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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has admitted that each Notts County player will have others in their position "breathing down their neck" when it comes to squad selection this season.
The Magpies began their season with a 3-0 hammering at Coventry City, but an impressive display at Scunthorpe United in the League Cup in midweek, following eight changes, has given the gaffer food for thought.
Nolan admits he does not know who he will be selecting for Saturday's game against Chesterfield at Meadow Lane, but is happy to know that every player will have to be at the top of their game.
"All the lads are going home not knowing whether or not they will be in the team on Saturday," he told the official club site.
"I don't know my team yet. I'm going to have a meeting with my coaching staff and will have to make tough decisions, but that's what I want.
"There will be 11 lads who will have earned the shirt on Saturday but they have to keep it because they have others breathing down their neck for their position."
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Chris
Ahead of Notts County's first home fixture of the 2017/18 League Two season, against local rivals Chesterfield, Pride of Nottingham spoke to Spireites fan Gary Hewitt (@Gooey1983) about his team to get a better insight on the opposition.
About Gary: I've been a Spireite since I went to my first game in 1995 against Blackpool with my dad and grandad, and always found a pride at following my home town team, felt a sense of belonging. This is despite moving to Scunthorpe in 1993, I always felt 'home' was still Chesterfield. I'm second cousin of Chesterfield legend Jamie Hewitt, who scored at Old Trafford against Middlesbrough in 1997! I try to get to about half of the games a season, work depending.
What went wrong last season and what has the club done to address relegation so far?
I believe the biggest mistake we made last year was our shocking recruitment in January. We brought in a group of young, naive youngsters who quite simply weren't up for a relegation scrap, and one in particular was sent home in disgrace. Our inability to defend set pieces and weakness down the spine of the team also cost us plenty of goals.
There are quite a few East Midlands clubs in League Two this season. Which fixture are you most looking forward to and why?
Naturally Mansfield due to the history between the 2 towns and clubs, I love the atmosphere! I'm also looking forward to Lincoln away as it's a nice city which has plenty of good pubs to choose from. I know Nottingham quite well too so County is another I look out for, again because we'll make it a full day out. If I had to choose... got to be Mansfield!
What's your favourite memory as a Chesterfield fan and why?
The moment Jamie Hewitt slammed a last minute equalising header in against Middlesbrough in FA cup semi in 1997! I was only 14 and just remember losing control of where I was for quite a while and ending up far away from my family!
How do you reckon you'll do this season?
Tough one... I'm going to say top 10. Play-offs will be a surprise to me.
Which players are likely to be the biggest threat?
Ian Evatt is a stalwart at the back and reads the game so well and marshals the back line like nobody else. I've got high hopes of Chris O'Grady too due to the level he's recently played at and he holds the ball up well and brings others into the game.
Can we get your score and scorer predictions for Saturday?
We need a clean sheet but I don't think we'll get one! I'm going for 2-2 with O'Grady and Reed our scorers.
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has praised midfielder Ryan Yates's contributions in Notts County's League Cup game at Scunthorpe United, suggesting he will go on to do more for the Magpies as the season goes on.
The 19-year-old, who joined last week from Nottingham Forest on loan, impressed at Glanford Park on Tuesday night and weighed in with a goal to make it 3-3 in extra time to take the game to penalties, which Notts sadly lost 6-5.
“His performance showed why we chased him from day one,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post.
“We knew what he had and the quality he possesses.
“He is going to make a massive contribution to us and I am delighted that he has scored his first goal.
“He’s not as fit as he said he was! ...I’m only messing. The two Forest boys Ryan and Jorge Grant did themselves really proud. But it wasn’t just those two, it was everybody.”
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has admitted that he will have "some hard decisions to make for Saturday" in terms of team selection for Notts County's home game against Chesterfield in League Two.
The Magpies made eight changes to their starting XI in Tuesday's League Cup game at Scunthorpe United following a poor 3-0 defeat at Coventry City last Saturday.
The much-changed Notts side put in a great display at Glanford Park, taking the lead and then twice pegging the Iron back after falling behind, only succumbing at the death on penalties.
“I’ve got some hard decisions to make for Saturday, but that’s what I want,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post.
