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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has hailed his Notts County side for showing their “inner strength” to help preserve their unbeaten record at Meadow Lane.
The Magpies put in a meek showing against Forest Green but managed to claw a point thanks to a 96th-minute equaliser from Rob Milsom on Saturday.
FGR, managed by former Notts boss Mark Cooper, led for more than an hour courtesy of Omar Bugiel’s opener, but left Nottingham having had to share the points in a 1-1 draw.
“We didn’t play well, but we showed we have inner strength and belief that you can get something no matter how bad you are playing,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post.
“We always say try to stay in the game for as long as possible because you never know what can happen.
“They did that. We all weren’t great. We just waited for that chance and when it came along, we put it away.
“In the end we got a great result when we looked like we were heading for defeat.”
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Chris
Notts County have slipped to second in League Two after a 1-1 draw with Forest Green Rovers on Saturday.
The Magpies struggled against their opponents, who prop up the Football League, and needed a last-ditch goal from Rob Milsom to salvage a point after Omar Bugiel had edged Mark Cooper's side into the lead in the first half.
Here is Chris's analysis of yesterday's game at Meadow Lane.
Was the result fair?
Some opposition fans like to call me biased on social media, however this may come as a shock to them but Notts County honestly robbed Forest Green Rovers yesterday. FGR deserved the win, and although their time wasting really did bite them back – they should have left with all three points.
How did Notts play?
Awful, I can’t sugar coat it and I simply refuse to try.
Defending wasn’t acceptable at all, we allowed Forest Green to simply pass straight through us and largely without any sort of challenges to win the ball. It was very disappointing, and very difficult to understand how a team that has worked so hard in recent months have simply fallen apart in the recent games.
I spoke about how Forest Green Rovers had a good midfield in my scouting report and we simply failed to match them – in terms of effort, desire and professionalism.
How did Forest Green Rovers play?
I felt depressed writing the scouting report, yet despite my opinion on their defence FGR played very well. They looked much tighter at the back, and easily in control from there on – their midfield worked hard to control and win the ball. This for me was very impressive, they appeared to be well organised and performed like a team quite far from the foot of the League Two table.
Defensively, they did crumble with pressure and this was something else I pointed out but their time wasting stung them in the end.
Did our tactics work out?
Not at all, we simply refused to play the ball on the ground yet again.
This for me was largely annoying, as there were times when we strung a few passes together and looked half decent – even within the first half. Yet someone would always tend to rush it within the final third and I believe its time certain players warmed the bench a little.
I’m sorry, it looked like we had no tactical awareness.
How did the referee perform?
Aside from the inability to control the game, spot a blatant hand-ball, lack of overview to what could have been a serious head injury and of course a lot of time wasting from the FGR players (mostly their keeper, and when taking throw ins) – I guess you could say ‘well that is why he’s a former Premier League referee'. He was absolutely dire and quite lethargic in every sense.
Who do we play next?
Barnet – They’re a capable side on their day, and a team which shouldn’t be where they currently are. These will work hard just like Forest Green Rovers did – so Notts must focus on playing the ball on the floor.
How should we play them?
Keep the ball on the floor, pass it nicely but keep it simple.
Notts have a tendency of overplaying it at times and the forcing of open play can be a real issue – there’s absolutely little need to pressure ourselves, so just take our time and build properly.
In the recent games against Mansfield and FGR, Notts haven’t really been building from the back and as a result the defence has looked shaky from little pressure. Against Barnet this needs correcting, so take time to pass it out wide – get a feel of the ball and move with confidence.
We will need to use the flanks as a way to inject pace against The Bees – however Notts must enjoy the holding possession and its times like this I wished Kevin Nolan would focus a little more on the passing phrases we create.
Chances should come, and if we play hard enough the rewards will be clear for all.
Just need to avoid another bad game, as this could set in and really the players need to believe in themselves – they’re capable of winning as we have seen great results already.
