This weeks League One programme was curtailed due to the FA cup where hopefuls Preston and Sheffield United drew 1-1. Chesterfield lost 2-0 away at Derby. Bristol City lost at home to West Ham. The result of the round though was Bradford's unexpected 4 -2 away win at Premiership leaders Chelsea. Rochdale play Stoke tomorrow.

Within the League One fixtures no major surprises were found, as three home teams won, two of the seven ties ended up as draws and only two resulted in wins for the away teams.

League One Results

Colchester 2 Leyton Orient 0

Fleetwood 1 Crawley 1

Gillingham 3 Oldham 2

MK Dons 2 Barnsley 0

Notts County 1 Peterborough 2

Port Vale 0 Crewe Alexandra 1

Yeovil 0 Coventry 0

Upcoming Fixtures Tuesday 27^thJanuary 2015

Chesterfield v Crawley

Scunthorpe v MK Dons

League Update

The top 5 places in League One remain unchanged. Swindon are in top spot with 54 points from 26 games with Bristol City in second place on the same number of points but having played a game less. In 3^rd place are MK Dons with 51 points from 25 games followed in 4^th place by Preston on 47 points from 26 games.

There is then a gap of 10 points with Rochdale in 5^th place on 37 points from 25 games, level with Fleetwood having beaten Crawley move up to 6^th having played 25 games.

Bradford drop to 7^th with 36 points from 25 games with Sheffield United also on 36 points but having played a game less.

Chesterfield, Notts, Doncaster Rovers and Port Vale come next, all on 35 points having played 25, 26, 25 and 27 games respectively.

Peterborough move up to 13^th with 34 points from 26 games, while Oldham, on the same number of points drop to 14^th from 25 games.

Walsall fall to 15th on 33 points from 26 games. Gillingham move to 16^th with 31 points from 27 games. Coventry also move up to 17^th, with 30 points from 27 games.

Barnsley drop down to 18^th and Scunthorpe to 19^th both on 29 points Barnsley have played 25 games but Scunthorpe have only played 23.

Crewe climb out of the relegation places to 20^th place also with 29 points but from 26 games.

Colchester,still in the drop zone ,move up to 21^st with 27 points from 26 games.

Leyton Orient drop to 22^nd with 26 points from 26 games with Yeovil moving off the bottom to 23^rd with 25 points from 27 games.

Crawley drop to rock bottom with 24 points from 26 games. 10 points separate 6^th placed Fleetwood and 21^st placed Colchester.

Notts are 2 points off a play-off place but also only 8 points off a relegation spot.

The relegation-zone will see the most action in this weekends fixtures, all four teams have the chance to dig themselves out, provided the scores work in their favour. It will most likely boil down to only two making a successful fight, although it is interesting to see none of the bottom four teams laying down and allowing themselves to be pushovers.

Notts could find themselves back within the play-offs or at least just narrowly outside with a win today, it's important that county work hard to create chances today in order to progress.

Key Fixtures

Fleetwood v Crawley

Gillingham v Oldham

Port Vale v Crewe

Prediction

Peterborough United find themselves in poor form, however I cannot write them off for that and I fully expect them to attempt to stay on top of today's game. A lot will depend on Notts and how they set up but I am going to predict a 1-0 win to the magpies.

Match Odds

Notts County to win 5/2 – Draw 12/5 – Peterborough United to win 21/20

Head to Head

Notts County – A win for the magpies could see them return to the play-offs as high as 5^th depending on other results today. Realistically I see a win moving Notts to 6^th or 7^th. A draw could see them move to 8^th or move down by a couple of spaces. A loss could see Notts move to 10^th to 14^th.

Peterborough United – If the Posh win the maximum amount of places gained would only be 3, they currently sit 15^th with 31 points. A draw would see them remain 15^th or if the results work against them they could drop realistically down to 17^th. Similar if they lose, they could end up between 15^th to 19^th.

Key Man

Notts County; Roy Carroll – Although hopefully Roy will not be forced into action or held under siege for any long periods but he will be the difference between a win, draw or loss. Big Roy will have to make sure the defence are aware to threats from The Posh offense.

Peterborough United; Conor Washington – He will be most likely very lively for them today, if he gains his stride the 22-year-old will pose a real threat to the Notts County no1.

League Table

The top two positions will remain unchanged since the Doncaster Rovers v Bristol City game has been postponed but also Swindon Town do not play until the 31^st of January.

If MK Dons beat Barnsley at home, they will move closer to the automatic promotion fold.

A win would see the Dons move to 51 points, merely 3 points behind Swindon Town and Bristol City, so the game for them is of vast importance.

Port Vale and Notts County both find themselves in a position whereby they could re-enter the play-off spaces, with Rochdale not playing in League One until the 31^st and the same for Bradford City. In other news, Bradford have a trip to London today as they take on Chelsea in the F.A Cup.

Several teams could swop places from the upper to lower position of the League One table, Peterborough will be hoping to make ground away from the relegation zone. A lose for The Posh could seem them slip into the lower half of the table. Coventry City will be hoping to beat Yeovil so that they can move as high as 15^th.

If Crewe win away to Port Vale this would see them move out of the relegation zone, where The Railwaymen have found themselves inside for the majority of the 2014/2015 season campaign.

Crawley will be hoping to step out of the relegation zone themselves, as will Colchester United and Yeovil Town.

Saturday 24^th of January, Peterborough United travel to Meadow Lane with hope of improving their own recent form. Notts will be hoping to make 2 from 2 home wins, however a draw here would also be a good outcome for both teams. Notts will have the returning Liam Noble among their ranks after his sending off against Crewe Alexandra in the last home game.

The Posh have won only one of their last six games, with one drawn and four defeats coming by the hands of Port Vale, Colchester United, Chesterfield and Preston North End.

The Match Officials for the game against Peterborough United will be Graham Scott, with his two assistants Paul Graham and Mark Howes. The fourth official will be Jason Whiteley.

Match Officials

Referee; Graham Scott

From – Oxfordshire

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

Championship – Saturday 20^th August 2011 – Peterborough United 7 Ipswich Town 1 – 2 Red Cards and 4 Yellow Cards

League One – Saturday 29^th October 2011 – Colchester United 4 Notts County 2 – 4 Yellow Cards

League One – Saturday 28^th April 2012 – Wycombe Wanderers 3 Notts County 4 – 3 Yellow Cards

Championship – Saturday 9^th February 2013 – Peterborough United 2 Leicester City 1 – 1 Yellow Card

League One – Saturday 22^nd March 2014 – Notts County 4 Carlisle United 1 – 3 Yellow Cards

League One – Saturday 4^th October 2014 – Notts County 1 Gillingham 0 – 4 Yellow Cards

Run down of his last four games this season;

Championship – Monday 29^th December 2014 – Fulham 0 Brighton & Hove Albion 2 – 2 Yellow Cards

F.A Cup – Saturday 3^rd January 2015 – Derby County 1 Southport 0 – No Cards

F.A Cup – Wednesday 14^th January 2015 – Ipswich Town 0 Southampton 1 – No Cards

Championship – Saturday 27^th January 2015 – Sheffield Wednesday 1 Bolton Wanderers 2 – 1 Red Card and 6 Yellow Cards

In his last four games 8 yellow cards have been shown and only 1 red card.

