion to League One last season.

The Spireites, who sold top scorer Eoin Doyle to Cardiff on Monday, are currently fifth in the table.

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Tottenham Hotspur have signed MK Dons midfielder Dele Alli on a five-and-a-half-year deal for an initial £5m fee.

The 18-year-old will be loaned back to the League One side for the rest of the season as part of the deal.

Alli has scored 12 goals in 25 league games for MK Dons this season.

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Keeping with the Dons, Bolton Wanderers midfielder Keith Andrews has joined the Milton Keynes outfit on loan until the end of the season after his stint with Watford was cut short.

In his first spell at MK Dons, the 34-year-old won the League Two title and the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

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Sheffield United have signed Rochdale forward Matt Done on a two-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

The 26-year-old has scored 14 goals for Dale this season.

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Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony has launched a scathing attack on an unnamed Championship club over the non-payment of a transfer fee.

On Twitter, MacAnthony did not name the club in question but it is thought he was referring to Nottingham Forest, who in the summer bought striker Britt Assombalonga from Posh for a club-record fee of £5.5million.

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Barnsley have extended the loan of Chelsea striker Alex Kiwomya until 3 March.

The 18-year-old England youth player joined at the start of January and has so far started three League One games.

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Fulham have agreed the signing of teenage defender Aron Davies from Bristol City.

The 17-year-old has initially joined on a scholarship and will sign professional terms in the summer to tie him to Fulham until June 2018.

In this weeks PoN's preview to the League One games played on the 7th of February, several key games have been identified – None more important than the MK Dons v Bristol City game, which several teams within League One will be looking out for.

MK Dons against Bristol City is possibly the biggest game of the season so far as it will give either team an advantage in the race for the league one title neither side will want to lose.

* Important Game – ** Key Game

Saturday 7th February

*Colchester v Crewe – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-1)

Doncaster v Walsall – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-1)

*Fleetwood v Peterborough – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-2)

Gillingham v Sheffield United – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-2)

**MK Dons v Bristol City – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-2)

*Notts County v Chesterfield – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-1)

Port Vale v Bradford – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-1)

Preston v Coventry – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-0)

Rochdale v Leyton Orient – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-0)

Scunthorpe v Oldham – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-0)

Swindon v Barnsley – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-0)

Yeovil v Crawley – Kick Off 3:00pm Score Prediction (1-0)

My Stand-out Games

MK Dons v Bristol City

Fleetwood v Peterborough

Colchester v Crewe

MK Dons will be hoping to win so they can go back to top of the league, which they managed to for one day last weekend until Bristol City beat Fleetwood. A win for MK Dons could put them a point clear of their opponents.

Bristol City will be hoping to keep up there good run of form, a win could put them six points clear of MK Dons and Swindon depending on results elsewhere.

Fleetwood will be hoping to leap frog as many as six teams with a victory against Peterborough, a defeat could see them move into the bottom half of the table.

Peterborough will be hoping to pick all three points up to move into the play-off places with a change in form over the past couple weeks, a lose could see them also drop into the bottom half of the league.

Colchester against Crewe is a 6 pointer with either side winning leap frogging the other and moving out of the drop zone. A win for Colchester could see them move up to as high as 19th while a victory for Crewe could see them move up to as high as 17th place.

Thoughts on Notts County v Chesterfield

This week’s match for us is another tough game to predict especially as it’s a local derby, though when you look at current results I would say Chesterfield are favourites, saying that I’ve predicted a draw.

Our current results against Chesterfield have been pretty good. We last lost against them back in 2011.

The overall head to head record shows us as favourites winning 26 Chesterfield 18 and 18 draws.

Chesterfield last beat us in the league on the 15/10/11, beating us 3-1.

We have picked up 7 points out of 15 from the last 5 meetings.

As I said earlier this match is a tough one to predict as we struggle to score goals. I think a draw would be a pretty good result for us.

Results over the weekend have gone mostly as form would suggest though Notts' fans will be very disappointed with such a heavy defeat by the hands of Oldham Athletic. On Saturday there was 5 Home wins, 2 away wins and 3 draws. On Sunday we saw a home win and a draw.

This weekends fixtures have widely opened up the play-off places and kept the automatic promotion widely open to the three teams in the running.