Forest Green fan comments (from FGRForum)
Coyler: The fact we are gutted about drawing against the league leaders shows that we may of turned a corner. Sounded like we were good for the win. KMB back involved , point at the league leaders and we got a few winnable games coming up. Positivity is needed.
The Jovial Forester: Sickener late on but sounded like a hell of a performance.
FGR-Ledge: Well done lads, that was cruel indeed, would have snapped your hand off for a point before hand though. Looks like we are up against bent referees as well!! 7 minutes added time!!!!!!!!
Lady Magpie: What a shame about the injury time equaliser, mind you I would have had a draw before the start of the match. At least we are out of the bottom 2 in the league.
Foggy: We brought on a substitute during time added on, which means the minimum of five minutes will be extended by the referee, tough but that is the rule.
Garyjj: Absolutely gutted on the way back where is our luck? We were more than matching top of the table notts county and one moment of madness and it's only one point, deserved so much more.
Tommyd: Fantastic result just gutted by the late goal. Would never have expected this. Was important not to lose today and keep the belief after the win midweek. Away points are going to be precious so well done to the lads.
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Joe Jones
Notts County have somehow claimed a point from the jaws of defeat on Saturday as their League Two game with Forest Green Rovers ended all square at Meadow Lane.
The division's bottom side took the lead on the half-hour mark through Omar Bugiel and held on until the sixth minute of injury time, when Rob Milsom nodded home for a final score of 1-1.
The result means that Magpies have slipped to second in League Two, with Exeter City reclaiming top spot.
Here is what the Notts boss, some of the players and several fans had to say following the game.
Kevin Nolan
"I'm relieved. Fair play to the lads, they persevered and got their rewards in the end with a well-worked goal.
"I don't think we turned up today, which is disappointing. A lot of lads didn't have one of their better days but the togetherness they showed got us over the line and earned a point, which they can take a massive lift from.
"A lot of people would have been coming here today expecting us to win 3-0 or 4-0 but this is a very tough league and anyone can beat anyone.
"We weren't great – we know that – but we kept ourselves in the game and put the chance away when it came to turn a defeat into a point.
"I'm frustrated because I know we are a lot better than what we've shown today but when you score in the 94th minute, it shows the lads have an inner steel about them and I am delighted with that."
Rob Milsom
"It was an important goal and we needed it because we didn't have the best of performances. I'm glad we've got something out of the game.
"We rightly got a kick up the backside at half-time because it wasn't good enough in the first half.
"We've set ourselves standards now and we can't drop off. We had a poor result last weekend and needed to make amends today.
"We weren't brilliant in the second half either but we kept going and hopefully that point can mean something come the end of the season."
The players on social media
 
 
The Notts fans (from the FGR match discussion)
Allardycestash: We just got everything all wrong, Kevin Nolan has tough decisions to make about a select few players who so far do not warrant a starting position at all.
Upthepies: It was a frustrating game against Forest Green. I was impressed by how good they looked on the ball, very calm and collected within their passing. If anything I am annoyed that Notts looked like the side struggling for form and after the Mansfield game I expected better. I am sure Kevin Nolan will correct the performances but even the basics we failed with yesterday. 1-1 against them is not worth celebrating at all.
Liampie: I thought we looked worse than we did during any point of last season. What was with the passing and defending? every time we looked able to get back level, someone would lose the ball or give it a way poorly. the defending was awful because nobody really did it.
DangerousSausage: FGR played some nice football and looked a good footballing side, but that doesn't get you far if your defence switches off at crucial moments. A glance at the table suggests this wasn't the first time either. It's a shame we didn't ask more questions of their defence before the 96th minute.
Chris: I have to give FGR credit, they played well and looked a capable side. Their midfield made it very difficult and did well at pressing us back. I was very disappointed with the lack of marking and responsibility in terms of defending. They was there for the taking to be honest (as we seen in the second half) but we just performed badly. Very dire performance, and I felt the referee was very poor.
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Chris
Notts County managed to seize a draw from the jaws of defeat on Saturday as their League Two game with Forest Green Rovers ended all square at Meadow Lane.