So far this season in a total of 27 games he has shown 85 yellow cards and 2 red cards.

That's roughly 3.1 yellow cards per game.

Assistant Referee; Paul Graham

From – Manchester

Last 3 officiated games;

Friday 3^rd October 2014 – Burton Albion 1 Cambridge United 3

Tuesday 28^th October 2014 – Chesterfield 0 Swindon Town 3

Saturday 20^th December 2014 – Carlisle United 2 Northampton Town 1

Assistant Referee; Mark Howes

From – Birmingham

Last 3 officiated games;

Saturday 13^th December 2014 – Rotherham United 0 Nottingham Forest 0

Saturday 20^th December 2014 – Stevenage 1 Exeter City 0

Saturday 10^th January 2014 – Chesterfield 3 Port Vale 0

Fourth Official; Jason Whiteley

From – West Yorkshire

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

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

Peterborough United head to Meadow Lane having lost their last two games, they have only won once in their last six games and that was against Leyton Orient. So they find themselves in quite poor form, similar to ourselves prior to our recent two results. They will be wanting to put aside this disappointment by focusing on an away win.

The Posh will be calling upon their more senior players to give guidance to their young talent, as they're desperate to pick up points.

Run down of their last six games.

Saturday 13^th December – Leyton Orient 1 Peterborough United 2

Saturday 20^th December – Peterborough United 0 Preston North End 1

Friday 26^th December – Chesterfield 3 Peterborough United 2

Sunday 28^th December – Peterborough United 0 Doncaster Rovers 0

Saturday 10^th January – Peterborough United 0 Colchester United 2

Saturday 17^th January – Port Vale 2 Peterborough United 1

The Players – Fact Sheet

Highest Goal Scorers; Conor Washington 6, Marcus Maddison 6, Kyle Vassell 5 and Christian Burgess 3.

Persistent Foulers; Michael Bostwick 1 Red Card and 5 Yellow Cards, Joe Newell 1 Red Card 4 Yellow Cards, Jack Payne 7 Yellow Cards and Jermaine Anderson 4 Yellow Cards.

The Key Players.

Jack Payne, Michael Bostwick, Joe Newell, Kylee Vassell and Conor Washington.

Joe Newell is a versatile player, the 21 year old can cover the wing or play in the centre of midfield. He offers the Posh side creativity, with the ability of getting forward at every opportunity. Whilst the experienced Michael Bostwick and Jack Payne retain control in midfield, adding the ability to bring in the Peterborough strikers.

Kylee Vassell is a raw striker, with pace and an eye for goal. The 22 year old started as an academy player at Norwich before moving onto Brentford, he made his professional début for the Posh and enjoyed a successful start to the 2014/2015 season.

Similar to Vassell, Conor Washington is also very raw but appears to have a bright future in football.

He is a pacey, robust striker who can quickly become a danger to opposition sides. He has a natural ability to finish chances with power or by placing the ball carefully often chipping keepers in the process.

Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses.

Peterborough United try to utilise the use of the flanks with direct passes into the opposition penalty box or to have strikers drop back to intercept carefully timed well positioned passes. They try to set the tempo, whilst retaining possession of the ball.

They look to mix experience with raw talent, which often allows them to play pretty attractive football.

Their strengths are how they direct play, using a mix of simple passes and long balls to gain ground over opposition players. They're a fairly tall, physical side, who offer plenty of energy and effort.

The Posh look to introduce players quickly into passes phases, with the added strength of being dangerous with set pieces and from aerial threats.

Weaknesses are mainly their inexperience, relying a little too much upon their experienced players. They're fairly scrappy in their approach, which leaves their defence open. Peterborough are fairly disorganized in their defending, which is the reason why they're not doing much better in this current season.

They invite pressure onto themselves by not picking up passes or allowing teams to directly run at them.

Inside their own penalty box they tend to panic, which sees them look to clear the ball when under heavy pressure often giving the ball straight back to their advancing counterparts. Also, unlike past season they don't often kill games when they should which creates further problems within itself, such as frustration and making rash challenges.

Tuesday 20^th of January, Notts County travel once again to the Keepmoat Stadium, where the magpies won last time around in the JPT. However, Notts will be without the suspended Liam Noble who scored the winning and only goal against Doncaster Rovers. Notts have lost four of their last six, whilst only drawing once and of course a win last Saturday.

Donny have drawn two of their last six, whilst winning three times and losing once. The Vikings have scored a total of seven goals, conceding 4 from the last six fixtures.

The Match Officials for tomorrows game against Doncaster Rovers will be Richard Clark, with his two assistants Simon Barrow and Alan Clayton. The fourth official will be David Benton.

Match Officials

Referee; Richard Clark

From – Northumberland

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

League One – Saturday 6^th October 2012 – Doncaster Rovers 1 Shrewsbury Town 0 – 1 Yellow Card

League One – Saturday 5^th January 2013 – Doncaster Rovers 1 – Colchester United 0 – 3 Yellow Cards

Championship – Saturday 7^th December 2013 – Bolton Wanderers 3 Doncaster Rovers 0 – 1 Yellow Card

League One – Wednesday 1^st January 2013 – Notts County 3 – Bradford City 0 – 5 Yellow Cards

League One – Saturday 29^th April 2014 – Notts County 2 Swindon Town 0 – 8 Yellow Cards and 2 Red Cards.

Run down of his last four games this season;

League One – Saturday 29^th November 2014 – Coventry City 0 Walsall 0 – 1 Yellow Card

Championship – Saturday 13^th December 2014 – Rotherham United 0 Nottingham Forest 0 – 3 Yellow Cards

League Two – Friday 26^th December 2014 – Morecambe 0 Carlisle United 1 – 3 Yellow Cards

League Two – Saturday 10^th January 2015 – Hartlepool United 2 – Cheltenham 0 – 4 Yellow Cards

In his last four games 11 yellow cards have been shown and no red cards.

So far this season in a total of 17 games he has shown 48 yellow cards and 3 red cards.

That's roughly 2.8 yellow cards per game.

Assistant Referee; Simon Barrow

From – Staffordshire

Last 3 officiated games;

Wednesday 10^th December 2014 – Bristol City 2 Coventry City 0

Saturday 13^th December 2014 – Boreham Wood 3 Staines 0

Saturday 3^rd January 2015 – Brentford 0 Brighton & Hove Albion 2

Assistant Referee; Alan Clayton

From – Cheshire

Last 3 officiated games;

Friday 26^th December 2014 – Rotherham United 2 Huddersfield Town 2

Tuesday 30^th December 2014 – Derby County 2 Leeds United 0

Saturday 10^th January 2015 – Morecambe 0 Tranmere Rovers 0

Fourth Official; David Benton

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.

PoN's Preview looks ahead to League One for the 24^th and 27^th of January, three games have been postponed Doncaster v Bristol City, Scunthorpe v Chesterfield and Swindon v Bradford. Seven games will still take place such as MK Dons v Barnsley and Peterborough United return to Meadow Lane, as the Post take on Notts.

