Shrewsbury Town started the 2013/14 campaign quite well, as a side which has struggled in the past few seasons. Their fans will no doubt have thought things might have turned a corner, however there is one thing to be said. They know how to scrap and fight for their League One status! In their past six games, they've only managed to pick up two points. Brentford 1-1 at their home, whilst they drawn away to Port Vale 0-0. Notts come into the game having lost to promotion chasing Wolves, however we have picked up six points from our last six games. We now take a look at the match officials! On Saturday the match officials at Meadow Lane will be referee Sebastian Stockbridge, with his two assistants Christopher Kavanagh and Ben Toner. The fourth official is Andy Newbold.

Match Officials;

Referee; Sebastian Stockbridge has taken control of fifteen league games, he's been the referee in two F.A Cup games and one JPT tie. During these games he's issued a total of 66 yellow cards, whilst he's only sent off four players. The majority of games have been League Two standard, a total of 8 games. He's featured six times in League One and once in the Championship.

Interesting Fact – Sebastian Stockbridge actually officiated our game against Tranmere Rovers back in September 2013, in which we won 2-0. Goals coming from Joss Labadie 7^th minute mark and Marcus Haber 79^th minute.

Assistant Referees; Christopher Kavanagh has been the 1^st assistant a total of four times, he's been the 2^nd assistant once and the fourth official twice. He has however spent the majority of time officiating lower league games, where he once issues 8 yellow cards and 1 red all within the same game.

Ben Toner was the 1^st assistant once, he's been the 2^nd assistant three times and the fourth official once. Like Christopher Kavanagh, Ben Toner has been the referee in a number of lower league games. He's issued 25 yellow cards in 5 games in the conference.

Interesting Fact – In 15 conference games and 1 F.A Cup tie, Christopher Kavanagh has issued a total of 51 yellow cards. He has only issued 6 red cards – Compared to Ben Toner's 16 conference games and 1 F.A Cup Tie, 42 Yellows and 3 red cards.

The Fourth Official; Andy Newbold has been the fourth official twice so far in this season, he's been the 1^st official three times and the 2^nd official 5 times. He's officiated four times within League One, three times within the Championship and twice in League Two.

Interesting Fact – Back in 2009, Andy Newbold was an assistant in a famous Premiership encounter. No, this wasn't a local derby between either Liverpool, Manchester or London big occasions. This was a simple tie between Sunderland vs Liverpool, so why was this exactly a famous encounter? You might recall if you watch the attached video below.

[center]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5O8ch-rSFY

The beach ball goal of 2009! Despite the calls for rematch, it was decided the result was final. Let this be a warning to anyone considering having a bit of harmless fun by throwing items onto the pitch, it might just backfire!

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

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Pride of Nottingham once again takes a look at the 'Match Officials', this is in time for our away game against Wolverhampton Wanderers. This is your chance to gain an insight into those in charge of the game! We hope that you find the feature to be interesting, please do stay around if time permits and read up on some of our other content.

On Saturday the match officials for the away game against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the 15/02/2014. The Referee is Jeremy Simpson, with his assistants Simon Brown and Simon Clayton. The fourth official is Andy Woolmer.

Match Officials;

Referee; Jeremy Simpson has taken control of twenty league games, one F.A Cup game, one League Cup game and one JPT tie. Out of all these games he's issued a staggering amount of yellow cards totaling 68. However, he's only sent 5 players off so far. League 1 appears to be his level after making 9 appearances to-date, he has featured 5 times in the Championship and 6 times in League Two. The rest are split between the cup encounters he has officiated.

Interesting Fact; – The most he's carded in one game so far has been in a League Game featuring York City and Mansfield Town. A total of 6 yellows and 2 red cards were seen during this game which ended with Mansfield claiming the win 2-1.

Assistant Referees; Simon Brown was the 1^st Assistant in Nottingham Forest's 4-1 win over Blackburn Rovers (booo). He's featured as the 1^st assistant a total of 5 times, once in the Championship and two times both in League 1 and League 2. He's been a 2^nd official once and a fourth official twice.

Simon Clayton has been the 1^st official a total of 5 times, a 2^nd official once and the fourth official once. He hasn't featured so far within the Championship, all his appearances have taken place within League 1 and League 2. A number of 4 times each.

Interesting Fact – If it wasn't interesting enough that both assistant officials are called “Simon”, Simon Brown was the 1^st official in our home game against Peterborough United back on the 10^th of August 2013.

The Fourth Official; Andy Woolmer has only featured once as the fourth official, he's made 4 appearances however as a referee. He's featured once within the Championship and 2 times equally in Leagues One and Two.

Interesting Fact – Andy Woolmer would have been the fourth official in Wolverhampton Wanderers postponed away game against Stevenage FC. He also holds a reputation for not giving penalties (usually within the right circumstances), as he's been mentioned numerous times within the media for this. Most recently in Coventry City's 2-1 win over Bristol City, where the Robins had an appeal waved away as Baker timely halted Cunningham with a perfectly timed challenge.

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

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

Looking back over January, the foot of League One is as tight as ever, with no relegation certainties but a cluster of clubs who are in trouble as they search for improved form and more importantly results to clear away from danger a little. Stevenage were dragged into it as playing just three games in the month they secured just a single win, a somewhat surprise 2-0 win over Swindon Town. It was a terrible month for Sheffield United who in December had shown an improvement but last month saw them draw two and win two, not what manager Nigel Clough had bargained for.

Notts County enjoyed wins against Sheffield United and Bradford City at home and a single goal win at Stevenage with a 3-4 defeat at Peterborough and a bizzare 1-5 thumping at home to in-form Walsall where former County players Febian Brandy (with his first senior hat trick) and Craig Westcarr tormented their previous employers.

Shrewsbury Town had a rotten month with no less than four defeats and just the one success which saw the parting of the ways with manager Graham Turner.

Bristol City had to make do with with just two points return from their four games which saw two 1-3 defeats. Crewe managed two wins in five against Carlisle and MK Dons to give them a welcome six points for the month whereas Carlisle's poor season continues with just one win in their four games which included a 0-4 thumping at leyton Orient.

Tranmere managed a win and two draws whilst Crawley only played two games in January, both 2-2 draws. Oldham enjoyed a remarkable comeback to somehow beat Peterborough at Boundary Park by an amazing 5-4 scoreline after being 0-3 down. Colchester were unbeaten in their three games with good wins against Gillingham and Carlisle. Bradford City had to make do with three draws to go with their heavy defeat at Notts County whilst Coventry City had just the one defeat in their four games.

Out of the teams in mid table Swindon continue to win at home but can't do likewise on away soil. Port Vale recorded just the one win and Gillingham and MK Dons showed indifferent form. Moving on to the clubs in the top six, Walsall had a good month with three wins and three draws the highlight being a 5-1 win at Notts County.

Rotherham's season continues to roll with just the one defeat, a surprise 1-3 slip up against Coventry City. Preston and Leyton Orient continue to impress and pick up plenty of points whilst Wolves and Brentford seem to be the teams to watch out for for automatic promotion.

Ever wondered about the match officials? Pride of Nottingham introduces this new feature 'The Match Officials', it's your chance to learn a little more about the people in charge on match days. It's aimed towards providing an insight into the games they've officiated, so that we can go into games knowing more about each one.

Well here we are, meet the match officials for our home game against Coventry City on the 08/02/2014. The referee is Carl Berry, with his assistances Joe Hull and Darren Strain. The fourth official is Robert Atkin.

Match Officials;

Referee; Carl Berry has taken control of six league games and one JPT cup tie. Within these 7 games, Carl's managed to avoid sending off a single player but has yellow carded 26 players in 6 of them. The only game in this current season which he's avoided using a card was on Saturday 30^th November which saw Shrewsbury Town win away from home 3-1 against Stevenage FC.

Interesting Fact – Carl Berry sent off MK Dons manager Karl Robinson back in January 2012, Karl Robinson was so outraged after the game that he approached the match officials and was reported to say “I want a fair game, I want the right outcome. “People say that some go for you and some go against you but we’ve had no decisions that have won us a game this season.”.

You can follow Carl on Twitter - https://twitter.com/carljberry

Assistant Referees; Joe Hull's been fairly active playing mix roles so far this season. He's been an assistant within the Championship on numerous occasions, having been the 1^st assistant 5 times, the 2^nd official 4 times and fourth official once.

Darren Strain has spent the majority of this season assisting within League One. He's mainly been the 2^nd official 6 times, whilst being the 1^st official twice and the fourth official twice.

Interesting Fact – Joe Hull was the 1^st Assistant in our earlier encounter this season against Coventry City, the well known game which saw Danny Haynes red carded.

The Fourth Official; Robert Atkin has mainly featured as a 1^st assistant, which has seen him do so 4 times within this current season. He's been a second official once and has featured as the fourth official three times.

Interesting Fact – Out of the 8 games Robert Atkin as been a official 4 have resulted in draws, 2 home teams have one whilst 2 away have also won. Whilst our facts above only feature the league, Robert Atkin was the referee in a local game between Ilkeston FC and Grantham Town – His ability was questions by both managers in their post match comments.

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

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

Notts County and Coventry City have been playing one another on and off since 1920, although due to both sides see-sawing between divisions for many years, there were often long gaps of a number of years between games.