The division's bottom side took the lead on the half-hour mark through Omar Bugiel and held on to their advantage until the 96th minute of injury time, when Rob Milsom nodded home for a final score of 1-1.
The Magpies barely deserved to come away with anything following a very lacklustre performance against Mark Cooper's side and have slipped to second in League Two, with Exeter City reclaiming top spot.
Pride of Nottingham was at Meadow Lane for the game and interviewed a number of fans ahead of kickoff, asking them several questions including what they thought of Kevin Nolan winning Manager of the Month and their opinions on former Notts duo Mark Cooper and Liam Noble.
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Chris
Rob Milsom's stoppage-time header has helped Notts County preserve their unbeaten home record as they were held to a 1-1 draw by lowly Forest Green Rovers at Meadow Lane on Saturday.
The Magpies midfielder connected with Matt Tootle's cross and nodded beyond Rovers goalkeeper Sam Russell in the 96th minute to dramatically cancel out Omar Bugiel's first-half opener for the visitors.
Notts were incredibly average throughout the game and were very lucky to escape with a point, though the result saw them slip to second in League Two as Exeter City reclaimed top spot.
Pride of Nottingham was at the match and took photos of the fans before, during and after the game.
Have you made it into this week's Faces of PON? Check out our gallery and find out!

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Joe Jones
As Notts County alumni go, David "Dave" Watson has to go down as one of the most well-travelled players with one of the most comprehensive careers to have donned the black and white stripes.
Born in Stapleford on 5 October 1946, Watson worked as an electrician before getting his footballing break with the Magpies in 1966.
Watson made 26 appearances for Notts over two seasons before being signed by Rotherham United, then under the management of future Scotland and Manchester United manager Tommy Docherty, in a player exchange deal which saw Keith Pring and £1,000 going from Millmoor to Meadow Lane.
Watson was thrust into a relegation battle with the Millers in 1967–68 which was unsuccessful, and as Docherty left and Jim McAnearney came in, the then-22-year-old was made club captain and used both up front and in defence.
After four seasons at Millmoor, making 141 appearances and scoring 21 goals, Watson caught the attention of Sunderland manager Alan Brown who paid £100,000 for his services in December 1970.
Watson was initially used up front, but when Bob Stokoe took over in November 1972, the player was deployed at centre-back, a position which he would dominate throughout the remainder of his career.
Sunderland ended up reaching the 1973 FA Cup final where they pulled off one of the biggest shocks of all time, beating First Division giants Leeds United - then one of the big English clubs - 1-0, and Watson was singled out for praise by Stokoe for his subduing of strike duo Allan Clarke and Mick Jones.
Watson's performances for Sunderland saw him called up to the England team less than a year after the FA Cup win, making his debut in a friendly against Portugal in Lisbon at age 27.
In the summer of 1975, Watson joined First Division side Manchester City for a fee of £175,000 in a deal which saw Jeff Clarke move the other way.
The Citizens won the League Cup in 1976 beating Newcastle United 2–1, the defender playing on with blood pouring from a head wound and being interviewed in the dressing room afterwards while receiving stitches.
All in all Watson spent four seasons at Maine Road, which saw Man City miss out on the title in 1976–77 by one point - his performances saw him voted player of the year that season.
In 1979, Watson decided to have a go in a foreign league, joining Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, but his time at the German club was short due to incurring an eight-week ban for pushing an opposition player in just his second game.
He was fined by his club and refused to travel to an away match against Schalke 04 because of an injury before turning up to play for England and, unsurprisingly, he returned to these shores by October, with Southampton signing him for £200,000.
Watson played 31 games in 1979–80 and 44 games in 1980–81 as the Saints finished 8th and 6th respectively, and he lined up alongside five previous or future England captains - Mick Channon, Alan Ball, Kevin Keegan, Mick Mills, and Peter Shilton.
In 1982, Watson moved to Stoke City, where he set a record of becoming the first man to make England international appearances while in the books of five different clubs.