If the magpies win, they could move within touching distance of the play-offs. Peterborough will be hoping to push themselves up with a win, it's a must win game for both.

* Important Game – ** Key Game

Saturday 24^th January 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tuesday 27^th January 2015

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

Scunthorpe v MK Dons – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (1-3)

My Stand-out Games

Notts County vs Peterborough

Colchester vs Leyton Orient

Yeovil vs Coventry

Notts County against Peterborough looks like the most important game this week as both Notts County and Peterborough try to close in on the play off places.

A win for Notts County could move them up to as high as 6^th place in the league while Peterborough could move within 2 points off the play-offs.

Colchester against Leyton orient is also another important game but for different reasons as both sides could be in the drop zone by the end of the weekend depending on results elsewhere.

A win for Leyton Orient could move them up to 16^th while Colchester could move up to 19^th but if either side lose it worsens their relegation fears, the best result for both teams is probably a draw.

Yeovil against Coventry is also a key match in the relegation battle as Yeovil are bottom of the league and Coventry hover just above the drop zone. Yeovil will be desperate to pick up another 3 points this weekend as they try to move off the bottom of the league while Coventry will be hoping to win so they don’t get dragged into the relegation battle even more.

Yeovil can move out of the drop zone depending on other results while Coventry could move up to 15^th or drop into the relegation zone.

Thoughts on Notts County v Peterborough

This week’s match for us is a tough one to predict with both teams having a dip in form and both teams struggling to get any points in the past weeks.

Our current results against Peterborough United have been pretty poor only picking up one point since 2010.

The last time we beat Peterborough United was back in 2010 beating them 3–2 at London Road in the league.

The overall head to head record shows Peterborough to be slight favourites as they have won 16, we've won 12 and 14 draws.

We haven’t beat Peterborough at meadow lane since 2001 winning 1-0.

We have picked up 1 point out of 15 from the last 5 meetings.

As I said earlier this match is a tough one to predict I’ve predicted a draw which I think would be a good result for us as I believe Peterborough are a better side than what they are currently showing.

In this weeks round-up there hasn't been many surprises within the League One fixtures. Only three stand out which are Gillingham, Port Vale and Yeovil. Whilst the top end of the table hasn't changed much with only Rochdale making their way into the play-off places, as Sheffield United drop just outside and remain on the same points as Bradford.

Yeovil will be hoping they can continue their form with a win on Tuesday over Preston, however after this weekend the play-offs remain wide open.

League One Results

Colchester 0 Walsall 2

Doncaster 1 Barnsley 0

Fleetwood 0 Oldham 2

Gillingham 3 Coventry 1

MK Dons 1 Sheffield United 0

Notts County 2 Crewe Alexandra 1

Port Vale 2 Peterborough 1

Rochdale 4 Crawley 1

Scunthorpe 0 Bristol City 2

Swindon 3 Chesterfield 1

Yeovil 1 Bradford 0

Upcoming Fixtures – Tuesday 20^th January 2015

Doncaster v Notts County

Oldham v Rochdale

Preston v Yeovil

League Update

There were home wins for Doncaster Rovers, Gillingham, MKDons, Notts, Port Vale, Rochdale and Yeovil. There were away wins for Walsall, Oldham and Bristol City.

Swindon remain top on 54 points after 26 games but Bristol City still have a game in hand. MK Dons move up to 3^rd after their home win over Sheffield United, who slip to 7^th, both having played 24 games. Preston drop to 4^th from 25 games. Rochdale move up to 5^th after their impressive home win over Crawley. Bradford currently occupy the final play-off spot, though they lost away to bottom of the league club Yeovil.

In the chasing pack behind Sheffield United come Chesterfield in 8^th place with Port Vale moving up to 9^th. Notts now move up to 10^th with 34 points from 24 games, level with Fleetwood who have played 26 games, Oldham who have played 24 and Tuesday nights opponents Doncaster Rovers, who have also played 24 games.

Yeovil remain anchored at the bottom of the league with 23 points from 24 games, even though they beat Bradford City. Crawley stay at 23^rd with 24 points from 23 games. Colchester are also on 24 points and in 22^nd place. Crewe drop into the final relegation place after Notts beat them and have 26 points. Also on 26 points are Leyton Orient. Gillingham move up to 19^th after their 3 -1 home win over Coventry who remain in 18^th place. Barnsley and Scunthorpe, 16^th and 17^th also have 29 points. Peterborough drop to 15^th with 31 points from 25 games and Walsall move up to 14^th with 33 points from 26 games.

Still only 10 points separate 6^th placed Bradford City from 21st placed Crewe.

If Notts beat Doncaster on Tuesday they will move into the final play-off place at the expense of Bradford City, provided Oldham beat Rochdale. However Notts would drop a place if they don't win and Oldham win.

All is still to play for!

Saturday 17^th of January, Notts County will entertain visitors Crewe Alexandra at Meadow Lane. This is a good opportunity for Notts to grab themselves a much needed win, however the visitors form is very impressive as they have enjoyed winning 3 of their last 6 games (including Bristol City), drawing 2 and losing only one.

A win for the Railwaymen could see them push away from the bottom pack within League One, whilst Notts could move up to 10^th with a win.

The Match Officials for Saturdays game against Crewe Alexandra will be Iain Williamson, with his two assistants Simon Mather and Wayne Porter. The fourth official will be Akil Howson.

Match Officials

Referee; Iain Williamson

From – Berkshire

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

League Two – Saturday 31^st December 2011 – Bristol Rovers 2 Crewe Alexandra 5 – 5 Yellow Cards

League One – Saturday 31^st March 2012 – Notts County 1 Oldham Athletic 0 – 5 Yellow Cards

League One – Saturday 26^th January 2013 – Bournemouth 3 Crewe Alexandra 1 – 3 Yellow Cards

League One – Saturday 17^th August 2013 – Walsall 1 Notts County 1 – 2 Yellow Cards

Run down of his last games this season;

League Two – Sunday 28^th December 2014 – Cheltenham 0 Newport 1 – 6 Yellow Cards

League Two – Saturday 3^rd January 2015 – Dagenham & Redbridge 1 Bury 0 – 4 Yellow Cards

In his only two appearances of 2014/2015 10 yellow cards have been shown and currently no red cards.

Assistant Referee; Simon Mather

From – Manchester

Last 3 officiated games;

Saturday 15^th November 2014 – Walsall 0 Peterborough United 0

Saturday 6^th December 2014 – Derby County 3 Brighton & Hove Albion 0

Friday 26^th December 2014 – Preston North End 1 Barnsley 0

Assistant Referee; Wayne Porter

From – Lincolnshire

Last 3 officiated games;

Saturday 12^th April 2014 – MK Dons 0 Crawley Town 2

Saturday 22^nd March 2014 – Brentford 3 Coventry City 2

Saturday 10^th January 2015 – Peterborough United 0 Colchester United 2

Fourth Official; Akil Howson

From – Leicestershire

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

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

Saturdays game for the Youth Team provided them with the opportunity to start the new year in a positive manner, unfortunately the lads lost 3 - 0 to Rotherham United putting in another disappointing display after a good win just before the Christmas break against Burton Albion.