This Saturday will see the 36^th meeting between the two sides. The Magpies have the upper hand over the years, with 17 wins to the Sky Blues’ 11. There have also been 7 draws between the sides. Notts have scored 56 goals against the Sky Blues, while they have netted 49 against us.

The very first meeting between the two clubs took place on 6th November 1920 at Meadow Lane in Division 2. The game ended in a 1-1 draw – Billy McLeod scoring the Notts goal. The following weekend Notts made their first ever trip to Coventry’s Highfield Road stadium, and the match again ended in a 1-1 draw with Sam Richards scoring for Notts.

It wasn’t until 22nd April 1922 that there was a winner in a game between the two sides – Coventry winning 4-2 at Highfield road. But Notts got revenge the following season by doing the double over the Sky Blues on their way to the Division 2 title. Notts won 2-1 at Highfield Road on the opening day of the 1922-23 season – Harold Hill scoring both the visitors goals.

Notts then won the reverse fixture at Meadow Lane a week later 2-0, with goals from Horace Cope and Jack Cook.

With County winning promotion to Division 1 that season, there would not be another league meeting between the sides for 8 years, although in 1925 they did meet for the one and only time in the FA Cup – Notts winning 2-0 at Highfield Road in the first round on 10th January 1925 – thanks to goals from Donald Cock and Arthur Davis.

The two sides got back to playing each other in the league in 1930, in the Division Three South.

On 21st March 1936, Coventry racked up their biggest ever win over Notts with a 5-1 victory at Highfield Road on their way to the league title. They finished 1 point clear of Luton Town, 2 clear of 3rd placed Reading and 4 clear of 4th placed QPR, scoring 102 goals over the season.

The two would not meet again until the opening day of the 1950-51 Division 2 season, when Coventry picked up their first win at Meadow Lane with a 2-0 win. But Notts got their revenge at Highfield Road on 16th December, with the legendary Tommy Lawton scoring a brace in a 2-1 win.

Notts did the double over City again in 1951-52 as City finished second bottom of Division 2 and were relegated, leaving another 9 year gap before the sides met again, by now both in Divison 3. They enjoyed a busy Christmas in 1960, facing each other on consecutive days. The first meeting was on Boxing Day at Highfield Road and ended in a 2-2 draw – Notts goals coming from Roy Horobin and Bobby Forrest. The following day at Meadow Lane, County won 3-0 – with goals from Gerry Carver, a Don Roby penalty (Roby went on to play for Derby County later that season, one for you super_ram), and an Austin own goal.

The 1963-64 Division Three season was one of complete contrast for both sides. The Sky Blues finished top of the league, equal on 60 points with Crystal Palace but they won the league thanks to their haul of 98 goals. Notts on the other hand finished bottom of the league having conceded 92. Amazingly this was not the worst defensive record of the season – that honour went to second bottom Wrexham, who conceded 107 goals!

City did the double over Notts with a 3-0 win at Meadow Lane and a 2-0 win at Highfield Road.

Again, there was a 14 year wait before the sides met again in Division 1. Notts won both meetings in 81-82, and they racked up their biggest win over City on 16th February, with a 5-1 win at Highfield Road – the goals coming from Mark Goodwin, Rachid Harkouk, Gordon Mair, Trevor Christie and John Chiedozie (who also went on to play for Derby).

They repeated the score-line the following season at Meadow Lane on their way to a second successive 15th place finish in Division 1. This time Justin Fashanu scored 2 goals, and the other 3 game from Aki Lagtinen, Iain McCulloch and Paul Hooks.

On 14th September 1991, Notts visited Highfield Road for what turned out to be the last time, and suffered a 1-0 defeat on their way to relegation from Division 1.

Notts’ 1-0 win at Meadow Lane in April 1992 turned out to be the last meeting between the sides for 16 years, before league 2 Notts visited Championship Coventry’s Ricoh Arena for the first time in the first round of the League Cup in 2007 – City winning 3-0.

Last season saw the first league meetings between the sides in 20 years, with goals from Yoann Arquin and Andre Boucaud helping us to our first win at the Ricoh. The final game of the season ended in a 2-2 draw at Meadow Lane.

When the two sides met at Sixfields back in November, City won 3-0, and in truth we were lucky it was only 3-0. Since then however, things have changed, and we're a much tougher proposition who won't simply roll over.

Both of us have been involved in some high scoring games this season, here's hoping Notts can avenge the Sixfields slaughter of November and gain 3 massive points on Saturday. COYP!

After the popular demand of our last upcoming games article, Pride of Nottingham returns with a view of Walsall FC, Preston North End, Coventry City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Shrewsbury Town. On 21st of January 2014 Notts County played against Peterborough United, it was a game fans perhaps didn't foresee quite en-frilling but in fact Notts secure two very early goals. The game ended 4-3 in Peterborough's favour, however the passion installed by Shaun Derry surely as captured a significant change. Thing's don't get easier for the Magpies, these next few games will be tricky.

In our last edition I mentioned how we needed to prepare ourselves for the great escape, never did I think we would collect a huge 9 points from the 5 games played. However, I did feel Notts could gain 6, although realistically I felt 4 would be quite rewarding.

This doesn't mean it's all over, however it bides us some time and a chance to gain additional points to push us adrift of the relegation zone.

Walsall FC are a side which play free flowing football, although this isn't always the case and the perfect example would our scrappy away encounter at Bescot Stadium.

Craig Westcarr is their highest goal scorer notching up 11 so far this season. Adam Chambers is their most persistent fouler with 6 yellow cards, although Andy Taylor isn't far behind with 5. Andy Butler is their only player to be sent off, although he has been yellow carded twice.

In their last four games, they've picked up an impressive 8 points after drawing to Brentford 1-1 on the 18th January 2014. Sam Mantom clinched three points for saddler's as they beat Oldham Athletic 1-0, whilst at Tranmere Rovers they drew 1-1. Walsall also beat Sheffield United 2-1, which seen the club secure all 3 points after a 17 minute goal from Chris Porter.

Preston North End have finally settled within League One, they're a much better side under Simon Greyson and they're a side which should not be under estimated.

Former Nottingham Forest front man Joe Garner is their highest goal scorer with 13 goals, however they also have former Bolton Wanderers striker Kevin Davies who's scored 5. John Welsh and Bailey Wright share 6 yellow cards each. Kevin Davies, Stuart Beavon, Neil Kilkenny and Paul Gallagher have all be sent off once.

In their last four games, they've picked up 7 points in the league but notably defeated Ipswich Town 3-2 in the F.A Cup 3rd round replay. A late equaliser for Coventry meant the score finished 1-1, they lost 2-0 to Wolves. Beat Port Vale 3-2 after leading 3 nil for 69 minutes and they beat Shrewsbury Town 1-0.

Coventry City despite struggling with financial hardship and starting this 2013/2014 campaign with -10 points, are a very capable side but they are not the same side without leading striker Leon Clarke.

Naturally Leon Clarke is their highest goal scorer with 18 goals, however Callum Wilson notched up 15 and Franck Moussa with 13. A lot depends on if they can keep Leon Clarke who surprised the Sky Blues fans by handing in a transfer request, although they process a very talented attacking squad. John Fleck and Conor Thomas both share 6 yellow cards each, whilst Carl Barker is the only Coventry City player to be sent off.

In their last four games, they've picked up 6 points. Two draws, 1-1 to Preston North End and 2-2 to Crawley. They beat Rotherham United 3-1 away from home in a game they were originally losing and draw to Oldham ending 1-1. On the 4th of January 2014 they also beat Barnsley 2-1, after also going down by 1 goal in the 3rd round of the F.A Cup. They now await Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the 4th round which will take place on the 24th of January 2014.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are a side doesn't require an introduction, although we have some good results against them this season – they are a Championship side still featuring quite a few of their Premier League squad back from 2012.

Leigh Griffiths is their highest goal scorer with 13 goal, whilst Bakary Sako is on 7. David Davis is the most persistent fouler in the Wolves side with 7 yellow cards and Richard Stearman is their only player to be sent off once – Surprised by this? I am.

In their last four games, they've picked up 4 points which as seen them drop from league leaders to 3rd place and they're now 5 points behind Leyton Orient who sit back on top. Wolves beat Preston 2-0, they lost 1-0 Gillingham FC, draw 1-1 to Tranmere Rovers and drawing 1-1 to Leyton Orient.

Shrewsbury Town are one of the weaker teams in League One, although they cannot be written off. They're a side that can surprise teams who fail to mark their offensive players.

Tom Bradshaw is their highest goal scorer on 5, Joe Jacobson and Dave Winfield have 4 yellow cards each and Jon Taylor's their only player to be sent off once.

In their last four games, they've picked up 3 points. They lost heavily to Rotherham United by 3 goals to nil, they narrowly lost 3-2 to MK Dons and again to Leyton Orient, the final score 2-0. However, they beat Oldham Athletic 2-1 – the Shrews first win since the 30th of November 2013.

I see Notts picking up 7 points, realistically who knows after our recent form but 5 would seem about spot on.

My key game is against Coventry City – they're a side I see entertaining us at Meadow Lane, with a reasonable chance of achieving something from the game. Walsall and Shrewsbury are games which strike me as 'winnable', Shrewsbury Town being the side we must defeat for sure.

COYP!!