Up next were two spells in the United States with Vancouver Whitecaps, being voted into the NASL All Stat team of 83, and Fort Lauderdale Sun, who ended up as USL champions, either side of a season at Derby County.
And eventually, Watson's career came full circle as, in 1984, he rejoined hometown club Notts County as a player/coach, 16 years after first departing Meadow Lane, and making 25 appearances for the Magpies in his second spell.
That wasn't the end of his career just yet though - Watson made 14 appearances for Kettering Town in 85-86 before finally hanging up his boots.
Alongside his club career, Watson was also a rock for England, making 65 appearances for the Three Lions and scoring 4 goals.
In a cruel twist of fate, however, his England career coincided with one of the nation's most barren spells at international level - following the 1970 World Cup, the Three Lions did not reach another tournament until Euro 1980.
Though Watson did at least get to represent his country in "Europa 80" in Italy - an eight-team tournament with two groups where the winner of each would be catapulted into the final - he missed out on the 1982 World Cup, with manager Ron Greenwood selecting only three specialist central defenders, Phil Thompson, Terry Butcher and Steve Foster.
To this day, Watson remains the most-capped England player never to play in a World Cup finals match.
After his footballing career, Watson started a marketing business in Nottingham, where he lives with his wife Penny, while their son Roger (aka Dj Hal) is a successful DJ, musician, and producer.
A prodigal son of Nottingham and one of the best English defenders of his day, Dave Watson is one of the most distinguished Notts County alumni of all time.
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Joe Jones
Rob Milsom's stoppage-time header has helped Notts County preserve their unbeaten home record as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Forest Green Rovers at Meadow Lane on Saturday.
The Magpies midfielder met Matt Tootle's cross to nod past FGR goalkeeper Sam Russell in the 96th minute, a goal which cancelled out Omar Bugiel's first-half opener for the visitors.
Notts were lacklustre throughout the game and were very lucky to escape with a point, though the result saw them slip to second in League Two as Exeter City reclaimed top spot.
The club have posted the match highlights on their official YouTube channel so, should you wish to see them again, here they are for you.
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ARLukomski
Notts County managed to claim a draw from the jaws of defeat on Saturday as their League Two game with Forest Green Rovers ended all square at Meadow Lane.
The division's bottom side took the lead on the half-hour mark through Omar Bugiel and held on to their advantage until deep - and I mean really deep - into injury time, when Rob Milsom equalised for a final score of 1-1.
The Magpies barely deserved to come away with anything following a very lacklustre performance against Mark Cooper's side but their point keeps them in the top two, though Exeter City are now back in first place.
ARLukomski, a Notts vlogger and Pride of Nottingham contributor, discussed the fixture ahead of kickoff, gave his thoughts as the game went on, and talked about the performance and result after the final whistle.
Follow ARLukomski on his YouTube channel by clicking here.
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Joe Jones
Rob Milsom has conceded that Notts County did not play well against Forest Green Rovers and is glad to have got something out of the game.
The midfielder's first goal for the club deep into stoppage time at the end of the second half got the better of opposition goalkeeper Sam Russell to salvage a 1-1 draw for the Magpies.
"It was an important goal and we needed it because we didn't have the best of performances," Milsom told the official Notts site. "I'm glad we've got something out of the game.
"We rightly got a kick up the backside at half-time because it wasn't good enough in the first half.
"We've set ourselves standards now and we can't drop off. We had a poor result last weekend and needed to make amends today.
"We weren't brilliant in the second half either but we kept going and hopefully that point can mean something come the end of the season."
Though Milsom admitted the Magpies were well below par, he praised their ability to still claim a result.
"It's just about grinding results out – clean sheets are very important, as is going to the end," he added.
"I lost count of the amount of times at Rotherham when we scored in the last minute of games to pick up a draw or a win.
"We've got a great team spirit and we went right to the end. If you keep pushing, you will get the goal and that's what happened.
"We have to try and rack up as many points as we can until Christmas and we can assess things from there. We aren't getting ahead of ourselves.