They went 2 - 0 down early on and never recovered despite starting the second half brightly, in truth poor decision making and a lack of a cutting edge proved to be their downfall.

They go again tonight away against Mansfield Town with a 7pm kick-off looking to put in an improved performance.

Mick Halsall said on the defeat to Rotherham "We will be working on decision making and options on the ball throughout the week and we will go again. We didn't produce enough. To get straight back on the pitch is great for us. We know Mansfield are decent at this level and have done well this season in the cup especially, as they knocked out Aston Villa, so it will be a difficult game against a confident side".

The updated league table can be found here, the fixture grid can be found here

Crewe Alexandra currently find themselves in decent form having picked up 3 points at home against Gillingham. Whilst also successfully obtaining points against Doncaster Rovers, Bristol City and Preston North End. Their form prior to their recent spell wasn't as good, however they are a reasonably decent side.

The Railwaymen are not to be under estimated and although in form it would suggest Notts would come out the likeliest of winners, they cannot be written off so easily.

Run down of their last six games.

Saturday 29^th November – Crewe Alexandra 1 Doncaster Rovers 1

Saturday 13^th December – Scunthorpe United 2 Crewe Alexandra 1

Saturday 20^th December – Crewe Alexandra 1 Bristol City 0

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

Sunday 28^th December – Crewe Alexandra 1 Preston North End 1

Saturday 10^th January – Crewe Alexandra 3 Gillingham 1

The Players – Fact Sheet

Highest Goal Scorers; Nicky Ajose 4, Marcus Haber 4, Billy Waters 3 and George Cooper 3.

Persistent Foulers; George Ray 2 Red Cards and 4 Yellow Cards, Anthony Grant 7 Yellow Cards, Oliver Turton 4 Yellow Cards and Adam Dugdale 3 Yellow Cards.

The Key Players.

Nicky Ajose, Marcus Haber and Uche Ikpeazu would be considered Crewe Alexandra's key front men.

The former Magpie Marcus Haber is well known for being a battler and the occasional goalscorer, whilst Nicky Ajose is the one to watch out for with Uche Ikpeazu being a player who can drift in and out of games, combining especially well with Ajose upfront.

Anthony Grant one of their experienced players, who is also a physical player who likes to make his presence known to the opposition. He creates play, whilst linking up well with the strikers.

Billy Waters is an academy player who is steady all round performer, he has a good set of skill within his locker but he plays the 'simple' passes very well.

Jamie Ness is a direct player who looks to involve himself with every passing phase, when played in the centre of the park he offers the creativity and the forward momentum with his calm influence and his natural ability to string out long distance passes.

Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses.

Crewe Alexandra are not the underdogs to under estimate, they're also not to be fooled by their league position either. They try to play direct football especially within the right way and although they can be a tad bit physical. The Railwaymen look to always get the ball forward, keeping their movement free by picking out the right passes.

Their height and strength are a key pluses, something Crewe find to be very effective within set pieces and when dealing with weaker inexperienced defenders.

The effort they put into the games, whilst looking to explore opposition sides through their attacking play can often foresee decent build up play and this is the method they have put well into practice within recent games, resulting in several impressive results.

Main weaknesses is scrappy play, rushed passes and a general panic when put under pressure. When sides look to get into goal scoring opportunities, players make poor decisions and runs, resulting in other players finding available space.

They have a tendency of dropping behind their opposition and paying too much attention to the ball, better players can use this very effectively.

When hit with pace, there is a vulnerability which suggests space and time will always open up for opposition sides to gain and take chances. Their inability to close down their opposition is a direct result to many teams having scored against them within this season.

The importance of networking and making club connections, especially within the local community has never been as beneficial for lower league teams as it is under the new financial fair play rules. Teams within League One and Two have far more to gain by opening their doors to the local teams which play around them.

This of course means clubs will have to put aside rivalry for the betterment of their own development if they struggle to bring in that additional quality.

Notts have actually been making their own progress in this department this year, whilst the club has actively put into place methods of balancing their financial outgoings by reducing agent fee's with their deals. This allows a club like Notts County to open their doors and to become a club whereby teams can trust Notts with their upcoming players. Shaun Derry has said himself that it is a good way of reducing unnecessary costs at the football club by working with local sides, the likes of Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, Birmingham City and Derby County to name a few.

Locally based players will not have the cost of apartments, hotels and other fee's which come attached to signing players who have to settle a way from their home.

Becoming trusted by managers, whilst working on that reputation offers Notts a platform which they can work off. It promotes the club in an efficient and effective way which means once trusted with youngsters, clubs may trust Notts with their out of form players.

Of course it puts Notts in a situation where by free players might become interested in seeking the exact same opportunity, so it serves more purpose to be patience about signing young players on short term loan deals, as this enables Notts to really forge themselves within the transfer market.

The difficulties of balancing expectations, along with establishing a strong squad for promotion is a difficult game, especially when budgets don't permit a lot of movement.

This is where the abilities of being a good neighbour comes into it, it allows teams just like Notts to gain that extra special quality to bulk up their existing squad. It doesn't always mean the arrival of an established head, or a player with a known name. sometimes it means taking a gamble on youngsters eager to make that step up who are below that radar.

Who had heard of Callum McGregor or Jack Grealish before they arrived at Meadow Lane last season? Their hard work put themselves on the map, it opened the door to them to their respected clubs first team.

The same principles can be applied to this seasons loan players such as Reece Brown, Louis Laing, Stephen Mclaughlin, Michael Petrasso, Jake Cassidy and Zeli Ismail.

Louis Laing has that opportunity to prove himself at Forest, whereas Stephen McLaughlin will be in contention for the first team with both players being required under the embargo the club have found themselves under.

Michael Petrasso will possibly be loaned out to a Championship side, with Jake Cassidy and Zeli Ismail potentially ending up back on loan with a team lower than that.

Yet it does show the openness of Notts to work along side locally based teams, especially now that Alefe Santos and Kwame Thomas arrive at Meadow Lane, it is for Notts to show that they can look after them, make use of their talents and perhaps further doors will be unlocked with time.

Aided with the ability to produce young talent of our own, the budget in future seasons might be balanced out with a mix of players offering a vast variety of skills which can be used by Shaun Derry.

It's likely until Notts have a few good seasons, whereby crowds increase largely and with the addition of any possible cup runs that things may be different but even under those circumstances the ability to be trusted with loan players is of vast importance to the club.

You have to make use of every opportunity available in order to overcome the difficulties attached and really, we can consider ourselves lucky to already have the widening net under our current manager.

We have made a lot of ground this season and the way it's going, I see no reason why in the future we can't replicate a mix of aspects the likes of Walsall (youngsters), Peterborough (non league signings) and of course Swindon (parent club, i.e Spurs) have made in order for ourselves to progress.

Really you have to make sure that the club is doing all in which it can, I honestly believe Notts are. Whether you agree or not, this leads to a discussion which I openly encourage.

In this weeks PoN's preview to the League One games played on the 16^thand 17^th of January, six key games have been identified – This includes the important game between MK Dons vs Sheffield United, which several teams within League One will be looking out for. Whilst Doncaster take on Barnsley at the Keepmoat Stadium.