On the 21st December 2013, a Meadow Lane fixture against Bristol City took place. On the half hour mark, a crunching challenge from City player Greg Cunningham on Gary Liddle saw the Notts player crumble to the ground. The referee, amazingly, didn't see fit to punish the Bristol player, as Liddle was forced to make way for Mark Fotheringham. The final outcome was a draw, but frustratingly the Magpies lost a key part of their team. The injury is on the minds of many Notts fans & the PoN community, for whom Liddle's return to fitness is a key concern in the battle against relegation.

Fans have received limited news since his injury, except for the fact that Liddle may be out for the remainder of the season.

However, a recent video interview published by Notts County on the Magpie Player saw Gary speaking about the injury and what he has been up to. He began by saying: “It's different obviously, I've played a lot of games over a number of years and I haven't been injured in any of that.” He went on to add: “I've been spending a lot time in the gym at the moment with the physios but yeah, I've got my head around it now, it's frustrating sitting in the stands and watching but I am working very hard to come back as quickly as possible”.

The fact he’s returned quickly to conditioning gym work and is working alongside the physios is clearly a good thing.

Gary continued: “Well, from the time after the injury, you know the first thing that we’ve done was to get it scanned and the results that came back (showed) that there was a little bit of ligament damage – a couple of ligaments. An operation wasn't needed, that was the first positive news that we got. I was more or less straight back into the gym after the swelling had come down to get fit again. You know I must say I'm feeling great, it's not going to be any time soon I don't think but yeah things are working well, I am doing a lot of time on bikes and swimming pools, cross trainers, but I feel like I am training for a triathlon more than coming back for football - I am keeping my fitness up which is the important thing.”

So it's now confirmed that there was no breakage, it's ligament/muscle related and that there isn't any need for him to have an operation. Promising news so far.

To find out more visit the Magpie Player; Link Here

Pride of Nottingham reflections on our upcoming games against Crawley Town, Bradford City, Sheffield United, Peterborough United and Stevenage FC. Notts County’s Boxing Day defeat against Port Vale saw the Magpies’ three-game unbeaten run come to an abrupt end. As 2013 comes to a close, they need to prepare themselves wisely for some pretty big encounters to follow if they are to drag themselves out of the bottom four. After these five games, two of which see Notts face two promotion contenders, things don’t get any easier - Walsall, Preston, Coventry and Wolves.

It's now we should prepare for the great escape and try to gain advantages over the lesser teams in League One.

Crawley Town have the ability to get back into games where they've gone behind; they are a fairly average side, but could potentially threaten. Their season started quite brightly, even though a recent dip in form has seen them fall to 13th place.

Billy Clarke is their highest goal scorer with 7 strikes to his name. They’ve had three players yellow carded four times, but nobody in the squad has been red carded more than once.

In their last four games, they've picked up 4 points. The game against Preston saw them scoring twice to come back from losing positions – 2-2 was the final score. Their game against Bristol Rover (F.A Cup 2nd Round) was postponed due to weather. They then beat current league leaders Leyton Orient 3-2 away from home and lost 2-0 against the MK Dons on Boxing Day.

Bradford City, a team that Notts took the lead against back in late November, is a side with some very young talented footballers. They also started their season quite brightly, although they have now in mid-table; their form of late has seen them slip since occupying the promotion places back in October.

Nahki Wells is their highest goal scorer with 15 to his name, a great start to the season for the 23-year-old. They also contain threats from James Hanson and Kyel Reid who have scored 10 goals between them. Impressively, they haven't picked up any red cards, although Rory McArdle has picked up 5 yellows.

In their last four games they've drawn twice; 1-1 against Oldham Athletic and 1-1 against league leaders Leyton Orient. They narrowly lost against Peterborough 2-1 and to Rotherham United 1-0 on Boxing Day.

Sheffield United, a side nobody needs reminding about, has seen a disappointing 2013/2014 campaign. They’ve spent the season so far flirting with relegation, but continue to show signs that manager Nigel Clough can turn things around. The former Derby boss seems to have introduced a bit of determination to the squad after a disappointing defeat against Gillingham FC.

Their highest goal scorer, Harry Maguire, has a meagre five goals to his name this season, followed closely by Jose Baxter on four. Maguire also joins us with a joint six yellow cards, along with teammate Tony McMahon. Meanwhile, former Notts striker Fabien Brandy is their only player to be sent off.

In their last four games, Sheffield United have picked up five points. They beat Cambridge United 2-0 in the F.A Cup 2nd round, followed by winning Swindon Town 1-0 and then drawing in a goalless game against Stevenage FC. In their last game they drew 1-1 with Oldham Athletic after an early second half equaliser.

Peterborough United, who a fan deemed 'one of the best teams in Europe' earlier in the season with us, modestly contains many key players who could be playing Championship football. They haven't fallen outside of the play-offs all season and have been league leaders a number of times, until a string of four defeats in a row – a reminder it happens to the best of us.

Britt Assombalonga has scored a sensational 17 goals so far, and is Peterborough's highest goal scorer by far - Lee Tomlin, the second-highest, is on seven. Assombalonga, Michael Bostwick and Danny Swanson all have five yellow cards each, while three have each been sent off once.

In their past four games, Peterborough have picked up a total of 4 points. They beat League Two Newport County in the Johnston’s Paint Trophy Southern Semi Final 3-0. They then drew 2-2 against struggling Gillingham FC, with a late 97th minute goal coming from Assombalonga. They then beat Bradford City 2-1 and lost against Coventry City having taken the lead twice, 4-2 the final score.

Stevenage FC are a side whose misfortunes have seen them move clear of the relegation drop after beating Crawley, only to free fall back into the relegation zone. They are a below-average League One team with some very capable players, one of which Notts fans may remember.

Francois Zoko is their highest goal scorer with 10 goals, who signed on a free transfer after we decided he wasn’t up to scratch for the Magpies. Filipe Morais is a close second with 7. Michael Doughty, a player I'm going to punt will be sent off against us, currently has a total of 9 yellow cards to his name this season but surprisingly he hasn't been sent off! However, Lucas Akins and Roarie Deacon have a red card each.

In their past four games, Stevenage FC have picked up 2 points. They lost to Swindon Town in the Johnston’s Paint Trophy Southern Semi Final after an 82 minute equaliser in normal time led to a penalty shoot-out, which they lost 3-1. They then drew to Port Vale 2-2, Sheffield United 0-0 and surprisingly got thrashed by Colchester United 4-0. Perhaps a good sign? Don't get your hopes up, Zoko is no doubt going to score against us; how many times have we seen ex-players turn up to their old hunting ground and have the game of their life?

I see Notts getting six points from these five games. Realistically you could say four, but in football you never know – we might come away with much more.

My key game is against Sheffield United – they're a side I hope we can get something out of and perhaps surprise ourselves. The games against Crawley Town and Stevenage FC are the winnable ones; we cannot slip up.

Let's hope Shaun Derry can inspire our lads to start the near year off brightly, we can do this! COYP!

With the busy Christmas and New Year games schedule on the horizon it is perhaps time to look at the clubs in League One who are at the foot of the table and see who has made any green shoots of recovery and those who are seemingly in freefall. The four clubs who are presently in the dropzone are Bristol City on 15 points, then come Crewe and Notts County on 17 points with Stevenage sitting in 21st spot with 18 points. Then just six clubs are separated by two points and goal difference, with clubs facing four games over the holiday period.

There could be many changes to the league table than at present, on current form Sheffield United and Notts County are the two big clubs amongst the pack who are showing positive signs that after dreadful starts-and changes of management-are getting their acts together and moving in the right direction. Since Nigel Clough took over at Bramall Lane, the Blades have been picking up a steady flow of points and have climbed up to 19th following their 1-0 win over Swindon at the weekend. Notts County, meanwhile, found results hard to come by even when Shaun Derry was given the nod to try his hand in management but Notts last two outings -a 3-1 home success over Gillingham and a superb 4-0 win at Colchester United - has given real hope to the Meadow Lane faithful. I expect both these clubs to climb steadily over the next few weeks.

So who has not been doing very well? Bristol City only relegated in the summer, have had a torrid time with just two league wins in their first 20 games. That really is a poor show from the Ashton Gate men and they can only hope that new manager Steve Cotterill can produce an upturn in their fortunes. Another suprise down at the bottom is Crewe. They have managed four wins but have by the far the worst goal difference than anyone. To be on -25 at this stage is shocking but they are now two games unbeaten so maybe they are on the way up.

Stevenage have only managed one win in their last five. Tranmere have suffered two bad away defeats in a row - 1-4 at Carlisle and 0-5 at Peterborough - so again they need to sort themselves out. A cluster of teams above Sheffield United have a bit of breathing space but by New Year's Day the whole picture could change and so it will be interesting to see how the bottom 10 teams are looking after the next four games.

Notts County have boosted their current crop of players with 3 more promising youngsters. On the 28/11/2013 it was announced on the Sky Sports website that Notts had landed Morgan Fox and Bradley Jordan on loan. Notts later announced the additional loan signing of Derby County youngster Callum Ball – A tall/strong centre forward who's enjoyed successful periods with their under 16's and reserve team. Shaun Derry has swiftly responded by adding players to each position that fans are voicing concerns over, with a striker was once again on the minds of our fans.

Morgan Fox; A young defender who was born on 21/09/1993. Charlton Fan 'Lamby' told me, “Morgan Fox has played for Wales U21 so he's got the tackling qualities, and can also nick a few goals from corners.”.