League One Results

Saturday January 31^st 2015

Barnsley 2–1 Port Vale

Bradford 1–1 Colchester

Chesterfield 2–2 Doncaster

Coventry 2–2 Rochdale

Crawley 2–1 Preston North End

Crewe Alexandra 0–5 MK Dons

Leyton Orient 1–4 Scunthorpe

Oldham 3–0 Notts County

Peterborough 1–0 Yeovil

Sheffield United 2–0 Swindon

Sunday February 1^st 2015

Bristol City 2–0 Fleetwood

Walsall 1-1 Gillingham

Upcoming fixtures

Tuesday February 3rd 2015

Barnsley v Oldham

League Update

Bristol City are top of the league with 57 points from 26 games. MK Dons move to 2^nd place after their resounding away win at lowly Crewe with 55 points from 27 games.

Swindon drop to 3^rd place, also with 54 points but from 27 games after losing away at Sheffield United who move up to 6^th with 39 points from 25 games.

Preston remain in 4^th spot with 47 points from 27 game and Chesterfield stay at 5^th also having played 27 games but with 8 points fewer on 39 points. Just outside the play-off places comes Rochdale dropping to 7^th with 38 points from 26 games.

Bradford remain 8^th with 37 points from 26 games. Oldham move up to 9^th and are also on 37 points from 26 games.

Peterborough, the 4^th team with 37 points move up to 10^th from 27 games.

Fleetwood drop to 11^th also with 37 points but from 28 games, Doncaster fall to 12^th with 36 points from 26 games.

Notts fall to unlucky 13^th with 35 points from 27 games, also on 35 points come Port Vale in 14^th position after 28 games.

In 15^th place comes Walsall with 34 points from 27 games, 1 point above Scunthorpe who climb to 16^th having played 25 games. Barnsley move up to 17^th with 32 points from 26 games.

Gillingham drop to 18^th with 32 points from 28 games. Coventry fall to 19^th with 31 points from 28 games. Crewe stay 20^th in spite of their heavy home loss to MK Dons with 29 points from 27 games.

Remaining at 21^st comes Colchester with 28 points from 27 games. Crawley climb to 22^nd with 27 points from 28 games, Leyton Orient drop to 23^rd with 26 points from 27 games. Falling to 24^th and bottom are Yeovil with 25 points from 28 games.

Walsall could have knocked Notts down a place if they had won at home to Gillingham earlier today. 6^th placed Sheffield United are 11 points ahead of 21st placed Colchester.

Notts are 7 points clear of a relegation place but still only 4 points off the play-offs though some teams have games in hand.

Saturday 31st of January, Notts County head to Boundary Park to play Oldham Athletic. The Latics also find themselves requiring to improve in terms of their form, however they are scoring as of lately. Both teams will be eyeing this tie up as a must win encounter as Notts look to respond after the disappointing performance and result against Peterborough United.

The Latics form currently stands at LLLDWL compared to Notts LLLWDL, likewise they have also been performing better away from home.

The Match Officials for the game against Oldham Athletic will be Peter Bankes, with his two assistants Jonathan Hunt and Neil Sharp. The fourth official will be Richard Wigglesworth.

Match Officials

Referee; Peter Bankes

From – Merseyside

His matches involving Notts County and Oldham Athletic in the last four seasons;

League One – Saturday 18^th October 2014 – Notts County 5 Crawley Town 3 – 6 Yellow Cards

League One – Saturday 13^th December 2014 – Oldham Athletic 0 Yeovil Town 4 – 2 Yellow Cards

Run down of his last four games this season;

League One – Saturday 13^th December 2014 – Oldham Athletic 0 Yeovil Town 4 – 2 Yellow Cards

League Two – Sunday 28^th December 2014 – Bury 2 Mansfield 0 – 2 Yellow Cards

League One – Saturday 10^th January 2015 – Barnsley 2 Yeovil Town 0 – 1 Red Card and 3 Yellow Cards

Championship – Saturday 17^th January 2015 – Middlesbrough 2 Huddersfield 0 – 4 Yellow Cards

In his last four games 15 yellow cards have been shown and only 1 red card.

So far this season in a total of 16 games he has shown 54 yellow cards and 4 red cards.

That's roughly 3.3 yellow cards per game.

