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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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Click to view the full gallery 'Faces of PON' on Pride of Nottingham's popular Facebook page here.
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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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ARLukomski
Notts County began the 2017/18 League Two season away at Coventry City, but unfortunately it did not go the Magpies' way as they succumbed to a heavy defeat in the West Midlands.
A total of 1,727 members of the Black and White Army descended upon the Ricoh Arena to see Notts 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 Jody Jones rattled a hat-trick past Notts for a 3-0 final result.
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.
Share your thoughts about this vlog on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.
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Chris
Notts County began the 2017/18 League Two season with a difficult trip to Coventry City on Saturday 5 August.
A total of 1,727 members of the Black and White Army descended upon the Ricoh Arena to see the Magpies open their account for the campaign.
As it turned out, the Sky Blues were in inspired form following their humiliating relegation from League One last season, and the teenage prodigy Jody Jones rattled a hat-trick past Notts for a 3-0 final result.
Despite the poor result, it was good to see all the Notts faithful congregated together once again to enjoy all the thrills and spills of supporting their beloved team.
Pride of Nottingham was at the Ricoh for the game and took pictures of fans - see if you've made it in this week's Faces of PON!

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Joe Jones
Notts County were humbled at the Ricoh Arena as Coventry City cruised to a 3-0 win over the visitors in Saturday's League Two opener.
Following a five-minute postponement due to adverse weather, the Sky Blues began brightly, with Michael Doyle forcing a save from Adam Collin at his near post six minutes in.
The Magpies then enjoyed a bright spell, Peter Vincenti's sloppiness in the middle of the park setting off a move that culminated in Terry Hawkridge drilling an effort against the foot of the post.
Shaun Brisley then flicked a header narrowly wide on 28 minutes, which proved a costly miss as Coventry took the lead just a minute later.
Jodi Jones received a diagonal ball in the box on the right from Vincenti, cut inside onto his left foot, and was given all the time and space in the world to then fire the ball into the net, Dan Jones holding back and being nutmegged in the process.
Coventry ended the half strongly, Dominic Hyam heading just over on the stroke of half-time, and they continued to impress following the restart, Marc McNulty hitting a ferocious angled shot that required a good save from Collin.
Notts, however, stepped up a gear, with strike pair Shola Ameobi and Jon Stead causing the opposition defenders problems, though the latter could only drill an effort over the bar.
For all of the visitors' increasing efforts, however, they were caught out 11 minutes from time when 19-year-old Jones burst through into the box, composed himself and sent an angled shot past Collin.
The cherry on top for Coventry and Jones came in injury time when Duckens Nazon slipped the youngster through, and he then drilled past the Notts keeper to leave the visitors reeling come the final whistle.
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Joe Jones
In case you've been out of the loop for a while, the new EFL season starts this weekend, with Notts County given a baptism of fire this League Two campaign with a trip to Coventry City, a side expected to be in the hunt for automatic promotion, on Saturday.
Former Magpies striker Lee Hughes, one of the finest marksmen Meadow Lane has seen in recent years, has kindly given Pride of Nottingham a message of support to pass on to Notts fans as Kevin Nolan's boys face his former club at the Ricoh Arena.
Hughes was at Meadow Lane this week as he promoted his new business - we were very honoured to speak to a true Notts legend.
COME ON YOU PIES!! LADTH!!
 
 
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Joe Jones
There haven’t been many fixtures between Notts County and Coventry City, in all fairness: just 38 in the last 97 years.
The first encounter took place on the 6th November 1920, the match at Meadow Lane ending in a 1-1 draw.
The last one, meanwhile, was on 6th April 2015, a goalless draw.
There have plenty of high-scoring games between the two, with several 5-1s, 3-0s and 4-2s over the years.
Notts County have the upper hand in the head-to-heads – 19 victories over the Sky Blues, 11 defeats and 8 draws.
In 2001, Coventry were relegated from the Premier League after 34 years in the first tier. At the time, only Liverpool, Everton and Arsenal could boast longer tenures in the top flight.
A year later, they were relegated to the third tier in English Football for the first time in 48 years, and now, they have slipped down into the bottom tier, compounding a Portsmouth-like fall from grace.
Coventry’s new stadium, the 32,609-capacity Ricoh Arena, was opened in August 2005, but following a rent dispute with the ground's owners the club opted to play their home games at Northampton Town's Sixfields Stadium starting in the 2013–14 season, a move which didn’t prove popular with Sky Blues fans.
On 21 August 2014, it was announced an agreement had been reached allowing the club to return to the Ricoh Arena for the next two years with the option of another two years.
It has been reported that there will be a relocation to another site within the city, as the tenancy with the Ricoh Arena expires in August 2018.
The club’s proudest moment was undoubtedly the 1987 FA Cup final at Wembley, which was won by the Sky Blues thanks to an enthralling 3-2 win after two hours of football.
Following Tottenham Hotspur player Gary Mabbutt’s own goal in extra time, which set Coventry on the way to their win, a fanzine was created called GMK – Gary Mabbutt’s Knee!
Team News
Coventry will be without Ryan Haynes - the defender suffered a knee injury early on in the Sky Blues' pre-season preparations and still has around another month to go in his recovery.
Goalkeeper Lee Burge is struggling with a shoulder injury and a late decision will be made about his involvement.
New signings Michael Doyle, Liam O'Brien, Marc McNulty, Rod McDonald, Liam Kelly, Dominic Hyam, Maxime Biamou, Jack Grimmer and Peter Vincenti are all available to make their debuts
Michael O'Connor is expected to be the only player missing through injury for Notts County.