Bradley Jordan; Was born on 21/01/1994, the highly rated midfielder enjoy a successful youth campaign along side his co-team mate Morgan Fox. He's an ambitious midfielder who's considered to be one of Charlton's most mature youngsters and he comes to Meadow Lane with some much needed qualities. 'Lamby' added 'Jordan is the captain of the U21's, he's a good leader for us if he's kept the position from last season. I think he's one of the more motivational players in the youth team too. Bradley's the main free kick taker and chips in with the odd few so I'd say he's the old fashioned type of midfielder.

“They've not featured in the first team much. Been on the bench a few times and that's about it. They were part of the U21 team that won the league last season. I think we've loaned them out more for the development process/game time more than anything. It'll be good to see how they get on though and I'm sure they'll make an impact on your team. They're rated highly though, ones for the future.”.

Callum Ball; Started as a youngster with rival side Nottingham Forest before making a switch to Derby County's Academy at the age of 9 years old. He quickly found scoring form for the under 18's, in which he netted an impressive 25 goals and reserve level through that campaign. He also experienced winning the '09/10 Central League Central Selection Title' starting twice and scoring the winning goal against Macclesfield Town.

He's enjoyed two fairly successful loan spells, 2012/2013 with Coventry City, making 15 appearances and Earlier this year with Torquay United where he scored 2 in 9 games.

Super Ram told the Pride of Nottingham community, “Callum is a player I have high hopes for. He was a very prolific scorer for the under 18's and Rams reserves. He's been out on loan several times and done OK, though when he was at Coventry I believe he was injured for a while. His first team appearances for The Rams have been limited because we are fairly well off in attack. I'm sure he will do a good job for Notts (along with Kieron)”

Pride of Nottingham would like to thank 'Lamby' and 'Super Ram' for their time in telling us about their respective player(s) and we would like to wish Morgan, Bradley and Callum all the very best with their careers. Hopefully they will be vital assists to our squad whilst wearing the Black & White stripes! COYP!

Bad news and good news about today's home game against the division's strongest side, Wolverhampton Wanderers. We lost today, which does not help with regards to our position in the table, but the level of performance today was much better than in previous games, as we prevented Wolves from playing particularly well, losing only by one goal (and a slip up at that). A very encouraging performance, it is hoped that this is a sign that Shaun Derry is slowly growing into his role and will oversee a turnaround at Meadow Lane.

Hampered by international call-ups, today's team saw Alan Sheehan, Manny Smith, Gary Liddle and returning old boy Kieron Freeman in defence, Callum McGregor, Joss Labadie, Mark Fotheringham and Jamal Campbell-Ryce in midfield, and Ronan Murray partner Marcus Haber in attack. 4-4-2 was the formation, with ever reliable Bartosz Bialkowski in goal.

Wolves, who has managed to hang on to ten players from the 2011/12 Premiership season, started the brighter side, as Jake Cassidy and Bakary Sako had the first concrete chances of the game, even though Notts got a corner as early as the 3rd minute.

The first Notts chance came courtesy of McGregor, who was on the pitch despite playing for Scotland U21's earlier in the week. His right-footed shot from outside the box was blocked.

On 19, Smith got two chances, one after the other, as his header bounced off a crowd of players, while his follow-up shot was deflected by Richard Stearman.

Danny Batth committed a foul worthy of a red card as he upended McGregor on 22, but to the crowd's amazement, he was only booked.

Five minutes later, Jake Cassidy unleashed a powerful drive from outside the box, but this was saved by Bart down to his left as the ball dangerously curled away from him.

Another dangerous Wolves tackle came courtesy of David Davis, his lunge striking Liddle. Comically, the away player hurt himself in the process, receiving a booking for his misdemeanour.

Towards the end of the first half, Bart showed why is so valued with a brilliant diving save to thwart a James Henry shot destined for the top-left corner.

The second half saw JCR get a shot from outside the box on 48, but this missed, swerving to the right of the goal. Meanwhile, Sheehan was responsible for a great block to thwart Sako on 56.

McGregor, always with an eye for goal, had two good attempts on 62 and 64, but the Wolves defenders were able to block both of these.

Tackles (and indeed cards) were also flying, as the young Scot, plus Fotheringham and Freeman, all received yellows during the course of the second half.

Sadly, Notts' great rearguard action was finally thwarted on 76 as Ethan Ebanks-Landell made the most of a Notts slip up to score, after Henry's delivery was not dealt with by the defence.

Despite this, Notts were determined not to go down without a fight, kept pushing forward and tried desperately to net an equaliser. McGregor came agonisingly close in the final ten minutes, but sadly, Wolves were impenetrable, and thus the match finished 1-0.

I felt after last season we had turned a corner, I have to admit that Chris Kiwomya's appointment was disappointing – I had hoped we would go for experience but none the less I am willing to back any manager, just like I would regardless whoever played for Notts County. The early signs seemed promising, I eagerly awaited the final game and I have to say when it came – I felt saddened as you can imagine but the prospect of a brighter season soon followed. Now, Chris might not be setting the world alight last season but I felt it could improve with his own players signed.

At a glance he's done pretty well with regards to signings – Danny Haynes could very well be a gem but I think we need to find a style which suites him.

Players such as Yoann Arquin and Enoch Showunmi came back with a spring in their steps and certainly it seemed like we had a new strike force. The disappointing side for me was the fact we didn't make our back a little bulkier early on, for me this was a weak area. Though the majority wanted another striker and the midfield improving, one of which we are currently not really progressing in.

It's hard to single out Chris Kiwomya – Can it all be his fault? I wouldn't say so, however for me the majority of things are for him to handle and fix. Isn't this what a manager is for?

For me we could be doing far better, even with Chris who's learning on the job. It's hard to explain where exactly I think things could be improved but I am going to try. I'm sure he feels exactly the same way, as he's plotting his next decisions and tactics.

Firstly – I would try to find a routine and a formation which the players can become used too. I think 4-4-2 might be old fashioned but there's not much wrong with that, it's certainly far better than using Curle's previous formations – The now famous alone forward and of course 3 at the back.. Yawn....

We surely have a first 11 – Those who don't perform well in one game, shouldn't be dropped in the next – The only way I would drop a player is if he shows the same during training or he's been consistently poor. I'd pick the brighter players and tinker with finding ways of motivating the players who are currently not giving exactly 100%.

Yet – with a squad like ours we can't always afford to be choosy and so sometimes old fashioned management can come in handy in these situations. Being honest and open – prevents ill-feelings if handled correctly and hard work cannot be a bad thing.

If we insist on playing on the floor, we need to focus on this during training. There's no reason why we can't play pretty football but it's how it's applied from the back, which allows it to be successful going forward. Watching Notts sometimes reminds me of stacking domino’s and then allowing 'em to fall, we go forward and make good progress, only to knock the ball back and have to start all over again.

Thing's like this is where Chris needs to stamp his authority, it's easy to blame him and the players but a manager who tries hard, often isn't a manager who fails and I honestly feel he's scared of repercussions at times.

In games like MK Don's, there's easy way's to break up the play and hold pressure. The inability to mark/defend only allows teams to punish us and for me you cannot blame the players fully here, the watchful eye of the manager should be the person whom attempts to fix things. I feel we have a lack of inspiring players, vocal and aware.. True leaders who understand how to change games but this doesn't mean we can,t make the most of players like Fotheringham or Liddle – Who'd both be decent vice captains.

The answers to our misfortunes are how we prepare – Morale can be low, players confidence not very high but if you sit on this the situation grows and becomes worse.

It's clear the players need to learn to work together, each strength and weakness needs to be learned in order to aid and prevent mistakes. We should be seeing more partnerships, especially down the flanks and if things were able to click we might see more chances falling to our forwards, I sometimes wish they'd gamble more but you can't expect them to score if the service is poor or below par.

It's bordering on the final roll of the dice for Chris in the eyes of many fans and if the board want to show encouragement to the manager – they'll need to make sure he actually keeps at addressing the problems as we haven't seen any real “fixes”.

Of course it takes time for players to get used to each other, hence why I believe we need to start with simple steps.

The training sessions should be where we try to mix things, encourage creativity and hopefully we can see some of it applied on the field. When games aren't going our way – It needs addressing, even if it's only 3 minutes in!

The title of this article is a bit of an understatement when it comes to Notts County v Walsall. The clubs have been playing eachother fairly regularly for 119 years now and this Saturday's match will be the 61st competitive meeting between the two. Notts just edge it on the history - winning 25 of the previous 60 meetings compared to Walsall's wins. There have also been 15 draws. Notts have scored 103 goals against Walsall, while they've scored 81 against us. The first meeting between the two clubs took place way back on 20th January 1894 in a Second Division game.

Back then Walsall were known as Walsall Town Swifts, as they were founded in 1888 following the amalgamation of the town's two original football clubs - Walsall Town and Walsall Swifts.

Notts won that first meeting 2-0 thanks to goals from Dan Bruce and Alf Shelton.

They visited Walsall's Fellows Park ground for the first time later that season on 12th March but were beaten 2-1. Jimmy Logan got Notts' only goal that day, and just 19 days later he would go on to write himself into Notts County folklore by scoring a hat-trick in the FA Cup final at The Oval, as Notts beat Bolton 4-1.

The following season, Notts beat Walsall 5-0 at Meadow Lane on Christmas Day thanks to goals from David Calderhead, Sam Donnelly, and a hat-trick from Jimmy Logan. The 5 goal margin remains the equal biggest win for Notts against The Saddlers.