"The gaffer has said we will work hard in training this week to put a few things right so we can come back and put in the type of performance we were putting in a few weeks ago."
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has described himself as "relieved" after his Notts County charges claimed a point in a barely deserved 1-1 draw with Forest Green Rovers today.
The Magpies put in a flat performance as League Two's bottom side led for the majority of the game, through Omar Bugiel's strike on the half-hour, and more than held their colour at Meadow Lane.
Just as everyone in the home stands had all but resigned themselves to defeat, Rob Milsom netted in the 96th minute - with five minutes of added time previously announced - to claim a result.
"I'm relieved," Nolan told the official Notts site. "Fair play to the lads, they persevered and got their rewards in the end with a well-worked goal.
"I don't think we turned up today, which is disappointing. A lot of lads didn't have one of their better days but the togetherness they showed got us over the line and earned a point, which they can take a massive lift from.
"A lot of people would have been coming here today expecting us to win 3-0 or 4-0 but this is a very tough league and anyone can beat anyone.
"We weren't great – we know that – but we kept ourselves in the game and put the chance away when it came to turn a defeat into a point.
"I'm frustrated because I know we are a lot better than what we've shown today but when you score in the 94th minute, it shows the lads have an inner steel about them and I am delighted with that."
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Joe Jones
Notts County have stolen a point against Forest Green as Rob Milsom struck in the 96th minute to give his side a 1-1 draw in Saturday's League Two encounter at Meadow Lane.
The hosts, playing in front of a bumper crowd of 13,267, had their first chance four minutes in when Carl Dickinson sent a free kick wide of the near post.
Following a cagey start, Notts almost took the lead in the 25th minute as FGR defender Mark Roberts headed the ball back towards his own goalkeeper, who scrambled back but was lucky to see it go wide.
The Magpies picked up the pace afterwards but were left rattled when Forest Green broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark through Omar Bugiel, who sneaked in at the back post to prod home Christian Doidge's cross.
Luke James then forced Adam Collin into a save with a diving header as Mark Cooper's charges, who are without a league win since August, looked to double their lead.
Kevin Nolan shifted his formation round during a break in play and Notts almost drew level in first-half stoppage time, only for Jon Stead's scuffed effort from Jonathan Forte's low cross to be kept out by Sam Russell.
Following the restart, Jorge Grant sidefooted wide from 12 yards out, while a penalty appeal was turned down in the 53rd minute when the ball hit Isaiah Osbourne's arm.
As the game went on, County found clear-cut chances hard to come by in what was shaping up to be a frustrating afternoon, while Forest Green were hardly dominating in the final third either.
Ameobi then wasted the hosts' best opportunity when he headed wide of the post from Grant's cross in what seemed to be the last chance of the game.
However, there was to be a late twist as Dickinson sent the ball up the field, Ameobi knocked it on towards Matt Tootle, and the Slug crossed towards the centre where Milsom nodded beyond the reach of Russell.
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Joe Jones
Carl Dickinson has compared Notts County manager Kevin Nolan to Tony Pulis due to their emphasis on organisational play and set pieces.
The 30-year-old won promotion to the Premier League under Pulis with Stoke City in 2008, where the club has remained since.
Now at West Bromwich Albion, Pulis continues to impress, having turned a yo-yo team into an established top-tier side.
“A lot of things the manager has done reminds me of Tony Pulis, especially the organisational part,” Dickinson told the Nottingham Post.
“Pulis was massive on set-plays and organisation and I can see the similarities between them.
“That’s one of the reasons why we were so successful that year at Stoke, and why he’s been successful since.”
Dickinson also spoke of how Nolan has ushered in a camaraderie that was lacking under previous regimes.
“I think the spirit we have is one of the reasons why we are being so successful at the minute,” he added.
“There is a lot of team bonding under the gaffer whereas previously I couldn’t remember doing anything.