If the Dons win, they could close the gap on Bristol City and Swindon. If the Blades win they could pull away from the sides just outside of the play off places.

* Important Game – **Key Game

Friday 16^th January 2015

*Preston v Leyton Orient – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (2-1)

Saturday 17th January 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Stand-out Games

MK Dons v Sheffield United

Doncaster v Barnsley

Swindon v Chesterfield

MK Dons against Sheffield United looks like the most important game this week as MK Dons try to push for a automatic promotion place whilst Sheffield United try to hang onto a play off spot.

A win for MK Dons could move them up to 2^nd whilst Sheffield United could move up to 5^th depending on the result of Yeovil v Bradford. Teams around Sheffield United will want them to mess up so that they might be able to gain points on them.

Doncaster against Barnsley is also another game that jumped out at me this week not only because it’s a local derby but also for the fact of whichever team loses could move further down towards the drop zone.

A win for Doncaster could move them up to as high as 8th which will make their fans think more about the play-offs again rather than relegation, whilst a win for Barnsley could move them up to 10th which could also ease their relegation fears.

Whichever team loses could move down to within 3 places of the drop zone which makes it a key game for more then the local rivalry.

Swindon against Chesterfield is a key match for effecting the automatic promotion places aswell as the play-offs and surrounding teams as Swindon try to hang onto top spot or 2nd whilst chesterfield try to push into the play off places.

A win for Swindon will put them top or maybe keep them in 2^nd place whilst a win for chesterfield could move them up to as high as 5^th and move them away from several chasing teams for a play off spot.

Thoughts on Notts County v Crewe

This weeks match for us should be an easier match then previous weeks whilst at the same time Crewe’s form has picked up as of late.

Our current results against Crewe Alexander have been positive although previously we have had better results away from home.

The last time we dropped points against Crewe was back in 2013 when we drew 1-1 at Meadow Lane in the league.

The overall head to head record shows us as favourites as we have won 20 whilst Crewe have won 12 and drawn 7.

Crewe haven’t beaten us since 1997 when they won us 1-0 at Meadow Lane.

We have picked up 14 points out of 15 from the last 5 meetings.

I believe this is a match we should win but it wont be an easy game as Crewe’s form has improved over the past couple of weeks, I would at least hope for a point but Notts should get all 3 points.

We're now starting to see which sides are real contenders for promotion from League One, Pride of Nottingham reflects on the league table with it's 'On The Table' feature. Form for many teams is rapidly becoming important, as the table changes for the better, as those who maintain their form are rewarded with contention for promotion.

Teams which slip or fail to progress increasingly lay in limbo, as they struggle to keep up with the pack and demand of the tough division.

Bristol City have regained the very top position after they cruised against a struggling Notts County, the final score 4-0 in the Robins favour.

Swindon Town haven't played, they face Coventry City away from home on Monday 12th of this month. If Swindon win, they move back to 1st, however this would leave Bristol City with a game in hand. A win for Swindon Town would be the best possible outcome, as this would leave for an exciting title challenge.

MK Don's move from 4th to 3rd within League One, they drew 2-2 against struggling Crawley Town.

Preston North End drop a position after losing to Sheffield United away from home, the final score at Bramall Lane was 2-1.

Bradford City and Sheffield United remain in their respective places, despite Bradford losing 2-1 to Rochdale and Sheffield United winning. Bradford sit 5th and Sheffield United 6th. If the Blades win their game in hand, this would leave them 4 points clear of 7th.

Chesterfield enjoyed a respectable 3-0 win over Port Vale, this leaves them in 7th position.

Rochdale move a position higher after their 2-1 win against Bradford City, they now retain the 8th position within League One.

Fleetwood Town jump from 12th to 9th after beating last years league leaders Leyton Orient.

Port Vale drop two places from 8th to 10th, they lost to the Spireites 3-0. Peterborough United remain 11th after their shocking defeat to the hands of Colchester United.

Notts drop two places from 10th to 12th as a dominant Bristol City went on the rampage at Ashton Gate.

Oldham Athletic move from 14th to 13th, they drew 2-2 to Doncaster Rovers. The Vikings (Donny) move from 15th to 14th thanks to the poor result from Walsall.

Walsall themselves drop from 13th to 15th after being defeated by the hands of Scunthorpe United 4-1 at the Bescot Stadium.

Barnsley move from 17th to 16th, they beat rooted Yeovil 2-0 at home.

Scunthorpe United move up one position from 18th to 17th, their surprising win over Walsall continues their claim away from the relegation where they had remained for a considerable amount of time within the 2014/2015 campaign.

Coventry City drop from 16th to 18th, they are scheduled to play Swindon Town on Monday.

Crewe Alexandra jump from 22nd to 19th, the League One strugglers beat Gillingham 3-1 at home. Leyton Orient drop from 17th to just outside the relegation zone at 20th, their 1-0 defeat to Fleetwood Town sees them dangerously close to falling into the drop. They share the same amount of points as Gillingham who sit 21st, after the Gills lost 3-1 to fellow strugglers Crewe Alexandra.

After Colchester United's impressive win over Peterborough United, this saw them move 23rd to 22nd. Crawley Town drop from 21st to 23rd despite their 2-2 draw to MK Dons, it wasn't enough to prevent them slipping.

Poor Yeovil Town remain rooted to the foot of the League One table, they ended the weekends fixtures with a 2-0 defeat to Barnsley.

There have been some surprising victories for sides in League One within this past weekends fixtures, Crawley, Colchester and Scunthorpe are all within this bracket. Whilst sides like Rochdale, Crewe, Fleetwood and Sheffield United have all triumphed in close and difficult games within their own rights.

The most surprising result would be at the Bescot Stadium where Walsall lost to Scunthorpe, the West Midlands side will be stunned after this defeat.

League One Results

Barnsley 2 Yeovil 0

Bradford 1 Rochdale 2

Bristol City 4 Notts County 0

Chesterfield 3 Port Vale 0

Crawley 2 MK Dons 2

Crewe 3 Gillingham 1

Leyton Orient 0 Fleetwood 1

Oldham 2 Doncaster 2

Peterborough 0 Colchester 2

Sheffield United 2 Preston 1

Walsall 1 Scunthorpe 4

Upcoming Fixture – Monday 12th January 2015

Coventry v Swindon – Kick Off 7:45pm

League Update

Home wins today for Barnsley, Bristol City, Chesterfield, Crewe, Sheffield United and away wins for Rochdale, Colchester and Scunthorpe. This means that Bristol City move 3 points clear of Swindon at the top, though Swindon will hope to beat Coventry in Monday nights fixture. MK Dons move up to 3^rd after drawing away at Crawley, while Preston drop to 4^th after losing away 2-1 to Sheffield United who remain in 6^th place.

At the other end Yeovil remain rooted in bottom place after losing 2-1 at Barnsley. Crawley occupy 23^rd place despite drawing away. Colchester move up to 22^nd with a surprise 2-0 win away at Peterborough. Gillingham slip into the bottom 4 after their 3-1 loss away at Crewe.

Sheffield United have 36 points, while Gillingham have 25 points, so there are only 11 points separating a promotion or relegation place.