The 1894-95 season saw Notts finish 3rd in the Second Division but the Magpies lost their promotion Test Match 2-1 to Derby County.

In 1896 Walsall Town Swifts became Walsall FC, but the new name didn't give them anymore luck, as they were beaten 5-2 on 14th November. Two months later, Notts achieved their first ever win at Fellows Park thanks to two goals from John Murphy, and one from Ernest Bell.

Notts were promoted to Division One at the end of the 1896-97 season, and the clubs didn't meet again until 3rd April 1931 in a division Three South game. Notts equalled their biggest margin of victory againt The Saddlers, with two goals from Tom Fenner, a goal from Tom Keetley, and a hat-trick from Harold Andrews securing a 6-1 win for The Magpies.

The two sides met again just 3 days later but Walsall gained some revenge with a 1-0 win. That was one of just 7 defeats Notts suffered all season on their way to the league title. They finished with 59 points - 8 clear of second placed Crystal Palace.

Notts travelled to Walsall on the final day of the 1936-37 season for what was a huge game for both sides. Notts were second in the table, 2 points adrift of Luton Town and if Notts won and Luton lost, there was a chance Notts could steal the title. Walsall on the other hand faced relegation if they lost and other results went against them. The Saddlers won the game 2-1 to secure their safety and keep Notts down.

Notts got a bit of revenge the following season though. Walsall struggled again and Notts' 3-1 win at Meadow Lane on the penultimate day all-but confirmed Walsal's relegation.

The two ides met in Cup Competition for the first time in 1939 in an FA Cup 4th round tie. The original game at Meadow Lane ended 0-0, but Walsall won the replay 4-0 five days later.

The 1959-60 season in Division Four was a thriller for both clubs. The two spent most of the season fighting for promotion and by the time the two sides met on consecutive days in April, they were first and second in the table. Walsall led the way and had a fairly healthy cushion over Notts.

The first meeting took place on 18th April in front of 22,728 at Meadow Lane. They saw The Magpies win 2-1 thanks to goals from Don Roby and Tony Hateley. This narrowed the gap to five points with four games left.

The two met again in front of 14,752 at Fellows Park the following day and it ended 2-2 - Notts' goals coming from Alan Withers and Bobby Forrest (strange name to have as a Notts player!).

Notts drew one and won two of their final three but it wasn't enough to secure the title. Both sides were promoted though.

The two had good first seasons back in Division Three - Notts finishing 5th, but Walsall went one better and made it back-to-back promotions with a second place finish.

Given the fairly regular nature of the meetings between the two sides over the years, it might surprise you to learn that it took Walsall until 24th October 1963 for their first ever win at Meadow Lane - nearly 70 years after the clubs first met. They won 1-0 on what was their 15th visit to Meadow Lane. Notts finished bottom of Divison Three that season.

It took Walsall a further 25 years to earn their second win at Meadow Lane but it was a pretty important one.

The two met in the Division Three play-offs in 1988 and The Saddlers ran out 3-1 winners at Meadow Lane. Notts couldnt turn it around in the second leg, which ended in a 1-1 draw and Walsall went on to beat Bristol City in the final.

They were relegated straight back to Divison Three the following season, and on 7th October 1989, Notts visited Fellows Park for what would be the last time. It ended 2-2 - Tommy Johnson and Mark Draper getting the goals for Notts who would go on to win promotion via the play-offs under Neil Warnock. Walsall on the other hand made it back-to-back relegations amid financial worries.

We didn't meet again until 1996 when we were both back in Division Two, and Notts visited Walsall's new Bescot Stadium for the first time on 10th February, the match ended 0-0.

The Saddlers picked up what remains their biggest win over Notts on 30th September 2000, with a 5-1 win at the Bescot. That was also Notts' heaviest defeat of what was an otherwise decent season which saw us finish 8th in Divison Two.

Most Walsall fans' best memory of playing Notts probably came on 14th April 2007 at Meadow Lane. A 2-1 victory sealed their promotion to league one, and they went on to secure the league title thanks to a last minute equaliser at Swindon on the final day, after Hartlepool were beaten at home by Bristol Rovers.

Notts were of course promoted to League One in 2010 and achieved their first win at the Bescot on New Years' Day 2011 with a 3-0 win. The return fixture ended 1-1 a month later, just days after Notts held Manchester City to a draw in the FA Cup.

Last season's meeting Saw Walsall win 1-0 at Meadow Lane thanks to Andy Butler's goal ten minutes from time on a frustrating afternoon for The Magpies.

Yoann Arquin's second half strike was enough to earn Notts a share of the spoils in the return fixture.

Thats the very long and hopefully interesting history of matches between Notts County and Walsall (well I've found researching it interesting!).

It should be a good game on Saturday. Walsall have made a strong start with 3 wins out of 3 in league and cup, but Notts have a point to prove. A result of any sort on Saturday would be good against a strong side.

I for one would take a repeat of the result there on 31st January 2012 - a scrappy 1-0 win for Notts!

COYP!

This Saturday will see the 43rd meeting between Notts County & Peterborough United, and the first for two seasons following Peterborough United's dramatic relegation with virtually the last kick on the final day of last season. Of the previous 42 meetings, Notts have won 12 times with Posh winning 17 times, while 13 draws have been played out. Notts have scored 46 goals against Posh, while they have netted 54 against us. It's relatively even really. The first ever meeting between the two clubs took place on 7th September 1961, in a Division Three match at Meadow Lane. Notts were then managed by Frank Hill, and the entertaining game ended honours even.

Goals from Tony Hateley and Bert Loxley were cancelled out by a double from legendary Peterborough striker Terry Bly. Notts first ever visit to London Road came on the final day of that same season. Frank hill had been sacked in October and replaced by Tim Coleman. Peterborough won the game 2-0 to secure a 5th place finish, while Notts ended up 13th.

The following season, the Magpies achieved their first ever win over Peterborough with a 2-0 win on 8th December thanks to goals from Tony Hateley and D Edwards. The reverse fixture ended 0-0. The two sides also met in the FA Cup 1st round that season, Posh winning 3-0.

The 1962-63 season saw the clubs have remarkably similar seasons. Peterborough finished 6th, Notts 7th. We both finished on 51 points, and Notts conceeded just one goal less than Peterborough.

The following season however was not so similar. While Posh finished 10th in Division Three, Notts finished rock bottom. The season included a 5-1 drubbing for Notts at London Road in September, which remains Peterborough's biggest win over Notts.

Terry Bly, who had scored twice for United in the two clubs first ever meeting had been a goal scoring sensation at Peterborough, scoring an amazing 81 goals in 88 appearances for the club between 1960 and 1962. He then netted 25 goals for Coventry during the 63-64 campaign before Eddie Lowe brought him to Meadow Lane. Unfortunatly, he failed to find his form for Notts, scoring just 4 goals that season. Something about Notts and miss-firing strikers!

By the 1970-71 season both sides were playing in Division Four, but this would prove a memorable season for County. The Magpies won the league under Jimmy Sirrel, and their biggest victory of the season came at home to Peterborough on 30th January. Goals from Don Masson, Les Bradd, David Needham, and a hat-trick from Tony Hateley helped Notts to a 6-0 win, which remains our biggest ever win over Posh.

Notts would end the season on 69 points (2 points for a win back then), 9 clear of second placed Bournemouth.

It would be another 21 years before the two sides met again in the league, although we did meet three times in the 80s in cup competitions.

On 24th January 1980, Divison Four Peterborough knocked Division One Notts out of the FA Cup 4th round with a 1-0 win at Meadow Lane. They would lose 1-0 at home to Manchester City in round 5, and City went on to play Spurs in the final where, after a 1-1 draw, they lost the replay 3-2.

The two met in the Football League Trophy the following season, Peterborough winning 3-1; and they met again in the same competition in 1989, where goals from Gary Lund and Mark Draper secured a 2-2 draw at Meadow Lane.

The two met in the league for the first time since 1971 in a Division One (Championship) game in 1992 - Posh winning 3-1. Since then the two clubs have played eachother in the league on a fairly regular basis, as both clubs have been up and down the football league over the years.

On Good Friday 2001, the two sides played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in a Division Two game at Meadow Lane. Notts' goals that day came from Danny Allsopp (penalty), Kevin Nicholson, and Mark Stallard.

In 2003, Notts were hammered 5-2 at London Road on their way to relegation, Paul Riley getting both County goals.

Another game of note took place on 18th February 2006. Posh's 2-1 victory over Gudjon Thurdarson's Magpies may not be the most memorable of matches, but it was the first match in a TV documentary "Big Ron Manager". It involved Barry Fry bringing Ron Atkinson into the club as a "football trouble shooter", and he was tasked with helping the club out in any capacity he could; be it organising fund raising events, scouting pottential new signings, or helping the manager.

Unfortunatly, it all ended with Peterborough manager Steve Bleasdale resigning in front of the players and cameras just hours before a game at home to Macclesfield.

Atkinson & Fry took charge of the team for the final three games but the club missed out on their target of reaching the play-offs. It was certainly an entertaining programme, although I wonder how the Peterborough supporters felt about it!