The midfielder is recovering from a knee operation after suffering cruciate ligament damage towards the end of last season and he will not play again until 2018.
Defender Richard Duffy will captain the team in his absence.
New signings Terry Hawkridge, Lewis Alessandra, Shaun Brisley, Jorge Grant, Dan Jones, Liam Walker, Branislav Pindroch, Pierce Bird and Callum Saunders will all be hoping to make their debuts.
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ARLukomski
We've made a lot of signings this week. Six, to be precise. And now Notts have stepped up their recruitment drive, the question on everyone's lips is, how are we going to line up against Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday?
There may be some difference in opinions in the formation that we use throughout the season, but I'm going to stick with 4-4-2 as we used that nearly all of the time last season when Nolan took over.
Starting in goal. Adam Collin seems like the obvious choice and whilst most of our fans don't like him much, it's hard to see Fitzsimons or Pindroch replacing him just yet.
Matt Tootle has the right-back spot sewn up sweetly. If he avoids the injury problems he had last season he could play every league game. I don't expect Jordon Richards or Nicky Hunt to start much at all this season.
The left-back spot is easy. Dan Jones will easily displace Carl Dickinson. The ex-Stoke man was very error-prone last season, especially when he consistently allowed opposition players into the box unchallenged. It was obvious we needed a new left-back and he needed to have pace, something Jones has and Dickinson doesn't.
Centre-back has plagued us for a few seasons now. The last two especially where we conceded 83 in 15-16 and 76 in 16-17. For me Shaun Brisley has to start. He played in the Peterborough team that reached the League One playoffs a few years ago and we're crying out for stability at centre-half.
Richard Duffy has been a lot better since Kevin Nolan came in. For me he beats Hollis to that first team spot alongside Brisley. Duffy, for me, was better under Nolan in the second the half of last season than Hollis was and is just a better player in my opinion. I would like to see Pierce Bird play a few games this season. He seems like a good prospect and someone who I think definitely has potential.
Onto the wingers and for me it has to be Jorge Grant and Lewis Alessandra. Grant showed last season he is a quality player, especially for this level and has an abundance of creativity. He could very easily hit 10-15 goals for the 2017-18 season. Alessandra has much needed pace which Notts have been begging for, for a few seasons now. I think Nolan can get the best out of the former Hartlepool man.
This pushes Terry Hawkridge to the bench but I still see him playing a key role in creating chances for the Magpies. There is also the option of playing these three together behind a lone striker. I don't see Elliot Hodge featuring regularly unless key players pick up injuries. Sam Osborne has great potential but isn't ready yet and a loan spell out to gain first team football is what he needs.
Moving into the centre of the park, there are several options to choose from. Rob Milsom, Elliott Hewitt, Liam Walker, Curtis Thompson and Ryan Yates. It's obvious we will miss Michael O'Connor. As captain he led by example and played a massive part in Notts climbing the table. He formed a great partnership with Milsom and in my opinion, Milsom should keep his place in the starting eleven. He is good at pressing teams and is a neat and tidy passer and very calm in possession of the ball.
In my opinion, Liam Walker should start alongside him. Walker is more of an attackive minded midfielder and his long shots and set pieces will be a danger to opposition teams. Elliott Hewitt is getting better by the day. He looks at home in the centre of midfield and moving him there from his right back slot could prove a solid decision. Ryan Yates is more of a box to box midfielder and when played, could be very useful in linking defence to attack. I don't see Curtis Thompson playing many games this season and his persistent injury problems haven't helped him at all. Alex Howes is a another player who I see getting loaned out to gain more first team experience. I don't expect a permanent central midfield pairing. I think Milsom, Hewitt, Walker and Yates will all have their turn in the starting XI.
Finally, we move into the final third. Jon Stead and Shola Ameobi signed new contracts in the summer and unless we sign a striker before opening day then it will be them two starting up front. As a strike partnership, they have shown they can be effective but not spectacular.
Ameobi is a very good player for holding the ball up and this can help bring other players into the game such as Grant and Alessandra as well as Stead. Despite being 6'3, Stead likes the ball more to his feet and Nolan is the first manager, since the ex-Huddersfield man joined Notts, to realise he isn't a target man. He has done very well to score 25 goals in the last two seasons but he is 34 and Ameobi is 35 and it's clear we need someone younger up front who can take us further up the table than my current prediction of 10th. For me we still need a striker if we're going to break into the play-off places.
Jonathan Forte can be an asset but breaking into the first team next season will be difficult for him especially if we sign another striker. I prefer him as a striker to a winger but was utilised more as the latter last season but still managed 10 goals. Whilst he only scored 2 in 23 at Crewe, Callum Saunders looks like one for the future. I've heard that his movement is very good but he needs to work on his finishing.
My starting XI for Coventry: Collin, Tootle, Duffy, Brisley, Jones, Grant, Milsom, Walker, Alessandra, Stead, Ameobi
Squad
GK - Adam Collin, Ross Fitzsimons, Branislav Pindroch, Joe Searson-Smithard
RB - Matt Tootle, Jordon Richards, Nicky Hunt
LB - Dan Jones, Carl Dickinson
CB - Shaun Brisley, Richard Duffy, Haydn Hollis, Pierce Bird
W - Jorge Grant (RM), Lewis Alessandra (LM,RM), Terry Hawkridge (RM,LM), Elliot Hodge (RM),
Sam Osborne (RM)
CM - Rob Milsom, Elliott Hewitt, Liam Walker, Curtis Thompson, Ryan Yates, Michael O'Connor (INJ), Alex Howes
ST - Jon Stead, Shola Ameobi, Jonathan Forte, Callum Saunders
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