Notts having slipped to 12^th place could be overtaken if Coventry win at home against Swindon on Monday and are now just 6 points clear of 21^st placed Gillingham. They are however only 5 points behind 6^th placed Sheffield United and have played fewer games than some teams around them.

Saturday 10^th of January, Bristol City will be playing host to Notts County at Ashton Gate Stadium, this will be the Magpies first game within the new year. The Robins welcome Notts County in their worst form of the 2014/2015 season and it is important for Notts to oversee this blip by believing in themselves.

A win for Bristol City could see them return back to the very top of League One, whilst Swindon Town will face Coventry to defend the number 1 position.

The Match Officials for Saturdays game against Bristol City will be Simon Hooper, with his two assistants Stephen Daly and Lisa Rashid. The fourth official will be Brett Huxtable.

Match Officials

Referee; Simon Hooper

From – Wiltshire

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

Championship – Tuesday 19^th February 2013 – Crystal Palace 2 Bristol City 1 – 4 Yellow Cards

JPT – Wednesday 4^th September 2013 – Bristol City 2 Bristol Rovers 1 – 3 Yellow Cards

League One – Saturday 14^th December 2013 – Colchester 0 Notts County 4 – 4 Yellow Cards

League One – Tuesday 19^th August 2014 – Bristol City 0 Leyton Orient 0 – No Cards

League One – Saturday 1^st November 2014 – Notts County 1 Walsall 2 – 2 Yellow Cards.

Run down of his last four games;

Championship – Saturday 29^th November 2014 – 5 Yellow Cards and 1 Red Card

League One – Saturday 20^th December 2014 – MK Dons 7 Oldham 0 – 4 Yellow Cards

Championship – Sunday 28^th December 2014 – Nottingham Forest 1 Birmingham 3 – 2 Yellow Cards

JPT – Wednesday 7^th January 2015 – Preston 0 Walsall 2 – 2 Yellow Cards

In his last four games 8 yellow cards have been shown and only a single red card.

So far this season in a total of 23 games he has shown 73 yellow cards and 3 red card.

That's roughly 3.1 yellow cards per game.

Assistant Referee; Stephen Daly

From – Middlesex

Last 3 officiated games;

Saturday 6^th September 2014 – Stevenage 2 York City 3

Saturday 20^th September 2014 – Cambridge United 0 Luton Town 1

Sunday 28^th December 2014 – Swindon Town 1 Port Vale 0

Assistant Referee; Lisa Rashid

From – Birmingham

Last 3 officiated games;

Saturday 25^th October 2014 – Cambridge United 2 Hartlepool 1

Saturday 29^th November 2014 – Southend United 2 Northampton Town 0

Saturday 20^th December 2014 – Coventry City 1 Fleetwood Town 1

Fourth Official; Brett Huxtable

From – Devon

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

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Bristol City find themselves in second place within League One with a game in hand of Swindon Town. The Robins will be hoping that Coventry City will win, whilst pushing on with their own campaign. Their games have been coming thick and fast due to them being in several cups.

The Robins have won four of their last six league games, whilst losing to both Crewe and Preston. Their recent games come in as a draw in the F.A Cup and a win in the JPT.

Run down of their last six games.

Saturday 13^th December – Bristol City 1 Crawley Town 0

Saturday 20^th December – Crewe Alexandra 1 Bristol City 0

Friday 26^th December – Bristol City 2 Yeovil 1

Sunday 28^th December – Gillingham 1 Bristol City 3

Saturday 3^rd January – Doncaster Rovers 1 Bristol City 1 (F.A Cup)

Tuesday 6^th January – Gillingham 2 Bristol City 4 (JPT)

The Players – Fact Sheet

Highest Goal Scorers; Aaron Wilbraham 13, Kieran Agard 8, Matt Smith 7 and Adent Flint 5.

Persistent Foulers; Derrick Williams 1 Red Card and 4 Yellow Cards, Wade Elliot 1 Red Card and 1 Yellow Cards, Antony Kay 6 Yellow Card, Aaron Wilbraham 4 Yellow Cards and Korey Smith 2 Yellow Cards.

The Key Players.

Kieran Agard is a lively threat, the former Rotherham United player scored 32 goals in 91 appearances for the millers and he joined Bristol City for an undisclosed fee.

He has the ability to pull in behind players and strike lethal finishes to seal games.

Emmanuel Jay-Thomas, JET as the fans call him is the player Bristol City often look to change games. He's a quality player on his day and he can mix passes, create play and generally lead the line weather this is from Midfield or as a Striker.

Aaron Wilbraham is another striker who can be menacing when presented chances.

Korey Smith, Wade Elliot and Joe Bryan are Swindon Town's key players within midfield. Wade Elliot is the creator within their play, whilst Korey Smith and Joe Bryan bombard their opposition and are very skilful at breaking down their counterparts.

Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses.

Bristol City play very fluidly, switching the ball around from out wide positions back into the centre of the park. Overlapping play allows them to keep the ball moving forward, which enables them to quickly find themselves in good positions within the field to take a chance or create the perfect opportunity for one of their talented centre forwards.

Their main strengths are their talented players, however Steve Cotterill has them well organized within the 2014/2015 season which enables their key players to truly thrive on.

Weaknesses are direct play, with balls which go through the middle. Bristol City's defence appears to allow opposition players too much time on the ball, so if players are able to get in-front of them the Robins typically fail to defend adequately.

They're far from the perfect side, however their ability to create play and score will always counter their own mistakes.

With the New Year in full swing it seems like the perfect time to reflect upon what has been a very good first half of the season for the whole youth team and an unbelievable one for Colby Bishop who has gone from signing his Scholarship in December 2013 to starting for the first team in December 2014!!

The young lads started the season with consecutive draws against Doncaster & Burton Albion respectively.

The next three games all resulted in losses, the first coming against possibly the best team in the league Hull Tigers, the second loss was in the Youth Alliance Cup on penalties to Burton Albion after the two teams couldn't be separated for the second time in three weeks, the final loss came against Rotherham United 1-0.

After a two week break the lads got back into winning fashion with an emphatic 4-2 victory away at Hartlepool United. In the next two games the lads went goal crazy scoring a total of ten with only one coming in reply. The first of these games saw Lincoln City beaten 3-0, the second saw York City thrashed 7-1 in their own back yard, with this being the biggest result of the season so far.

After the massive high of scoring 14 goals in the three previous games the lads were brought down to earth with a thump in the next fixture losing 3-1 to Scunthorpe United. They quickly got back into winning ways in the next fixture beating Bradford City 3-2.

The next game brought the biggest fixture of the season so far with an away trip to Peterborough United in the FA Youth Cup. Peterborough ran out comfortable 2-0 winners, the only highlight for Notts coming from the highly impressive display by the two central defenders Keenan Layton & Thomas Rigby.

The lads responded to the defeat & most importantly the lackluster performance with their best performance of the season so far beating the league leaders and aforementioned best team in the league Hull Tigers 2-0, they quickly followed this up with another 2-0 victory just days later, this time against Grimsby Town. These wins were followed by a disappointing 3-1 loss to Doncaster Rovers.