“It speaks a lot for where we were before the gaffer came in. We are a tight-knit group, and we have a laugh, but when it comes to training and matches, we are all 100 percent focused and have each other’s backs.”
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has given a positive assessment of Michael O'Connor's rehabilitation from a serious knee injury.
The midfielder, who recently turned 30, needed surgery to repair his cruciate ligaments and on his meniscus, an injury picked up against Portsmouth in April last season.
Nolan says he has been happy with the progress made so far by the club captain and hasn’t ruled out a return by the player at the end of the season.
“Occy is in a good place,” the manager told the Nottingham Post. “We are on target. He has been absolutely meticulous in all his rehab.
“Johnny Wilson (head of medicine) has been absolutely brilliant with his plan. Occy has followed it to a tee and hats off to both of them because everything is on schedule.
“I am hoping it has given him a massive chance of putting the black and white kit on by the end of the season. He’s just got to keep working hard.
“We’ve tried to keep him busy by getting him watching games.
“We asked him to go up in the stands when we are here (Meadow Lane) and if he sees anything then he can radio down to give us information.
“We want him as involved as much as possible. He came with us to Exeter and spent a couple of days doing his rehab down there.
“Occy is a great lad and we are all rooting for him to get back as quickly as possible.
“But we really have to be really careful because it’s his future. We will give him the best care we can.”
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Joe Jones
Notts County and Forest Green have literally only met the once, in the third round of the FA Cup on 19 January 2010, and it ended in a 2-1 win for the Magpies at Meadow Lane.
Stephen Hunt opened the scoring for the hosts in the 50th minute and, although Isaiah Rankin drew level on 63 minutes, Lee Hughes grabbed the winner one minute later.
Tomorrow thus marks the first ever league meeting between the two.
Forest Green Rovers were founded in October 1889 by Reverend E. J. H. Peach, the local Nonconformist church minister, representing the Forest Green area of Nailsworth in Gloucestershire.
The name Rovers was adopted in 1893, and the following year the club were founder members of the Mid-Gloucestershire League, the first association football league in the county outside Bristol.
After the league folded in 1902, Forest Green become members of the newly formed Stroud League and also members of the Dursley and District League which they won in 1903, the club's first silverware.
After a break for the First World War, Rovers enjoyed a period of great success winning two football leagues and three cups in both 1921 and 1922.
They then joined the newly formed Gloucestershire Northern Senior League with Cheltenham Town among others in 1922.
Rovers joined the newly formed County League in 1968 and played under manager Peter Goring for the next 11 years, moving up again to the Hellenic League in 1975 under his stewardship.
In 1982, Rovers achieved fame at Wembley winning the FA Vase 3-1 and at the same time winning the Hellenic League and moving into the Southern League Midland Division.
Seven years later a struggling Rovers outfit was renamed Stroud FC but this alienated a lot of people connected with the club, until the arrival of Trevor Horsley in 1992 saw the name changed back to Forest Green Rovers.
After finishing eighth in the Southern Division under Frank Gregan in 1995–96, they won the division the following season, earning promotion to the Premier Division of the Southern League.
The 1997–98 season then saw FGR them win the Southern League Premier Division, securing a second successive promotion and entry to the Football Conference.
FGR finished in the relegation zone in 2005 and 2010, but both times were handed a reprieve when Northwich Victoria and then Salisbury City were demoted for non-footballing reasons.
The club was then taken over by Ecotricity owner Dale Vince, at which point the team improved until finally sealing promotion into the Football League last season.
Notts legend Lee Hughes spent the 2014-15 season at Forest Green, scoring 15 goals in 42 games. At present, ex-Magpies midfielder Liam Noble, ex-loanee Drissa Traore  and former manager Mark Cooper ply their trade there.
Team news
Shola Ameobi is back in contention for Notts County after his return in the defeat at Mansfield Town.
The veteran striker had been sidelined for three weeks with a hamstring injury but played 20 minutes of the 3-1 loss at Field Mill.
Dan Jones is still struggling with a hamstring injury having missed the Magpies' last two games.