The last two meetings between the two sides took place in the 2010-11 season. The first match was a fiesty affair at London Road on 28th September. Ben Davies fired Notts into a 2-0 lead but Gabriel Zakuani pulled one back. Craig Westcarr restored the two goal cushion on the stroke of half time, but Craig Mackail-Smith's goal on the hour mark made it a nervy final half hour for Notts, made worse with the sending off of Ricky Ravenhill. Notts held on for a 3-2 win, and inflicted on Peterborough their first home defeat of the season. Sadly though the match was marred by a mass brawl between both sets of players and both benches at full time, which resulted in both clubs being fined.

The return fixture at Meadow Lane was slightly less memorable. Posh won 1-0 thanks to a wonder goal from Charlie Lee early in the second half, and Posh went on to win promotion with a 3-0 win over Huddersfield in the play-off final.

That was the last time the two sides met, and the visitors will be hoping for a similar outcome come the end of this season with promotion back to the Championship their main aim.

There's been plenty of history and some great games between the clubs over the years. Let's hope this Saturday's match lives up to it and Notts get their first points of the season.

Hope you enjoyed this article. If enough people like it I'm hoping to do something similar for every game.

COYP!

After our interview with Mr Trew, interestingly it splurged some healthy and open discussion as to regards a comment made by our chairman. “We do have 2 more targets in our sights – 1 being a midfielder who is an International and the other is a striker” The striker hinted at was Adam Coombes, a player who we featured not that long ago and is a player highly regarded by Chelsea fans. The international player, well it left room for debate but after several reports in the local media, Notts are being linked with Jackson Irvine a young player from Celtic on loan. Pride of Nottingham have taken the time to write a little about Irvine and collect some views on him!

Jackson Irvine was born and raised in Melbourne Australia on the 7^th of March 1993, he had brief spells with clubs in the Victoria League but he signed for Celtic after a successful trial period in December 2010.

He featured for the Scottish U19's making three appearances but eventually switched to his home country where he progressed into Austrilia's U20's team. He's made a total of 12 appearance for the Socceroos so far.

The loan deal is expected to be agreed shortly, with Jackson Irvine expected to feature for Notts shortly after.

Although no actual league experience is attached to his name, he can come to us and make a name for himself. If he settles and takes his chance, we might continue to hear much more from him in the future and so it seems on paper like a very good move for both Notts and Irvine himself.

Pride of Nottingham's managed to speak with two Celtic fans with regards to what type of player Jackson Irvine is and how they feel about such a move for their youngster and of course for a club like ourselves.

Dazzabhoy88 said “he is a very good young player and going to a good league 1 team like Notts county, It would be a good move for him! Decent standard and playing against some good sides can only be good! The only criticism I can give notts county is that they let that big fa**y Davie Weir get his first league win lol....although I heard you guys had ten men so ill not be too hard on you guys”

Kennys Dugleash said “Jackson has a lot of potential and although our pre season in Germany never went the way we wanted in terms of results several of our Academy/Development players more than matched the opposition.

Irvine would be one of those and I think if this transpires you will have acquired the services of a very competent and technically sound defender.

He can also play in midfield so has a bit more to his game than just blocking shots ,heading and tackling.

I always hope our youngsters if they are to be farmed out on loan for experience go to decent Clubs and your Club certainly falls into that category.

He is not so far off the first team at Celtic and I gather there may be interest in Both Kelvin Wilson from Forest (revised bid) and interest in Efe Ambrose from down South so if either or both go I would be surprised if Jackson was allowed to leave myself?

If it happens then I don't think you boys will be disappointed in him.”

With comments like these it seems even more likely to be an impressive short term signing, we have actually a fantastic response from Celtic fans and we're unable to share all the glowing comments but I can add that none are negative. You Pies!

Pride of Nottingham would like to thank both Celtic fans for taking the time to talk to us, which ultimately allowed us to go ahead with this feature.

Notts County have confirmed the signing of Adam Coombes, known to many as 'Adam Phillip'. He is a youth/reserve team player who started life out at Chelsea FC. He's still regarded quite highly by the Blues fans and I've managed to speak with a couple regarding our newest signing. Adam Coombes was scouted whilst playing Sunday league football for a local club and was offered a chance to join Chelsea's academy, he ended up making his debut in January 2007 against Norwich City in a game in which he hit the crossbar with a header and throughout looked hard to handle. We've tried to find out what the Blues fans thought of him!

Adam's league experience only spans a months loan at Yeovil Town, where he made 3 appearances. Whilst at Chelsea he encountered some injuries which hampered his progression from reserves to Chelsea's first team.

Although during his tenure at the Blues, he knocked up an impressive youth team scoring record.

He was tipped to follow in the footsteps of other youngsters who had broken into Chelsea's first team, although after an injury, Chelsea cancelled his contract.

I spoke to a Chelsea fan who said “All the times I've seen Phillip (or Coombes as he should be technically called now), has been at youth level, having said that I think he'll make a smooth transition into a first team.

When he was younger he had a very good scoring record, with Frank Nouble who's also in the Football League now. Like you said he's fast, skilful, can play wide (probably wide left) and through the centre, even with his injury problems as he grew older, when he was fit, he still always used to score goals. I remember one game, I thought he had a similar style to Sturridge but opposite sided.

It has been a while since I saw him though, his contract cancellation and injury problems meant he got less and less appearances as he entered his 20s. Real shame about his injury problems, as without them (like Woods, Hutchinson and Pappoe) I think they would be making a much bigger impact on the Chelsea team.“

Quite a glowing report, although this isn't the only kind comments I've received whilst trying to find more about Adam.

Esk Watson (username) said “It was important to get Adam a loan move, whilst at Chelsea. He needed regular football and he is a good goalscorer. Hope he does his stuff there..”

Pride of Nottingham would like to thank both Chelsea fans for helping us with this feature, we wish Adam all the best with getting his career back on track and we look forward to seeing “doing his tuff here”.

Ins: Niall Heaton (Liverpool; second-year apprentice), Jason Kennedy (Rochdale; free), Mark Yeates (Watford; free)

Outs: Dean Overson, Adam Baker, Steve Williams, Zavon Hines, Matt Duke (Northampton Town; free), Will Atkinson (Southend United; free)

Ins: Martin Fillo (FC Viktoria Plzen; loan), Javi Venta (Villarreal; free), Jack Bonham (Watford; free), George Savile (Chelsea; loan), Alan McCormack (Swindon Town; free), Will Grigg (Walsall; fee yet TBC), Jake Bidwell (Everton; Undisclosed fee)

Outs: Antonio German (Gillingham; free), Harry Forrester (Doncaster Rovers; fee yet TBC)

Ins: Frank Fielding (Derby County; Undisclosed fee), Aden Flint (Swindon Town; around £300k), Derrick Williams (Aston Villa; free), Jordan Wynter (Arsenal; free), Scott Wagstaff (Charlton Athletic; free), Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (Ipswich Town; Player Swap Deal)

Outs: Cole Skuse (Ipswich Town), Tom Heaton (Burnley), Jon Stead (Huddersfield Town), Lewin Nyatanga (Barnsley), Richard Foster (Glasgow Rangers + a friendly match), Paul Anderson (Ipswich Town; Player Swap Deal), Matthew Bates, Brian Howard, Dean Gerken (Ipswich Town), Mark Wilson, Lewis Carey

Ins: Reece James (Manchester United; loan), Josh Gillies (Gateshead; tribunal fee TBC), David Amoo (Tranmere Rovers; free), Alex Salmon (professional contract), Jack Lynch (professional contract)

Outs: Adam Collin (Rotherham United; free), Mathieu Manset, Peter Murphy, Frank Simek, Rory Loy, Jon-Paul McGovern, Tony Caig (retired), Andy Welsh (Scunthorpe United; free)

Ins: Craig Eastmond (Arsenal; free), Sanchez Watt (Arsenal; free), Mason Spence (Milton Keynes Dons; free), Danny Pappoe (Chelsea; loan), Sam Walker (Chelsea; loan)

Outs: Matt Heath, Jackson Ramm, Bradley Hamilton (Concord Rangers; free), John White (Southend United; free), Jack Compton (Hartlepool United; free)

Ins: Leon Lobjoit, Louis Garner, Lewis Rankin, Ben Maund (all professional contracts),

Outs: Richard Wood, Jordan Stewart (San Jose Earthquakes; free), Danny Philliskirk, Stephen Elliott, Nathan Cameron (Bury; free), Cody McDonald (Gillingham; free), Will Roberts, Joe Henderson, Shaun Jeffers, Josh Ruffels

Ins: Andy Drury (Ipswich Town; free), James Hurst (Valur; free)

Outs: Richard Brodie (Gateshead, free), David Hunt (Oxford United; free), Shaun Cooper, Matt Sparrow (Scunthorpe United; free), Mustapha Dumbuya (Notts County; free), Lateef Elford-Aliyu

Ins: Vadaine Oliver (Lincoln City, Undisclosed fee), Thierry Audel (Macclesfield Town; free), Lee Molyneux (Accrington Stanley; free), Anthony Grant (Stevenage; free)

Outs: Joe Gorman (Inverness Caledonian Thistle; free), Luke Murphy (Leeds United; Undisclosed fee), Andy White, Harry Clayton, Brendon Daniels, Paris Bateman, Brandon Moores, Liam Wilson, Toby Appleton

Ins: Joe Gritt (Hayes & Yeading United; free), Amine Linganzi (Accrington Stanley; free), Antonio German (Brentford; free), Adebayo Akinfenwa (Northampton Town; free), Cody McDonald (Coventry City; free), Tommy Forecast (Southampton; free)