The last game of 2014 provided the lads with the perfect opportunity to go into the Christmas break on the back of a positive result, they didn't disappoint beating Burton Albion 3-2 at the Eagle Valley Stadium in a thrilling game that was end to end from the first to the last whistle.

The lads sit third in the league just three points behind leaders Hull City having played 13 games, winning 7, drawing two and losing four, scoring 22 and conceding 22.

The first game of 2015 is this coming Saturday 10-01-2015 at the Eagle Valley Stadium against Rotherham United in an 11am kick off.

The League table can be found here and the Fixture grid found here

Colby Bishop

Colby Bishop continued his impressive form since he first signed his scholarship with the club in December 2013 by putting his signature on a two & half year professional contract in November 2014. He followed this up with an impressive display on his first team starting eleven debut in the boxing day loss to MK Dons.

Although not due to officially link up with the first team squad until the start of next season he has found himself increasingly involved within the first team squad in December which only bodes well for the future of not only Colby but the Notts County Academy as he is yet another member of the current first team squad to come through the ranks.

So when you see the lad involved on a Saturday lets all give him the extra support he deserves for his meteoric rise over the last 12 months.

In this weeks PoN's preview to the League One games played on the 10^th and 12^th of January, several key games have been identified – None more important than the Sheffield United v Preston North End game, which several teams within League One will be looking out for.

If the Blades win, it will start to close the gap whereby sides hoping for the Play-Off will start to find it harder, if Preston North End win it keeps it wide open.

* Important Game – **Key Game

Saturday 10^th January 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Monday 12^th January 2015

*Coventry v Swindon – Kick Off 7:45pm – Score Prediction (0-3)

My Stand-out Games

Sheff Utd v Preston

Crewe v Gillingham

Bristol City v Notts County

Bristol City could go back to top of the league temporarily with a win on Saturday until Swindon Town play on Monday who will be hoping to beat Coventry away from home.

Crewe will be hoping to ease their relegation fears with a win against fellow strugglers Gillingham.

Sheffield United's game against Preston North End gives the invitation for up to 6 sides to contest 6^th place, with Chesterfield, Port Vale, Rochdale, Notts County, Peterborough and Fleetwood all in pursuit.

With several top teams and bottom clubs playing each other this weekend, I can see teams shooting up the league or dropping down a few places.

Thoughts on Bristol City v Notts County

This week’s match is a tough one for us.

Our current results against Bristol city have been poor especially away.

Our last victory against them away came back in 2005 in the F.A Cup when we beat them 2–0.

The overall head to head record slightly favours Bristol city also with them winning 41, us winning 38 and 22 draws.

Since Bristol city came back down from the championship we have only picked up 1 point from the possible 9.

I believe if we manage to get a point from the match we have done well, though that said I see us losing the match and I predict the final score to be 2-1 in their favour.

MK Don's have been very impressive so far within the 2014/2015 campaign. The only recent blip comes by the hands of Chesterfield who knocked the Don's out of the F.A Cup at the Stadium MK, the final score 1-0. Big wins came at Oldham Athletic 7-0 and Colchester United 6-0.

The Buckinghamshire side have won four of their last six games and have secured points in the other two remaining games. Preston and Rochdale being those sides.

Run down of their last six games.

Tuesday 25^th November – MK Dons 2 AFC Rochdale 0

Saturday 29^th November – MK Dons 6 Colchester 0

Tuesday 2^nd December – Sheffield United 0 MK Dons 1

Saturday 6^th December – MK Dons 0 Chesterfield 1 (F.A Cup)

Saturday 13^th December – Preston North End 1 MK Dons 1

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

The Players – Fact Sheet

Highest Goal Scorers; Benik Afobe 19, Dele Alli 10, Will Grigg 9 and Carl Baker 4.

Persistent Foulers; Kyle McFadzean 1 Red Card and 8 Yellow Cards, Danny Green 1 Red Card and 2 Yellow Cards, Antony Kay 6 Yellow Cards, Darren Potter 5 Yellow Cards and Samir Carruthers 5 Yellow Cards.

The Key Players.

The England U21 and Arsenal forward Benik Afobe has really found form within the 2014/2015 campaign. The popular youngster has been sent out on loan with several teams in his early career, however it's at MK Don's the strikers found a lethal eye for goal having scored 10 goals in the league, 6 in the League Cup, 2 in the F.A Cup and 1 in the JPT.

He's a real threat with his natural finishing and his physical strength is enough to see off the majority of challenges.

Will Grigg is a player who within League One has scored his share of goals, combining the tricky partnership with Benik Afobe the Northern Irish striker is a menace to any side within this division.

Matt Green, Dele Alli and Carl Baker are a midfield to bolster any strong League One promotion chaser, with Matt Green having the ability to change the outcome of games with his creativity. Dele Alli offers true pace and an eye for goal.

Carl Baker is also a player who can deceive opposition counter parters and naturally push them either with carefully created assists or a goal to boot.

Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses.

MK Dons are a creative, physical and powerful League One outlet. They possess the ability to play smooth, quick flowing and dangerous attacking football. They're a well prepared side which can quickly suss out their opposition, allowing them to create many clean cut chances.

Their strengths are found within the physical presence, whilst creativity and ideas are not something which MK Dons seem to be short of having.

Like many good sides they use natural pace and skill to burst towards opposition, which allows their key players to get into space for the perfect pass or goal scoring opportunity. The Don's are very good at set pieces which you can tell the training ground is the source of the majority of their well driven efforts, their ability to mix play via the centre of the park and the flanks leave them with no limitations to their attacking power.

Weaknesses are actually quite easy to spot within the MK Dons play, however the talent of their defenders and keeper are often enough to stop chances being a major concern.

Bouncing and high balls often lead to chances against the Don's with their defenders struggling to get hold of the ball, they like it to be played along the ground. When hit with direction and pace, they often leave enough space for creative players to find time to take or set-up decent opportunities. If sides are able to retain possession the Don's struggle to keep calm which often results in disciplinary action as they make cynical and unnecessary challenges.

Saturday 26^th of December, MK Dons make their way to Meadow Lane on Boxing Day to take on the Magpies. Notts have a tough fixture here, MK Dons are a very capable League One team and Alan Smith may be a key feature for Notts County.

MK Don's come into the game having moved into 2^nd place within League One after destroying Oldham Athletic at home, an impressive 7-0 victory for the Dons.

The Match Officials for Saturdays game against MK Dons will be Andrew Madley, with his two assistants Michael Hanley and James Wilson. The fourth official will be Jason Tyas.

Match Officials

Referee; Andrew Madley

From – West Yorkshire

His matches involving Notts County and MK Dons in the last four seasons.

League One – Saturday 8^th September 2012 – Notts County 3 Shrewsbury Town 2 – 2 Yellow Cards

League One – Saturday 12^th October 2012 – MK Dons 0 Stevenage 1 – 3 Yellow Cards

League One – Saturday 8^th December 2012 – Yeovil Town 0 Notts County 0 – 7 Yellow Cards

League One – Friday 18^th April – Port Vale 1 MK Dons 0 – 1 Yellow Card

JPT – Tuesday 16^th December – Notts County 0 Preston North End 1 – (Fourth Official)

Run down of his last four games.