“We made eight changes on Tuesday, and I suspect many were thinking ‘oh this is a second team’. It wasn’t. It was a first team who had a lot of games between them.
“That’s why they were able to play the way they did on Tuesday and take on the information so quickly.
“To a man they were absolutely brilliant. Everybody contributed, even the lads who were sat in the stands.
“They got right behind the lads. Everyone did the club proud and I am delighted with that.”
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has declared himself proud of Notts County's performance against Scunthorpe United in Tuesday's League Cup first-round clash at Glanford Park.
The Magpies took the lead in the match but went on to fall behind twice, only to peg their opponents back both times for a final score of 3-3 and taking them all the way to penalties.
Only one spot kick was missed - unfortunately it was one from Matt Tootle, which at sudden death, gave the Iron passage to the next round of the competition.
Nolan told the official Notts website: "I never get too high when we win or too low when we lose - but I do get proud when I see a performance like that.
"The lads were really upset with their performance on Saturday but I think we showed, as a squad, what we're about.
"I'm absolutely gutted we didn't make it into the next round. We took a very good League One side all the way to the wire and on another night we could have nicked it.
"It's going to be tough because a lot of the lads have run themselves into the ground. We'll be assessing them. Some will need wrapping up in cotton wool more than others.
"We'll have as many fit and raring to go as we can going into the weekend."
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Joe Jones
Notts County have certainly enjoyed some memorable nights in the League Cup over the last couple of years. The epic showdown with Nottingham Forest in 2011. Taking the mighty Liverpool to extra time in 2013. The eight-goal thriller with Aston Villa.
And right on cue, on yet another odd-numbered year, comes another League Cup classic featuring the Magpies - the opponents, Scunthorpe United, may not be quite so glamorous as the above, but it was nonetheless a titanic tussle which went all the way to penalties, though sadly, the outcome was a defeat, albeit a heroic one.
In a game played under heavy rain that seemed at risk of potentially being postponed as it went on, Jorge Grant hit a speculative effort from 20 yards out which hit the bar and was turned behind for a corner.
From the resulting corner, the Nottingham Forest loanee opened the scoring after Rob Milsom’s cross into the box was not dealt with by the Iron defence and Grant steered into the far corner.
Scunthorpe switched formation from 3-5-2 to 4-4-2 at the break which made them more threatening, and 61 minutes in, Paddy Madden had the ball in the back of the net, though he was deemed to be offside.
However, the hosts were given a route back into the game when Conor Townsend was brought down by Terry Hawkridge, prompting the referee to award a penalty which Madden slotted into the bottom left-hand corner.
With just four minutes left of normal time, Duane Holmes put the Iron ahead after racing through onto a Sam Mantom pass, and it looked like County's resistance was over.
However, injury time brought about a Notts equaliser when Milsom’s corner was met by the head of Shaun Brisley, hitting the post with his first chance, before pouncing on the rebound and levelling the game, which meant extra time.
Seconds before half-time in the extra period, Hakeeb Adelakun played Madden through on goal, who bore down on goal and slotted past Ross Fitzsimons, although the Magpies were a man down in defence after Shaun Brisley went down injured at the other end.
Nonetheless, Kevin Nolan's side would draw level once again when another Forest loanee, Ryan Yates turned inside the box and drove his shot past Matt Gilks, who had little time to react to the strike.
And so it went down to penalties, whose new format - and its resulting name - has singlehandledly served as free advertising for one of the most "iconic" pop bands of the 20th century.
One player on team A would take a spot kick, then two players on team B would take their penalties, then two from team A, and so on, rather than the simple one on each team alternating. So rather than ABAB, it's ABBA.
Alan Smith, Curtis Thompson, Rob Milsom, Shaun Brisley and Jonathan Forte all succeeded with their penalties, but Scunthorpe's efforts were all converted too, and sadly the man to fluff his kick was a Notts man, Matt Tootle.
Nonetheless, it was a gutsy, doughty performance which Nolan and his boys can take much from going into Saturday's encounter with Chesterfield, the first Meadow Lane league game of the season.