Assistant Referee; Jonathan Hunt

From – Liverpool

Last 3 officiated games;

Saturday 29^th November 2014 – Bury 0 Dagenham & Redbridge 2

Sunday 28^th December 2014 – Bradford City 1 Notts County 0

Sunday 11^th January 2015 – Blackburn Rovers 0 Wolves 1

Assistant Referee; Neil Sharp

From – Cleveland

Last 3 officiated games;

Saturday 13^th December 2014 – Leeds United 0 Fulham 1

Friday 26^th December 2014 – Sheffield Wednesday 1 Blackpool 0

Saturday 10^th January 2015 – Carlisle United 0 Cambridge United 1

Fourth Official; Richard Wigglesworth

From – South Yorkshire

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

Also, please do leave us a comment below if you have time.

Former Notts County loanee Cristian Montano has accused Oldham Athletic of double standards for sacking him for alleged spot-fixing then trying to sign convicted rapist Ched Evans.

The ex-West Ham player was sacked by the Latics in December 2013 only for the Crown Prosecution Service to drop their investigation earlier this month.

Now the Colombian winger, 23, intends to sue Oldham, claiming that his former club "turned against" him.

Oldham have so far refused to comment on Montano's claims.

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MK Dons manager Karl Robinson has confirmed Newcastle United are among a number of clubs to express interest in young midfielder Dele Alli.

According to reports, the Tyneside out are the favourites to sign the 18-year-old prodigy, who has 12 goals this season.

But Robinson expects the England Under-19 international to return to Stadium MK on loan if a deal is completed.

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Walsall ended their 127-year Wembley wait as they reached the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final following a 0-0 draw with Preston.

The Saddlers, who have never been to Wembley in their history, edged through 2-0 on aggregate on Tuesday night.

The final whistle sparked a pitch invasion from the home fans and the Saddlers will face either Bristol City or Gillingham in March's final.

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Mauro Milanese has left his post as sporting director at League One side Leyton Orient after six months in the role.

The 43-year-old joined the O's in the summer following Francesco Becchetti's takeover of the east London club.

Milanese had an eight-game spell as Orient boss earlier this season, winning two games while in charge.

He reverted to the role of sporting director following the appointment of Fabio Liverani as manager in December.

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Doncaster Rovers have signed Watford striker Uche Ikpeazu on loan until the end of the season after the Championship side recalled him from Crewe.

The 19-year-old agreed a deal to remain with the Railwaymen on Monday, but was recalled the following day to enable the Doncaster move to go ahead.

Ikpeazu scored two goals in eight appearances for the Gresty Road side this season.

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Colchester United have signed defender Jamie Harney on a free transfer from West Ham.

The 18-year-old, who has made one substitute appearance for the U's since joining on loan in November, has signed a deal until 2016.

Harney has been is capped at age group levels up to U21 by Northern Ireland.

Notts County visit Boundary Park on Saturday as the magpies prepare to take on Oldham Athletic. The Latics have only won one of their last six games, which was against Fleetwood Town. They have lost four and only drawn one. So, Notts find themselves against another team in similar form to themselves, another chance for points to be added to the scoreboard.

Oldham Athletic will be seeing this as a game whereby their home advantage might sway things in their favour, however Notts must put out all the stops.

Run down of their last six games.

Saturday 13^th December – Oldham Athletic 0 Yeovil Town 4

Saturday 20^th December – MK Dons 7 Oldham Athletic 0

Friday 26^th December – Oldham Athletic 1 Crewe Alexandra 2

Saturday 10^th January – Oldham Athletic 2 Doncaster Rovers 2

Saturday 17^th January – Fleetwood Town 0 Oldham Athletic 2

Saturday 24^th January – Gillingham 3 Oldham Athletic 2

The Players – Fact Sheet

Highest Goal Scorers; Jonathan Forte 13, Danny Philliskirk 5, Mike Jones 4 and Dominic Poleon 3.

Persistent Foulers; Joseph Mills 1 Red Card and 1 Yellow Cards, Jabo Ibehre 1 Red Card 1 Yellow Cards, James Wilson 7 Yellow Cards and Liam Kelly 3 Yellow Cards.

The Key Players.

Jonathan Forte, Danny Philliskirk, Jacob Mellis, Mike Jones and Carl Winchester.

The former magpie forward Jonathan Forte is likely to be a doubt, however he's found form during his time at Oldham and they play to his strengths which has seen him notch up quite a few goals. The lively player may see a return and if so, he will be one of their key players.

Danny Philliskirk is a player who is hard working, this allows him to find time on the ball and he has the ability to finish half chances when presented with a chance.