Championship – Saturday 8^th November 2014 – Nottingham Forest 2 Norwich City 1 – 5 Yellow Cards

League Two – Saturday 29^th November 2014 – Bury 0 Dagenham & Redbridge 2 – 4 Yellow Cards

F.A Cup – Friday 5^th December – Hartlepool 1 Blyth Spartans 1 – 1 Yellow Card

Championship – Saturday 20^th December – Blackpool 1 AFC Bournemouth 3 – 3 Yellow Cards

In his last four games 13 yellow cards have been shown and currently no red cards.

So far this season in a total of 18 games he has shown 52 yellow cards and 1 red card.

That's roughly 2.8 yellow cards per game.

Assistant Referee; Michael Hanley

From – Liverpool

Last 3 officiated games.

Saturday 25^th November – Port Vale 3 Leyton Orient 0

Saturday 8^th November – Bury 3 Hemel Hempstead 0

Sunday 7^th December – Bradford City 4 Dartford 1

Assistant Referee; James Wilson

From – Cheshire

Last 3 officiated games.

Saturday 11^th October 2014 – Port Vale 4 Yeovil 1

Saturday 25^th October 2014 – Bolton 3 Brentford 1

Saturday 13^th December 2014 – Scunthorpe United 2 Crewe Alexandra 1

Fourth Official; Jason Tyas

From – West Yorkshire

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

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Rochdale find themselves in similar form to us having won twice, lost three times and drawn once. The Dale's have also conceded the same amount of goals as they have scored in their last six games at 10 a piece. Their last league game saw an away win 4-1 over Colchester.

Tuesday the 16^th of December Rochdale beat Aldershot Town at the second time of asking, the final score after the original 0-0 ended up 4-1 in the Dale's favour.

Run down of their last six games.

Saturday 22^nd November – Rochdale 1 Doncaster Rovers 3

Tuesday 25^th November – MK Dons 2 Rochdale 2

Saturday 29^th November – Rochdale 0 Oldham Athletic 3

Sunday 7^th December – Aldershot Town 0 Rochdale 0 (F.A Cup)

Saturday 13^th December – Colchester 1 Rochdale 4

Tuesday 16^th December – Rochdale 4 Aldershot Town 1 (F.A Cup)

The Players – Fact Sheet

Highest Goal Scorers; Matt Done 13, Ian Henderson 10, Peter Vincenti 9 and Jack O'Connell 3.

Persistent Foulers; Ian Henderson 1 Red Card, Matt Done 1 Red Card, Matthew Lund 5 Yellow Cards, Joe Rafferty 5 Yellow Cards and Stephen Dawson 4 Yellow Cards.

The Key Players.

Naturally the danger will come from the following three players Matt Done, Ian Henderson and Peter Vincenti at least when on goal sight but also Ashley Eastham, Jack O'Connell and Rhys Bennett are paramount to the Dale's offense.

Jonathan Obika is a player who creates a lot, whilst also proving he can finish chances himself. The former Tottenham Hotspur youngster forged a name within League One and he will be one to watch.

Matt Done is their general in midfield, he can pull play towards him and dictate, whilst also showing an eye for goal. Ian Henderson is a player who drifts in and out of games but is a reliable player at this level.

Peter Vincenti is another creative midfield who likes to create chances.

Ashley Eastham, Jack O'Connell and Rhys Bennett are all players who on their day can cause problems from the back. Rhys Bennett being one which Notts will have to be aware of throughout the game, as he likes to get forward.

Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses.

Rochdale are your typical newcomer to League One, they play as a team but rather take chances on getting the ball into the box where they have lively players who can seize on a moment. For them it is all about creating, there is no general focus to their play.

They like to try to retain position, moving it around, whilst creating space and support.

They are somewhat scrappy in their approach both going forward and in defending, organized sides can quickly find this to their advantage whereas some sides find this generally confusing.

Their main strengths come from their lively players who can attach themselves to chances which looked destined for nothing. Whilst hard work and effort go along way, with their more gifted players finding much more time on the ball.

Weaknesses is typically being disorganized, whilst there is a certain panic to the way the Dale's play when under pressure. If sides keep their key front men quiet, then it is all about hitting them and keeping balls consistently in their penalty box. Chances arise from this with Rochdale's defence being a key cause to their problems at the back. Josh Lillis is also a vulnerability if opposition sides can create panic within the Dale's defence.

Saturday 20^th of December, Notts County travel to the Spotland Stadium to face Rochdale AFC. Notts will have to put aside their recent defeats at the hands of Swindon Town in the league and Preston more recently in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

Rochdale come into the game having beaten Aldershot 4-1 in the F.A Cup on Tuesday night, in the Dale's last league game, they enjoyed 4-1 away win over Colchester United.

The Match Officials for Saturdays game against Rochdale AFC will be Scott Mathieson, with his two assistants Nicholas Hopton and Gareth Mellor. The fourth official will be Neil Sharp.

Match Officials

Referee; Scott Mathieson

From – Cheshire

His matches involving Notts County and Rochdale AFC in the last four seasons.

League Cup – Tuesday 9^th August 2011 – Rochdale 3 Chesterfield 2 – 1 Yellow Card

League One – Saturday 28^th January 2012 – Rochdale 3 Bury 0 – 2 Yellow Cards

League One – Saturday 5^th May 2012 – Notts County 4 Colchester 1 – No Cards

League One – Saturday 26^th October 2013 – Notts County 0 Preston 1 – 5 Yellow Cards

JPT – Tuesday 8^th October 2013 – Port Vale 0 Rochdale 1 – 5 Yellow Cards

League One – Saturday 14^th September 2013 – MK Dons 3 Notts County 1 – 4 Yellow Cards

Run down of his last four games.

F.A Cup – Saturday 8^th November 2014 – Peterborough 2 Carlisle 1 – 1 Yellow Card

League Two – Sunday 16^th November 2014 – Newport 2 Exeter 2 – 1 Yellow Card

League One – Saturday 29^th November 2014 – MK Dons 6 Colchester 0 – 2 Yellow Cards and 1 Red Card.

F.A Cup – Saturday 6^th December 2014 – Wrexham 3 Maidstone 1 – 2 Yellow Cards and 1 Red Card.

In his last four games 6 yellow cards have been shown and 2 red cards.

So far this season in a total of 13 games he has shown 25 yellow cards and 5 red cards.

That's roughly 1.9 yellow cards per game.

Assistant Referee; Nicholas Hopton

From – Derbyshire

Last 3 officiated games.

Saturday 29^th November 2014 – MK Dons 6 Colchester United 0

Saturday 13^th December 2014 – Oxford United 2 Bury 1

Tuesday 16^th December 2014 – Chester 0 Barnsley 3

Assistant Referee; Gareth Mellor

From – West Yorkshire

Last 3 officiated games.

Saturday 15^th November 2014 – Carlisle United 1 Accrington Stanley 0

Tuesday 18^th November 2014 – Gainsborough Town 1 Boston United 1

Monday 1^st December 2014 – Hyde 0 Worchester City 3

Fourth Official; Neil Sharp

From – Cleveland

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