Outs: Jack Evans (Tamworth; free), Andy Frampton (AFC Wimbledon; free), Lewis Montrose (York City; free), Jack Payne (Peterborough United; Undisclosed fee), Deon Burton

Ins: Jake Larkins (West Ham United; free), Shaun Batt (Millwall; free), Yohann Lasimant (Unattached)

Outs: Jimmy Smith (Stevenage; free), Michael Symes (Burton Albion; free), Charlie MacDonald (Oldham Athletic; free), Anthony Griffith (Port Vale; free), Lee Cook, Leon McSweeney, Martin Rowlands, Lee Butcher

Ins: Patrick Bamford (Chelsea; loan), Ben Reeves (Southampton; free), Jason Banton (Crystal Palace; loan)

Outs: Mason Spence (Colchester United; free), Ryan Lowe (Tranmere Rovers; free), Gary MacKenzie (Blackpool; Undisclosed fee), Adam Chicksen (Brighton & Hove Albion; Undisclosed fee), Mathias Doumbe, Charlie Burns

Ins: Malcolm Melvin (Aston Villa; free), Andy Haworth (Rochdale; free), Mustapha Dumbuya (Crawley Town; free), Danny Haynes (Charlton Athletic; free), Kyle Dixon, Romello Nangle, Malachi Lavelle-Moore (all professional contracts), David Bell (Coventry City; free)

Outs: Jeff Hughes (Fleetwood Town; free), Alan Judge (Blackburn Rovers; free), Neal Bishop, Julian Kelly, Hamza Bencherif, Liam Mitchell, Jake Wholey

Ins: Jonson Clarke-Harris (Peterborough United; Undisclosed fee), James Dayton (Kilmarnock; free), Sidney Schmeltz (SC Veendam; free), Korey Smith (Norwich City; free), Mark Oxley (Hull City; loan), Charlie MacDonald (Leyton Orient; free), Anton Rodgers (Brighton & Hove Albion; free), Edijs Joksts (Unattached; free)

Outs: Connor Hughes (Hyde; free), Matt Smith (Leeds United; free), Alex Cisak (Burnley; free), Dean Furman (Doncaster Rovers; free), Jean-Yves M'voto (Doncaster Rovers; free), Robbie Simpson, Dean Bouzanis, Liam Jacob, Daniel Taylor

Ins: Jack Payne (Gillingham, Undisclosed fee)

Outs: Jonson Clarke-Harris (Oldham Athletic; Undisclosed fee), George Boyd (Hull City; free), Dwight Gayle (Crystal Palace; Undisclosed fee)

Ins: Kaid Mohammed (Cheltenham Town; free), Chris Robertson (Preston North End; free), Gavin Tomlin (Southend United; free), Chris Lines (Sheffield Wednesday; free), Anthony Griffith (Leyton Orient; free)

Outs: John McCombe (Mansfield Town; free), Sam Morsy (Chesterfield; Undisclosed fee), Darren Purse, Kingsley James, Calvin Andrew, Clayton McDonald, Ashley Vincent

Ins: Tom Clarke (Huddersfield Town; free), Chris Humphrey (Motherwell; free), Declan Rudd (Norwich City; loan), Kevin Davies (Bolton Wanderers; free)

Outs: Chris Robertson (Port Vale; free), Andy Proctor (Bury; free), Luke Foster

Ins: Joe Skarz (Bury; free), Richard Brindley (Chesterfield; free), Adam Collin (Carlisle United; free), Danny Hylton (Aldershot Town; free), David Worrall (Bury; Undisclosed fee), Robert Milsom (Aberdeen; free), Michael Tidser (Greenock Morton; £50k)

Outs: Nicky Hunt (Accrington Stanley; free), Ian Sharps (Burton Albion; free), Dale Tonge (Torquay United; free), Andy Warrington, Alec Denton

Ins: Jasper Johns (Everton; free), Sean McGinty (Manchester United; free), Stephen McGinn (Watford; free), Febian Brandy (Walsall; free), Lyle Taylor (Falkirk; Undisclosed fee), Conor Coady (Liverpool; loan)

Outs: Barry Robson (Aberdeen; free), Dave Kitson (Oxford United; free), Jordan Chapell (Torquay United; free), Richard Cresswell (York City; free), Matt Harriott, Lescinel Jean-Francois, Danny Coyne

Ins: Alex McQuade (Bolton Wanderers; free), Dave Winfield (Wycombe Wanderers; free), Tamika Mkandawire (Millwall; free), Akwasi Asante (Birmingham City; loan), John Marsden (Stoke City; free)

Outs: Marvin Morgan (Plymouth Argyle; free), Mark Wright, Rob Purdie (Hereford United; free), Matt Richards (Cheltenham Town; free), Ryan Doble, Asa Hall (Oxford United; loan), Jermaine Grandison

Ins: Luke Jones (Mansfield Town; free), Oumare Tounkara (Bristol Rovers; free), Simon Heslop (Oxford United; free), Sam Wedgbury (Macclesfield Town; free), Jordan Burrow (Morecambe; free), Jimmy Smith (Leyton Orient; free)

Outs: Patrick Agyemang (Portsmouth; free), Michael Thalassitis (Ebbsfleet United; loan), Mark Roberts (Fleetwood Town; free), Anthony Grant (Crewe Alexandra; free), Andy Iro, Miguel Comminges, Bondz N'Gala

Ins: Jack Barthram (Tottenham Hotspur; free), Alex Smith (Fulham; free), Grant Hall (Tottenham Hotspur; loan), Massimo Luongo (Tottenham Hotspur; loan), Tijane Reis (Unattached), Alex Pritchard (Tottenham Hotspur; loan), Nathan Byrne (Tottenham Hotspur; Undisclosed fee), Adam Rooney (Birmingham City; free)

Outs: Joe Devera (Portsmouth; free), Aden Flint (Bristol City; £300k), Gary Roberts (Chesterfield; free), Alan McCormack (Brentford; free), Chris Smith, Simon Ferry, Raffaele De Vita, Tommy Miller

Ins: Stephen Foster (Barnsley; free), Evan Horwood (Hartlepool United; free), Ryan Lowe (Milton Keynes Dons; free), Akpo Sodje (Scunthorpe United; free), Chris Atkinson (Huddersfield Town; loan), James Rowe (Forest Green Rovers; free)

Outs: Paul Black (Mansfield Town; free), Danny Harrison (Chester; free), David Amoo (Carlisle United; free), Michael Kay (Chester; free), Adam McGurk

Ins: Milan Lalkovic (Chelsea; loan), Troy Hewitt (Queens Park Rangers; free), Richard O'Donnell (Chesterfield; free)

Outs: Jake Jones (Tamworth; free), Febian Brandy (Sheffield United; free), Will Grigg (Brentford; fee yet TBC), Jamie Paterson (Nottingham Forest; Undisclosed fee), George Bowerman, Richard Taundry, Aaron Williams, Connor Taylor

Ins: Sam Ricketts (Bolton Wanderers; free)

Outs: Adam Hammill (Huddersfield Town; Undisclosed fee), Dorus De Vries (Nottingham Forest; free), Eggert Jonsson, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Stephen Hunt, Christophe Berra, Johnny Gorman, Sam Winnall, Jody Craddock (retired)

Pride of Nottingham would like to thank Dan Phillips for providing us with the latest transfer news and we wish Port Vale the best of luck! Let's all do the Hughesy!! (Just not against us please)

49 took part out of 51 cyclists, how much money was raised by the event?

The bike ride hopes to raise in excess of £5,000. Riders are collecting in the sponsorship in the coming weeks and we hope to have the final total available in August.

On the 25th May 2010 a meeting was held in the boardroom to announce the launch of the Jimmy & Jack Memorial Fund , organised by Notts County fanzine - The Pie.

Could you please tell us a little about the Statue Fund - Such as how it came about and if you have any further event(s) planned etc?

The meeting, which was very well attended, saw the formation of the committee for the fund, whose primary aim was to raise the funds for a statue in honour of Notts County legends Jimmy Sirrel and Jack Wheeler. A committee was formed to help establish a fund raising campaign and design the statue, which will cost £75,000

The Jimmy and Jack statue fund raising committee was formed in 2011 by several fans who wanted to see the legends recognised and a statue made and funds now stand at £40, 387 (as at 19th June 2013). We do have other ideas about how to continue to raise funds and presently, we still have 116 plinth names (£25.00 each for a name) for sale, a limited number of the miniature statues for sale in the club shop, a rolling raffle to win a miniature statue. We also have a real asset in Jimmy Willan as a committee member and he has worked very hard to secure donations of football memorabilia from clubs across the country that we hope to have available through various events in the future. Our aim now is to have the funds raised by the end of the 13/14 season.

How did the committee manage to gain interest and help from the ex players?

Les Bradd plays a key role as part of the committee and it was his work, along with Paul Lowe (who sponsored the ride) that were able to secure the ride happening. Les through his obvious connection with the club and former players was able to encourage player participation and as you saw, they all entered into it with commitment and enjoyment.

As a organizer of the event, how did you feel taking part in and how much did it mean to you?