And judging by how things have panned out over the last decade, expect a complete non-event in the League Cup in 2018 before another corker in 2019.
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has reassured Notts County fans by saying they will learn from the Coventry City defeat and believes there will not be many more days like Saturday throughout the course of the season.
A Jodi Jones hat-trick saw the Sky Blues run out 3-0 winners over the beleaguered Magpies, who were acknowledged by their manager to have "got it all wrong" on the day.
“Saturday has just brought things back into perspective,” Nolan told the Nottingham Post.
“Coventry have spent a lot of money on players that we couldn’t afford and with the experience they had, they handled the situation a lot better than us. Sometimes you have got to take your hat off and say ‘fair play’.
“One thing that I am trying to teach is that they can get there and they can compete on a weekly basis. I believe that they can compete with any in the league.
“On Saturday we didn’t, but I don’t feel there are going to be too many of those days from now until the end of the season.
“But we will get one and it’s how we react. It’s about learning from the experience we endured on Saturday, making sure we know when to say ‘oh this is another Coventry’ and do the basics.
“There’s a lot to learn and in four or five games we will start to judge.
"You can bring as many players as you want in during pre-season and say how great they’ve done, but you never know the true extent when they cross the line on a Saturday or Tuesday night.
“I do feel I have a great group of lads and a good squad which we can do good things with this year.”
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Joe Jones
Notts County against Scunthorpe United is a relatively new fixture in English football - the first time these two faced off was on the 4th January 1969 in the old Division Four.
On that day, goals by George Kerr and Nigel Cassidy gave the Iron a 2-1 victory - Richie Barker netted the consolation for the Magpies.
Since then, the two sides have played 27 further games, and the record is firmly in the Magpies' favour, winning 18, drawing 4 and losing just 6.
The last fixture took place on 9 August 2016, also in the first round of the League Cup, also at Glanford Park, and it finished 2-0 to the Iron.
Scunthorpe United were formed in 1899 - in 1910 they merged with local rivals Lindsey United to become Scunthorpe & Lindsey United, and joined the Midland Football League in 1912.
In 1950 the club was accepted into the Football League, ahead of Workington and Wigan Athletic, when the league structure was expanded, with the "Lindsey" part of the name being dropped shortly after.
Ever since the club entered the league their nickname has been ‘The Iron’, a metal which has long played a role in the team’s nomenclature. Before 1950s Scunthorpe United were known as the Knuts.
The origin is uncertain but it is generally accepted as being when they won one of the local charity cups. The vicar of Frodingham, the Rev Cryspant Rust, said “that indeed Scunthorpe and Lindsey United were a tough (k)nut to beat”.
For a small club, the Iron have an impressive roll call of former players and managers. The most notable is Kevin Keegan, one of England's greatest ever footballers, who played for Scunny between 1966 and 1971.
Other alumni, either in a playing or managing capacity, include Ray Clemence, cricketer Ian Botham, Ian Storey-Moore, Neil Warnock, Jermaine Beckford, Billy Sharp, Andy Keogh, and former Leicester City manager Nigel Adkins, who used to be the club's physiotherapist.
Team news
Scunthorpe United manager Graham Alexander has confirmed that former Notts County man Neal Bishop will not play as he is suffering from a dead leg.
Defender Lewis Butroid and striker Luke Williams have also just got back into training so they are likely to miss out, but aside from those three, the Iron have everyone else fit and available.
Notts County manager Kevin Nolan has no new injury worries ahead of the trip to Glanford Park, but is likely to ring the changes following the 3-0 defeat at Coventry City at the weekend.
Forward Jonathan Forte looks likely to feature following the Magpie attack's poor showing at the Ricoh Arena, as well as Nolan revealing he held a "frank discussion" with the ex-Scunthorpe man.
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has revealed that he engaged in a "frank discussion" with Jonathan Forte over the weekend in a bid to get a reaction out of him on the pitch.
The 31-year-old forward was left out of the Notts County squad which lost 3-0 at Coventry City at the weekend, but may be given a spot in the team for the League Cup visit to his former club Scunthorpe United on Tuesday.
Nolan did not elaborate on the content of the discussion between himself and Forte, but he suggested that there was an element of clearing the air, and both of them now "feel better".