Aside from the defender, boss Kevin Nolan now has a fully-fit squad as they top League Two on goal difference.
Forest Green boss Mark Cooper has no new injury or suspension worries following his side's midweek EFL Trophy win against local rivals Cheltenham.
Defender Manny Monthe remains sidelined after fracturing a cheekbone in training last week and midfielder Liam Noble is also unavailable due to "a medical matter".
Cooper made just two changes on Tuesday night as defender Lee Collins and striker Omar Bugiel missed out and both players could return to the starting line-up.
Bugiel turned down an international call-up from Lebanon to stay and play for his club instead of his country's Asian Cup qualifier against North Korea in Beirut on October 10.
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Chris
Notts County entered October at the top of League Two, although they were left reeling from a 3-1 derby defeat at Mansfield Town, with the scoreline only marginally better thanks to Carl Dickinson's late consolation.
However, being brought back down to earth could be beneficial in the long term as it showed the Magpies players that great form and momentum can come crashing to a halt, so back to the drawing board.
Up next for Notts is a home game against the league's basement side, Forest Green Rovers, promoted from the National League last season.
Here is the scouting report for Saturday's League Two fixture at Meadow Lane courtesy of PON tsar Chris.
History
Notts County and Forest Green have literally only met the once, in the third round of the FA Cup on 19 January 2010.
Stephen Hunt opened the scoring for the Magpies in the 50th minute and, although Isaiah Rankin drew level on 63 minutes, Lee Hughes grabbed the winner one minute later.
Tomorrow thus marks the first ever league meeting between the two.
Run-down of their last six features
Saturday 9th September – Forest Green Rovers 1 Exeter City 3
Tuesday 12th September – Forest Green Rovers 0 Lincoln City 1
Saturday 16th September – Port Vale 1 Forest Green Rovers 1
Friday 22nd September – Forest Green Rovers 0 Swindon Town 2
Tuesday 26th September – Cambridge United 3 Forest Green Rovers 0
Saturday 30th September – Forest Green Rovers 0 Accrington Stanley 1
The Players – Fact Sheet
Highest Goal Scorers; Christian Doidge 4, Reece Brown 2, Omar Bugiel 2 and Liam Noble 1.
Persistent Foulers; Charlie Cooper 4 yellow cards, Dale Bennett 3 yellow cards, Mark Roberts 2 yellow cards and Liam Noble 2 yellow cards.
The Key Players
Stand-out player for Forest Green Rovers is easily Liam Noble, however it’s expected that the former Magpies midfielder won’t return to action for the Green Devils against Notts. He is easily their best player, capable of driving his team forward and in terms of his set pieces.
Luke James is an half decent winger and striker who enjoyed a spell with Hartlepool United, he can pull the strings and find space – however he can be pretty lacklustre as a striker.
Lastly Christian Doidge is a very capable player, who has a fair bit of pace and likes to get behind the opposition defence – he is a forward thinking player and offers them a lot of movement up top.
Style of Play, Strengths, and Weaknesses
Forest Green Rovers appears to be quite happy to allow teams to attack, going forward themselves they look a fairly useful side and can build useful chances. The majority of their attacks are formed via the use of the centre of the park, whilst hitting sides with a fair amount of pace.
They like to be patient within their build-up play, but can overthink when they have forced their way into dangerous areas.
The Green Devils have a very strong midfield in my opinion which can control games quite well on their day, however upfront they do appear to be somewhat disjointed.
Perhaps this could go down to confidence, or the fact they’re a struggling side adapting to life within the Football League.
However, defensively they are very poor – with little to no marking at all. They invite play upon themselves and sit back rather dangerously, whilst from a defensive point of view their organisation is extremely negative.
Notts just need to hold the ball within the midfield, draw Forest Green Rovers out of position and carefully inject pace into direct runs – it would be to our benefit to make use of the flanks until we have gone beyond their midfield.
Chances will be presented to the Magpies, yet FGR may force more shots from distance as they have a tendency of parking the bus.
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