Taking part in the event was very important to me. I wasn't fortunate to see Notts under the leadership of Jimmy Sirrel, but I love the club I am passionate, along with many others to make sure we get this statue. This was my way as a committee member and a supporter to do my bit towards making it happen. It was great fun and surprisingly I would do it again for Jimmy and Jack . I will continue to do anything and everything that I am able to along with all other committee members but it must be said that it is the generosity of the fans that has got us to this point. If anyone wants to know more they can visit our website and of course they will always find a committee member in MLSB on matchdays.

Pride of Nottingham would like to wish the Statue Fund all the best with raising the required amount and we would also like to thank Lisa Black for answering our questions, along with putting time aside to do so.

Jimmy & Jack website; Visit Here

David cut his teeth in the world of football with Rusden & Diamonds, where he spent 6 years playing with the non league outfit.

He made a total of 109 appearances with a further 13 being made as a substitute, he scored 10 goals for them.

Luton Town then came in for the player, where he made a break through into their team as key player under Mike Newell the former Everton and Blackburn Rovers player and Kevin Blackwell. In January 2007 he signed a 3 year deal to stay at Luton until 2010 but was eventually loaned out to Leicester City.

He made a total of 62 appearances for Luton Town with again 13 being made as a substitute, he scored 7 goals.

His short loan deal with the Foxes saw him notch up a further 6 league starts, no goals scored.

In 2008 David Bell signed for Norwich City for an undisclosed fee.

He made a total of 12 appearances for Norwich City, with a further 7 being made as a substitute and no goals scored.

On 29 January 2009, Coventry City then snapped up the player for an undisclosed fee reported to be around the region of £500,000.

The 29 year old played his last game for Coventry City against us at Meadow Lane, which resulted in an entertaining 2-2 draw.

He made 69 appearances for Coventry City with a further 25 being made as a substitute. He scored 5 goals during his time with the Sky Blues.

Pride of Nottingham now welcomes the creative midfielder to the Meadow Lane and we eagerly await seeing him in action. You Pies!

Discuss This Transfer - Inside our Community.

For myself I had been disappointed that something I knew I could have helped with would be passing me by, I had quite seriously dislocated my knee and although I am now on the mend. I was advised that this would be too much and likely cause me further complications, I had taken to Facebook to filter my disappointment. I wasn't aware that help was required, so I was really chuffed when I was asked to consider being a Marshall.

On the 14/07/2013 I arrived to see scenes which looked quite spectacular, a large amount of people lining up outside various places. From the main gate/conker tree, club shop all the way to the ticket office. Immediately I was alerted to the ex players who were forming to the side of the conker tree.

It took me a little time to realize who some where, regardless of being told who was already there. I could only recognise players who I had grown up watching, the likes of Tommy Johnson, Steve Cherry, Mark Draper, Lawrie Dudfield and later “Charlie McParland”.

After obtaining my high-visibility vest, it was soon time for myself and Andy Black to set off to our locations but before we could reach our points, Andy needed to pass on some more details, along with their vests to some of the other Marshall's and make sure they understood their location points.

Andy also needed to place some ribbon to a bench, as concerns of turning right at a point was raised which could send the cyclists in the wrong direction. As we approached the area, the first team was already zipping by us but it was fairly large in numbers and it appeared that some had separated away from their team leaders.

The ribbon was placed on the bench, as the third team was approaching and it was now our time to get into position. If we didn't reach our points fairly quickly, the first team would pass us by and we'd have no way of knowing if they were on course.

Thankfully by the time I had reached my point nobody had passed the Marshall before my point, which was Jimmy Willan a name most if not all county fans will know. I set my point up, sat in my chair and took to taking some photos of my point, Nooning Lane. Quite a nice and peaceful area, I really like surroundings like this and I felt quite lucky to be stationed there.

Not long after I had gotten comfortable, a car passed and some easily recognizable faces who seemed to be chanting county songs (possibly my name also but I couldn't quite tell). Then after that, the players approached who had broken off course and came flying passed me. Mark Draper was talking to the other three about Jimmy Willan and I heard one say 'Who's he?' and amusingly the other three piped up 'The guy who writes and sings those county songs' followed by a quick 'Oh right, yeah'.

The first team passed me not long after and before I knew it, I was being kept company by Jimmy himself. A lovely man, my feeling of privilege and luck was almost sky high by this point. My grandfather had a lot of respect for Jimmy Willan, I often heard his songs as a child and when we went on trips we always sang 'County's the team for me'.

I have to admit, which I hope is not taken the wrong way, I was a little nervous of seeming ignorant, as I was concerned that I would struggle to pick up his Scottish accent but unlike my next door neighbour (who's Irish) I could easily follow.

Jimmy shared some really nice stories, I was surprised to learn that he had spent time living in and supporting Liverpool but the part I feel most came home was when he told me why he liked supporting Notts. Very similar to what made me connect, as when my Grandfather first took me I wasn't all that interested. I wanted to go watching Derby with my father, although this has been touched upon before by me. It was the fact that you can feel 'close' to the club and that players like Michael Johnson would speak to fans, a player my Grandfather often chatted too.

During our conversation we had missed a phone call each from Andy, neither of us had heard our phones but the first team had set back off to Meadow Lane. I was a little saddened I didn't have longer to speak with Jimmy, although I hope there will be a next time.

I stupidly sat back down forgetting I need to change locations, as I tend to forget things. I thought I noticed a part of our group which reminded me, so I folded my chair and collected my things. Before making a dash across to the other side and thankfully it wasn't any of our group.

I took to trying to share the event via our Facebook Page and Twitter, although Twitter doesn't seem to like me sharing images via 3g and so I missed an opportunity there.

All of a sudden a group of four emerged and I was on the phone to my wife, who notified me of a change at home. As the cyclists got closer and I'm not joking, I responded 'Oooh It's Tommy Johnson and Mark Draper'. Followed by Dudfield, Cherry and then Bartlett. They briefly stopped and chatted to me, Mark had noticed who I was and he asked me how I was (followed by a why aren't you doing this?'. Despite having spoken to Mark and Tommy quite a few times, I still felt like a child seeing their icon. Luckily, I didn't stutter and I spoke pretty clearly.

By the time the second group had passed me, Andy had joined me and we was waiting for the other groups to pass.

Andy took to taking some photos of the teams/cyclists who passed. I pointed them in the right direction and as soon as it started, we were on our way back. Quite amazing how events like this can bring a sense of pride, a word I'm rather fond of for obvious reasons.

After sweeping and running some safety checks, I had found my way back to the starting point and the scenes again very impressive. I liked how the players mingled and everyone had huge smiles on their faces, it was nice to see younger fans turn up along with their parents. Time for the celebrations to start and several group photos, which I quite happily hide from but I did think it would have been nice to have a group photo of all the helping hands and organizers.

The celebrations continued at the nearby Navi pub, where I was surprised to receive a certificate and photo with 3 three of our ex players. Also, noticeably the atmosphere increased after England had won their first test match.

I'd like to take time to Thank Lisa and Andy Black, also Jimmy Willan and I'd like to give a special mention to one of our other Marshall's Shaun.

Well Done to everyone involved and thank you, Photo's will eventually follow.

Born on 19th of January 1988, he started his career at youth level for Charlton Athletic before moving onto Ipswich Town.

He made his senior debut in 2005, which saw him go on to make 115 appearances and scoring 17 goals, noticeably gaining popularity after scoring a last minute winning goal against arch-rivals Norwich City in the following year.

Haynes was later loaned out to Millwall where he only made 5 appearances, scoring 2 goals.

He's spent time with Bristol City and Barnsley making a combined 83 appearances and scoring 14 goals.

Charlton Athletic signed Haynes on the 13th of January 2012 for an undisclosed fee, making a return to them after starting out as a youngster.

Chris Kiwomya told the official site “I think everyone was aware that one of our top priorities this summer was adding extra firepower to the squad and I knew very early on that Danny was the man that I wanted to bring in.”

“It was far from straightforward, but then it never is when you’re going after good players, they always have other clubs interested in them and that is reassuring in some ways,” he added.

“I know Danny well, having seen him play at the very start of his career and I think he’s the perfect fit for Notts County, he's a player that has the ability to excite the fans and we're looking forward to seeing him in action.”

Although his goal scoring record perhaps would leave room for some concern, the fashion he tends to score would not. The move to our club at League One level is exciting, he's a very natural player, with both pace and movement. A contributing factor that might well see him finding the net more for us, especially with the talk of strengthening our midfield.

Pride of Nottingham would like to welcome Danny Haynes to Meadow Lane, we hope he enjoys his time with us and becomes a fan favourite.

You Pies!

Malcolm proved to be fierce midfielder for Aston Villa, he produced a string of all-action performances for their youth team, chipping in with four goals in the 2011/2012 season.

He began the previous season with an opening goal in a 4-0 victory over Watford, he also went on to score against Birmingham City as Villa triumphed with another impressive 4-0 win.

Melvin has been capped by Scotland at U17, U18 and U19's.

He's the typical quick, strong and holding type player. He's keen on challenges, which he isn't known for backing down from. He joins on the recommendation of our Chief Scout Matt Alexander, who rates Malcolm highly.

Although he hasn't made his professional début, he could prove to be the type of capture we will need to learn to spot.

It's great to see the positive feedback, we certainly don't have anything to lose by offering him a 6 month contract and we here at Pride of Nottingham would like to wish him every success, wheather it's here at Notts County or away from the club.

Well Done to Notts for making this promising signing, hopefully a sign of more to come.