“It was a frank discussion and it was needed,” the Magpies boss told the Nottingham Post. “I have a lot of respect for Forte as a player and as a person.
“I will always be honest, and I will never shy away from anything if something needs to be said.
“It was great to be able to sit down and have a chat. He feels better about it, I know I certainly do.
“I am hoping I can see a reaction from him and that he stakes his claim for a place in the team on Saturday. The ball is in his court as it is with all the lads.”
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has stressed he will not be panicking, or panic buying, after Notts County's heavy loss at Coventry City at the weekend.
A Jodi Jones hat-trick inflicted a 3-0 defeat on the Magpies at the Ricoh Arena, with two of his goals coming in the last 10 minutes.
Notts were blunt in attack, while the defence could have done much better for Jones's goals - implying a potential need for yet more new recruits.
Nolan says he was disappointed with the performance, but maintains he won’t react by spending more money on players just yet.
Asked whether he would be more inclined to make more signings following the loss, he told the Nottingham Post: “I am not getting carried away.
“Okay, it’s not what we wanted but we are not going to start panicking.
“People should know me by now that I don’t get carried away when we are winning and I don’t get carried away when we have lost.
“I will be going away to watch the videos to make sure we are ready for Scunthorpe on Tuesday and then Chesterfield at Meadow Lane next weekend.”
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Chris
To say I was optimistic about Coventry that is an understatement, however I really enjoyed the travel. I had quick kip on the coach and was awaken by @magpiejue gently nudging me. I didn’t sleep all that well the night before, however the first thing I saw was the Ricoh Arena.
From the outside it looks too big to be in League One, let alone the fourth tier of English football.
That feeling I had at Stevenage emerged but the atmosphere wasn’t the same, I spoke to virtually everyone I know and some new faces and ‘I’d take a draw today’ was the common reply.
Pre-match for me wasn’t like a typical League Two game, for me it reminded me of playing at an higher level and I got that hopeful feeling that we could do something special – Notts honestly deserves a good season merely for all the loyal supporters who travel to virtually every game and devote their wholeheartly support to the club.
Here are my five favourite pictures from Coventry City v. Notts County
#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

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Chris
Notts County began the 2017/18 League Two season away at Coventry City in a highly-anticipated clash at the Ricoh Arena.
A total of 1,727 members of the Black and White Army descended upon the West Midlands to see the Magpies open their account for the campaign following a summer of rebuilding both on the pitch and behind the scenes.
As it turned out, the Sky Blues were in inspired form following their humiliating relegation from League One last season, and the teenage prodigy Jodi Jones rattled a hat-trick past Notts for a 3-0 final result.
In this article, Pride of Nottingham looks at several aspects of the game, from the performance to whether the result was fair, and how to move on from this.
Was the result fair?
The final score reflects badly on Notts, the players only have themselves to blame with how poorly we allowed Coventry City to wrap up the game. There’s no denying, the Sky Blues easily deserved the win.
How did Notts County play?
Notts enjoyed bright spells early on, yet there were issues with support which meant key areas were disconnected. You could argue that the opening day nerves simply got the better of Notts, or that the game was ruined by the poor officials, but quite simply Notts didn’t play well enough as a unit at all.
How did Coventry City play?
They played quite well, however if you remove Jodi Jones from the equation, they had no real threat. Whilst most Notts fans like myself didn’t appreciate how easily their players went down, which included outright diving, Coventry did pass very well and looked to make use of the space available to them (which at times was huge pockets of the pitch). Overall they played okay.
Did our tactics work out?
I can see what Kevin Nolan had tried to do, however his starting 11 was massively flawed. We had nobody who could dictate the tempo, or be direct in areas where we just needed to get forward. Starting two up front was a welcome addition to me, however in the game the age up front was clear for all. Notts needed pace there desperately and I left feeling like we had underestimated Coventry City.
How did the referee perform?
Very poorly, he allowed Coventry to milk the play and awarded them virtually every opportunity that one of their players was shot down by the invisible sniper in the ground. Honestly, I don’t believe he was very fair and he largely spoiled the game. His efforts at taking lengthy spells to talk to players, and his inability to allow the game to flow was disappointing – otherwise don’t get me started on him!