The on loan Jacob Mellis is a box to box midfielder who brings creativity, strength and versatile defending to the ranks of The Latics.

Mike Jones and Carl Winchester are the heartbeat within the Oldham play, if these two gain a stride opposition teams can have quite the headache on their hands. However, Mike Jones is also a player which Oldham rely upon to pull play together which either sees him play well or disappear within important games.

Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses.

Oldham Athletic look to mix dropping high balls with forward runs down the side of the flanks, often rushing into space created within the centre of the park. They place close passes, usually into areas whereby their players can gain ground over their opposition effectively allowing them to advance forward.

They set-up themselves up to be offensive, however against good teams they drop their defensive line back to counter any fallout from their attacking game.

Their main strengths come from the type of balls they choose to play, which allows them to get behind the defenders they face and into key areas. The Latics invite chances for themselves by delivery high balls to their strikers who are quite tall.

The link-up play which Oldham can put together can be difficult for teams to defend against, they have won quite a few free kicks in positions as a direct result to this which is another area they like to have a try from.

Weaknesses are mainly found from stray passes and a lack of awareness within their defence. If sides seize onto their mistakes, Oldham tend to be drawn into areas whereby they fail to mark or restrict chances.

Although they have quite an experienced keeper in Paul Rachubka, he tends to struggle with far placed shots aimed high into the top of his netting.

Their midfield often fails to pick up lose play, which invites pressure back onto their defence and if teams can quickly burst towards their penalty box – Oldham Athletic tend to allow players to run on passes or are drawn into making fundamental challenges.

In this weeks PoN's preview to the League One games played on the 31^st of January and the 1^st of February, several key games have been identified – None more important than the Sheffield United v Swindon game, as automatic promotion chasing Bristol City and MK Dons will be keen to see Sheffield United continue their recent form.

If the Blades win, they could move into the play off places while the robins will also be hoping to win so they can stay top of the league with Bristol City chasing them.

* Important Game – ** Key Game

Saturday 31st January

Barnsley v Port Vale – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-2)

Bradford v Colchester – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-0)

Chesterfield v Doncaster – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-1)

Coventry v Rochdale – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-1)

Crawley v Preston – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-3)

Crewe v MK Dons – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (0-2)

*Leyton Orient v Scunthorpe – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-0)

*Oldham v Notts County – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-2)

* Peterborough v Yeovil – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-0)

**Sheffield United v Swindon – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (1-2)

Sunday 1st February

**Bristol City v Fleetwood – Kick Off 3:00pm – Score Prediction (2-0)

Walsall v Gillingham – Kick Off 6:00pm – Score Prediction (2-1)

My Stand-out Games

Sheffield United v Swindon

Leyton Orient v Scunthorpe

Bristol City v Fleetwood

Sheffield United will be hoping to re enter the play off places with a win against Swindon with 3 games in hand over Fleetwood who currently are in 6^th place.

A win for Swindon would keep them temporarily in 1^st place on goal difference, until Bristol City play Fleetwood on Sunday whereby a high win for the Robins may change this.

Leyton Orient could do with a win against Scunthorpe to get out of the relegation places and possibly move above their opponents today which could see them move up to 19^th place.

Scunthorpe will be hoping to keep up there current form which could see them move up to 16^th position but may have to pin their hopes on paddy madden.

Bristol City will be hoping to beat Fleetwood, then it will be down to Swindon to beat Sheffield United in order to regain the top position of League One otherwise they may still end up in 2nd position depending on their goal difference.

Fleetwood can only possibly move up one place to 5^th in the league but could pull away from 7^th place Bradford and 8^th place Sheffield United, who are hoping to chase them down with a victory against Swindon.

Thoughts on Oldham v Notts County

This week’s match for us is a tough one to predict again with both teams not picking many points up recently though saying that I think we should just about edge it.

Our current results against Oldham Athletic have been pretty good, last losing against them back in 2011.

The last time Oldham Athletic beat us was back in 2013 losing 5–1 in the football league trophy.

The overall head to head record shows us as slight favourites winning 35 Oldham 32 and 20 draws.

Oldham Athletic last beat us in the league on the 31/12/11 beating us 3–2 .

We have picked up 9 points out of 15 from the last 5 meetings.

As I said earlier this match is a tough one to predict both teams struggling for form though our form is slightly better which makes me predict us to just about pull it off.