Who do we play next?
Our next league game is against Chesterfield at Meadow Lane, the players desperately need to re-group here and claim the points available. I would say that a win is the encouragement we need otherwise it could be a very disappointing start to the 2017-18 League Two season.
How should we play them?
I’d like us to start with a bit of energy up front, I would rest Jon Stead and replace him for one of our younger options. I would certainly start Jorge Grant from the start, with possibly Haydn Hollis starting too. Despite Richard Duffy being the captain, I would drop him but this isn’t likely to happen at all.
I’m unsure if using full backs and three defenders would work, at this stage it’s hard to gauge what could work – yet I think it’s important we phase our attacks better and offer the defence as much support as possible. Perhaps we could try to counter attack Chesterfield as Coventry did us? We need to cover the space behind us for sure.
Here is what Coventry fans thought about the game, courtesy of Sky Blues Talk:
AlansEyes: Jones gets a hat trick, yet I'm sure James Collins will still be mentioned on here a few times over the next few days. I was joking with my 20 goals from Jones this season, but then again... Mick Quinn. Dion Dublin. Jodi Jones. The CCFC opening day hat trick club. What a time to be alive.
Astute: So happy. Fair play to Jones. That will give his confidence a massive boost. And that is one strong Duck that we have. I hppe there will be room in the team for him to start. He will s**t the life out teams at this level. But the major bonus for me is O'Brien. Confident and he can catch the ball. He seems to know when to stay and when to come for the ball. The defence seemed to cope with the long ball most of the time. Does anyone still think Doyle wasn't a good signing?
Skybluetony176: Great opening day result. Well done the team, well done MR and especially well done JJ. Delighted for the lad. Never doubted his skill just felt he needed some belief and better decision making. Hopefully he's turned a big corner today and his career can really kick on and we can benefit from that.
Johnnythespider: Always good to start with a win, hats off to Jodi. Impressed by O'Brien in goal and the battling when needed, considering it was practically a new team things can only get better. I hope.
Kingokings: Great game and it was a 3-0 game. Notts county were poor and I would be dissapointed if I was a fan. Opening day I would expect a lot more. The thing is notts county will probably finish around mid table so there is worse to come than them. Fair play to us and jones was terrific. Not too sure on Beavon and mcnulty to get the goals for promotion but now the duck is here and looked great then maybe a problem solved. Looked solid at the back for once and never thought we were going to concede really (partly due to county being poor) centre mid looked fiery and ran their socks off. Here is to a decent season after that.
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Chris
I, like many Notts County fans, went to Coventry feeling very optimistic. The majority of supporters whom I spoke to said we they would take a point – something I strongly agreed with.
I felt our hopes mainly relied upon our players being eager to start well, or perhaps the Sky Blues underestimating us.
For the first 15 minutes I would say we played quite upbeat, however every time Coventry attacked they broke with so much space available to them.
Notts seemed jagged and very unconnected going forward - every time space presented itself to us, one of the Notts players would just wastefully lump the ball forward or rush the play.
Seriously, I don’t understand why at times we were trying to force the play at all?
Anyone would have realised our way into the game was playing Coventry at their own game, keeping it nice and simple but making space to move forward.
We played quite wide, yet certain players remained narrow or closely tied to the opposition, which in effect made it harder to bring them into the game – so a pattern emerged whereby the centre of the park wasn’t widely used and we just attempted to get balls from out wide into the box.
This is another gripe for me - there was nobody spread out for rebounds!
Terry Hawkridge played some good football, and our best chance came from him trying to get forward. However, there were balls played into the box where Shola Ameobi was very isolated, strike partner Jon Stead seemed missing for the majority of the game.
I mean, I’m not overly worried. I think the opening-day nerves got the better of our players and the Ricoh Area is a grand stage which may have got them caught in those headlights Kevin Nolan mentioned in his post-match interview.
Yet it was clear after Coventry started pressing more, perhaps around 12th minute that Notts desperately lack someone direct (*cough* *cough* Jorge Grant) and someone with pace upfront.
And the usual suspects can’t really be blamed for the three goals conceded. I thought Adam Collin actually put in a very decent performance in goal.
Dan Jones disappointed me from a defensive point of view, and I thought Richard Duffy didn’t do a very good job of organising his defence.
Liam Walker didn’t seem the player who could change the outcome, with Elliot Hewitt also seeming like a bystander on the pitch.
The issue largely lies with the tactics, line-up and organising in-game. I also felt we didn’t match the Sky Blues with determination, passion or energy – in fact they looked the fitter squad.
I don’t want to get started with the referee, he killed any chance we had to gain momentum by bringing the ball back at every oppatunity and how the hell he brought into some of Coventry’s poor ice skating tactics I will never know!
Most of the squad just didn’t turn up, they didn’t support each other and we never really seemed to have a clue how best to go forward.
Grant injected a lot of what we was missing, yet he was the only player on the pitch that looked any different. Ameobi for me is faultless, he tried and got stuck in – he simply didn’t have the service or support to be that powerful striker we know he can be.
The most disappointing aspect for me is the poor marking, all the goals seemed very soft.
The first I found annoying, Jodi Jones given all the time in the world to pick his shot.
The second is the most frustrating because it sealed the game at a point where there was hope of getting a draw.
How we can allow a player to turn from a front facing position, to turning his back to our defender – all at the time with no challenge being made and allowing an opposition side to score so easily is really disappointing.
We only had two players in a defensive position; we got caught cheaply on the break by being careless.
And please do comment on who it was for us who ran back to get into a defensive position, only to be caught into some sort of bubble – I think it was Rob Milsom. I don’t fault his effort to get back but the defending was dire!
As I’ve written, I’m not overly concerned and the issues are largely something Kevin Nolan can fix.
I think it’s important we stay grounded and supportive, as Chesterfield won’t be an easy team to beat, but we need to defend much better.
We need to take our time, allowing ourselves to get a proper feel for the game because hoofing the ball is extremely wasteful – as is rushing the passing.
Honestly, we gave our support yesterday and all those who attended were let down massively.
But we must be stronger in our game and try to get the points against the next two teams, I have limited interest in the League Cup – so I hope we use the game to see how we can get more pace up front (Jonathan Forte or Callum Saunders perhaps).
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Chris
Despite Notts having started brightly, Coventry City took control of the game and ended the game claiming all three points in a comprehensive 3-0 win.
Adam Collin saved well at his near post early to deny Michael Doyle, but Notts found more time on the ball and enjoyed a lengthy spell as Terry Hawkride came close him self after hitting the post just seven minutes later.
On the 28th minute mark Shaun Brisley's flicked header went wide of the goal.
Moments later, the Sky Blues found enough space in the Notts defence for Jodi Jones to slot his shot into the bottom corner.
In the second half Coventry continued to dominate, with only inspiration coming from Magpies substitute Jorge Grant.
However, it wasn't enough as Jodi Jones wrapped up the win with two goals as Notts were caught cheaply on the counter attack in the final 10 minutes.
Here are the match highlights from the official Notts site - see for yourselves how the Magpies got on.
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Joe Jones
Kevin Nolan has offered a scathing assessment of Notts County following their opening-day defeat at Coventry City.
The Magpies succumbed to a Jodi Jones hat-trick as the newly-relegated Sky Blues cruised to a 3-0 win at the Ricoh Arena.
For all of County's woes, Nolan admitted that Coventry were simply the better team on the day, doing "the right things at the right times".
“It went wrong from start to finish,” the gaffer told the Nottingham Post.
“We were a bit like rabbits caught in the headlights. They looked more composed and did the right things at the right times.
“They didn’t really do anything spectacular, they just put in behind us and put us under pressure and picked up on the seconds.
“They have a lot of experienced pros in their team and they really showed.
“It’s one for us to sit down, look at them and think ‘these are the benchmark’ in the fact they’ve done all the basics right. That’s why they had the success they did.”
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Pride of Nottingham is an independent fansite devoted to Notts County, the world’s oldest professional football club. Created in 2013, it has served as a source of Magpie news, features, match previews, reports, analysis and interviews for more than three years.

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